Who Gets Space?

Art, democracy and the courage to come together

Under the theme Who Gets Space?, IN2IT 2027 explores the role of art as a meeting place, a force of resistance and a democratic act—inviting bold encounters across different experiences, backgrounds and points of view.

By Tendai Makurumbandi, Artistic Director of IN2IT International Dance Festival

At a time of growing polarisation and deepening divisions, the question of who gets space is increasingly urgent. Who gets to define art? Who takes part in public life? Which bodies, stories and voices are heard — and who must still fight to be seen, understood or recognised?

Who Gets Space? explores the role of art in democracy: not only as expression or representation, but as a meeting place where people can encounter different experiences, perspectives and disagreements without having to become the same.

Fra forestillingen Røyster av Solveig Styve Holte, presentert i Kristiansund Kunsthall. Foto: Odd Inge Teige.

IN2IT International Dance Festival approaches dance and the performing arts as embodied forms of dialogue, resistance, belonging and community. Through performances, conversations, workshops and encounters, the festival turns attention towards what is often simplified, overlooked or pushed out of public discourse.

Making room is not only about who appears on stage, but who gets to shape the story and define what matters. Who gets to move freely, grieve, celebrate, protest, remember, ask questions and imagine another future?

IN2IT invites audiences to be present with their whole bodies — listening, sensing, wondering and remaining open to what challenges them. Coming together can itself be a democratic act: an encounter between people, experiences, and the personal and political.

Ultimately, Who Gets Space? asks what kind of society we create when some continually have to ask for room while others take it for granted. Through artistic freedom, disagreement, care and community, the festival considers how art might help keep democracy alive.