Thirty activities and gatherings centred on digital creativity
from August 23 to 26, 2022 in Montréal
The eighth edition of MUTEK Forum, the Festival’s professional component and a popular meeting place for artists and companies involved in digital creation, will take place from Tuesday, August 23 to Friday, August 26, 2022. Inside the Agora Hydro-Québec at UQAM’s Cœur des sciences, MUTEK will present four days of discussions and events that are sure to be both relevant and accessible, by offering varied rates and programming.
Each day has been organized to optimize participation in a total of more than 30 activities led by over 60 local and international experts. In addition to offering up inspiring content, the Forum will once again serve as a platform for business meetings, with onsite networking activities in Montréal, as well as a virtual market component that provides direct access to a selection of artists and an international network of digital-creation professionals.
On Tuesday, August 23, the program will address a variety of the Forum’s recurring, essential topics. Of particular note will be the panel moderated by American composer and media artist Peter Kirn (CDM) who will discuss the “genrefication” of artificial intelligence while, in collaboration with Culture Montréal, there will be a presentation of best practices for digital creativity clusters from around the world.
Extended reality (XR) will be in the spotlight on Wednesday, August 24 with the 8th edition of the XR Salon. To kick things off, the Canadian Media Fund will present a discussion between producer Ingrid Kopp, the co-founder of South African organization Electric South, and Sandra Rodriguez, a Québec director and producer who is the author of the study Crafting a Market for Independent XR. MUTEK will then unveil the three XR projects in its Immersive Collection, in the presence of the works’ creators, after which point it will give the floor to other organizations that are traditionally digital art presenters but now exploring content production and distribution. Finally, Greg J. Smith (HOLO) will interview artists Sinjin Hawke and Zora Jones (Fractal Fantasy) who are pushing the creative and technological limits of audiovisual performance.
On Thursday, August 25, the morning will begin with a conversation between Felix Koberstein (ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe) and Véronique Paradis (Society for Arts and Technology) who, each in their own way, explore virtual spaces that facilitate the production, distribution, and mediation of the arts. The ties that bond research, creation, and the industry will then be dissected by experts from renowned local institutions such as Eastern Bloc, SYNTHÈSE – Pôle Image Québec, and Hexagram.
The last day of the Forum will specifically focus on the place of marginalized communities within electronic music, with a presentation by Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, the co-founder of Discwoman, an agency grounded in representing and promoting female and non-binary talents working as DJs or producers. In addition, one of the panels will explore the “musicverse” and how music is adapting to Web3.
Throughout the week, various workshops will be held in parallel with the main activities that will deal with, for example, the future of festivals, eco-responsibility, intellectual property, and even WebVR.
The following speakers have already been confirmed:
Alicia Turgeon (CA/QC) — Eastern Bloc Anne Le Bouyonnec (CA/QC) — SYNTHÈSE
Athena Yasaman Koumis (US) — Catalog Aurélie Besson (CA/QC) — Molior
Caroline Voyer (CA/QC) — Artist Citizens on Tour / Sustainable Event Council
Cat Bluemke (CA) — MacKenzie Art Gallery Chloe Alexandra Thompson (CA/US) Chloé Gagnon-Champigny (CA/QC) — Artist Citizens on Tour Claudine Hubert (CA/QC) — Thinkwell
Cora Novoa (ES/CAT) — SEEKING THE VELVET David Hurtubise (CA/QC) — UQAC – NAD Centre Eliane Ellbogen (CA/QC) — Fasken Élyanne Coursol-Dion (CA/QC) — Voulez-Vous Productions Éric Desmarais (CA/QC) — Sporobole Felix Koberstein (DE) — ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe France Jobin (CA/QC) Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson (UK/US) — Discwoman / Dweller Greg J. Smith (CA) — HOLO Helen Brunet (CA/QC) — Vestechpro Hugues Sweeney (CA/QC) — Thinkwell Inder Phull (UK/US) — PIXELYNX Ingrid Kopp (UK/ZA) — Electric South Isabella Salas (MX/QC) — Isabella Salas Studio
Johann Baron Lanteigne (CA/QC) José Luis de Vicente (ES) — Sónar+D
Julieta Agriano (AR) — AI Biennale (BILIA) Kiran Bhumber (IN/CA) Laurent Simon (CA/QC) — Mosaic HEC Line Katcho (CA/QC) Lola Baraldi (FR/QC) — MUTEK
Louis-Philippe Rondeau (CA/QC) — UQAC – NAD Centre Malcolm Levy (CA) — RefractionDAO Marek Blottiere (FR/QC) — INRS Markus Heckmann (DE/CA)
Matthew Edwards (US) — Xhurch School of Ominimedia Maurice Jones (DE/QC) — MUTEK.JP Meaghan Wester (CA/QC) — Concordia University Mourad Bennacer (CA/QC) — Society for Arts and Technology Nancy Lee (TW/CA) — CURRENT Nathalie Bachand (CA/QC) — Sporobole Peggy Hogan (CA/QC) — Outside Music / Next Door Records Peter Kirn (US/DE) — CDM Renee Dumaresque (CA) — Crip Rave Ryth Kesselring (CA/QC)
Sandra Rodriguez (CA/QC) — Voulez-Vous / Brigands Sarah Mackenzie (CA/QC)
Sinjin Hawke (CA/QC) — Fractal Fantasy Sofian Audry (CA/QC) — Hexagram / School of Media, UQAM Véronique Paradis (CA/QC) — Society for Arts and Technology Yan Breuleux (CA/QC) — UQAC – NAD Centre Zora Jones (AT/QC) — Fractal Fantasy
To explore the programming details for each day: Schedule