MUTEK Forum returns August 26–28, 2026, with a forward-thinking, three-day programme dedicated to digital creativity, interdisciplinary exchange, and the evolving relationship between art, technology, and society. Running alongside the wider MUTEK festival, this year’s Forum introduces an expanded vision—bringing together artists, researchers, studios, curators, and technologists to explore intersections spanning music, artificial intelligence, extended reality, ecology, media art, and design.
For 2026, the Forum relocates to two prominent cultural venues in Montréal—the Atrium et Studio-Théâtre des Grands Ballets and Édifice Wilder – Espace danse—marking a significant step forward in both scale and ambition. The edition also coincides with a major expansion of MUTEK Market, the organization’s professional networking platform, now featuring a dedicated space for curated one-on-one matchmaking and global ecosystem building.
At the heart of this year’s programme is the theme Symbiotic Frequencies, reflecting a growing shift in how bodies, technologies, and ecosystems interact. As boundaries between disciplines continue to dissolve, MUTEK Forum positions itself as a space for practitioners and thinkers actively shaping the future—where sound, intelligence, and meaning converge across overlapping cultural and technological networks.
The Forum’s structure is organized into three thematic chapters, each designed to foster focused dialogue and collaboration. Day one, Storytelling: Expanding Realities, presented by the Canada Media Fund, explores new narrative forms and immersive storytelling. Day two, Technology: Future Interfaces, examines emerging tools reshaping creative expression. Day three, Sound: Collective Resonance, turns toward sonic practice as a shared, embodied experience, highlighting spatial audio, sound systems, and evolving industry frameworks. Each day also includes networking sessions, industry meetups, and evening gatherings.
This year’s talks programme brings together influential voices across formats including keynotes, performance lectures, panels, workshops, and masterclasses. Among the highlights is the Canadian premiere of A Sexual History of the Internet by Mindy Seu, an interactive lecture-performance examining the overlooked relationship between technology and sexuality. Media platform New Models, led by Caroline Busta and Lil Internet, will present Vibe-ocracy in the Psyber Age, exploring the rise of algorithmic culture and the shifting nature of information in digital spaces.
Also featured is artist and theorist Zach Blas, presenting Does an AI God Have an Ass?, a critical exploration of embodiment and techno-religiosity, alongside writer and musician Claire L. Evans, whose talk Brainless: How The World Thinks reframes intelligence through biological and ecological systems.
A strong focus on Indigenous and alternative narratives runs throughout the programme. Caroline Monnet will discuss her work at the intersection of cinema and visual art, while filmmaker and curator Tracy Renée Rector presents Encoded: Change the Story, Change the Future, an augmented reality intervention reimagining institutional narratives. The collaboration between Murthovic and Thiruda will also make its Canadian debut, linking speculative storytelling with climate futures and AI-driven performance.
In a new partnership, The Lumen Prize joins MUTEK Forum for its 15th anniversary, with a 2026 finalist set to be showcased ahead of the official awards announcement—opening new pathways for collaboration between global digital art communities.
Sound culture takes center stage through a dedicated focus on systems, listening, and embodiment. In collaboration with Honeydrip and MORPH, the Forum introduces the Sound System Lab, spotlighting local builders including Myco Audio, Pomelo, and Hi Five. Contributors such as Fait Poms, known for her work with the T4T LUV NRG Soundsystem, and artist Salima Punjani will explore sound as both a technical and social practice. The Afrosonic Innovation Lab will further examine the cultural and political dimensions of global sound system traditions, particularly those rooted in Jamaican sonic culture.
Additional sessions dive into creative process and industry transformation. Initiatives like Courts Circuits, led by Technopol in collaboration with Music Declares Emergency France, will address sustainability in touring, while Margaret McGuffin of Music Publishers Canada joins discussions on AI’s impact on rights and licensing. Artist-led workshops and masterclasses—hosted in part with DASA—offer insight into evolving creative practices, including hands-on sessions from sound artist Evicshen.
The programme also highlights local and international exchange through projects like final-bounce, presented by World Creation Studio, and explorations in digital world-building from game director Paloma Dawkins, whose work examines interspecies communication and accessibility in virtual environments.
Meanwhile, MUTEK Market returns in its most ambitious form to date, anchored at Édifice Wilder – Espace danse. Through its MUTEK Match initiative, participants gain direct access to curated one-on-one meetings with leading figures from institutions such as the Barbican, Victoria & Albert Museum, New Museum, and LAS Arts Foundation, among others—reinforcing MUTEK’s long-standing commitment to fostering global creative networks.
With its expanded scope and interdisciplinary focus, MUTEK Forum 2026 positions itself at the forefront of digital culture—offering a space where ideas are not only exchanged, but actively shaped into the future.