THE FULL EM15 LINEUP REVEALED! #ELEKTRA #MUTEK #MONTREAL

EM15 REVEALS ITS FULL LINEUP |

85 outdoor and indoor performances, 16 world premieres

Beginning Tuesday, May 27 and finishing Sunday, June 1, the full EM15 program is now finalized. In addition to the impressive list of international headliners already announced (including RICHIE HAWTIN, NICOLAS JAAR, RICARDO VILLALOBOS, AUDION, MAX COOPER and BEN FROST), this first jointly hosted festival by ELEKTRA and MUTEK boasts 44 local and national projects, across 85 outdoor and indoor performances.

Audacity, Creativity and Innovation

The exceptional union of ELEKTRA and MUTEK highlights Montréal’s influence and position as a global hub for digital art. Helping to bring this combined initiative to life, Montréal’s Musée d’art contemporain (MAC) acts as the heart of EM15, hosting major performances by some of the biggest names in digital creativity from Montréal, North America and the world. The festival will also occupy several venues in the Quartier des spectacles, with other programs presented at Cinéma Impérial and Métropolis. With its emphasis on new discoveries and emerging art, there are no fewer than 47 premieres — including 16 world premieres from primarily Montréal artists presenting their latest creations, like Machine_Variation by NICOLAS BERNIER and MARTIN MESSIER, Fogs Works by TIM HECKER, Sans Repères by FRANCE JOBIN, and 1013_10_TV_c.s.l.m., the first collaboration between JESSE OSBORNE-LANTHIER and German GRISCHA LICHTENBERGER; as well as 13 North American premieres:Seismik by HERMAN KOLGEN, PINCH, TOM TRAGO, and TM-404; and 18 Canadian premieres: Lumière by ROBERT HENKE, A U R O R A by BEN FROST, Subverticul by AUDION (MATTHEW DEAR), HOLLY HERNDON, MAGIC MOUNTAIN HIGH and VOICES FROM THE LAKE.

Many Free Events

EM15 is also proud to offer a number of free events, including the EXPÉRIENCE series on the Esplanade de la Place des Arts in partnership with Red Bull Music Academy, which mingles a selection of local talents, including XAVIER LEBUIS, MAGNANIME andPRISON GARDE, with graduates from the renowned academy, including ELEKTRO GUZZI from Austria and YOSI HORIKAWAfrom Japan. Also free and open to everyone is the immersive and experimental program PLAY at the MAC, presented in collaboration with CULT#MTL, featuring predominantly Québec artists like MARKUS FLOATS, BATAILLE SOLAIRE, MARIE DAVIDSON, VELVET GLACIER and WOULG — not to mention a rich daytime program at Phi Centre, guaranteeing that every day provides a number of exceptional artists and events, accessible to all.

Conferences, Workshops and Special Presentations at Phi Centre

Starting Monday, May 26, EM15 takes over Phi Centre in Old Montréal for a three day symposium organized with the International Connecting Cities Network targeting artists, people working in arts and culture and a general public interested in digital art practices in the urban environment. Comprising 18 cultural organizations and enjoying the support of the European Union Culture Programme, the Connecting Cities Symposium offers panels, presentations, and case studies from members of this international cultural community. Different themes will be addressed such as the “networked and participatory city” (May 26), the “visible and smart city” (May 27), and an overview of urban digital art projects from around the world (May 28). From Wednesday, May 28 to Friday, May 30, EM15 presents two other important activities: DIGI_SECTION presented by MOOG Audio, hosts EM15 artist Q&As in partnership with The Wire and HOLO Magazine, as well as workshops with different technological partners like Roland, Ableton, MixGenius, WaveDNA, Make Noise, and Derivative; and finally, the MIAN (the International Marketplace for Digital Arts), which combines artists, curators, agents, journalists and institutions in order to facilitate future programming through presentations and meetings.

Montréal Digital Spring and associated EM15 programming

ELEKTRA and MUTEK are also key partners of the first Montréal Digital Spring, an initiative highlighting the strength and diversity of digital art practices in the city with a cluster of special events taking place simultaneously during EM15. Augmenting EM15 are a number of associated and related activities: from May 1 to June 19 the second edition of the International Digital Arts Biennial (BIAN) takes place at the MAC and at 30 other venues throughout the city offering a multitude of installations and exhibitions on the theme, PHYSICAL/ITÉ; from May 6 to June 15 the MAC hosts C4I, a work by renowned digital visual artist and minimalist, RYOJI IKEDA; from May 26 to 31, the SAT presents a series of immersive performances in the Satosphère; the provocative exhibitionCome and See, by JAKE and DINOS CHAPMAN is at DHC/ART from April 4 to August 31; and the project McLaren Mur à Mur, presented on eight downtown building facades by the Quartier des spectacles and the National Film Board, celebrating the 100thanniversary of Norman McLaren’s birth, runs from April 11 to June 1.