Urvakan

The inspiration behind the name (which means ‘ghost’ in Armenian) comes from the festival team’s interest in revitalizing the country’s abandoned and deserted sites and their ambiguous state of being neither completely ruined, nor truly alive as they were decades ago. In a bold attempt to bring them back to life, some of these locations will be turned into one-of-a-kind centers of cultural attraction by serving as venues for the festival’s kaleidoscopic music program. Backed by public discussions, site-specific art installations and exhibitions, food vendors, and many more, these sites will hopefully inspire festival visitors with their uncanny beauty and encourage the public to discover their hidden potential, yet to be realized. Urvakan’s music program blends together ongoing projects of more than 80 artists from 22 countries, highlighting current trends in sonic arts, contemporary electronic, instrumental, avant pop, and club music. The festival also aims to spark exchanges between local musicians and established artists, curators, and independent music industry professionals from around the world.