Victor Drouin-Trempe is an artist, researcher and professor in sound creation and philosophy at Cégep du Vieux Montréal. He holds a master’s degree in Philosophy and is currently pursuing a PhD in Art Studies and Practices at UQAM. His current research is based on the exploration of the characteristics of what can be called a “living sound”. In practice, the work consists of finding ways to elaborate “sound creatures” using algorithmic compositional tools, in order to lead to a broader philosophical reflection on the nature of the living.
He also produces electronic music compositions under the pseudonym v.ictor and is mainly inspired by the microminimal scene. Combining sounds of nature that he captures with digital recorders and sound synthesis designed mainly with modular synthesizers, he builds a rhythmic and richly textured music. His pieces have been published on labels such as Archipel, Klangscheiben, WelterRecords (Verzila), Jambutek, Reboot Prague, Forest & Rivers, Eminqc (Unlog) or Rodark Records and he has performed in many events and festivals such as Modular Reef (Roatan, Honduras) Mutek (Montréal, Canada), MoisMulti (Québec, Canada), Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), Eclipse festival or Nuit blanche. (Montréal, Canada)
He is also a member of the group SiliconBeats, a collective of artists who perform improvised electronic music.
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Jean-Philippe Côté (a.k.a. Djip.Co) creates interactive art using cutting-edge technologies just as he does repurposing outmoded devices and providing them alternate futures. A recurring theme in his work is the mirroring of the interactor’s body. By generating distorted and liminal representations of the self, he underlines the dislocation between who we are and the ways in which we present ourselves in a world heavily mediated by technology. Leveraging his early years as a developer, he devises algorithmic approaches to reinventing reality and creating art. This makes him a regular contributor to the open source community especially in the fields of physical computing and creative coding.
While somewhat figurative, his work always challenges the viewer’s first perceptions and usually calls for further scrutiny. Using generative and algorithmic processes, his creations are time and again the result of emergence and serendipity.
Jean-Philippe’s award-winning work has been exhibited internationally in prestigious venues such as Venice’s Arsenale, Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center, Montreal’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwangju’s Asia Culture Center and Fukuoka City’s Science Museum.
He holds a master’s degree in Communication (experimental media) and is currently a PhD candidate in the Arts studies and practices program at UQAM. He teaches interactive media at Édouard-Montpetit College.
