“Magic Carpets” is a “Creative Europe Platform” that brings together up to 20 European cultural organisations and provides emerging artists with opportunities for international mobility. Whilst traveling through unknown countries, these artists develop new, site-specific works together with local actors and communities. This makes cultural activism visible, strengthens participation and co-creation, and opens up new publics.
The flying carpet took off for the first time in 2018 and made stops in numerous countries before taking a break for the platform’s final exhibition “Magic Carpets: Landed” in the “European Capital of Culture 2022” Kaunas (Lithuania). Involving 57 artists from all over Europe (including 11 artists from the pool of openspace.innsbruck), the exhibition served as an occasion to look back on the countless experiences and stories collected in the platform’s first four years.
This Spring time had come for the carpet to rise again and make its way through Europe for another, second chapter of Magic Carpets. Thereby, the carpet’s last journey will lead to Innsbruck, Austria for the official Magic Carpets “Partners Meeting”. Between November 3rd and 7th, representatives of 16 cultural organisations will gather in Tyrol for a series of conferences, workshops, presentations and discussions. Together they will reflect on the past Magic Carpets year and work on the platform’s future goals. At the same time, exchange, discussion and networking will take place over the course of five days in direct contact with the city and its vibrant cultural scene. This will also enrich the audience of “Premierentage” with a number of interesting actors from the international art and cultural scene.
A big thanks goes to the City of Innsbruck for making the “Stadtbibliothek” and the “Stadtteiltreff Wilten” available, as well as “Die BALE” for their hospitality. The flying carpet feels welcome already!
Active Members 2022-2025
1. Kaunas Biennial (Kaunas / Lithuania) – Coordinating Entity
2. IDEIAS EMERGENTES – Produção Cultural, CRL (Porto (Guimarães) / Portugal)
3. Jam Factory Art Centre (Lviv / Ukraine)
4. Lab852 d.o.o. za promidžbu (Zagreb / Croatia)
5. Latitudo Srl (Rome / Italy)
6. META Cultural Foundation (Bucharest (Slon) / Romania)
7. New Theatre Institute of Latvia (Riga / Latvia)
8. Novo Kulturno Naselje (Novi Sad / Serbia)
9. OPENART, Örebro Kommun (Örebro / Sweden)
10. Openspace.Innsbruck (Innsbruck / Austria)
11. Sihtasutus Tartu 2024 (Tartu / Estonia)
12. Tbilisi International Photo Festival (Tbilisi / Georgia)
13. Trempo (Nantes / France)
14. Wrocławski Instytut Kultury (Wroclaw / Poland)
Active Partners 2022-2025
15. Diyalog Derneği (Istanbul / Turkey)
16. Folkestone Fringe (Folkestone / UK)
Former Members
17. EVA International – Ireland’s Biennial (Limerick / Ireland) (2018-2021)
18. ZK/U – Centre for Art and Urbanistics (Berlin / Germany) (2018-2021)
19. Prague Biennale (Prague / Czech Republic) (2018-2021)
20. Centre of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi (Tbilisi / Georgia) (2018-2020)