Saturday 17 October 2026 from 19:00 until 22:00 and from 01:00 until 03:00

Lawrence Malstaf, a leading figure in the fields of immersive and performing arts, presents SHRINK 01995, a work that embodies his artistic approach.

This performance installation consists of two large suspended plastic sheets that enclose a body vacuum-packed using an air-extraction mechanism. A transparent tube inserted between the two layers allows the participant to regulate the flow of air. The increasing pressure gradually causes the surface of the body to set into multiple micro-folds. As the performance unfolds, the ‘wrapped’ person changes position, evoking in turn images of an embryo or a crucified body.

At the intersection of the visual arts and theatre, Lawrence Malstaf develops installations and performances based on movement, coincidence, order and chaos, as well as a series of sensory pieces. He also creates monumental mobile environments that explore the notions of space and orientation and can involve the audience as co-performers.

Lawrence Malstaf received several awards in the field of arts and technology, he is also internationally recognised for his set designs in the worlds of dance and theatre.

At Electron there will be 3 shrinks and the bodies of 3 performers.

Lawrence Malstaf
SHRINK 01995
Electron - Festival des cultures numériques de Genève

Anthropologist and legal scholar Barbara Truffin and artist Laura Colmenares Guerra will discuss the social and political conflicts linked to the extraction of natural resources in the macro territory of the Amazon Basin.
R€¥€R$€, a VR work that received an Award of Distinction at Prix Ars Electronica 2026, reflects on the dismantling of the Amazon Basin under the pressure of anthropogenic climate change, and on the importance of Indigenous governance over these territories.

"Together we will move from understanding the geopolitical conflicts of the region to exploring models of Indigenous governance across the macro territory. We will look at how Indigenous peoples design planes de vida (life projects) for their own communities, and how these frameworks can offer clues to other ways of organising and relating to nature."

Laura Colmenares Guerra
Shifting Worlds - FTI Festival

KISDtalks are a public lecture series on relevant perspectives of design. They give space for an open-minded and profound analysis of current and future issues of design, culture, society, technology, and different scientific disciplines.

The Delicacy of Invasive Machines by Nelly-Ève Rajotte

In this KISDtalk, Nelly-Ève Rajotte explores how contemporary technologies – including surgical robotics, LiDAR scanning, biometric sensors, and artificial intelligence – can be reconfigured to produce imagery that emerges from the perspective of the living world. By reconfiguring devices originally designed for measurement, control, or representation, she aims to explore new modes of presence, otherness, and sensoriality.

Through the presentation of her two recent works: Trees Communicate with Each Other at 220 Hertz (2024) and Matter. In the Depths of Flesh, the Delicacy of Invasive Machines (2025), the artist will address how the aesthetics of the non-human and machinic visions of landscape can open up immersive and empathic experiences.

This talk is co-presented by MUTEK, with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Nelly-Ève Rajotte
KISDtalk

Nouvelles Formes takes over the Hangar aux Manœuvres at Citadelle with a multi-format exhibition inviting you to push beyond boundaries.

Yes, but which ones? Geographical boundaries, for a start, with immersive journeys to another planet, into the stratosphere or underground – to those places that are usually inaccessible, mysterious and steeped in fantasy (or apprehension, take your pick).

Then there are the boundaries between artists and audience participation, by exploring the world of gaming – not as a gamer, but simply as a spectator and even, dare we say it, a voyeur.

Ideological boundaries, with the overturning of preconceived notions – or how even the most standardised, profit-driven and closed-off technology can be repurposed for the sake of poetic escapism, opening the way to lose oneself or linger within our own imaginations.

The boundaries of artistic formats, spanning interactivity, contemplation, latency,

immediacy, a picture on the wall, a print on paper, VR, concrete, video, embroidery, wood, plants, metal, laser, sound through headphones or ambient sound. Here, there is no set route; you wander as you please, much like browsing the internet with no specific destination in mind.

tele-present wind (Mars wind version)

This installation by David Bowen is a collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The piece consists of a series of 42 x/y tilting mechanical devices connected to tall dried grass stalks, installed like a field in the gallery. The mechanisms will tilt, move and sway based on data collected from the wind sensor on the Perseverance Mars rover.

Dr. José A Rodríguez-Manfredi, lead scientist on the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer on Perseverance, assisted in collecting the wind data for the project. That data is mapped to the movement of the mechanisms. Thus, the individual components of the installation here on earth will move in unison as they mimic the direction and intensity of the wind from another planet.

tele-present wind (Mars wind version)
David Bowen
Festival D'Autres Formes 

Scientists agree that a drop of water travels the globe in less than 1,000 years. This drop shapes our world: it transports nutrients, heat and living organisms, while regulating our planet's climate and ecosystems. It contributes to the fundamental process of life's equilibrium.

Drawing on data from the Global Conveyor Belt, the vast ocean current that orchestrates the mixing of water from the five oceans and redistributes heat on a global scale, Martin Messier underlines the fundamental role of water as a vital substance. Yet, over the past two centuries, human action has been shaking this fragile balance: the gradual slowing of this ocean current could trigger a major climatic upheaval, threatening the entire chain of life.

In this hypnotic performance, the artist explores the tensions between the global currents that drive planetary equilibrium, and the intimate currents that resonate within each of us. Fifteen suspended devices, veritable kinetic sculptures, orchestrate the flow of water particles in real time, materializing oceanic dynamics. The patterns generated, fed by data such as the temperature and salinity of the Pacific Ocean, intertwine in a visual and sonic choreography. 1 drop 1000 years reveals itself as a masterful, poetic ballet, conveying the fragility of ecosystems and the delicate harmony that binds all things on Earth.

A key figure on the Quebec and international art scenes, Martin Messier orchestrates a dialogue between sound, light and movement. His art of staging and his ability to combine technologies with natural elements (water, smoke, waves, electricity...) have led him to develop a body of work on our perception of physical phenomena. He explores their manifestations - from the most imperceptible to the most monumental - through extraordinary devices. His performances and installations oscillate between order and chaos, creating a contemplative tension that invites the audience into a synesthetic experience, sometimes close to the spiritual.

This programme forms part of the activities organised as part of the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary (2016–2026) of Transdisciplina. This performance is co-presented by MUTEK, with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Martin Messier
1 drop 1000 years
Transdisciplina
Teatro Echegaray

Read News October 2026 - part I

Read News October 2026 - part II: Mesh - Festival for Art and Technology

Read News October 2026 - part III

Tallieu Art Office Projects