Insights on media and digital arts in Quebec

What exactly are media arts? To answer this question, Christian Poirier’s team from the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre at INRS interviewed artists, organizations, and members of the Conseil québécois des arts médiatiques’ Board of Directors. Their study takes an analytic look at media arts in Quebec to shed some light on this cultural field.

Independent and experimental digital, film, and video arts

Media arts encompass not only electronic and digital arts, but also independent and experimental film, including video.

Researchers developed a profile of the media and digital arts worlds in Quebec, highlighting the issues, needs, and challenges of this increasingly important cultural sector. They were particularly interested in the emerging discipline of digital arts.

Poor working conditions, insufficient training opportunities, collaborative production and broadcasting activities, diverse audiences, and a weak media presence all characterize the world of media arts.

The study’s authors suggest further research into this artistic practice to profile audiences and look at creation and performance venues as well as the relationships between media arts and other cultural sectors. ♦

Les arts médiatiques au Québec. Portrait et analyse, Research report by Christian Poirier, Marianne Harvey, Sylvain Martet, Marie-Hélène Roch, and Guillaume Tremblay-Boily, for the Conseil québécois des arts médiatiques.