MANDATE

🏴 AT THE FOUNDATION OF OUR ACTIVITIES

We see artistic creation as an embodiment of cultural and social issues, we see art as a space for reflection, invention and free critical thinking, fostering the production of new knowledge;

We work to empower communities (artistic, self-managed, social action, hacker culture, etc.) facing issues raised by digital technologies;

🦾 OUR ACTIONS

In resistance to contemporary individualistic, neoliberal and technocentric trends:

We activate, support and accompany the development of projects at the heart of the issues raised by digital technologies in artistic, cultural and non-profit contexts. These projects fall into three categories: R&C (Research and Creation); R&D (Research and Development); CD (Community Development).

We promote the emergence of cutting-edge thinking in art theory and practice (R&C)
We place research and technological development at the service of creation, contemporary artistic reflection and collaborative practices (R&D)
We develop initiatives that aim to strengthen not only the technological capabilities of different communities, but also their critical thinking, collaboration and creative potential (CD)

With the intention of nurturing collective knowledge, we systematically generate, document, transfer and share the knowledge acquired throughout our activities.

⚔️ OUR RESOURCES

We equip, train and learn;

We deploy support programs that provide the human and material resources needed to carry out projects;

We mobilize and engage communities around collective issues;

We disseminate, present and facilitate access to artistic projects;

✊ OUR VALUES, OUR CONVICTIONS, OUR BELIEFS

Empathy is at the core of the self-management culture we develop. It is the keystone of all our actions.

In the contemporary techno-scientific landscape, we believe in the need for communities to claim ownership and control over their means of action.

We recognize that the generation and sharing of knowledge contributes to the building of a collective wealth that empowers communities.

Collaboration is a founding, driving principle at the heart of our activities.

We believe in the importance of ongoing adaptation and transformation of our ways of acting, doing, thinking, growing and sharing so that our actions remain in tune with the reality of the communities we support.

Independence, non-conformity, boldness, critical thinking and solidarity define our identity and guide our actions and development.

WE ARE A HAVEN FOR ARTISTS.

WE ARE AN INCUBATOR FOR ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES.

WE ARE A LABORATORY OF INDOMITABLE PROJECTS.

WE ARE SPOROBOLE.

🌱

The year 2023 marks Sporobole’s 50th anniversary!

Founded in 1973 as the Regroupement des artistes des Cantons de l’Est (RACE), the organization was the first group of artists in the region. It set up workshops and created the Horace gallery, issued publications and maintained collaborations with other local cultural organizations. RACE’s objective was “to create an active core of artists working in the various fields of visual arts in Sherbrooke, drawing their support from within the region.”

In 2009, the organization revised its mission and became the center for contemporary art, Sporobole. In the following years, the center focused its activities towards the digital arts and presented the Espace [IM] Média festival, which was held several times until 2021. In the wake of the community development initiated by RACE, Sporobole expanded its dissemination and production activities on a provincial and international scale. In 2018, to meet the needs of the cultural community for digitization, the center created 0/1 – Hub numérique Estrie.

Today, Sporobole and 0/1- Hub numérique are two sister entities offering support to cultural organizations in their efforts with digital technologies and a creative framework at the cutting edge of artistic research in a digital context.