The Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology is proud to announce its end-of-year exhibition, The Commons, to take place from September 25th to the 29th at Concordia University 4TH Space.
Though named an exhibition, The Commons will embody the essence of a forum. A week of dynamic programming invites visitors to discover the projects of Milieux artists and researchers and to engage in communal activities and interdisciplinary experiments, reflecting the shared ethos of the theme. This exhibition will run concurrently with a residency of scientists and artists from Concordia and McGill university working on research-creation at the interface of Design and Material Science.
The exhibition/forum/residency represents the latest in a series of major shows organized by the Institute, following the 2022’s show In the Middle, a Chimera. By partnering with Concordia University 4TH Space, The Commons aspires to create a public platform, engaging audiences with the richness of the Institute while sparking critical dialogues and collaborations at the juncture of arts and technology. Curated by a team of graduate students from various disciplines, The Commons‘ curatorial approach mirrors the Institute’s spirit of interdisciplinarity and horizontal collaboration, cultivating a space where both emerging and established voices can converse meaningfully around the concept of the commons.
The Commons centers on an exploration of shared resources and spaces, accessible to all members of a community or society. The exhibition aims to explore the many aspects of The Commons, demonstrating its potential as a source of creativity, collaboration, and social change. Through various lenses, including the natural commons (land, water, air) and the ways they are conserved; the cultural commons (knowledge, art, literature) and how they are fostered; as well as innovative shared spaces for research and art-making (open-source software, emerging technologies, and collaborative practices), the exhibition will explore challenges and opportunities in constructing and sustaining a commons, with an emphasis on governance, inclusivity, and collective action.
