onedotzero’s Shane Walter led two events at Canada’s Mutek Festival, a celebration of electronic music and digital creativity.
MUTEK Canada’s preeminent hub of electronic music and digital creativity turned 18, taking the occasion to change its dates, expand its program and refresh its commitment to live performance at the intersection of music, visual art and technology. Onedotzero took part in its engaging conference programme with Shane Walter giving a keynote on London Creative Scene and chairing a panel on Future Realties.
KEYNOTE: Creators Report London
Part of this year’s special Inter_Connect project highlighting 4 cultural metropoles, each Creators Report aims to depict a rich portrait of the current creative milieu of the featured city. Addressing culture, music, art, design, architecture and lived experiences, the Creators Report provides an update on contemporary creative issues from speakers with a wide, and personal view on their city’s scene. Shane Walter delivered a packed, personal, presentation laden with his own supporting photography that covered a range of areas affecting the culture of London traversing community, climate, crowds, chaos, competition, commerce, cash, collaboration, convergence, challenges, comedy, crashes and conversation.
PANEL: Future Realities: How Will Technology Change the Music and Art Experience?
Shane Walter also moderated a wide ranging panel discussion with a lively and fantastic line up of participants:Paloma Dawkins (CA), René Barsalo (CA), Robin McNicholas - Marshmallow Laser Feast (UK), Catherine Turp - Moment Factory (CA), Sarah Arruda - Jam3 (CA) in association with Somerset House Nocturnal City programme.
It covered: how will technology change the music and art experience? With the development of new virtual spaces, the way we experience dance music and night activities might change. From virtual dance floors to algorithmic DJs, new technologies including VR and 3D simulations in virtual worlds have the potential to redefine the way we experience culture, connecting people from any location as well as challenging the notions of identity and experience.
For its 18th Edition last August it was part of the official program marking Montréal’s 375th anniversary. MUTEK also mobilized its international connections to host four days of programming dedicated to the cultural metropoles of London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Berlin — exploring the contemporaneous and multi-disciplinary links between Montréal and these capitals. The fundamental DNA of the festival continued to express values of discovery, revelation and community, emphasizing premieres, exclusive appearances and artistic ingenuity. Events took place in the Quartier des spectacles, the Society for Arts and Technology, Monument-National, Métropolis, Édifice Wilder Espace Danse and on the free outdoor stage of the Esplanade de la Place des Arts.
Personal highlights from Shane included talks by Raphael Lozano-Hemmer’s Tech Mex; Robert Henke on Berlin as an electronic music mecca; live AV from UK contingent Beatrice Dillon, Graham Dunning and Sculpture as well Italian multidisciplinary artist Michela Pelusio and Belgian sound artist Glenn Vervliet; and Montréal’s own composer, digital artist and performer Myriam Bleau.
