MUTEK Forum 6
In conjunction with the Festival, its professional component MUTEK Forum returned for its sixth edition from Tuesday, September 8 to Friday, September 11, 2020 in a online platform. It addressed topics such as artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), and the impacts of technology on society, through more than 30 presentations, panels, and case studies led by some 60 experts from Québec, Canada, and around the world.
On Tuesday, September 8, the Forum kicked off with compelling content covering technology's impact on our society, explored with the help of keen-eyed, influential researchers and artists. Following Ruha Benjamin's opening "Race to Future?" presentation, prolific digital artist Refik Anadol talked to artist and Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen.
Wednesday September 9 is dedicated to virtual, augmented, and mixed realities—commonly known under the umbrella term of extended reality or XR—which are a set of immersive technologies now recognized as essential, ubiquitous parts of today’s cultural industries.
MUTEK has been developing its XR Salon since 2015, and each year provides a selection of the latest creative and technological advances in XR, while simultaneously examining a variety of industry-specific issues. For the second consecutive year, the XR Salon has been presented by Unreal Engine, a leader in game engines and a critical partner to creators of real-time digital content.
The Forum continued to explore augmented and mixed reality via the activities held by Montréal/Miami New Narratives Lab, which were launched in 2020 by FilmGate Miami, MUTEK, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and O Cinema.
MUTEK Forum investigated on Thursday, September 10 a new focus of the Festival’s professional component: artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This theme is not only a continuation of the 2019 Forum, which explored AI’s contributions to artistic creation, but also of the MUTEK AI Art Lab—the first international multidisciplinary laboratory using artificial intelligence in the creation of audiovisual works, which was held in Montréal in March 2020 in partnership with Zú.
MUTEK Forum examined a broad spectrum of AI-related artistic practices through a perspective that centers questions of racial justice, surveillance, and the inherent risks associated with the collection of personal data. The Forum also featured workshops where artists and creators of every level have been able to familiarize themselves with the plethora of AI-specific techniques used in electronic music and sound creation.
The final day turned its focus to the challenges facing the music industry. Marketing and online rights management, as well as prospects for careers in the arts, has been examined by a variety of prestigious guests. These include artist Marie Davidson, a pillar of the Montréal electronic scene, and—for this year’s closing keynote—music journalist and researcher Cherie Hu, founder of the widely read publication Water & Music.
Speakers and Moderators:
Aleksandra Przegalinska PL — Kozminski University / Alex Scholz DE — HOLO / Alistair Croll CA/QC Solve for Interesting / Amaury La Burthe FR — Novelab / Antoine Cayrol FR — Atlas V / Andrea Macias ES — MUTEK.ES / Arthur Yeung CA — Albedo Informatics / Audrey Poulin CA/QC — École NAD / Axel Cobelo CA/QC — École NAD / Barney Francis CA/QC / Benoit Palop FR/JP / Carrie Hage CA — British Council / Catherine Mathys CA/QC — Canada Media Fund / Charlène Bélanger CA/QC — Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / Chelene Knight CA — Breathing Space Creative Literary Studio / Cherie Hu US — Water & Music / Cheryl Sim CA/QC — Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art / Chris Barr US — Knight Foundation / Christina Heller US — Metastage / David Hurtubise CA/QC — Epic Games / Diego Galafassi BR/SE — Fasad Film / Diliana Alexander CA/US — FilmGate Miami / Dominic Martin CA/QC — Université du Québec à Montréal / Dorian Perron FR — Groover / Edy Fung UK / Émilie F. Grenier CA/QC — Thinkwell Studio Montréal / Emily Paige CA/QC — E.D. Films / Erin Gee CA/QC — Perte de Signal / Fezz Stenton CA — Occupy VR / Frances Adair Mckenzie CA/QC / Gabriel Vigliensoni CL/QC — Goldsmiths, University of London / Greg J. Smith CA — HOLO / GLOR1A UK / Jake Sally US — RYOT / James George US — Scatter / Jason Lewis CA/QC — Université Concordia / Jean-Pascal Beaudoin CA/QC — Headspace Studio / Jess Engel US — Crimes of Curiosity / Joe Cutts UK — Sheffield Doc/Fest / Jess Partridge UK — In Stereo Group / Jonny Ahdout US — Within / Jose Sotelo MX/QC — Descript / Jovanka von Wilsdorf DE — BMG Rights Management / Karine Charbonneau CA/QC — Antimodular Research / Klasien van de Zandschulp NL — affect lab / Kornelia Binicewicz PL/TR — Ladies On Records / Laura Gardes FR — MaMA Festival and Convention / Lisa Moren US — University of Maryland Baltimore County / Louis-Philippe St-Arnault CA/QC / Louis-Richard Tremblay CA/QC — NFB Interactive / Marie-Pier Gauthier CA/QC — NFB Interactive / Marie Davidson CA/QC / Marc Omran CA/QC — École NAD / Mathieu Gayet FR — XR Must / Mark Quail CA — Mark G. Quail, Barrister & Solicitor / Maurice Jones DE/JP — MUTEK.JP / Moises Horta Valenzuela MX/DE / Myriam Achard CA/QC — Phi Centre / Nicolas S. Roy CA/QC — Dpt. / Noor Elhuda El Bawab BR/QC — Zú / Olivia McGilchrist FR/JA/QC / Peggy Hogan CA/QC — POP Montréal / Peter Kirn US/DE — Create Digital Media / Perry Chené US/FR / Pheek CA/QC — Pheek / Philippe Bédard CA/QC — Xn Québec / Rania Kim US/DE — Portrait XO / Refik Anadol TR/US Refik Anadol Studio / Rémi Lapierre CA/QC — École NAD / Ruha Benjamin US — Princeton University / Ryan Thompson CA/QC — Anteism Books / Sabelo Mhlambi US — Bantucracy / Sadah Espii Proctor US — Espii Studios / Sahar Homami IR/QC / Sally Reynolds AU/US — The Mill / Samantha Storr US — Within / Sandira Blas US/DE — Factory Berlin / Sarah Shoucri CA/QC — SODEC / Sarah Mackenzie CA/QC / Sarah Spring CA/QC — Parabola Films / Sarah Eve Tousignant CA/QC — Molior / Sarah Rothberg US — NYU / Savannah Niles US — Magic Leap / Sevan Dalkian CA/QC — Epic Games / Sol Rezza AR / Tatiana Heuman AR/DE / Randy Chertkow US — Making Money With Music / Valérie Darveau CA/QC — ONF Interactif / Vicky Clarke UK / Virginie Berger FR — Songtradr / Vivian Marthell US — O Cinema / Vincent Lemieux CA/QC — MUTEK / Xavier Habouzit CA/QC / Yan Breuleux CA/QC — NAD-UQAC
In addition to the presentations and discussions, for the first time, the Forum featured a virtual market that provided participants with the opportunity to stand out within the MUTEK ecosystem and to spark new collaborations. The market welcomed more than 600 people and 200 organizations and companies from all over the world: festivals, events, cultural spaces, promoters, labels, radio stations and other media, digital creation studios, tech companies, universities and other schools, as well as a plethora of artists and independent creators. And, for the first time, MUTEK's programming team has put together an official selection of 20 Québec and Canadian artists, who will benefit from personalized support at the market.
Official Market Selection :
Alex McLeod CA Alexis Langevin-Tétrault CA/QC Automatisme CA/QC CMD CA/QC Desert Bloom CA/QC Erin Gee CA/QC Frances Adair Mckenzie CA/QC Cy-Ens IR/QC Isabella Salas MX/QC Le désert mauve FR+CA/QC Line Katcho CA/QC Martin Messier CA/QC Musique Nouvelle CA/QC Ouri CA/QC Racine CA/QC Raphaël Néron CA/QC Sahar Homami IR/QC Softcoresoft CA/QC
MUTEK Forum Partners
Québec Government, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine du gouvernement du Québec, ministère du Tourisme du Québec, ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts de Montréal, City of Montréal, FACTOR and Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, Department of Canadian Heritage, Musicaction, British Council, Consulat général de France à Québec, Unreal Engine, Tourisme Montréal, National Film Board of Canada, Thinkwell Studio Montréal, FilmGate Miami, O Cinema, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Akufen and Time Code Lab.
