Over the last 20 years, Hexagram has played a seminal role in the recognition of practice-based art and design research in Canada and abroad, as well as in promoting knowledge-sharing between artistic and scientific disciplines. Founded in 2001, the Network supports research-creation projects and fosters collaborations amongst its members from eight Québec research institutions, as well as with local and international partners from the academic, cultural and creative sectors. We will be celebrating this milestone on December 2nd, at the Hexagram GALA of Emerging Researchers.

Our annual GALA is a major recurrent activity of the Network’s programme. The GALA invites all Hexagram members as well as representatives of professional, academic and cultural spheres to attest to the network’s support to emerging researchers and practitioners, to encourage the advancement of their projects, and to contribute to disseminate their research-creation outcomes.

This year’s GALA is extra special as we have two consecutive years of highlights to revisit. In 2020, the GALA was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic, therefore we missed the chance to gather and present the outstanding research and creations produced by student-members, in spite of the difficult context. 2019-2020 was also the first year of a renewed 7-year cycle and proposed programming developed to meet the Network’s three main goals; 1) support research-creation practices at the intersection of the arts, culture and technology; 2) establish and strengthen links between artistic and scientific disciplines through research-creation; 3) promote and share research-creation expertise with spheres of professional practice in cultural organizations (see the 2020-2027 programme objectives here). Although we are well under way to meet these goals, the Hexagram GALA will also be an opportunity to re-launch this programme, in the presence of our members and partners.

Additionally, it’s our 20th! Following the evening of December 2nd, our programme of activities from January to June 2022, in the framework of the Rencontres interdisciplinaires : EMERGENCE/Y 2021, will be within the “20 years” spirit to assert both the continuation of our Network and the renewal of its mission to keep with the most contemporary artistic, cultural and technological research and creation practices.