Manifesto
Sphere endeavors to be and stay an interactive platform where artists, curators, collectors, researchers, or enthusiasts of the arts and the sciences can engage in effective dialogue. We try to establish contact points across borders and disciplines for promoting hybrid and ingenious modes of developing ideas.
Apart from the annual Sphere Festival, which has fostered a vibrant and diverse community of filmmakers, producers, animators, and video artists, our year-round programs seek to stimulate conversations about contemporary issues that cloud the community of artists and innovators.
On a rolling basis, we invite panel proposals, workshop ideas, exchange programs, and discussion forums to bring art and cultural spaces closer to people – in an enriching and intimate sphere.
Our focus is to catalyze art and thinking that is conscious of its impact on the environment, the sociology, and the politics of whichever ecosystem the work deals with.
We seek discomfort. We believe the way it has always been is not the only way. Every artist, maker, thinker, doer is a lattice of various socio-cultural influences, and just by the act of gathering, by the act of coming together we create conditions for something new or something entirely primordial to emerge.
Sphere is not a gated community. We want to make art, experiment and play more accessible to everyone — both in its making and consumption, as well as everything around it.
In this community, we tend to think beyond the assembly line of producing and consuming art, but more about art’s organic growth through reading, reacting, or simply brooding together.
Ethics
Our ethical framework revolves around non-hierarchical institutional architecture, transparency, and credit attribution. We strive to dismantle traditional power structures and foster a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. Embracing a non-hierarchical institutional architecture, we challenge the top-down decision-making processes prevalent in many cultural institutions. This resonates with Bourdieu’s (1996) call for demystifying cultural production processes and fostering an environment where decision-making is inclusive and accountable.
Transparency plays a central role in our ethical framework. We recognize the importance of openness and accountability in the cultural sphere. By promoting transparency, we aim to create a culture of trust and dialogue, where stakeholders have access to information and actively participate in the decision-making process. This aligns with the critical perspective of cultural institutions put forth by Fraser (1990), who argues that traditional cultural institutions perpetuate hierarchical power structures and exclude marginalized voices.
We place great importance on crediting and acknowledging the contributions of all individuals involved in our initiatives. We recognize that the cultural sphere is a collaborative endeavor, and credit attribution serves as a means of rectifying historical imbalances and challenging the marginalization of certain contributors. By ensuring that credit is given where it is due, we foster a culture of recognition and respect, where all participants are valued for their unique perspectives and contributions.
Objective
Our ethical framework revolves around non-hierarchical institutional architecture, transparency, and credit attribution. We strive to dismantle traditional power structures and foster a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. Embracing a non-hierarchical institutional architecture, we challenge the top-down decision-making processes prevalent in many cultural institutions. This resonates with Bourdieu’s (1996) call for demystifying cultural production processes and fostering an environment where decision-making is inclusive and accountable.
Transparency plays a central role in our ethical framework. We recognize the importance of openness and accountability in the cultural sphere. By promoting transparency, we aim to create a culture of trust and dialogue, where stakeholders have access to information and actively participate in the decision-making process. This aligns with the critical perspective of cultural institutions put forth by Fraser (1990), who argues that traditional cultural institutions perpetuate hierarchical power structures and exclude marginalized voices.
We place great importance on crediting and acknowledging the contributions of all individuals involved in our initiatives. We recognize that the cultural sphere is a collaborative endeavor, and credit attribution serves as a means of rectifying historical imbalances and challenging the marginalization of certain contributors. By ensuring that credit is given where it is due, we foster a culture of recognition and respect, where all participants are valued for their unique perspectives and contributions.