Over the past 23 years, MUTEK has gained worldwide recognition as a festival presenting cutting-edge audiovisual performances — works that innovate to create a new language of sound and images. MUTEK’s latest project, the Immersive Collection, opens up a new chapter for the organization, marking its first steps as an extended reality (XR) content producer.
Five artists have stepped up to the challenge of reinventing shows previously performed at the festival into an XR artwork. Each artist was selected due to the acclaim of their original performance, their complementary sources of expertise and their willingness to experiment. The result is an eclectic yet coherent set of three different XR projects ranging from contemplative to surreal to dynamic: Entanglement XR by France Jobin & Markus Heckmann, House of Moiré by Chloe Alexandra Thompson & Matthew Edwards (aesthetic.stalemate), and Immortelle by Line Katcho.
Not documentary nor classic fiction, not concert nor game, these works defy traditional genres and define a new category of audiovisual XR experiences that are deployed from original concepts, non-traditional narratives and advanced digital creation tools. They combine abstract and figurative interpretations, spatialized sound design, radiant visuals and the playful and persevering mindsets of artists venturing into new grounds.
Published by MUTEK on several online content stores, starting with Steam, the Immersive Collection will also join the catalog of Astrea, the largest international distributor of immersive productions, and be presented at select festivals and spaces worldwide.
MUTEK acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts