Artist Residency “Artificial Muse” in Vancouver/Surrey

From September 29^th to October 24^th, 2025, in Vancouver and Surrey.

• Foster or consolidate a creative project based on innovative technologies developed at the Meta creation Lab for Creative AI.
• Encourage the discovery of Western Canada’s creative technology ecosystem, as well as structuring collaborations with local artists, industry and academic researchers, students, and start-ups and larger creative tech companies.
• Participate in educational forums and student learning opportunities such as presentations, panels, critiques, workshops, and informal mentorship.
• At the end of the residency, the artist must agree to share their work(s) and submit a report on their experience, their work, and the development of the project during this period.

This program provides the laureate with:

• 4-week residency in Vancouver, including accommodation in the Centre for Digital Media (45m² flat in the CDM residence with private bathroom and separated bedroom, access to campus amenities).
• A production office within the laboratory (Meta creation Lab for Creative AI at Simon Fraser University-SFU), located on the Surrey campus, 50 minutes by SkyTrain (using the Expo Line of the local overground metro) from the accommodation at the Centre for Digital Media.
• Workspace at the CDM (45m2) just below the flat on the CDM ground floor campus.
• Transports (flights from France to Vancouver, and a monthly pass for public transport in Vancouver/Surrey).
• A residency fee of €2,000 (corresponding to per diems and presentation at three half-day lectures and master classes during the residency).
• Networking and relations within the local ecosystem.
• Participation in relevant events (e.g., artistic, creative, cultural, educational) in Vancouver and Surrey.

Artists and researchers who will accompany the resident

SFU :

• Philippe Pasquier (coordinateur de la résidence à l’Université Simon Fraser, et directeur du Metacreation Lab) :
• Arshia Sobhan
• Keon Lee
• Page Griffin

CDM (contact page): 

• Ted Gervan, co-residency coordinator and Managing Director
• Mary Lim, Director of Programs and Innovation
• Simran Bedi, Industry and Partnerships Coordinator
• Dave Fracchia, Professor of Practice (SFU Faculty)
• Josh Miller, Manager of IT

At SFU:

School of Interactive Arts & Technology shares research space and facilities, including access to sound studios, and recording equipment if required: https://www.sfu.ca/siat/spaces.html 

• Desktop and laptop computer with GPU (if required)
• Access to softwares :
  • Autolume: https: //metacreationlab.squarespace.com/autolume
  • Cubase-MMM (Cubase licence supplied, MAC or PC: The multitrack machine model has been integrated into Cubase 13): https: //www.metacreation.net/projects/mmm-multi-track-music-machine
  • MMM4Live (plugin, Ableton Live activation supplied, requires MAC): https: //www.metacreation.net/projects/mmm4live
  • MMM-OP-Z (requires a Mac Mx, OP-Z supplied, OP-1 supplied): https://metacreationlab.squarespace.com/projects
  • Calliope:https://metacreationlab.squarespace.com/projects/calliope?rq=calliope

The objective and the creative constraint of the residency is to use one or more of the above systems in the production of one or more new works.

At the Centre for Digital Media:

Centre for Digital Media offers access to:

• Project room (1), sound recording room (1), multi-purpose classrooms (2) that are fully AV enabled with ample ethernet, power, whiteboard space.
• Boardroom with full AV for smaller gatherings.
• Shared office kitchen.
• Desktop/laptop with GPU, monitors, various other IT/AV equipment as required.
• Support is provided by CDM IT and property management depts.

This programme is open to all musical and sound art practices, and genres (contemporary music, jazz, electronic music, pop, hiphop, etc.) in all their diversity.

Before registering, we invite you to read the information and documents requested in the presentation pack to be enclosed with your application (in the same order as below):

• Application form : ENG_Application-Form-Art and science residence-2025
• a copy of your I.D. card or passport
• a biography and CV
• a portfolio of previous projects
• a cover letter
• 1 page-statement outlining project goals with the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI, and illustrating how the Resident aims to engage and add value to the research, teaching, and learning communities at SFU and CDM.
• a provisional work plan for the residency
• audio files of the project (if available)
• a letter of recommendation (optional)
• a letter from a French institution or company accompanying/recommending the project for a future exhibition or production of the work (mandatory).

The laureate will be officially announced in end of June 2025. Beforehand, each applicant will have been notified by email of the selection committee’s decision regarding their application.

A contract summarizing all the commitments on both sides will be signed between the laureate and the programme partners.

Prior to the residency, the laureate agrees to send the partners the work plan for the residency and to participate in a few preliminary virtual work meetings.

During/at the end of the residency, the laureate agrees to:

• Carry out the planned work plan;
• The Resident will split time, approximately 50/50, between SFU and CDM, engaging in these unique artistic and creative communities.
• Participate in 3 formal engagements with students and community members (e.g., lecture, master class, workshop) during the residency;
• Host office hours and engage in informal educational activities in the classroom, such as playtesting interactive prototypes, student presentations, career and ‘ask me anything’ discussions (e.g., working in France/outside of Canada), etc;
• Take time in Vancouver, during the residency, to write a report of the residency accompanied by the Institut français du Canada’s team on site;
• Present the creative developments of the project to the partners in the Fall of 2026;
• Include in the project credits and on all communication media the logos that will be provided by the partners;
• Authorize the residency partners to communicate or present the project for promotional purposes as part of their programming.

Since 2008, the Metacreation Lab for Artificial Intelligence Creative has been a space for research and creation around generative systems. Whether through its scientific production of new algorithms and systems, partnerships with the creative software industry, or artistic practices using and criticizing these same systems, the Lab’s mission is an interdisciplinary exploration of the partial or complete automation of creative tasks.

Website: https://www.metacreation.net

The Centre for Digital Media was established through the ground-breaking partnership of four leading academic institutions: The University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU), and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

Located at the heart of the Creative District on Great Northern Way in Vancouver, Centre for Digital Media (CDM) is a thriving campus with an earned reputation as a destination for collaboration amongst learners, educational leaders, industry and community-based partners. Since 2001, CDM has been a leader in the development of Vancouver’s Creative District ecosystem, driving applied research and workforce innovation with hundreds of business partners from the creative technology, high tech, and citizen services (healthcare, education and government) sectors.

Website: https://thecdm.ca/