1. AMONG THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE RECENTLY CARRIED OUT, HAVE YOU CARRIED OUT ANY PROJECTS WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS (IN GESTATION, IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SET UP OR ALREADY DEVELOPED)?
At least three international projects are implicitly linked to NUMIX LAB. The first is a co-creation of an immersive experience with the French creative studio Mosquito to be broadcast in Europe and Canada. In France, we’re also in talks with La Villette to host our La Sentinelle installation in a festival scheduled for December 2023. Finally, in Belgium, we’re in talks with a major player to co-produce one of our works in the public space. Meeting up again with European creators and professionals from the cultural and creative industries at the last edition in November 2022 has enabled us to pursue and concretize our exchanges.
More broadly, our international news brings to mind a number of other projects. For example, mirari is a finalist in a major project in Japan. There are also prospects in Barcelona, where we are involved in the creation of an immersive space linked to an auditorium. COVID has slowed our international development, but projects are picking up again, like the Canada Pavilion we’ve designed for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2021.
What these projects all have in common is that they use the codes of live performance to create immersive works, installations, exhibitions… Many of us bring live performance into the studio. Our creative approach leads us to use these codes and tools outside the walls of the stage to create meaningful, human experiences. It’s our signature style that sets us apart from other designers and studios.
2. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THEM IN BROAD TERMS (TARGET AUDIENCE, PLANNED PROJECTS, MODEL OF COLLABORATION WITH YOUR PARTNERS)?
We have three types of projects:
- Installations and works set up in public spaces;
- Scenographic projects (video, space, light) in the performing arts involving, among other things, immersive experiences;
- Augmented scenography for large-scale events.
All these projects can be installed in situ or outdoors. Generally speaking, our installations are designed to be outdoors (parks, public squares, courtyards, etc.). The idea is to make them freely accessible to the public, whether tourists or local residents. This is what we’d like to do for several projects we’re currently developing and co-producing in Europe. On the other hand, the joint project with Mosquito is also a co-production that we would like to run in immersive spaces such as the Atelier des Lumières, with a strong immersive and narrative dimension for visitors. This project is in the creation and financing phase.
In terms of collaboration, what interests us most in Europe is getting our work out into the public arena. We have several works, either already existing or conceived on paper. Our aim is to produce them and build them in Europe, so that they can be distributed throughout the continent, particularly in France.
To achieve this, we face a number of challenges and issues, particularly in terms of the distribution of works in public spaces. The European distribution network is less developed than in North America, where we have what are known as business improvement districts. These are commercial districts with substantial financial resources to invest in this type of work. In Europe, the philosophy is a little different. While there are event producers and digital arts agents, there aren’t really any players to help us distribute our installations. What’s more, we’re looking to find more ecological ways of distributing our projects, notably by reducing the impact of transport, and by favoring fabrication and deployment with European partners.
3. TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE THESE PROJECTS BEEN FACILITATED OR ENCOURAGED BY XN QUEBEC’S INITIATIVES?
The actions supported by Xn Québec help us on several levels. First of all, the grouping of producers and creators of digital experiences is essential. Then there’s a range of proposals, such as workshops, local and international events, resources, and the NUMIX AWARDS competition. These various efforts enable us not only to gain visibility, but also to stimulate the creation and deployment of our projects.
For example, we already knew Mosquito before NUMIX LAB. The last edition really enabled us to strengthen our links, which have now become business links, enabling us to sit down together to write the project.
4. DURING THE LAST EDITION OF NUMIX LAB, HOW MANY CONTRACTS DID YOU SIGN OR NEGOTIATE AND, IF APPLICABLE, CAN YOU SHARE A RANGE OF YOUR REALIZED AND/OR ANTICIPATED GROSS REVENUES OUTSIDE QUEBEC?
We often think in quantitative terms, but at NUMIX LAB we’re more concerned with qualitative aspects. It’s difficult to put a direct figure on the financial impact of medium- and long-term projects. What we can say, however, is that the relationships we’ve built up with numerous European producers, creators and venues are strong and long-lasting. We really feel that there is a mutual interest in these exchanges and collaborations, which enable us to positively confront different practices and ways of doing things specific to our milieu.
Xn Québec gives us visibility on funding sources, programs and calls for projects. In addition, NUMIX LAB enables us to increase our understanding of European markets. Meetings with creators, presenters, producers and people from public institutions helped us understand how entrepreneurial and creative culture works in Europe, as well as the different strata of possible financing. Patronage, for example, is widely used in France, while in Quebec it’s used only on the bangs. So, in concrete terms, the union between two Franco-Quebec structures enables us to multiply the potential sources of funding. Unprecedented opportunities in terms of business and market intelligence, gradually deployed through the various editions of NUMIX LAB.
Another advantage is that you meet people who are stronger and more enduring than just B-to-B discussions and other classic business meetings. I’m thinking of certain people working at Paris Musées or at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. These are professionals with whom I’ve been able to build much stronger relationships, who have understood our way of working, and who would like to collaborate with us. There’s an affinity, not just on a business level, but also on a human level. And that, for me, is the most important thing in the cultural and creative industries. We don’t sell soap. What we offer are, above all, ideas born of human creativity, triggered by encounters.
Last but not least, visits to museums, cultural venues or third places are necessary to stimulate our creativity. Going to Europe, or hosting a visit to Canada, allows us to step outside our traditional framework and think differently, with inspiration open to the world. Cultural encounters, such as those offered at NUMIX LAB, are essential for me. And, more broadly, to develop international exchanges between the two sides of the ocean.
Interviewed on February 6, 2023 by Baudouin Duchange {CORRESPONDANCES DIGITALES]
NUMIX LAB 2022 co-produced by Xn Québec and {CORRESPONDANCES DIGITALES] has been made possible thanks to collaboration with the Film Fund Luxembourg, the Région Grand EstEsch2022 – European Capital of Culture and the K8 Institut für strategische Ästhetik, as well as financial support from the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC).
