ECO(SYSTEMS) OF HOPE
Culture & Creativity Topic | MTL Connect 2022
OCTOBER 15-23, 2022 | Montreal
Participating scholars and artists to be announced in upcoming newsletter
EXHIBITION | CONFERENCES | WORKSHOPS | CULTURAL MEDIATION ACTIVITIES
Montreal, May 4th, 2022 – Montreal Digital Spring (Printemps numérique) is thrilled to announce that the fourth edition of MTL connect: Montreal Digital Week will be presenting the exhibition and artistic programme ECO(SYSTEMS) OF HOPE. From October 15th to the 23rd, 2022, our programming’s activities will be presented in the Culture & Creativity Topic.
An ecosystem [a series formed by a community of living beings in interaction with each other/their environment] is created by components developed under a dense network of dependencies and exchanges of energy, information and matter, that permit the maintenance and development of life. This system, which promotes and develops life along with its potentiality, is contingent on every living and non-living part that makes up the system, making each element reliant on the other, as the system is intertwined. This, to us, is a source of hope, as it means that we derive our strength from each other, and a deepened sense of community.
Indeed, interconnections sustain life, and catalyze and foster hope. This foundational thinking model is more important than ever, in the face of the enduring pandemic and active conflicts. With Eco(systems) of Hope, Printemps numérique invites a cross-section of artists and scholars to reflect on world-making, on the technologies used for this creation, on climate responsibility, equity and care. In this generative field that will act as a union of the artistic and academic communities, Printemps numérique will beg the following questions:
How do contemporary artists and thinkers engage with pressing contemporary issues like climate change? What is the inherent difference between what artists produce versus tech developers or scientists? What imaginaries do they invite us to inhabit through their work? What do contemporary artists hope for?
Eco(systems) of Hope will feature Canadian and international artists exploring the present ecological moment and creative imaginaries for the future. The art programme will engage with two core themes; climate responsibility and equity. Some of the selected works will explore these issues through speculation, while others will invite us to take action. They will also all question what hope means individually and collectively; the differences between the “I” and the “Other(s).” As for the curatorial approach, the driving idea is to evoke the infinitely large and the infinitely small in order to move away from the Anthropocentric idea that the human scale is the measure (and center) of the universe; more on that soon.
This is only the beginning! Local and international artists will be announced shortly, along with other events, such as conferences, workshops, and guided tours. Stay tuned for upcoming communications from Montreal Digital Spring.
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