Edition 2020

For more information on MUTEK Edition 21, please visit the following link;

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After 20 years on the scene, MUTEK continues its mutation and, for the first time in its history, presents a true hybrid festival experience from September 8 to 13, 2020: live in-venue digital art and music performances—in Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle and Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), as well as a dedicated virtual platform.

virtual.mutek.org

More than 100 artists make up this 21st edition, which will include 34 local performances—among them will be 19 world premieres captured live at the Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle and in the dome of the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT)—and 24 international performances from 8 countries: Argentina, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and the United States. As part of a continued commitment to programming characterized by parity and inclusiveness—and in particular, thanks to the AMPLIFY D.A.I initiative carried out in collaboration with the British Council and Somerset House—33 performances will include at least one woman, which represents nearly 56% of the final selection.

As in previous editions, the programming will be structured into a series of programs that help audiences choose from among the many facets of the festival.

From Tuesday evening to Thursday, the Play series' five double programs carve out space for experimentation inside Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle. Play highlights the exploratory, visceral and playful character of contemporary artists in digital art, audiovisual creation, and electronic music.

Alexis Langevin-Tétrault ^CA/QC — Hypercube (one) / Anne-F Jacques ^CA/QC — Quelque chose qui accroche / Ben Shemie ^CA/QC — A Single Point Of Light / Cy-Ens ^IR/QC — Lullabyte Portamenti / GGROUNDD ^CA/QC — LIMIT BRICK / Le désert mauve ^FR+CA/QC / Martin Messier ^CA/QC — Echo Chamber / Mimi Allard & Gabriel Lavoie Viau ^CA/QC — 4:3 / Pelada ^CA/QC — Estímulo / Tati au Miel ^CA/QC

The Expérience series, which is typically held outdoors on the Esplanade de la Place des Arts, includes four double programs that highlight eclecticism and meetings of musical styles, from pop to classical music, as well as Afro-Caribbean influences, and a simultaneous journey to three continents (America, Asia and Europe).

Automatisme CA/QC — Alter- / Bleue CA/QC / Chris Salter & Alexandre Saunier CA/QC — SNN#3: Forms of the Living / Guillaume Coutu-Dumont CA/QC — Les Empires / Ouri FR/QC / The Bionic Harpist US/QC / Vigliensoni CA/QC — Clastic Music / Zandoli II & The Wasafari CA/QC — Mirroring Shadows

Finally, the Nocturne series consists of three programs of four performances each devoted to forms of electronic music that are more rhythmic and captivating and will be presented inside the Satosphère's immersive 360° environment, from Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13.

Alicia Hush & Elysha Poirier ^CA/QC — Wishing Well / Boogieman & Samito ^CA/QC+MZ/QC — Som de Kusom / BunBun C^A/QC / CMD ^CA/QC / Desert Bloom ^CA/QC / Diagraf ^CA/QC / laced ^CA/QC / LLL ^FR/QC / Melesul3 ^CA/QC / Musique Nouvelle ^CA/QC / Myriam Boucher ^CA/QC / Neo Edo ^CA/QC — A World Within a World / Poirier ^CA/QC / Priori ^CA/QC / Racine ^CA/QC / Softcoresoft ^CA/QC / T. Gowdy ^CA/QC — De Bias / TiND ^CA/QC

Inspired by the INTER_CONNECT project carried out during Montréal's 375th anniversary in 2017, which created a link between various cultural metropolises around the world, the Festival's virtual component allows for a new type of international connection. MUTEK branches in Mexico City, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, San Francisco and Tokyo will contribute to the online programming through showcases of local content under the banner of the MUTEK_CONNECT initiative, which is set to be a part of MUTEK's future editions around the world. In addition, three other partners will be taking part in this virtual component: the Transart festival in Italy, cultural venue Chapelle XIV in France, as well as artistic centre B39 and its associated festival, PRECTXE, in South Korea. In total, 9 programs totalling 24 performances will add diversity to the Festival's online experience, which will go a long way to making up for the absence of international artists inside venues this year.

Ai.step ^JP / Artexte ^KR — Blade / Arushi Jain & Carly Lave ^US — GOLEM (via GHUNGHRU) / Bionautas (Jonas Kopp & Flor del Valle) ^AR / Bruno De Vincenti ^AR — Hyper Dreams / COR3A ^KR — Same Old Fear, Conditional Trigs, Run Run Run / Efe Ce Ele ^CO — Biosynthetic Borders / Flor de Fuego AR — Fractal / George Hurd US — Echolocation / Grand River & Marco C ^NL+IT — 0,13% / Hiroaki Umeda ^JP — Intensional Particle / Joana Gomila ^ES / Junichi Akagawa ^JP — Geist on the Lake / KnovCompile ^KR — Reconstructive / Mabe Fratti & Milena Pafundi ^GT+AR/MX / Maotik & Maarten Vos ^FR+NL — Erratic Weather / Marina Herlop ^ES / Molly ^FR / Naiborg ^AR / Sakura Tsuruta & asagi ^JP / SidiRum ^AR / Wasted Fates ^MX

Highlighting the work of 25 local and international artists, MUTEK pursues the discussion about our digital futures which began during MUTEK's 20th edition with an entirely virtual exhibition. Distant Arcades is interested in how artists are convening and creating using distance and technology. It features sound works, videos, 360s, and virtual reality, echoing the tools and concepts discussed during the MUTEK Forum: technology and the city, algorithmic bias, collection of personal data, technological racism, and the links between technology, machines and human emotions. Presented in the Forum's new virtual gallery—which is free to visit from September 8 to 13—and then on the MUTEK website until September 20, the exhibition centers the agency of the artist in a forced self-isolation virtual society.

Artists confirmed for the exhibition:

Aaron Bradbury ^UK / Alex McLeod ^CA / Debby Friday ^CA / Depart AT Dpt. ^CA/QC / Erin Gee ^CA/QC/ Frances Adair Mckenzie ^CA/QC / GLOR1A ^UK / Heather Lander ^UK / Isabella Salas ^MX/QC / Jawa El Khash ^CA / Kathryn Hamilton & Deniz Tortum ^TR/NL/US / Kathy Hinde ^UK / Krzysztof Garbaczewski ^PL / Lila Tirando a Violeta ^UY / Lucas LaRochelle ^CA/QC / Quantum Foam ^UK / Raphaël Néron ^CA/QC / Refik Anadol ^TR/US / Sahar Homami ^IR/QC / Scott Benesiinaabandan ^CA/QC /Shelley Barry ^ZA / Sol Rezza ^ARTatiana Heuman ^AR/DE / Vicky Clarke ^UK

• 137 artists from 24 countries, including 63 women, and 61 BIPOC artists
• 56 performances including 44 premieres in 21 programs accessible free of charge (31 local, 25 international)
• 26 digital art works in the virtual gallery, including 9 open access premieres (11 local works, 15 international works)
• 10,882 people registered on the virtual.mutek.org platform from 55 countries
• 92,642 online views and 871 individual tickets sold