MUTEK 2025: From Innovations to Crowd-pleasers

With the 26th edition of MUTEK fast approaching, music lovers, digital arts enthusiasts, and others seeking auditory, visual, or interactive experiences may be wondering where to start as they scan the festival’s vast and eclectic lineup. Hosting four of MUTEK’s flagship events in 2025, Place des Arts is a go-to destination for those in search of extraordinary visual experiences.

A/Visions Series 1 & 2

Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23

The two A/Visions evenings are a major venue for visual and sonic exploration. Alain Mongeau, the Founder and General and Artistic Director of MUTEK, describes A/Visions as “the festival’s flagship series. It’s the place where we take things as far as we can in digital arts, in exploration, and in how they are presented on stage.”

On Friday, the A/Visions 1 evening features performances focused on the interaction between humans and machines. The first two, Luce by Quayola and Revival by K-Phi-A, put artificial intelligence into practice. The evening concludes with a two-artist encounter for the North American premiere of In uno spazio immenso by Abul Mogard and Grand River. “What’s interesting here is that there is more of an emphasis on the compositional aspect. But there is a narrative proposition underlying the performance,” according to Alain Mongeau, making it more accessible to an audience that is less accustomed to this type of event.

On Saturday, A/Visions 2 brings together three digital poetry performances, each of which explores a shared sense of vibration. Both Alexis Langevin-Tétrault’s Replikas and Ash Fure’s Animal are more “explorations of physicality,” says Alain Mongeau. “These are two artists who move in space, or who move things in space.” Saturday evening concludes with a performance by Shackleton—a major figure in dubstep—, Waclaw Zimpel, and Siddhartha Belmannu. “In this case, the interest is the real encounter between electronic sounds; there’s a musician playing wind instruments and an Indian singer,” explains Mongeau. “The fusion between these three participants creates a magical intermediary space.” Alongside them, Myriam Boucher will be providing visuals for the show, at the invitation of MUTEK. “Accordingly, there’s also a fourth vector added to the collaboration—support from a local artist,” emphasizes Mongeau.

Max Cooper presents Lattice 3D/AV

Thursday, August 21, 7 pm

One of the festival’s highlights will undoubtedly be the appearance of Max Cooper, a MUTEK regular, who will present his new performance, Lattice 3D/AV, in Théâtre Maisonneuve. This performance, surely one of the most accessible of the 26th edition, could be a good entry point for the uninitiated, but you’ll have to act quickly, as most of the tickets are already gone.

Village Numérique

August 14 to 28

MUTEK and Xn Québec are presenting the Village Numérique, a free urban circuit of digital installations open to all audiences. The Village Numérique aims to “present the work of both independent artists and studios. It becomes a showcase for Montreal creativity,” emphasizes Alain Mongeau. Both newcomers and art lovers are sure to find something to their liking.