ABOUT
INTERSCAPE

INTERSCAPE is the final outcome of the “INPA – International Network of the Polytechnics of the Arts” project, an initiative funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU - PNRR (Mission 4: “Education and Research”) funds via the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). The project, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of the Arts in Bergamo as lead partner, aims to establish and consolidate an international network of excellence, focused on innovation in arts education through the implementation of interdisciplinary practices.

A fundamental element of the project's vision is the programmatic convergence between the Musical Arts and the Visual arts: disciplinary fields that find institutional synthesis in the model of the Bergamo Polytechnic of Arts, an institution born from the merger between the G. Donizetti Conservatory and the G. Carrara Academy of Fine Arts.

INTERSCAPE summarizes the methodological paradigm adopted: the term reflects the fusion between the dimensions of Internationalization and Interdisciplinarity applied to the study of Landscape. This linguistic fusion defines not only the object of the research, but also the modus operandi itself: the creation of a transnational space for investigation where artistic and musical languages are not limited to coexistence, but work in synergy to generate shared educational models and new forms of expression.

Landscape Research: Thematic Axes and Perspectives

The project focuses on the theme of landscape, explored in its many dimensions: sound, visual, anthropic, natural, historical, and future. Landscape is not understood as a simple backdrop, but as a cultural construct, as a space of relationship between the individual and the environment, between memory and transformation, between sensory perception and imagination. Hence the decision to structure the research along three main thematic axes:

• «Scopic/Soundscape», dedicated to the relationship between sound and image;
• «Uncontaminated/Urban», which explores the tensions and interconnections between nature and the city;
• «Historyscape/Futurscape», focused on the historical stratification of places and their possible future evolutions.

The approach adopted was radically interdisciplinary: musicians, composers, and visual artists worked together from the early stages, developing projects in which the sound and visual components grew in parallel and interdependently. This method fully reflects the vocation of the Politecnico delle Arti and found an ideal platform for discussion in the INPA network.

The establishment of the INPA network responds to the need to connect the excellence of Italian and European Higher Education in Art and Music (AFAM). The partnership consists of institutions selected for their shared commitment to experimental research and interdisciplinary production.

The National Partnership The selection of Italian partners was guided by a strategic territorial criterion: cities hosting complementary AFAM institutions (academies, ISIA, and conservatories) were identified, with the aim of replicating and enhancing the collaborative model already active in Bergamo. The following institutions joined the network:

• Firenze: Academy of Fine Arts, «Luigi Cherubini» Conservatory of Music, and ISIA Design.
• Torino: «Albertina» Academy of Fine Arts and Giuseppe Verdi» State Conservatory of Music.
• Ravenna: Academy of Fine Arts and Conservatory of Music «G. Verdi».
• Genova: Linguistic Academy of Fine Arts.

The International Partnership network's extends across Europe, involving institutions that, by statute or established practice, experiment with advanced forms of interdisciplinarity, similar to the model of the Universities of the Arts:

• Spain: University of Granada, TAI School of Arts in Madrid, Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid.
• Switzerland: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU DFK).
• Serbia: Academy of Arts in Novi Sad.

This dual structure—national and international—has made it possible to consolidate interinstitutional dialogue and encourage the mobility of teachers and researchers, promoting the exchange of good methodological practices.

The results of the research will be presented starting on Thursday, February 12, 2026, as part of the official program of the TONO Festival. The final event of INTERSCAPE transcends the concept of a traditional exhibition, taking the form of a widespread interdisciplinary journey involving three major cultural institutions in Bergamo: GAMeC – Spazio Zero, Palazzo della Libertà and Accademia di Belle Arti G. Carrara. The exhibition is curated by Bianca Trevisan and Daniele Maffeis, while the musical program is curated by Umberto Pedraglio.

It is particularly in the spaces of the Academy that the organic coexistence between exhibition and musical performance reaches its maximum expression. Here, a section of the exhibition has been specially designed as a hybrid and immersive space to host the highlight of the exhibition: the INTERSCAPE Concert on Friday, February 13. The event will feature the world premiere of 15 new compositions created by the students (the composers of the project), conducted by Maestro Fabian Panisello, a leading figure in the international contemporary music scene.