Esther Bourdages works in the fields of visual arts and technological arts as an author, curator and independent scholar. She holds of a master's degree in art history from the University of Montreal where she studied the Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely and the relationship between sculpture within an expanded field, as multimedia and sound art.

Her curatorial research explores art forms such as in situ art, installation and sculpture, often in conjunction with technology (media and digital art). A particularly important aspect of her curatorial practice is sound, which she strives to treat as an independent rather than a complementary medium. Moreover, for several years she has been developing a communication on sound art curating that she has had the opportunity to present in a few contexts, such as at Mutek and Eastern Bloc in Montreal. As a long-time collaborator, the Darling Foundry / Quartier Éphémère in Montreal has provided her with many opportunities to enrich her practice. Esther Bourdages is interested, among other things, in the development of interdisciplinary projects linked to contemporary ideas in the fields of architecture, anthropology, urban planning and cultural studies. These recent achievements have examined urban environments in relation to the social and historical fabric of cities. She is the author of numerous articles and critical comments on contemporary art.

In addition, she is actively involved with artist-run centres and independent structures in Montreal - such as Agence Topo and Perte de signal. She holds the position of Secretary (2016-2022) and President (2012-2016) within the board of directors of Eastern Bloc, a major exhibition and digital art production center dedicated to emerging artists. She collaborated  for several years with Quartier Ephémère / Fonderie Darling. In 2015, she was editor-in-chief of .dpi, a magazine dedicated to digital and feminist culture, produced by Ada X. Still in the field of digital arts, she has written several articles in the ETC MEDIA magazine, and since 2017 she has been programming-curating La Grande rencontre des arts médiatiques en Gaspésie in Percé. Since 2011, she is co-host of CAFE on CKUT radio, FM 90.3 where she covers art and culture. She regularly writes texts  (digital music, audio art, or feminist art) for the Goethe-Institut of Montreal blog and magazine. Since 2017, she has worked at OPTICA, centre d'art contemporain. She currently hold the position of Secretary on the board of directors of l'Ensemble Supermusique (2022- ).

As a musician, she performs under the name of Esther B - she plays turntable, handles vinyl records, and records soundscapes. She has performed in Canada, the United States and France ; additionally, her works have been presented in England, Germany, Palestine, Portugal, Belgium and Denmark. Improvisation allows to her to create raw, non-linear music peppered with altered sonic quotes and abstracted sounds, textures mostly produced by vinyls that have undergone specific alterations (grinding, cutting, etc.). She was a member of the turntable trio Vinyl Interventions with Carrie Gates (Saskatoon) and Marinko Jareb (St. Catherines, Ontario). This outfit has been presenting its eponymous workshop in 2002, in which EB gave the communication The Echo of the Vinyl Record, Between the Sound and the Visual, Between the Past and the Present - she gave the talk in diverse contexts after then. Since 2002 She has organized A Microphone in a Noize Storm, a concert series dedicated to new music. She also do radio art pieces based on field recordings.

Short Bio

Esther Bourdages works in the visual arts and technology art fields as a writer, independent curator, and scholar. She holds a MA in Art History from Université de Montréal. Her curatorial research explores art forms such as site-specific art, installation art, and sculpture, often in conjunction with media/digital art-related technology. Working as a long-term collaborator with Darling Foundry/Quartier Éphemère in Montréal has provided many opportunities to develop her work in these areas. She is particularly interested in developing interdisciplinary projects that relate to contemporary ideas in the fields of architecture, anthropology, urbanism, and cultural studies. Recent work related to this has examined urban environments in relation to the social and historical fabric of cities. Since 2017, she has worked at OPTICA, centre d'art contemporain. She is the curator of La Grande rencontre des arts médiatiques en Gaspésie in Percé, Québec, Canada. She holds the position of Secretary (2016-2022) and President (2012-2016) on the Board of Director at Eastern Bloc, a leading Digital Art Exhibition & Production Centre dedicated to emerging artists (Montreal). In 2015, she was the editor in chief of .dpi, a Journal dedicated to digital and feminist culture, produced by Ada x in Montreal. Since 2011, she is co-host of CAFE on CKUT radio, FM 90.3. As a musician, she performs under the name of Esther B. She plays turntable, handles vinyl records, and records soundscapes, working across sonic improvisations that allow her to create raw, non-linear, texturized music produced by specifically altered vinyl. She has performed in Canada, the US and France. Her music has been presented in England, Germany, Palestine, Portugal, Belgium and Denmark.

She co-founded the Collectif RADIANCE, dedicated to new musics, with Brice Gatinet and Bailey Wantuch in winter 2022.



 
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