Every year since 2016, Night of Ideas has been an invitation to celebrate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between countries and cultures all over the world. This celebration includes all disciplines, in the arts as well as the sciences, in an effort to provide a platform for those people who push thinking forward in every field. Night of Ideas is an opportunity to reflect on the major issues of our time and to come together to celebrate the free flow of knowledge and ideas by organizing conferences, meetings, forums, round tables, film screenings, artistic performances and youth workshops all centred around a theme that each city explores in its own fashion.
Outside of Quebec, the 8th edition of the Night of Ideas will be held from February 1st to 10th, 2023, in the eight following cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and Moncton. This year’s events feature a return to in-person attendance, after a 2022 edition that was completely virtual due to the public health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme chosen by the Institut français – More? – will be explored in a very multidisciplinary manner. What makes the Canadian Night of Ideas events truly relevant is the angle from which this theme will be looked at: by considering the possible answer, “Less.” In other words, in this age of global warming, with the dynamics of accumulation taking up an ever greater place as the driving force of modernity, how can we stop the frenzied race to constantly achieve and obtain more, and instead adopt more sobriety and, consequently, encourage less destruction, pollution and consumption?
February 1st – Vancouver – More? Why don’t we slow things down instead?
This event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the BCIT Downtown Campus. The question “More?” will be asked from a temporal viewpoint, and we will explore whether we can’t just slow things down.
We live in an age of urgency (climate, society, food, etc.) and acceleration (lifestyles, transportation, networks, etc.). This raises a paradox: Does this urgency not suggest that slowing things down might be an antidote to the Anthropocene, an age defined by the climate crisis and other vulnerabilities?
What are the pitfalls inherent in the quest for ever greater speed and the acceleration of our lifestyles? Night of Ideas 2023 invites us to reflect on the models of performance and growth that support this logic (innovation, yes, but also overconsumption and planned obsolescence) and to think about the local and global issues related to global warming.
The focus on “more” most often translates to a quest for greater speed. Is our current age, considering it as part of a linear and positivist reading of history, pushing us to “live fast” (to borrow the direct translation of the title of the 2022 Goncourt Prize-winning novel), or “faster” (to borrow, this time, from the Olympic motto)? Is it pushing us toward acceleration, which seems inherent to this quest for growth and performance? What are the implications, both positive and negative, of this quest for speed, of this acceleration of our lifestyles?
Over the course of the evening, a number of speakers and artists will reflect on the theme “More” by examining different subjects: the climate emergency, demographic inequality, performance optimization, augmented humanity, and others: Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Canadian environmental activist, speaker and TV host; Brendan McLeod, author, musician and spoken word artist from B.C.; Ndidi Cascade, a Vancouver-based hip-hop artist involved in projects highlighting equity and diversity, anti-racism and youth empowerment; John Desnoyers-Stewart, a multidisciplinary artist-researcher whose work and immersive installations encourage new perspectives on immersive technology to better understand its true effects and potential.
February 1st – Night of Ideas Toronto
Night of Ideas 2023 – Toronto will take place on Wednesday, February 1st, 2023, from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Starlight Room at the El Mocambo. The event, organized in partnership with OCAD University, invites members of the public to participate in a discussion celebrating the sharing of ideas and knowledge across different disciplines.
The theme of this year’s event, “More?” (“Plus ?”) will explore the trends of acceleration, accumulation and overexploitation through the lenses of global warming and consumerism, with the goal of considering, together, how we can foster diversity, humility, humanity and the Earth.
The question mark after the word “more,” to paraphrase Ana Serrano, President and Vice Chancellor of OCAD University, is something of an alarm signal warning about the devastating effects of the unbridled production, overconsumption and gratuitous exploitation we have borne witness to as a society in recent times. We have reached a tipping point. Artists and designers are essential participants in this collective reflection on ways to engage with the planet to bring about radical cultural changes and find the creative design solutions we need right now to face this critical moment.
Various presentations to the public will explore the theme of this 8th edition of Night of Ideas, and will include: Ranee Lee, associate professor at OCAD University’s Faculty of D
esign, Ésery Mondésir, assistant professor at OCAD University’s Faculty of Art, Ian Clarke, associate professor at OCAD University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Aurélie Brette, partner marketing manager at Too Good To Go; Leïla Marie Farah, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science in the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science; Emmanuel Pont, engineer and author; and Carolina Reis, artist, designer and curator.
The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the public, moderated by Charlene K. Lau, art historian, critic and curator at Evergreen Brick Works. Victoria Ho, strategic sustainability advisor at OCAD University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Sustainability, will also moderate a panel of speakers. Throughout the evening, the public will also have the opportunity to listen to some rap music played by Leslie Seaforth, artist and OCAD University staff member.
February 2nd – Night of Ideas Ottawa
Night of Ideas Ottawa will take place on February 2nd, from 5 to 10 p.m., at the National Gallery of Canada.
