March 7, 2013 – These days, the borders that used to separate different art forms are disappearing. Throughout the world, artists are mixing together music, technology, electronics, performance art and visual arts, excited to open up new possibilities for artistic creation. In Montréal, one event stands out as a pioneer of multimedia interdisciplinarity and cutting-edge aesthetics : the Elektra festival.
Elektra takes place in the spring (May 1 to 5, 2013), in various performance venues such as Usine C. The festival was founded in 1999 by the Association pour la création et la recherche électroacoustiques du Québec (ACREQ). But Elektra isn’t a strictly musical affair. Elektra celebrates live performance in its most surprising forms; robotics, video, dance and digital technology are blended with electronic and electroacoustic music. At Elektra, eyes and ears are equally solicited... and equally put to the test!
Digital arts may sometimes seem to belong in a lab, but at Elektra, the headlining artists are performance addicts; spectators can expect to be jostled around a bit. Using automated sound devices, multiple screens, synthesizers and electronic contraptions, these performers aren’t afraid to experiment right on stage. The festival welcomes only the best and brightest, from Québec as well as from abroad, artists like Richie Hawtin, Skoltz_Kolgen, Granular Synthesis or Ryoji Ikeda. After 13 years, Elektra soldiers on, still on top of contemporary artistic practices and gradually becoming a not-to-be-missed event for festival-goers interested in avant-garde audiovisual performance. Electric, to say the least.
