MUTEK Montreal returns with over 100 artists for 2020

MUTEK brings together international and local acts, as well as hosting the MUTEK Forum

Montreal festival MUTEK returns with over 100 artists for 2020.

Running from September 8 to 13, the 21st edition of MUTEK is split into two parts - the music festival and the MUTEK Forum.

There are 104 artists and 59 performances locked in for the festival, with those featuring local acts taking place in-venue at Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle and Society for Arts and Technology (SAT). These and the international performances will be available to watch on MUTEK's dedicated virtual platform. The in-venue performances are also open to audiences, with social distancing measures in place.

The Play series - highlighting the exploratory, visceral and playful character of contemporary artists in digital art, audiovisual creation, and electronic - runs from September 8 to 11 at Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle, with the likes of Alexis Langevin-Tétrault, Anne-F Jacques and GGROUNDD involved.

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Pop, classical and Afro-Caribbean music is explored in the Experience series, featuring Chris Salter & Alexandre Saunier, Guillaume Coutu-Dumont, Ouri, Zandoli II & the Wasafiri and more.

The Nocturne series takes place from September 11 to 13 in the immersive 360-degree Satosphère space.

International performers include Bionautas (Jonas Kopp & Flor del Valle), George Hurd, Joana Gomila, Marina Herlop, Molly, Junichi Akagawa, Hiroaki Umeda, Arushi Jain & Carly Lave, Maotik & Maarten Vos, Grand River & Marco C, Wasted Fates & Future Forward and more.

The international programming - falling under the banner MUTEK_CONNECT - was curated by MUTEK's branches in Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Mexico City, San Francisco and more. Partners for this element of the festival are Transart festival in Italy, cultural venue Chapelle XIV in France, as well as artistic centre B39 and its associated festival, PRECTXE, in South Korea.

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On top of the music, there will be an interactive gallery featuring VR, 360-degree and sound works, a screening room presenting content from MUTEK Forum and a listening room which is dedicated to audio from the last 20 years of the festival.

Over 30 presentations, panels and case studies will take place as part of MUTEK Forum, covering topics such as artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), and the impacts of technology on society.

See the full programming here and find out more information here.

[Photo: Bruno Destombes]

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