The Guide to MUTEK Forum
MUTEK is more than a festival. MUTEK Forum, the professional component of the Montreal-based organization, is an annual gathering in Tio'tia:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal.
Through captivating conferences, interactive panels, practical workshops, stimulating labs, and inspiring film screenings, the Forum critically examines the digital arts and technology industries, electronic music, artificial intelligence, XR, gaming, and explores the innovative potential at their intersections.
The event brings together artists, digital experts, researchers, innovators, and representatives from organizations such as Google, Ubisoft, PHI, Moment Factory, Mila, and Hexagram. MUTEK Forum features over 45 activities across 4 days, featuring nearly 100 speakers from 17 countries.
Tuesday, August 20th
Wednesday, August 21st
Thursday, August 22nd
Friday, August 23rd
Into the Wild: Towards AI Ecologies
MIT Climate Machine: Igniting Climate Action through AI and Art
Norhan Bayomi (MIT) | Jimmy Meneyerji (MIT)
Into the Wild: Designing AIs in Retrograde
Beth Coleman (University of Toronto) | Adam Basanta | Alice Jarry (Université Concordia) | Matthieu Lorain (Google DeepMind)
Futures Worldbuilding Workshop: Digital Literacy for Creativity, Presented by Pathwaves
Ida Toninato (Pathwaves) | Ziyan Hossain (Pathwaves + Method Collective + Space for Grief) | Suzanne Stein (Pathwaves + OCAD U)
Beyond the Buzzwords: What is Generative AI Doing to Creative Practices?
Sofian Audry (Hexagram) | Pía Baltazar (SAT) | Rose Landry (Mila) | Yves Jacquier (Ubisoft) | Éric Desmarais (Sporobole)
MUTEK Market: Artist Q&As
CHXMERAS | Seulement | mesocosm | Liliane Chlela | Nyshka Chandran (Resident Advisor)
Pixel Personas : Create your Future Avatar
Kahentawaks Tiewishaw (Revital Software) | Fred Kowalczyk (Revital Software)
MUTEK Meet Up: Tech, talent and business models in digital creativity, presented by La Piscine
Joana Neto Costa (La Piscine) | Anouk Ethier (Noukii) | Manny Fortin (LVCIDIA) | Milo Reinhardt (World Creation Studio) | Camille Bertin (La Piscine)
Shaping Spaces: Community, Sustainability, AI, and Justice
Kamya Ramachandran (BeFantastic) | Shin Koseki (UNESCO) | Mel Woods (University of Dundee) | Cleo Norris (Encode Justice Canada)
I’m Not In Denial: Sonifying a Century of Climate Anomalies
Portrait XO (SO LAB X + Sound Obsessed)
Converging Realities: Hybrid Utopias in Immersive Technology
Utopia is Oblivion (Immersive Keynote)
David McConville (Spherical) | Dawn Danby (Spherical)
Freedom Engine Academy presents — From the Studio to the Stage: A Live Performance Workshop with Mathew Jonson
Mathew Jonson (Freedom Engine Academy)
Hybrid Utopias: Territorial Acknowledgement in the Era of Spatial Computing
Bertrand Nepveu (Triptyq Capital) | Scott Benesiinaabandan (Abundant Intelligences) | Giovanna Borasi (Canadian Center for Architecture) | Catherine D’Amours (École de design, UQAM)
Indigenous Immersive Futures
Loretta Todd (IM4 Lab) | Kayla Brïet | Skawennati (Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace) | Amelia Winger-Bearskin (University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute)
Connected Venues: Exploring The Future of Collaborative Performances
Julien Bigeault (Moment Factory) | Alexandra Marin (SAT) | Pía Baltazar (SAT) | Anne-Célia Waddell (Moment Factory) | Lunice | Myriam Boucher | Simon Chioini
Indigenous Storytelling and Distribution in XR, presented by the Indigenous Screen Office
Isabelle Ruiz (Indigenous Screen Office) | James Monkman (James Monkman Studio) | Jason Brennan (Nish Media)
MUTEK Market: Artist Q&As
CUERPOS | ÈBONY | Piu | Tati au miel | Nyshka Chandran (Resident Advisor)
Imagination as Resistance: Building Community Power in Chinatown
Linda Zhang (Studio Pararaum + Para Lab + University of Waterloo)
Utopian Visions: Digital Experiences and XR Presentations
Roman Rappak (Ristband) | Anne McKinnon (Ristband) | Dax Dasilva (Age of Union) | Kelly Nunes
XR Salon + iX Symposium: Networking Cocktail, presented by Xn Québec
The Human Connection: Storytelling in Digital and Gaming Technologies
Delivering audience-centric experiences through technology enabled storytelling, presented by TAIT
Jim Love (TAIT) | Cynthia Sharpe (TAIT) | Ryan Howard (Google) | Tina Blakeney (TAIT) | Emilie F. Grenier (TAIT)
Small Data and Model Crafting: A New Breed of Ethical Creative AI Tools for Non-Coders
Philippe Pasquier (Metacreation Lab)
Art is Evolutionary
Dr Pinar Yoldas (University of California San Diego)
TouchDesigner Confluence at MUTEK 2024
Intro to Spatial Audio using MaxMSP and SPAT
Kiran Bhumber
Beyond the Controller: Accessibility in Gaming, Presented by EA Motive
Améliane Chiasson (Player Research - a Keywords Studio) | Ross Minor (Now you See LLC) | Christian Cimon (Electronic Arts) | Frederic McNamara (Shishi Studios)
More Than A Party: A Raver’s Toolkit
Eris Drew
Digital Dreams: The Impact of AI on Visual Storytelling
Sabine Himmelsbach (HEK) | Amelia Winger-Bearskin (University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute) | Nelly-Eve Rajotte (École de design de l'UQAM) | Studio u2p050
Presentations: Indigenous Innovations in Immersive Technology
Kahentawaks Tiewishaw (Revital Software) | Caeleigh Long (Studio Ekosi) | Keara Lightning (Studio Ekosi) | MoniGarr (MoniGarr.com LLC)
Composite #40 presented by CCA x MUTEK
Resonant Futures: Shaping a More Equitable Future in Music and Technology
