Kulturbro 2000

Kulturbro 2000 - a biennial for art and culture in the Oresund region -is a unique example of two countries joining forces in the production of a world class cultural event. The first Kulturbro bagan on September 15 th , running to December 15 th 2000. Its aim is to create a cultural identity in a cross national region.

The Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden opened in July 2000 and the visions of developing the Oresund region into a European epicentre have, in many ways, already materialised. But the future of the region depends on the creation of a mutual Danish and Swedish cultural identity. Realising that a region is not born of economical investments alone, it was a political vision to use culture as a bridge "entrepreneur" to lay the foundations for the Kulturbro 2000 Fund, whose purpose is to create a Swedish Danish cultural event of a high artistic standard.

Meeting the other side of the sound

Kulturbro 2000's ambition is to become a recurring international cultural event, contributing to a dynamic exchange between Denmark and Sweden. Unique working relations between business life, public authorities and cultural institutions have now been established. What is really good, however, is that Kulturbro 2000 has made both Danes and Swedes aware of the wealth of exciting cultural offerings to be found in the neighbouring country across the sound. Major international names have drawn many guests across the water on a visit to Copenhagen or MalmO. But smaller exhibition venues have also, with the support of the Kulturbro 2000 Fund, put on sensational exhibitions, which have drawn a whole new audience to the area.

One outcome of Kulturbro 2000's ambition has been that many citizens in the region have expanded their "local" area to encompass the cultural landscape on the other side of the bridge. In addition, the international reaction to the Kulturbro 2000 biennial has been overwhelmingly positive, making everybody confident that it will contribute significantly to the cotinuous development of the region. The theme of Kulturbro 2002 has yet to be settled on, but Kulturbro 2000 has shown that the region can produce a programme of the highest artistic standards. And most important, Kulturbro 2000 has shown how art contributes to fruitful meetings between Danish and Swedish people – meetings that create understanding, insight and new relations.