Empowering Women in Digital Arts and Electronic Music: Symposium and Call for Proposals

We are excited to open a special call for performance proposals, and to officially launch notice of our daytime symposium: Empowering Women in Digital Arts and Electronic Music taking place Tuesday, August 21 and Wednesday, August 22 during the 19th edition of MUTEK in Montréal.

As a founding partner of the European Keychange initiative, MUTEK is dedicated to achieving a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Inspired by Keychange, this year's festival will host a diverse cohort of women from Europe, Québec, Canada and Latin America.

Through panels, discussions, creative labs and networking opportunities, artists, creative innovators and other key cultural workers will tackle relevant issues related to gender and diversity. Our goal: to increase participation in the fields of digital arts and electronic music, enable more women to develop their artistic practice and career acumen, and to ultimately realize their potential as catalysts for creative and industry change.

Call for Artist Submissions

Canadian artists as well as artists currently residing in Canada who would like to be considered for performance opportunities in the context of the Keychange initiative are encouraged to send a short bio, performance summary, audio and/or video samples to us. Deadline is April 27, 2018

This call specifically encourages submissions from women, trans and non-binary artists, including those from indigenous and other marginalized cultural communities residing in Canada.

The kinds of work we’re looking for:

• Live, original and predominantly electronic music performances;
• Live audiovisual performances featuring innovative use of digital imagery and sound where the audio and visual are considered a singular entity;
• Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality works for potential exhibition;
• Any projects that push boundaries and challenge conventions in the digital creation sphere.

*MUTEK is dedicated to presenting live performances; DJ mixes will not be considered.

Submit your project

Pitch a Panel or Skill Session

If you are interested in pitching a discursive activity, panel topic, or skill sharing session in the context of Keychange at MUTEK 2018 please detail your idea in a short summary and send it by email, before April 27, 2018.

Additionally, if you are interested in attending the symposium, and are eligible to apply for any funding that would facilitate your attendance or professional development, we would be happy to provide letters of invitation in support. Contact us by email.

Please note that we will only contact artists or those whose pitches have been selected.

About Keychange

Keychange is a pioneering European initiative which is empowering women to transform the future of the music industry and encouraging festivals to achieve a 50:50 balance by 2022. 60 emerging artists and innovators from across Europe will be invited to international festivals to take part in a series of showcases, collaborations and a programme of creative labs. Backed up by an innovation fund for the network to test new projects and ideas, Keychange aims to accelerate change and create a better more inclusive music industry for present and future generations. Keychange is led by PRS Foundation, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, in partnership with Musikcentrum Öst, Reeperbahn Festival, Iceland Airwaves, BIME, Tallinn Music Week, Way Out West, The Great Escape and MUTEK.

Find out more about Keychange here.
More information on MUTEK’s involvement in Keychange here.