The Embassy of France, in partnership with the National Gallery of Canada, has chosen to explore the role of agents of change in raising awareness of the environmental crisis, and in stopping, through their words and actions, the mad rush to constantly have more (not only more people, production, technology and performance, but also more consumption, destruction, pollution…).
The journey begins with artists, who, throughout history, have projected a worldview that allows them to initiate major changes or, at the very least, to bring about new reflection on our constantly evolving perception of the world. Today, as scientific discourse on climate disruption struggles to effect radical changes in our behaviour and curb the environmental crisis, should we not be turning to artists to more effectively and engagingly raise awareness and bring about a greater mobilization on the global stage?
This first part of the evening will lead to a larger debate and reflection on the relevance of other agents of change who could also be defined as effective alternatives to scientific discourse. Particular attention will be paid to the role of academic, cinematographic and literary discourse.
Starting at 5 p.m., the public will be able to see the Gallery’s collections on guided tours related to the theme “More?” and, more specifically, to the relationship between art and ecology.
From 6 to 
7:30 p.m., a round table moderated by Vincent Mirza, director of the Research Centre on the Future of Cities and professor at the University of Ottawa, and Jonathan Shaughnessy, director of Curatorial Initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada, will explore the role of agents of change and their potential for action. The debate will bring together Hannah Claus, a transdisciplinary artist of English and Kanien’kehà:ka ancestry; Flore Vasseur, director of the film Bigger Than Us, a documentary that looks at various activists fighting for human rights, the climate, freedom of expression, social justice, access to education and access to food; Bénédicte Ramade, art historian and researcher, independent curator and specialist on environmental issues; and Hélène Dorion, writer, poet and artist, author of Mes Forêts, a work included in the French Baccalaureate for 2023-2024. The evening will flow to the rhythms of performances by solo drummer David Charette.
The round table will be followed by a screening of Bigger than us to close out the evening.
February 3rd – Night of Ideas Winnipeg
Night of Ideas Winnipeg will take place on February 3rd, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
The event will consist of two conferences/debates centred around the issues of population growth and global warming. What does the future hold for people who leave the regions of the world most affected by climate disruption and migrate to the regions least affected? Will it be possible to welcome the victims of climate disruption?
February 8th – Night of Ideas Moncton
Moncton will play host to a Night of Ideas event for the third straight year. For 2023, the event is the fruit of a joint effort by a number of organizations, including the Consulate General of France in the Atlantic Provinces, the University of Moncton, the Moncton Alliance française, Acfas-Acadie, the Chaire Senghor en Francophonies comparées, the Institut d’études acadiennes and the Centre de recherche en kinésiologie, loisir et vie saine.
Here, the theme “More?” will be examined in the context of sport. More specifically, the relationship between sport and inclusion, since the theme echoes the Olympic motto (“Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together”).
The event will feature a student conference from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Le Coude bar as part of the Day of Ideas. The conference will explore the integration and inclusion of all diversities through sport at the University of Moncton. It will provide an opportunity to hear about studies and experiments designed to highlight sport’s ability to foster integration and inclusion. It will also show that promoting athletics in academic settings can create more opportunities for different students to cross paths and celebrate diversity and differences.
From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., a university athletic activity will be proposed. This will be followed by a wellness activity from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m., as well as a dance workshop that will allow participants to exchange with the teacher.
From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., members of the public are invited to a conference on inclusion and well-being in sport, which will take place at the Carrefour des études acadiennes
February 9th – Night of Ideas Edmonton
Night of Ideas Edmonton will take place at the Edmonton Alliance française at 6 p.m. The event is being hosted in partnership with the Centre d’art visuel de l’Alberta. The evening will feature an exhibition of artworks created with recycled materials. The exhibition will be followed by a discussion with the artist about her artistic and creative process and the differences between using recycled and new materials.
Why use materials that already have a history? What “more” does this add to a piece? What changes does using recycled materials impose on the artistic process?
February 9th – Halifax: More? Sport, climate and populations: Changing the rules of the game(s)?
The Halifax Alliance française and its partners invite members of the public to their Night of Ideas on Thursday, February 9th, 2023, from 6 to 9 p.m. This year, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 will host the Halifax edition of this worldwide event with support from the Embassy of France in Canada, the Discovery Centre and Radio-Canada Acadie.
The theme chosen by the Institut français references current events all around us. In Halifax, the partners all decided to explore the theme from various viewpoints in order to shed light on a greater array of suggestions and expertise. With the 2024 Paris Olympics one year away, the 2023 North American Indigenous Games a few months away, and at a time when climate change is disrupting our daily lives, a number of specialists will gather at Halifax’s Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to exchange and share their experiences. The Museum is a relevant venue for this event, since immigration and migratory movements figure prominently in both sports and the issue of climate change. The event will also be broadcast live online.
February 10th – Calgary: More? Reducing and improving consumption in the fashion industry
Night of Ideas Calgary will take place at the Calgary Alliance française from 6 to 9 p.m. and will consist of a debate centred on sustainability in the fashion industry, followed by a fashion show featuring pieces made from recycled materials.
Have a Great Night of Ideas 2023!
