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The cities of Nantes and Montréal are celebrating their collaboration on the occasion of the 2020 edition of Nantes Digital Week and MTL connect. Initiated in 2019, the agreement between the two cities covers cultural, economic and academic exchanges. The call for participation for this year’s Nantes delegation is still open until July 31.
Interview with Francky Trichet, Vice-President of Innovation, Digital and International at Nantes Métropole, to take stock of the collaboration between the two cities in the field of new technologies. This is also an opportunity to review the selection criteria for the delegation for this year’s Nantes Digital Week and MTL connect.
2019 was the year Nantes and Montréal forged close ties on cultural, economic and academic levels. « The territories initiated collaboration on a wide range of topics, including digital, but not only. We formed a delegation of 80 people with representatives from culture, urban innovation, research, the socio-economic world, startups and major groups », explains Francky Trichet. The goal of this Nantes delegation to Montréal was to foster Franco-Québécois partnerships, to consolidate projects already underway and to sign agreements between the two cities.
The partnerships between Nantes and Montréal are facilitated by a shared vision of digital innovation. « We share the same values regarding a more humanistic digital approach, meaning a digital that serves humanity and moves away from a techno-centric digital », states Francky Trichet. « We are working with Great North Data Canada on data to provide cross-perspectives and white papers on data serving communities », adds the Vice-President of Innovation, Digital and International. The idea for Nantes and Montréal is to steer data policy towards ethical values of sharing. Their respective experiences should feed off each other.
Among the projects implemented between Nantes and Montréal during 2019, these include the opening of a studio in Montréal by the Nantes Atlantique School of Design, the signing of innovation agreements between the Quartier des Spectacles and the Île de Nantes district, and the co-writing of a metropolitan data charter for the smart city, among others. « We also signed a partnership between Nantes Digital Week and Printemps numérique in Montréal. The ambition is exactly the same. Through various themes, we examine how digital is transforming society. We want a festival open to all, not just to the business or academic community », explains Francky Trichet.
On the artistic front, Nantes and Montréal are focusing on co-productions between France and Canada, even though this type of partnership has slowed down due to the COVID-19 health crisis. These co-productions will mainly involve digital arts, technological installations and innovative performances. « The idea is to question how to co-produce a performance in Montréal and then in Nantes, as part of a true transatlantic co-production », details Francky Trichet. The aim of such an exchange is the transfer of knowledge, but also of talent, aesthetics and narratives, all while building on a common foundation: the use of the French language. The Francophone space is thus seen by both cities as an unconditional link between French and Québécois culture.
The outcomes of the Nantes-Montréal collaboration are manifold. They are first economic, as some French companies have been able to establish a branch in Montréal, such as the Blackmeal motion design studio. They are also artistic, with a collaboration between Nantes, Montréal and Québec for the audiovisual productions of Crabe Fantôme around tales from here and elsewhere, for example. Finally, they are philosophical, thanks to the development of a shared vision of what digital should be.
During Nantes’ virtual participation in the 2020 edition of MTL connect, there will be activities focused on data and artificial intelligence. « We have also considered some slightly wild, more public-oriented ideas, such as robots with emotional analysis, at least for Nantes Digital Week », adds Francky Trichet. The call for projects is still open. To apply, simply visit the Nantes Digital Week website. Participants have until July 31 to submit their application and content proposal. « You need to represent territories and have somewhat unusual projects », concludes the Vice-President of Innovation, Digital and International.
Source: Le Lien Multimédia