If Montreal still prides itself on being a North American destination of choice for the quality of its nightlife, if it can claim the title of capital of digital creativity, it is largely thanks to the SAT, the Society for Technological Arts. . Located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, the talent incubator in electronic music and immersive visual creation celebrates Friday and Saturday its 25e anniversary with two evenings where veterans and the next generation of DJs and VJs who have developed their talents thanks to this Montreal institution will meet.
Working today in the field of events, Bruno Ricciardi-Rigault contributed to the programming of these two anniversary evenings. 25 years ago, he was also at the forefront of the birth of the SAT, and the poster for Friday night’s event bears his signature.
We read the names of “those who were there from the beginning and who are still active today”, Maüs, Pfreud, Cristobal Urbina, sweet daddy luv, Mighty Kat. But also Pheek and Mateo Murphy, “these two like a little nod to the Epsilonlab parties, which meant a lot at the time”.
At the turn of the century, the SAT became the official front of a music scene then still misunderstood. With the MUTEK festival and the Laïka café, co-founded by Bruno Ricciardi-Rigault, the SAT brought together a whole generation of sound and image artists, thanks to the constant support and vision of its founder, Monique Savoie. , who was honored by the organization earlier this week.
“Yes, it has become an institution, says Ricciardi-Rigault, but it was above all a springboard for many actors” who discovered a vocation for these digital arts. The Moment Factory studio, whose reputation is well established throughout the world, was practically born within the walls of the SAT.
Twenty-five years later, the institution is about to experience a new revolution. First by the renewal of its troops, now led by general manager Jenny Thibault, in office for nine months.
“This anniversary forces us to do a memory exercise and to immerse ourselves in the many archives of the SAT,” says the director. And the exercise forces us to ask ourselves: why are we doing all this? This reflection guided the drafting of our strategic platform. »
At the heart of the SAT’s objectives, explains Jenny Thibault, is the idea of ”society” in the name — “A name that has aged very well, moreover, we didn’t put the word ‘digital ” in it, which you see everywhere, I’m very happy with it! The notion of society, of community, must continue to serve as a beacon for the organization.
“I want the SAT to become a crossroads of ideas, experiments, unusual encounters between different artists from the living arts, of course with those from new technologies. The basic idea of the SAT was this: a place to experiment, to invite people, researchers, artists, companies, to collaborate”, adds the director, who wants to open the doors of the institution to make it even more accessible “to all creators who want to experiment”.
A collective experience
With the public’s appetite for technological innovations and immersive experiences, the pioneer SAT has seen several other places dedicated to digital creation appear since its foundation.
“The offer is vast, recognizes the general manager. So, what is the specificity of the SAT today? I think it’s immersion, but collective. Group experience. The Satosphere is not a virtual reality headset. It is lived collectively, it is social. »
The large dome on the top floor of the SAT inaugurated in 2011 will soon undergo major renovations, as will the rest of the structure, for that matter.
A budget of more than 17 million dollars will allow, from the beginning of 2023, the realization of works which will aim to improve the training center, the creation center, the research and financing department and the places of diffusion of the SAT (which includes also a terrace, a café and a restaurant).
This amount comes first from the Quebec government, then from Canada, the City of Montreal and the Society’s philanthropic activities.
the party
The ground floor, a room with a capacity of more than 900 spectators, will finally be rid of its cumbersome columns and will be better soundproofed and air-conditioned.
The Party of 25e will continue Saturday night with up-and-coming artists Clickbait, Donotstealmyname, Gabriel Rei and Leëf (on the terrace) as well as veterans Fred Everything and Poirier in the Satosphere, joined by The Fitness and Ledisko.
The VJs invited this weekend will be Diagraf and TiND (Friday), and Melesul3 and Binocle (Saturday).