Inner Seas
Ida Toninato & Pierre-Luc Lecours
For this second edition of the Avatar-MUTEK Residency, Ida Toninato and Pierre-Luc Lecours are hosted in the Avatar studios as of July 29. Their performance will be presented on August 27 at the Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts, during the MUTEK Montreal 2021 festival.
This first collaboration between Toninato and Lecours explores the various dynamics underlying matter, energy and frequencies. To that end, the duo will combine baritone saxophone, electric guitar and modular synthesizer, filtered through digital tools, into a unique audio stream; the resulting audio performance is then staged across two screens as a means to visually represent the music’s velocities and energetic content.
Having earned her doctorate at Université de Montréal, saxophonist and composer Ida Toninato (she/her) continues to hone her artistic practice through a combination of experimental and acoustic explorations, the use of resonating spaces and the creation of hybrid soundscapes. Having released two solo albums (one of which was composed entirely in a gigantic water tank) as well as a JUNO and Opus-nominated collaborative album with violist Jennifer Thiessen, she also collaborated in such diverse fields as cinema, ambiant and contemporary music. Toninato’s research into sound vibrations earned her residencies in Brazil and Europe, and her performances have been received all over the world.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree in digital music and a master’s in composition from Université de Montréal, composer and multidisciplinary artist Pierre-Luc Lecours (he/him) conveys his art across multiple mediums and aesthetics. Taking cues from heterogeneous sources, from contemporary acoustic music to experimental electronica, his pieces shatter modern musical conventions and explore new forms of audiovisual expression. Lecours’ work has been presented and praised at numerous events, both local and international.
Avatar is dedicated to the research, creation, production, dissemination, publication, and circulation of audio and electronic artworks and artists.
To support creation, Avatar organizes projects, invites artists, reflects on practices, and encourages new collaborations through local and international networks. Located in the heart of Québec City, Avatar offers a venue for interactions and initiatives, explores new artistic terrains, and provides access to equipment and specialized skills.
Since its founding in 1993, Avatar has been an innovator in audio and electronic arts research in North America. At Avatar, audio and electronic creation covers a broad range of activities, including the creation of listening devices, the invention and circuit bending of instruments, sound installation, performance, radio art, and sound sculpture. Audio art crosses the fields of music, visual arts, and poetry and is open to hybrid forms of audible performance, sound excavations, and acoustic environments. Avatar also develops programming of custom-made software and electronic interfaces, as well as interactive and kinetic installation systems and telematic works.
Avatar hosts artists, researchers, thinkers, hackers, and students, listening to their needs and adapting itself to support the most unconventional artistic dreams.
MUTEK is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination and development of digital creativity in sound, music, and audio-visual art. Its mandate is to provide a platform for the most original and visionary artists currently working in their fields, with the intent of providing an outlet of initiation and discovery for the audiences we seek to develop.
MUTEK’s principal activity is the annual presentation of its namesake festival, which has taken place in Montreal since 2000. The festival is conceived as a space for discovery and encounters which encourages exchanges between the public and the artists. Strongly established in the Montréal community, the festival supports local artists while inviting spectators to discover the best of foreign creativity.
In addition to musical and audiovisual performances of live electronic music as well as installations and digital works of art, the professional market MUTEK Forum offers conferences, workshops and discursive content related to creative, technological, social and societal issues, along with many networking opportunities.
Crédit photos : MUTEK / Frédérique Ménard-Aubin
