The concept of hEXPO derives from the critical observation of the existing models of festivals in Central Europe. Those festivals have mostly a representational character: they (re)present art and knowledge rather than spreading it. A festival of a different concept, in the form of free university, can accelerate processes of cultural self-organisation, education and exchange, especially in the field of independent production.

Instead of representational form, compressed and reduced to a period of a couple of days (what is the usual duration of stay of one "item" on the festival program), hEXPO presents events in processual form. The participants have an opportunity to get to know each other and establish collaborations, all of that within the frame of a particular local space.

Another trait of international festivals is that large amounts of resources are spent on specific technical infrastructure that local environments have no use of and which get dismantled immediately after the festival. hEXPO provides its participants with basically standardised platforms which are established prior to the festival's beginning. They are based on the criteria which will enable their permanent functioning in the local environment. The participants will provide as well as improve their knowledge on the best use of the platforms under the given conditions by adapting and translating their artistic practices and work.

hEXPO provides the training for the so-called "self-producers", with the aim to develop methods for a whole spectrum of activities necessary for a successful production and sustaining of public, civic and cultural life. This is the social and technological platform that has already been developed within the Ministry of Experiment - an interdisciplinary research lab located at Radio Student in Ljubljana - which combines the knowledge and practices of journalists, organisers, producers, performers, historians, archivists, political activists, artists, system administrators, radio engineers, managers...

hEXPO is transgressing genres as much as it is transgressing existing practices, having in mind that nowadays both the margin and the mainstream use the same technology. The more marginal the cultural activities are the more they are dependant on those rare individuals whose knowledge and approach should be all the more synergetic.

In other words: hEXPO is getting together those creative individuals who - in order to function successfully in their surrounding - have to create a complete cultural environment and build a self-sustained system.

The core of hEXPO are the three weeks of interlinked activities in venues located in the cities of Maribor, Ljubljana, Koper, Trieste, Graz and Klagenfurt.

Additionally, the international network includes Uni-TV and CanalWeb (Paris), Garage (Hamburg), Interflugs-hdk (Berlin) and more remote collaborators.

Every venue in Slovenia is an equal co-producer of the festival, supporting hEXPO with its infrastructure of staff and logistics. The structure is organised horizontally.

The participants in hEXPO are divided in three mobile groups, each consisting of international tutors and assistants. On August 17, the three groups will start working in the three cities of Maribor, Ljubljana and Koper in parallel, switching the cities on a weekly basis. Thus each group will have spent one week in each city. The cities will be connected by the Internet and events from each city will be transmitted via video streaming. In this demo situation, the Internet will be used not only as a tool for enhancing local cultural life but also as an amplifier and synchroniser that will launch local events into the world and link them to similar activities in neighbouring regions.

The fourth week is dedicated to the summary meeting of all participants in Istria where, in the realm of natural forces, the accumulated knowledge and experience of the three hEXPO weeks will be submitted to the process of synthesis.