MUTEK Montréal : A/VISIONS, two unique and unprecedented opportunities to get a glimpse of the future!

Now considered MUTEK Montréal’s signature evenings, the A/Visions triple-bills are returning to the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts this year. These spectacularly immersive and exploratory creations are a fusion of images, sound, and technology. We asked Thomas Giboudeaux, MUTEK Montréal's Director of Communications and Marketing, to tell us all about them.

The A/Visions Concept

The A/Visions concept can be described as immersive theatre, given its audiovisual offerings, use of technology, and large-scale scenography. It is most certainly focused on electronic music, but it also involves other artistic disciplines. The artists—both Quebec-based and international—propose the concepts, but the festival’s programming dictates the associations, making them possible thanks to the organization’s ties with the Montreal community and MUTEK’s international network. “Like nearly 85% of the festival’s programming, these are North American or Canadian premieres, but also unique opportunities to see these original creations, specifically designed for the occasion,” notes Thomas Giboudeaux.

Themes and artists of the 2024 edition

A variety of techniques—artificial intelligence, light choreography, and water symphony—will take you from the Italian Renaissance to the futurism of speculative cinema.

On Friday, August 23, Myriam Bleau will join Nien Tzu Weng to present the North American premiere of Second Self, an audiovisual performance featuring portable, interactive LED screens used as extensions of the body. Following this, .WAV Studio, bringing together Hong Kong new media artists Cao Yuxi and Lau Hiu Kong, will redefine the perception of time in a powerful audiovisual experience entitled Palindrome Codex. The third duo, SYNSPECIES, will combine the talents of Spanish composer Elías Merino with those of Slovenian artist and programmer Tadej Droljc for ASBU, creating a unique audiovisual universe.

On Saturday, August 24, Italian artist-physicist-professor Riccardo Giovinetto, remaining true to form, will present F E M I N A, highlighting the interaction between sound and image. Montrealer Martin Messier, for his part, will present an immersive audiovisual performance entitled 1 drop 1000 years, depicting the crucial and fragile role of the thermohaline circulation system. Finally, Mexican music producer Murcof and Belgian visual artist Simon Geilfus will broadcast the live virtual cinema show Twin Color.

Also this year, see the Quebec premiere of a documentary about visionary artist Brian Eno, generated live by filmmaker Gary Hustwit using custom generative software he created with technologist Brendan Dawes. Each screening of Eno is unique, created from interview excerpts and hundreds of hours of previously unreleased footage and music presented in sequence and with an original soundtrack, including an original score by the ambient music pioneer.

25 years of evolution

To mark MUTEK’s 25th anniversary, a free digital art component has been added to the indoor programming schedule. The Village Numérique will offer a sensory experience through a circuit of some twenty original installations located at Place des Arts and in the Quartier des spectacles. Yours to explore, from August 15 to 29, 2024.