Since the beginning of the summer, Malvina has been alive with creation.
Artist residencies have followed one another, new works are taking shape, collaborations are emerging, while researchers, artists, citizens and visitors come together around questions that concern us all: our relationship with living systems, territory, memory, the body, and the technologies that are transforming our world.
At Malvina, we believe that creation begins with encounters. Encounters between artists and the land. Between scientific knowledge and artistic practice. Between heritage and emerging technologies. Between creators and the public. It is through these dialogues that the artworks, reflections and experiences we share throughout the season come into being.
Some days take the form of an opening, others of an open residency, a lecture, a creative workshop or a festive celebration. Others simply invite visitors to explore the trails, discover the history of Malvina, or experience immersive artworks in nature. Each offers a different way into the same project.
ccdMalvina is a place where visitors come not only to discover artworks, but also to encounter the creative processes from which they emerge.
It is also a place to slow down, walk the landscape, meet the artists, exchange ideas, and simply spend time together.
Little by little, a living creative ecosystem is taking shape at Malvina. It is a place where artists create, researchers contribute their knowledge, the landscape becomes a creative partner, heritage nourishes reflection, and the public is invited not only to discover, but also to participate, exchange ideas and return. Season after season, volunteers, partners and increasingly diverse audiences all contribute to shaping the unique character of this place.
New Works Take Shape
On August 1, we will inaugurate the second edition of Primal Body / Future Body – Body in Transformation.
Entirely renewed, this trail brings together fifteen new works created by Isabelle Van Grimde from photographs of the body in motion and the landscapes of Malvina, transformed through generative artificial intelligence. The works will come to life through choreographic interventions by Emmanuelle Martin, accompanied by an immersive sound creation by Thom Gossage.
August will also bring two other major creations.
Visitors will discover new works by Sean Caulfield, created during his residency at Malvina. Through a dialogue between the anatomical treatise De humani corporis fabrica by Andreas Vesalius, the artistic research of Sean Caulfield and Isabelle Van Grimde, and the vegetation and landscapes of Malvina, these works offer a sensitive reflection on the body, the living world, and our ties to the land.
The Malvina Horse, a monumental sculpture created by Royden Mills with the participation of the public, will be unveiled on August 22 and 23. It will become a lasting part of the Malvina in the Old Days trail, bearing witness to the living memory of the territory through a collectively shaped work.
Entering the Creative Process
At Malvina, artists do more than present finished works — they also open the doors to their creative research.
This summer, several workshops will invite the public to take part directly in the creative process.
Visitors will discover how artificial intelligence tools can become creative partners during a workshop led by Guillaume Lévesque, or take part in the sculpture workshops with Royden Mills and printmaking workshops with Sean Caulfield.
These encounters offer a privileged opportunity to talk with the artists, discover their approaches, and understand how an idea gradually becomes a work.
Thinking Together
On August 22 and 23, the inaugural edition of the Malvina Festival will bring together several of the artists in residence for presentations, workshops, festive moments and encounters with the public.
The festival will place a special spotlight on Symbioses of Intelligences, a project exploring possible dialogues between different forms of intelligence: that of the body, the land, of knowledge… and of artificial intelligence.
Among the highlights, a lecture by Hela Zahar, Generative AI and Environmental Visual Culture: Toward More Eco-Responsible Practices?, will open a reflection on the ethical, social and environmental stakes of artificial intelligence in image-making.
This reflection will continue with a roundtable bringing together Hela Zahar, Karen Vanderborght, Sean Caulfield, Royden Mills, Thom Gossage, Marek Blottière and Isabelle Van Grimde, moderated by Isabelle Lemelin.
Because understanding a changing world means welcoming a diversity of perspectives.
Inhabiting the Territory
On September 26, as part of Culture Days, historian Léon Robichaud will present the lecture Wood, Livestock and Wheat: Settling and Developing the Upper Townships in the Nineteenth Century.
Through the story of the first settlers of the Upper Townships, he will show how terrain, climate and living conditions shaped this region, of which Malvina is a part.
The day will close with a traditional set carré (square dance) led by Robert Goulet and his musicians, a reminder that contemporary creation here naturally converses with the memory of place and living traditions.
Throughout the Season
Between these major gatherings, visitors can explore, at their own pace, the ccdMalvina’s outdoor trails and installations:
- Malvina in the Old Days
- Primal Body / Future Body – Body in Transformation
- Body Territory
- MESSIS
- Wild Intelligences
- What If I Were a Tree?
Whether joining a guided tour, experiencing an immersive work, attending a lecture, taking part in a workshop, or simply enjoying a walk through the landscapes of Malvina, everyone can find their own way of connecting with this place.
In the coming weeks, we will continue our commitment to greater cultural accessibility by welcoming new groups and developing activities suited to a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Because we believe creation is a space of encounter, enriched by the diversity of those who live it.
Be Part of the Adventure
Every summer, ccdMalvina welcomes artists who come to experiment, create and share their research.
By supporting our Zeffy fundraising campaign, you’re not only helping us present cultural activities. You’re helping build a place where artworks emerge from encounters between artists, knowledge, the land and the public.
Thank you for being part of this adventure. We look forward to welcoming you to Malvina.
