MUTEK Forum 10
This year, MUTEK Forum celebrated its 10th anniversary with its most ambitious edition yet
From 20 to 23 August, the 10th edition of MUTEK Forum took over the iconic Monument-National and the Society for Arts and Technology, bringing together a host of digital artists, experts, researchers, innovators, and technology professionals.
Under the theme topia or Oblivion: Crafting Human-Centered Technological Futures, the Forum explored what it means to be human in a hyper-connected world, aiming to inspire collective reflections on the evolving role of technology in today's socio-cultural transformations.
The MUTEK Market returned for a fifth consecutive year, continuing in a hybrid format to connect local and international artists with industry professionals from around the world through accessible online professional profiles, one-on-one meetings, and both in-person and virtual networking activities.
In addition to the Forum activities, MUTEK Week also hosted the Future Festivals Summit, marking the culmination of two years of research conducted as part of the Future Festivals initiative—a think tank bringing together festival organisers from Canada, Mexico, and Germany.
In terms of participation, MUTEK Forum 2024 gathered a total of 1,066 unique participants (a 33% increase compared to 2023), including 1,019 attendees in Montréal and 47 joining online. This represented a total of 602 different organisations from 45 countries. The virtual platform facilitated 664 confirmed meetings, 3,815 new connections, and 5,081 messages exchanged.
Details of Activities and Speakers
Under the theme Utopia or Oblivion: Crafting Human-Centred Technological Futures, the 10th edition of MUTEK Forum featured 37 conferences, panels, workshops, masterclasses, and Q&A sessions specially curated for the occasion, along with 7 networking activities. These events were spread over four days and various venues, structured around daily sub-themes thoughtfully developed by the programming team.
The opening day of Forum 2024, New Frontiers: Towards AI Ecologies, featured interactive sessions on responsible AI and co-creativity, with representatives from Google DeepMind, Encode Justice, Mila, Sporobole, and the University of Toronto. A highly popular theme among technology and digital creativity professionals, this year AI was connected to the challenges of the climate crisis, sparking inspiring future-oriented discussions and encouraging audience engagement with these critical issues.
On Wednesday, 21 August, Converging Realities: Creating Hybrid Utopias in Immersive Technologies introduced a new edition of MUTEK's renowned XR Salon, an annual gathering for professionals in immersive content production. This year, it was paired with the iX Symposium at the SAT, offering an ambitious programme that explored whether the technological hybridisation of physical and virtual worlds—and the immersive experiences it enables—can help realise habitable utopias aligned with Buckminster Fuller's vision from 60 years ago. Highlights included an exclusive preview of a collaboration between Moment Factory and the SAT, a project aimed at creating new formats for multisite immersive experiences and performances.
On Thursday, 22 August, Human Connection: Storytelling in Digital Technologies and Gaming focused on topics ranging from accessibility in gaming to the creation of soundscapes, alongside screenings of short films featuring AI-generated imagery. This marked the first time MUTEK Forum gave such prominence to video games in its programming, thanks in part to collaborations with EA Motive and Ubisoft. These initiatives helped the event reach new audiences and foster meaningful interprofessional connections, further highlighted by a special edition of the quarterly networking event Composite, an initiative of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, held in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA).
To close the week, on Friday, 23 August, Resonant Futures: A More Equitable Future for Music and Technology featured key discussions for the music industry, ranging from the history of electronic music to the challenges of festival programming, as well as practical masterclasses for emerging artists. On this occasion, MUTEK Forum opened its doors free of charge to the community of its partner FEMINAE NOX, a non-profit organisation promoting equity for women and gender non-conforming BIPOC individuals (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) working or aspiring to work in the music and nightlife industries—on stage and behind the scenes. Members benefited from an enriching programme designed to support their professional goals. Alongside these sessions, the Forum also hosted the inaugural edition of the Wilding AI Lab, an interactive lab exploring the latest advancements in generative and creative AI, co-presented with the Milieux Institute and the Applied AI Institute at Concordia University.
Among the 155 speakers featured across the various activities, 58% were women or non-binary individuals, and 20% identified as LGBTQI2S+. Additionally, 33% of speakers were BIPOC, and 5% were individuals with disabilities.
