This text is part of the MUTEK special edition
Over 25 editions, the MUTEK festival has fostered the emergence of creators in the field of cutting-edge audiovisual performance and has developed expertise in how to not only present these works to the public, but also supervise them to help them better reach their audience. It is in this spirit that the MUTEK Market and its corollary Incubator were set up, as well as the Immersive Collection, which Samito and Line Katcho tell us about.
A specialist in immersive performance, audiovisual artist Line Katcho has transposed her work Immortal in extended reality two years ago, thus inaugurating the Immersive Collection, presented by MUTEK. “Two years later, it opened up other markets for me,” says the Montreal artist. “Virtual reality is a different world than that of performances. In particular, I was able to present Immortal in other types of festivals, for example film festivals,” such as the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. “It allows me to develop new links, with a different audience, but also with artists from other backgrounds.”
The approach, supervised by MUTEK, which assists artists in adapting their works in extended reality, also opened the doors to Ars Electronica, one of the most important European digital arts festivals, “and I was quite proud of it since it was my first time there”, Line Katcho happily says. Of course, her artistic practice may seem niche, “but I need to try all sorts of things”, and an initiative like the Immersive Collection allows participants not only to “get out of the niche” of immersive art, but also to reach a whole new audience.
“Besides, at the Annecy Festival, I was introduced as a “film director”. I said to myself: “Ah! Well yes, that’s a bit what I do, even if it’s experimental.” However, the audience that is presented as more “general” is in fact super curious and very interested, but we ignore it. It’s all a question of access: I like being part of a niche, but I also want my work to be seen by people.”
Much more than a market
Line Katcho also participated in the first edition of the MUTEK Market, organized in the midst of the pandemic four years ago. The objective of this initiative is to promote the development of Canadian artists by creating a comprehensive press kit for them distributed to members of the professional network (broadcasters, labelsfestival programmers) built by the festival over the years, then by organizing meetings (held in person or via a networking platform) between them and the artists.
“What I remember from the Market, what was most useful to me, were precisely these individual meetings,” explains Line Katcho. “MUTEK has a large network of international programmers. Having the opportunity to get an interview with them allows us to quickly create links, which give us the chance to present our works to a new audience.”
Singer-songwriter Samito will be one of the mentors for young artists at the 2024 edition of the MUTEK Market (its Incubator component), after having himself benefited from the supervision offered by the initiative. “The experience was excellent,” he says. “Not only during the Market, but also during all the training offered beforehand. The invited artists took courses for ten weeks with different professionals in the field, on many different subjects — we discussed NFTs, for example. [non-fungible tokens, ou jetons non fongibles] in the music market, or even that of copyright, with a lawyer specialized in the field.
Direct access to professionals
“For me, who has always aspired to have more control over the more industrial side of my career, it was very instructive,” Samito continues. “By participating in the Market, I was amazed to see that the MUTEK organization was so open to integrating us into its network of international partners. As an artist, having direct access to these people is very valuable. I felt that the organization had complete trust in me.”
He says he came into contact with about thirty professionals from the festival’s international network through his participation in the Market. “I continued the conversation all the following year with five or six of them. Thanks to that, I was able to take part in the Barcelona edition of MUTEK, and I’m still invited to take part in MUTEK Montreal this year, and that’s very valuable. I feel like I’ve gained autonomy in my career. And what I would like to emphasize is that this approach of sharing and networking is part of the culture of the festival organization.”
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.