About - Nordic Bridges

Built on the shared values of creativity, innovation, inclusivity and sustainability, this festival will serve to connect the Nordic Region – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland – and Canada through collaborations between artists, innovators and thinkers.

From January to December 2022, this national initiative will highlight contemporary Nordic art and culture in a range of disciplines, including performing arts (dance, theatre, circus and music), visual and digital arts, craft and design, literature, film, and culinary arts.

As one of Canada’s leading contemporary, multidisciplinary arts and culture organizations, Harbourfront Centre will curate and lead programming of Nordic Bridges, working with all five Nordic embassies as well as cultural institutions across the country. The initiative will seek to spark dialogue with Canadian audiences and artists while highlighting Nordic innovation.

This exciting initiative is supported through a grant from the Nordic Council of Ministers, a government body dedicated to Nordic collaboration.

Four key pillars inform Nordic Bridges programming:

Artistic Innovation Programming that challenges the status quo	Accessibility and Inclusion Fostering belonging and participation through art and the engagement of diverse audiences
Indigenous Perspectives Engaging Indigenous voices from Canada and the Nordic region, in particular the Arctic dimension of these conversations	Resilience and Sustainability Exploring how our shared, rugged, natural landscapes inform and shape our art and design, and the measures that are being put in place to preserve these landscapes for future generations

Harbourfront Centre

For more than 40 years, Harbourfront Centre has been on the cutting edge of all that is current and creative, bringing together the best in both Canadian culture and the rich mosaic of cultures from within our country and around the world.

Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

Diversity has always been at the heart of Harbourfront Centre. In the lakeside places and spaces it encompasses. In the multitude of cultures and backgrounds it celebrates. In the eclectic programming, engagement and entertainment it provides. And in the broad range of people it attracts.

Harbourfront Centre was awarded a grant to produce Nordic Bridges in 2022, the third Joint-Nordic cultural initiative initiated by The Nordic Council of Ministers. Previous initiatives include Nordic Cool in 2013 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and Nordic Matters in 2017 at the Southbank Centre in London, England.

Learn more at Harbourfrontcentre.com,

The Nordic Council of Ministers

The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official intergovernmental body for cooperation in the Nordic Region. The Council brings together representatives of the governments of Denmark, Sweden, Norway Finland and Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.

The Nordic Region has a strong, high-quality and diverse art and culture sector, which is in great demand internationally. The Nordic ministers for culture initiate initiatives outside the Nordic Region that will lead to greater interaction between Nordic culture and the rest of the world and raise the profile of Nordic culture.

In November 2018, the culture ministers invited Nordic embassies around the world to submit proposals for the next major initiative. No fewer than 23 ambitious proposals flooded in from all over the world, eight of which made it onto the short list.

In May, 2019, the culture ministers announced that the next joint Nordic cultural initiative would be held in Canada in 2021 and named Harbourfront Centre as the leading cultural organization. The proposal won out in tough competition with its focus on artistic innovation, inclusion, sustainability and the potential to boost relationships with the Nordic Region in multiple Canadian cities from coast to coast to coast.

Learn more at www.norden.org

Countries

(Map is an artist rendering)

Select a country above to learn more below

Greenland

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The Faroe Islands

Norway

Denmark

Finland

Aland

Iceland

Sweden

Nordic Region

Accessibility

Nordic Bridges aims to be inclusive to all.

Programmatically, this will be achieved by incorporating accessibility elements in order to break down barriers to access. These elements include (but are not limited to): audio description, assistive listening systems, sign language interpretation, transcription and captioning, use of Braille or accessible print formats for printed materials such as program guides or artwork labels.

Furthermore, by ensuring that 75% of Nordic Bridges programming is free to the public, the definition of accessibility is widened to include affordability. Socio-economic barriers are removed to ensure that Nordic Bridges remains inclusive for all.

We are also committed to ensuring that the Nordic Bridges website meets international accessibility standards as outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA).

Disclaimer:

Our Programming Partners are responsible for ensuring that the physical and virtual spaces they use to present programming are accessible in accordance with applicable accessibility laws and regulations which may differ from province to province.

Some of the external websites that we link to might not be accessible, e.g. they may contain undescribed photos and inaccessible menus. While we cannot make these external websites accessible, please email us nordicbridges@harbourfrontcentre.ca to let us know how we may be of further assistance.

Sustainability

Nordic Bridges aims to be net carbon neutral.

All artistic and programming-related travel will be offset by the purchase of carbon-offset credits. The initiative also has a strict zero-waste/single-use policy enforced at all events and all paper products including house programs will be recyclable.

An overarching objective of the Nordic Bridges initiative is to generate dialogue between Canada and the Nordic region on culture’s role in the creation and promotion of sustainable societies. The United Nations 2030 Agenda and Nordic shared values serve as guiding principles for the programming and execution of Nordic Bridges.

Nordic Bridges aims to raise awareness of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals by bridging them with our four key programming pillars: Artistic Innovation, Accessibility and Inclusion, Indigenous Perspectives, Resilience and Sustainability. Artistic programming presented by this initiative will include work that examines sustainable practices. Through cultural diplomacy, both Canadians and the Nordics can have an honest dialogue about Agenda 2030.

CO2 Neutral Website certification compensates for the total CO2 emission caused by the operation of the Nordic Bridges website.

FAQ

Who is leading and curating the festival?

Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre was awarded the 2022 Joint Nordic Cultural Initiative. The project, entitled Nordic Bridges, will promote and raise the profile of the Nordic cultural sectors in Canada and is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Embassies of Canada.

Harbourfront Centre is the lead curator of Nordic Bridges and will function as the programming umbrella for other arts and cultural organizations, across Canada.

What countries comprise the Nordic Region?

The Nordic Region includes: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.

What are the dates for the Festival?

Programming begins January 2022 and will span the entire calendar year.

What is the overarching theme of Nordic Bridges?

Building on the shared values of creativity and innovation, inclusivity and sustainability, Nordic Bridges will serve to connect the Nordic Countries and Canada through collaborations between artists, innovators and thinkers.

Nordic Bridges will showcase contemporary Nordic art and culture in a range of disciplines: performing arts, visual and digital arts, craft and design, literature, film, and culinary arts.

Programming will be presented as part of the cultural partners’ scheduled programming seasons, festivals and tours, as well as industry and stand-alone events.

I would like to sponsor Nordic Bridges. How can I do that?

Thank you for your interest in Nordic Bridges! Please contact Andrea Switzer, Development Manager, at aswitzer@harbourfrontcentre.com for more information on how you can get involved.

News letter