This year, Hexagram continues to be prominently featured in the rich programming of its long-time partner, MUTEK.

In addition to its usual idea market, the MUTEK Forum, the festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an ambitious new project: the Village Numérique. Hexagram members are part of its first cohort of creators. Discover their works in this showcase in the heart of Montreal.

Encountering Digital Creativity

From August 15 to 29, 2024, explore the Quartier des Spectacles to see 22 digital art pieces for free. Start at the pools of the Esplanade de la Place des Arts to encounter Vessels. Created by Sofian Audry [co-investigator UQAM and co-director of Hexagram], Stephen Kelly, and Samuel St-Aubin, this community of aquatic robots forms an interactive ecosystem.

Take a contemplative pause at the Georges-Émile-Lapalme Cultural Space. REDSHIFT, by Louis-Philippe Rondeau [co-investigator, NAD-UQAC], brings visitors back to earth, inspired by cosmic lights to evoke “the frenetic pace of human existence.”

Finish your stroll in the Laurent & Clark condo hall, where Nora Gibson’s [former student member, Concordia] work invites the public to rethink the relationship between the physical body and technology. Transplant uses data from dance movements and brainwaves to generate a bioreactive audiovisual interface.

Territorial Recognition and Digital Utopias

On Wednesday, August 21, head to the MUTEK Forum, where several researchers, gathered by Yan Breuleux [co-investigator, NAD-UQAC], will be featured during the iX Symposium.

At the Société des arts technologiques de Montréal (SAT), artists Dawn Danby and David McConville will explore the consequences of human utopias through “immersive discourse.” Following this, the Satosphère’s dance floor will host a panel on territorial recognition in the era of spatial computing. This discussion includes Catherine D’Amours [former student member, NAD-UQAC], an artist and professor at the UQAM School of Design, and Bertrand Nepveu, lead developer of the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Other segments of the Forum will highlight several of our members: Roweda Chodkowski [student member, Concordia], Alice Jarry [co-researcher, Concordia and co-director, Hexagram], Maurice Jones [student member, Concordia], Rilla Khaled [co-researcher, Concordia], Jason Lewis [co-researcher, Concordia], Fenwick Mckelvey [co-researcher, Concordia], Bart Simon [co-researcher, Concordia and interim co-director, Hexagram], Skawennati [collaborator, Concordia], and Nelly-Ève Rajotte [collaborator, UQAM].

These activities respond to the theme Utopia or Oblivion: Creating Human-Centered Technological Futures.

A Partnership to Stimulate the Creative Ecosystem

These showcases allow Hexagram members to present their research-creation results to the Montreal and international public. This partnership paves the way from academic research to the commercialization of digital creations. Hexagram is pleased with the ongoing nature of its partnership with MUTEK. Together, they enrich the creative ecosystem by sharing knowledge and valuing artist-researchers.

Image : Vessels, Sofian Audry, Stephen Kelly, Samuel St-Aubin

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