Abundant Intelligences at the Intersections of Neuroscience, AI, Art, and Indigenous Knowledges
Jackson Two-Bears (Western University) | Karim Jerbi (Université de Montréal + UNIQUE Center) | Jason Edward Lewis (Abundant Intelligences - Concordia University) | Dr. Melanie Cheung (Cheung Consultancy Limited)
Gaming and Music Workshop, presented by Ubisoft
Vincent Gagnon (Ubisoft)
Wilding AI Lab
Maurice Jones (MUTEK / Concordia University) | Beth Coleman (University of Toronto) | Romi Morrison (UCLA) | Portrait XO (SO LAB X + Sound Obsessed) | Marie-Ève Levasseur | Bart Simon (Institut Milieux, Université Concordia) | Fenwick McKelvey (Concordia University) | François Lespinasse (Centre for Sensory Studies + Machine agencies (Institut Millieux)) | Rowena Chodkowski (Université Concordia) | Aurelie Petite (Université Concordia) | Luciano Firezzera | Kamyar Karimi | Alexandre Saunier
Art of Curation : The Balancing Act
Waajeed (Underground Music Academy) | Renelle Desjardins (Centre PHI) | Jarrett Martineau (Chan Centre for the Performing Arts) | Nyshka Chandran (Resident Advisor)
Masterclass – Music in the Digital World: Understanding the Landscape, Presented by SOCAN
Holly Fagan-Lacoste (SOCAN) | Sara Dendane (SOCAN)
Electronic Music is Black Music — Reclaiming and Tracing Electronic Music’s Roots, Present, and Future
G L O W Z I | Fabienne Leys (ATC Management) | Miquelle Skeete (OmniDirectional Groove) (Rhythmiqx)
Music Sounds Better with You: Building a Better Beat
Benjamin Huppé (Studio La Lucarne) | Coppélia Laroche-Francoeur | Vicky B. Ouellette (STUDIO ZX)
MUTEK Meet Up: Bridging Music & Tech
Francis Di Stasio (Mega Labs) | Fiona Ham (MusicTeam®)
Fireside Chat: Fabienne Leys (ATC Management), Presented by FEMINAE NOX
Fabienne Leys (ATC Management)
MUTEK Forum 2024 Closing Cocktail
Closing Session — Future Festivals: Cultivating Temporary Utopias
Maurice Jones (MUTEK + Concordia University) | Drew Hemment (The University of Edinburgh) | Naomi Johnson (imagineNATIVE Film | Media Arts Festival)
Box Office
- Day Passes are available for $65 CAD
- Forum Passports are available for $210 CAD
- Festival + Forum Passports are available $470 CAD
Come to MUTEK Forum
Locations
This edition of the MUTEK Forum invites you to the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, in the Monument-National, Quebec’s oldest functioning theater. The Forum will take over the Ludger-Duvernay Hall, the Hydro-Québec Studio, the rehearsal room, and the venue’s different networking spaces. Just steps away, the Society for Arts and Technology will host immersive keynotes and activities inside its famous Satoshphère, while laidback networking sessions will be held at Vino Disco throughout the week.
Accessibility
During the event, no interpreter for the Deaf will be present.
All activities held in the Salle Ludger-Duvernay will be simultaneously transcribed and translated in either French or English using an application powered by artificial intelligence. Those wishing to use this accessibility feature will find QR codes on site, which they can scan in order to connect to the live transcription. They may also click the “Transcriptions” button in the MUTEK Forum App homepage. This is a beta service, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy.
All informations on the Monument National.
All informations on the Société des Arts Technologiques (SAT).
Accomodation and transportation
PARTNERS
MUTEK would like to thank its partners, who play a key role in the maintenance and development of its activities and have provided particular support towards the production of the Forum.
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Canada Council for the Arts, Ville de Montréal, Conseil des arts de Montréal, FACTOR and Canada’s private radio broadcasters, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Musicaction, Keychange, Tourisme Montréal, Canada Media Fund (CMF), Indigenous Screen Office, Ubisoft, Derivative (TouchDesigner), Xn Québec, Applied AI Institute (Concordia University), Milieux Institute (Concordia University), Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), NAD-UQAC, SYNTHÈSE, Hexagram, TAIT, EA Motive, FEMINAE NOX, Vino Disco, Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), CURRENT, Hotel Monville, Dieu du Ciel!, EarthPercent, Composite, Abundant Intelligences, MUSICMOTION, La Piscine, SOCAN, Pathwaves (Envision Management), Encode Justice Canada, Sporobole and Moment Factory.
THE MUTEK FORUM APP
The MUTEK Forum App is the main networking tool for international professionals and Canadian artists to make valuable connections during the festival. You may use it to send messages to all other participants, book 1-on-1 meetings with them, and to register for limited capacity activities via a desktop computer or a smartphone. All Forum tickets and passes include access to the platform. Once you purchase a ticket, you receive an invitation to set up your account.
The Market
The MUTEK Market is a career acceleration and business development program for artists and industry professionals. Artists are supported for several months through training and the creation of customized EPKs.
The Market is back this year with an official selection of 20 artists from Québec and Canada.
Subsequently, the Market connects buyers and artists for one-to-one business meetings, which take place virtually a week before the festival, creating a space for negotiation and a solid basis for sales.