Oct242025
Promotion

Van Grimde Corps Secrets celebrates four years of artistic and transdisciplinary innovation in the Eastern Townships

A record season for body-centered creation in the border region

Malvina CPC, Van Grimde Corps Secrets’ creation and presentation centre located in Saint-Malo in the Eastern Townships, has just concluded its fourth summer season with exceptional results.
Well before permanently establishing itself at Malvina CPC in 2024, Van Grimde Corps Secrets has been developing since the 2000s a unique transdisciplinary approach where sciences, cutting-edge technologies and humanities shape and inform body-centered creations. Now anchored in the human and environmental heritage of the Eastern Townships, the centre shares its research and creations with local, regional and international audiences extending from the Eastern Townships to Europe, through Quebec, Montreal, New York, Vermont, Ontario and western Canada.

A place of gathering and community sharing

Beyond artistic creation, Malvina CPC has established itself as a true gathering hub for the Eastern Townships. Each opening weekend transforms this heritage site into a meeting space where international artists, local residents, visiting families and contemporary art enthusiasts come together.
This community approach reflects Van Grimde Corps Secrets’ philosophy: democratizing access to transdisciplinary arts while creating bridges between tradition and innovation, local and international, heritage and future.

Numbers that testify to international reach

Malvina CPC’s 2025 season welcomed:

Residencies and creations

Artists in residence for Art, technology and territory and Malvina CPC team

Malvina CPC team and some of the artists in residence: Charles-biodiversity guardian, Sara-reception, Thom-sound artist, Domingo-writer, Pranav-photographer, Maïté-coordinator, Isabelle-general and artistic director, Liz-visual artist, Antoinette-La Coyota translator, Sean-visual artist, Bernd-visual artist.

Essential links, Sean Caulfield On the fabric of place

Sean Caulfield, mixed media artist-researcher in residence

Thom Gossage, sound artist in creation residence for the in situ work Art, technology and territory

Thom Gossage, sound artist in residence

Emmanuelle Martin, dance artist in residence

Public programming

  • 22 guided tours of Malvina’s heritage and installations
  • 3 conferences on art, technology and Quebec heritage
  • 2 concerts of jazz and traditional music featuring international musicians
  • 3 sound installations created in collaboration with technologists
  • 1 book launch with public reading of La Coyota in collaboration with Les amis du patrimoine de Saint-Venant-de-Paquette
  • 2 creation workshops for the general public
  • Several live performances presented in situ
Emmanuelle Martin at Malvina CPC, Saint-Malo Quebec. Contemporary dance performance in residence for Art, technology and territory

Technological innovation and contemporary creation

Malvina CPC stands out through its avant-garde approach, combining contemporary dance, sciences, cutting-edge technologies and humanities. This season saw the birth of unique collaborations between artists, researchers and technologists, positioning the Eastern Townships as an internationally recognized artistic innovation hub.

Projects in development

  • Creation of an unprecedented work integrating artificial intelligence, to be presented in world premiere in Sherbrooke in March 2026
  • 2026 programming, including nighttime activities
  • Renovation of studios and certain parts of the site (thanks to the Événements Attractions Québec grant)

Balanced reach: regional anchoring and international scope

While Malvina CPC attracts visitors from around the world, its most significant impact is felt in the Eastern Townships where the majority of the public discovers for the first time this unique intersection between art, science and technology.
Simultaneously, the strategic location near the American border fosters unprecedented cross-border collaborations, as evidenced by the support of the Neil & Louise Tillotson Fund from New Hampshire, creating a true Quebec-United States cultural corridor.

Discover this exclusive video from Townships Sun, which presents a typical visit to Malvina CPC.

Malvina CPC’s 2025 season was marked by exceptional moments, like this captivating performance by Emmanuelle Martin documented by the Townships Sun. This video offers an authentic glimpse of the unique artistic experience our centre provides, culminating with a spectacular aerial view of the Saint-Malo site.

Team and partners recognition

This success is built on a dedicated team led by Van Grimde Corps Secrets’ founders, including:

  • Isabelle Van Grimde – Artistic and General Director of VGCS and Malvina CPC
  • Thom Gossage – Musical Director and Co-Artistic Director of VGCS and Malvina CPC
  • Maïté Lapierre – General Coordination
  • Sylvain Dodier – Cultural mediation and guided tours of Primal Body / Future Body
  • Geneviève Crête – Guided tours of the Malvina in the Old Days exhibition
  • Micheline Roy – Reception and promotional support
  • Tim Doherty/Visimage – Graphics and panel design
  • Sandra Raymond/0/1 Digital Hub – Digital communications (services division of Sporobole)

2025 seasonal team:

  • Charles Beaudet – Exterior maintenance and installer
  • Pranav Buchineni – Photos, videos, IT, installer
  • Sara Garcia Médina – Reception, installer, promotional support

This season’s success also relies on a solid network of municipal, regional, provincial, national and international partners, demonstrating Malvina CPC’s importance in the cultural ecosystem of the Eastern Townships and the cross-border corridor.

Malvina creation and presentation centre’s 2025 programming is made possible thanks to the support of the municipality of Saint-Malo, the Corporation de développement de Saint-Malo, the MRC de Coaticook, Événements Attractions Québec, Tourisme Québec, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Neil & Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Champeau and Pour croissant faire.

Economic and cultural impact in the Eastern Townships

The establishment of Malvina CPC in Saint-Malo contributes significantly to the economic and cultural development of the Eastern Townships. National and international visitors discover not only Van Grimde Corps Secrets’ creations, but also the unique heritage of this border region of Quebec.

2026 programming: innovation and accessibility

Building on this exceptional fourth season, Malvina CPC is preparing an ambitious 2026 programming, including:

  • Nighttime activities to diversify the cultural offering
  • New international collaborations
  • Growing integration of artificial intelligence in creative processes

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