MUTEK Forum Edition 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 ^PO — Kozminski University Amaury La Burthe ^FR — Novelab Antoine Cayrol ^FR — Atlas V Arthur Yeung ^CA — Albedo Informatics Charlène Bélanger ^CA/QC — The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Cheryl Sim ^CA/QC — Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain Chris Barr ^US — Knight Foundation Christina Heller ^US — Metastage Diego Galafassi ^BR/SE — Fasad Film Diliana Alexander ^CA/US — FilmGate Miami Émilie F. Grenier ^CA/QC — Thinkwell Studio Montréal Erin Gee ^CA/QC — Perte de Signal Frances Adair Mckenzie ^CA/QC Gabriel Vigliensoni ^CL/QC — Goldsmiths, University of London Jake Sally ^US — RYOT James George ^US — Scatter Jason Lewis ^CA/QC — Initiative for Indigenous Futures Jean-Pascal Beaudoin ^CA/QC — Headspace Studio Jess Engel ^US — Crimes of Curiosity Joe Cutts ^UK — Sheffield Doc/Fest Jonny Ahdout ^US — Within Jose Sotelo ^MX/QC — Descript Jovanka von Wilsdorf ^DE — BMG Rights Management Klasien van de Zandschulp ^NL — affect lab Lisa Moren ^US — University of Maryland Baltimore County Louis-Richard Tremblay ^CA/QC — NFB Interactive Marie-Pier Gauthier ^CA/QC — NFB Interactive Martin Viau ^CA/QC — NFB Interactive Myriam Achard ^CA/QC — Phi Nicolas S. Roy ^CA/QC — Dpt. Peter Kirn ^US/DE — Create Digital Media Ruha Benjamin ^US — Princeton University Ryan Thompson ^CA/QC — Anteism Books Sadah Espii Proctor ^US — Espii Studios Sally Reynolds ^AU/US — The Mill Samantha Storr ^US — Within Sarah Spring ^CA/QC — Parabola Films Savannah Niles ^US — Magic Leap Valérie Darveau ^CA/QC — NFB Interactive

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

List of broadcasters, cultural organizations, and other companies in the fields of digital creation and electronic music can be downloaded HERE.

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.