The involvement of consultants in the development of the programme also helped our team recruit more Indigenous speakers this year, as well as design sessions showcasing their knowledge and perspectives. For instance, artist and cultural organiser Nancy Lee and Kahentawaks Tiewishaw, founder of Revital Software, contributed to the Forum’s programming in the months leading up to the event, ensuring that around twenty Indigenous speakers participated and that their work was highlighted. Furthermore, new partnerships with the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and Abundant Intelligences also contributed to more meaningful inclusion of creators and experts from Indigenous communities.
Networking Activities
For its 10th edition, MUTEK Forum offered a diverse range of networking activities throughout the week. In preparation for the Forum, participants had four weeks to explore the MUTEK Forum networking platform, connect with others, and schedule in-person meetings with over 1,000 users. Following feedback from last year’s satisfaction surveys, the creation of additional in-person networking opportunities was identified as a key priority for improving the professional experience offered.
Throughout the week, a dedicated networking space was set up in the Lounge of the Monument-National. The reception area was transformed into a welcoming environment where attendees could organise meetings or continue conversations sparked by the various activities. The comfortable layout of this space encouraged many participants to spend the entire day at the Forum, enabling them to attend more sessions.
The MUTEK Market and Incubator
As part of this milestone edition of MUTEK, the Market welcomed its 5th cohort. Designed to bring together professionals from the music industry and digital creation sectors, the Market’s activities were carefully curated to seamlessly integrate into the MUTEK Forum ecosystem, creating numerous business opportunities for industry professionals. The Market allowed international professionals to stay abreast of the most innovative projects and observe emerging trends. It also supported emerging Quebec and Canadian artists performing at the MUTEK Festival in advancing their careers.
In a similar spirit, and for the first time in its 25-year history, MUTEK expanded its support for emerging artists through its new Incubator project. This new initiative, linked to the Market, aligns with MUTEK’s mission: dedicated to showcasing and advancing emerging forms of digital sound, music, and visual creation. MUTEK aims to provide the most original and visionary artists in the field with a springboard to amplify their work and propel their creative concepts as far as possible, fostering the initiation, awareness, and development of new audiences.
The Future Festivals Summit
The Future Festivals Summit, held on 19 August 2024 at the Société des arts technologiques (SAT), was a key moment of the 10th edition of MUTEK Forum and the culmination of a research project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and led by MUTEK. Launched in early 2023, the initiative aimed to analyse shared challenges faced by independent festivals and prototype sustainable solutions. It brought together partners such as Mois Multi, imagineNATIVE, send+receive, New Forms, MUTEK.MX, and New Now, representing a diversity of communities and curatorial practices.
The Summit gathered over 100 local and international festival professionals, providing a platform for collective reflection on the future of multidisciplinary art festivals. Sessions led by experts such as Mouna Andraos, Nancy Lee, Cassie Thornton, and Liam Young tackled key themes including equitable technology, inclusivity, and sustainability, offering innovative solutions to make festivals more accessible and responsible.
The event concluded with a networking reception that fostered deeper exchanges among participants and included a call to action for building more resilient festival networks. Industry figures such as Patrick Kearney from REFRAIN and Philippe U. Del Drago from FIFA shared insights on network development and the challenges of cultural infrastructure. Moderated by Alain Mongeau, MUTEK’s Artistic Director, this session highlighted the importance of unity and international cooperation in festival management.
Discussions initiated at the Summit continued throughout the Forum, with activities aimed at extending the dialogue beyond the Future Festivals project partners. The Forum’s closing session featured a panel on temporary utopias, calling for support for festivals as laboratories for alternative futures. This event laid the groundwork for ambitious new visions for the future of festivals while strengthening connections among cultural stakeholders and international professionals.
The 10th edition of MUTEK Forum solidified its position as a key platform for innovation and creation in digital arts. It attracted a broad audience, strengthening professional connections through networking activities and enriching exchanges. The MUTEK Market particularly showcased local and international artists, supported by a mentorship and training programme. Participants reported high overall satisfaction, highlighting lasting connections and measurable impacts on their future projects.
