What You Need to Know About Techno Worlds in Montreal
This month, rave culture returns to Montréal with the launch of a free, three-part traveling exhibit dedicated to techno.
- Exhibit Overview
- Exhibit Venues and Schedule
- The PHI Centre will host an exhibition during the day.
- The Goethe-Institut Montreal will host an exhibition in the afternoon.
- The Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) will feature an exploration of rave culture in the evening.
- Artistic Highlights
- Curation Insights
- Personal Experiences of the Curators
- Techno’s Origins and Impact
- Community and Space in Techno Culture
- Upcoming Events
- Exhibition Journey
An interdisciplinary display explores the evolution of the techno scene, from Detroit in the 1980s to West Berlin during the Cold War to its present-day place in the pantheon. Techno Worlds runs in Montréal from May 13 to June 19.
In what is billed as “a 3-part pathway to discover,” the exhibit takes place at a trio of venues:
Admission is free for all three stops on the circuit, with no reservations required.
Featuring photo, video, and installation works by renowned artists including Chicks on Speed, Abdul Qadim Haqq, Henrike Naumann & Bastian Hagedorn, Mamba Negra, and Lisa Rovner, Techno Worlds is a Goethe-Institut exhibition that “explores the areas of tension between underground and mainstream, politics and commerce, space and time,” according to a press release.
The exhibition’s curators have emphasized that the stations “thematize clubs but also rave culture as a community and a place for political campaigns and resistance.” Additionally, they explore the [utopian] significance of techno culture, with club culture as a venue for queer resistance and aesthetic principles of intertextuality in techno.
Mathilde Weh, a consultant for Goethe-Institut, shared her experiences, stating, “We show artistic positions or interpretations with the theme of techno from different eras, not just from the 90s, but up until today. We definitely didn’t want to linger in nostalgia but instead to show a forward-looking vision of this way of life.”
Born in Detroit, techno has a storied history, particularly in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. “Techno was seen as a unifying element between east and west,” Weh remarked. “It was a new kind of music, electronic music, and it was without words. The techno music was industrial and minimalistic and the perfect soundtrack for clubs. It was a strong feeling of freedom…”
As curators pointed out, “Clubs represented a place of refuge where like-minded individuals could meet and form a community.” However, they noted the significance of utilizing unoccupied spaces for parties, such as empty industrial buildings or inner-city streets, which often served as venues for demonstrations and celebrations.
The exhibition will culminate in a one-off party on May 27 at the SAT featuring acclaimed Amsterdam-based DJ Lena Willikens, as well as Kris Guilty and Gene Tellem (open to ages 18 and older). Additionally, a screening and panel discussion will take place on June 7 at the PHI Centre.
Techno Worlds debuted in Budapest in 2021 and will continue its international journey until 2025. Montreal is the first North American stop. For more information, visit the Goethe-Institut Montreal, SAT or PHI Centre.
