I was invited to be co-director/curator for the 2019 New Forms Festival, based in Vancouver, BC. After 19 years, founder and director Malcolm Levy decided to move on to the board, and hand they keys to a new team of directors. To build upon the great history and contributions that New Forms has made regionally and internationally to experimental music and digital art, myself and co-directors JS Aurelius & Ceci Corsano-Leopizzi developed a new festival structure, community partnerships, visual identity, and other experiments with how the festival could be built, to see what new forms could be found in, and blossom from the cusp of a new decade of programs.
“As Amazon looms in the distance, with their “Intersect” festival mimicking and ultimately erasing the hard work so many queer outfits across North America have put into the scene over the last few decades, it’s important to visualize the enemy and snap back... A great festival is still possible, New Forms proved that beyond any doubt, now we need to shout from the rooftops and ask for what we want, in no uncertain terms. Together, anything is possible.” - FACT Mag
This year did not come without some cosmic-level challenges, particularly in a city whose creative scenes have been fighting a losing battle with rampant development and unaffordable space. Access and other timely economic and systemic factors posed huge roadblocks that often made us and our partners feel like a festival of the caliber we were capable of was an impossible feat. And yet, we did it, in no small part due to the unparalleled energy and dedication that artists, attendees, and volunteers brought to the table.
New Forms has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career thus far. I underwent a vast amount of learning and growth, and feel deeply changed by this experience, deeply proud of my teammates, and hopeful. Reviews and feedback are still rolling in, but here are some kind words in the meantime.
"What was most inspiring was how cynicism-resistant the whole thing proved to be. Even artists that play these circuits of international A/V commented on the intimacy, a community fostered with care rather than shuffled from airport to AirBnB to club." - Connections Remain and Grow, zweikommasieben
