For Night of Ideas 2024, events will be held in April in 6 cities across Canada outside of Quebec (Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Edmonton and Moncton). Under the overarching theme “Fault Lines,” we’ll be examining the major disruptions of our time, those that make us question the certainty of the world and society.

April 11 – Vancouver – Fault lines and artificial intelligence

In Vancouver, important figures from different approaches will reflect together on the “fault lines” which can represent the challenges and progress of Artificial Intelligence in artistic creation. The event will last from 6pm until 8pm, the round-table discussion will include artistic presentations and performances, and a buffet at the end.

This event is organized in partnership with the UBC Emerging Media Lab.

The Panelists :

  • Justine Emard: French Artist based in Paris, working with IA, brain-computer interface, robotics, and exploring the new relationship between our lives and technology.
  • Loretta Sarah Todd: leader in Indigenous media, artist and filmmaker, creator of the IM4 Lab Indigenous at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
  • Steve diPaola: AI expert and cognitive scientist, professor/researcher, Director of the I-Viz Lab at Simon Fraser University; he will demo the work of his research lab and explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the human creative process, from the arts and music to scientific and medical discovery.
  • Amber Frid-Jimenez: artist and designer at the intersection of art, design and technology, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Art and Design Technology at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
  • Juliana Low: Creative technologist, celebrating the fusion of the arts and technology in imaginative playful XR projects that evoke the mystery of awe and wonder, recently spotlighted as one of the Top 100 Global Women of the Future. In 2022, she created magic for a live audience of over 1000 people at the Chan Center for The Performing Arts as a virtual reality world-creation painter.
  • Patrick Pennefather (moderation): Assistant Professor at UBC Theatre and Film at University of British Columbia, sound designer, composer, author, educator, and designer of learning.

April 12 – Toronto – Fault lines in democracy

In Toronto, the Night of Ideas will take place on Friday, April 12, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Globe and Mail Center, as part of the Democracy x Change Summit.

We’ll examine shockwaves – or fault lines – in democracy during an evening of social discourse, art and culture featuring activists, political personalities, philosophers, artists. Together, we’ll explore what activism, democratic ideation and engagement really mean for a younger generation by looking at the disruptions and uncertainties related to climate change, disinformation, and racial and economic disparities.

The evening will begin with an address by Camille Etienne, a social and climate justice activist, who will speak to attendees about ways in which we can overcome the myth of climate anxiety. This address will be followed by a round table moderated by Karim Bardeesy, Executive Director of The Dais, that will explore what activism, civil engagement and mobilization really mean. The round table will feature: François Cusset (Historian of Ideas and Professor of American Studies at the Unversité de Paris Nanterre), Hansel Igbavboa (Food Researcher and Coordinator of the Right to Food Campaign at FoodShare), Clara Kallich (Co-founder of Youth Lead the Change Germany and Associate at JoinPolitics), and Leni Velasco (Executive Director of the Active Vista Center in the Philippines).

Throughout the evening, attendees will be able to view the works of artists from around the world and Camille Etienne’s documentary Glacier.

This event is organized in partnership with the Toronto Alliance Française.

April 24 – Halifax – Fault lines: Immigration, law and health in the era of artificial intelligence

The Halifax-Dartmouth Alliance Française, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 and the Discovery Centre will be hosting an evening of discussion and ideas on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Interpretation services will ensure that the evening is accessible to both English and French speakers.

The evening will be dedicated to exploring issues related to artificial intelligence and will feature: Danièle Bélanger (Canada Research Chair in Global Migration Dynamics), Blanche Daban (Research Assistant and University of Ottawa Research Chair Holder in Accountable AI in a Global Context), and Frank Rudzicz (Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Dalhousie and specialist in machine learning in healthcare). The conversation will be moderated by Nathalie Geddry, journalist at Radio-Canada.

April 25 – Ottawa – Fault lines at the National Gallery of Canada

The Embassy of France in Canada joins forces with the National Gallery of Canada for a unique evening of exchange between personalities from different disciplines and the public around some of the museum’s works.

3 personalities, 3 works, 3 different points of view on the theme of “Fault Lines”.

The original concept is to give carte blanche to 3 personalities to act as guides and give a new perspective on the museum’s works, in line with the theme.

Each personality – a French international footballer, an Ottawa-based cultural actor and artist, and a Canadian novelist – will have the opportunity, over the course of an evening, to discuss with the public one of the museum’s works, based on their own sensibility, their own perception of the world and their own artistic universe.

The aim is not only to bring a different perspective to a work of art, but also, and above all, for the public to discover or rediscover the personality of each speaker. What fault lines run through the selected works? How do these works resonate with the individual journey of each guest? What personal message does the chosen work evoke for each personality?

The “Nuit des idées” evening at the Musée des Beaux-Arts will consist of 3 half-hour tours for three different groups (30-50 people per group).

Visitors will be taken on an original mediation tour, where personalities will share their vision of an exhibited work. The visits will be followed by a collective time when the three personalities and any visitors who wish to join them will extend the conversation over a drink in the museum’s main hall.

The event will take place from 5.30 to 9 p.m. at the National Gallery of Canada. 380 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1N 9N4.

April 26 – Night of Ideas Edmonton

In Edmonton, the Night of Ideas will explore the environmental theme, highlighting the rift between climate disruption and the ancestral fire-related techniques used by First Nations to conserve the planet.

From 6 to 7 p.m. at the Alliance Française d’Edmonton, a captivating conference will be hosted by Marc André le Parisien, a French-speaking expert on forest fire management in Alberta. He will enlighten the audience on the delicate management of forest fires in Alberta. A highly topical subject, in a province where wildfire is a perpetual challenge, exacerbated by climate change. Marc André will share his expertise; his observations and the strategies implemented to prevent and control these devastating phenomena.

The public will also be able to discover a photo exhibition of some twenty photographs by Silvie Fojtik. This exhibition will plunge visitors into the heart of the fires that mark nature and the collective conscience. Her striking images, testifying to the grandeur and fragility of ecosystems, will be an invitation to reflect on our relationship with the planet.

Free event in French, followed by a cocktail.

Creative writing residency on the train – Céline Huyghebaert

From April 1 to 21, 2024, author Céline Huyghebaert will explore the Nuit des Idées theme of “fault lines”. In correspondence with various artists such as Pamela Mulloy, author of Off the Tracks: A Meditation on Train Journeys in a Time of No Travel. She will also be in contact with artists associated with the Imago Atelier : Alisa Arseneault, Carole Deveau, Émilie Turmel, Vanessa Moeller. Through an exchange of works, correspondents will be able to follow the author’s journey and create with her.

Céline Huyghebaert’s writing residency will begin in Toronto, followed by stops in Montreal, Halifax and Moncton to attend the 25th anniversary of the Frye Festival. Her stopovers will be punctuated by creative workshops in partnership with Imago Atelier, as well as meetings with authors and artists. The author will experiment with writing in huis-clos, to the pace of her journey.

At the end of her residency, Céline Huyghebaert will be reunited with Pamela Mulloy. During the Frye Festival, the two authors will discuss their residency experience. A round-table discussion will be organized for the occasion at 10:30 am on Sunday April 21 at the Aberdeen cultural center (salle Bernard-Le Blanc).

An initiative presented in partnership with VIA Rail Canada, Frye Festival and Imago Atelier.