“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
— Howard Zinn
The spirit of showing up for each other, in whatever small way we can, is what FORM is built on. We know many of you are traveling great distances to be here, and we're so glad you're making the trip. This guide will walk you through everything you need for an easy, unforgettable weekend.
This is a place-based experience inspired by Arcosanti and the land, centered on active participation rather than passive spectatorship — music, art, and human connection, inseparable from the environment they unfold in. The principle of learning by doing has guided Arcosanti since the beginning, and every part of this year's program is designed to deepen that sense of interconnectedness: who we are here, what we make together, and why it matters that we gather in this extraordinary corner of the world to do it.
Whether it's before FORM, during, or after, Instagram is where we're posting the most. Follow @experienceform to stay in the loop.
We'll be sending realtime festival updates before and during the weekend — helpful reminders, schedule changes, logistics, things worth knowing in the moment — through a dedicated WhatsApp channel. To ensure updates don't get lost, our team will be be the only ones posting, but you'll be able to react :) Join here
If you have any questions after reading through this welcome guide and our FAQ, please reach out to us at info@experienceform.com.
The truly exceptional thing about FORM Arcosanti, what sets it apart from every other festival on the planet, and what gives it its air of ecological sanity is that it takes place within and around the prototype buildings of Arcosanti. It does not happen in a converted football stadium, nor in a series of darkened nightclubs or elite galleries; it is not out on an unforgiving desert plain, or a converted farmer’s field.
It occurs, as if by magic, in an architectural community designed especially for events like this. Through extraordinary architecture, the life of this event unfolds not just so spectators can witness terrific performers and performances, but in a way that they participate in the music itself, in the sense of community that Arcosanti’s connected spaces provide. Curved forms that catch sunlight, and views, and allow audience and musicians alike a sense of themselves mirrored by each other; a cultural setting on the one hand, a natural habitat on the other – architecture and ecology - all come together at Arcosanti in a way that they do nowhere else.
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