Its lexicon, organization and logic have invaded every part of our lives. Sometimes emancipating, sometimes overwhelming, work occupies the major portion of our daily schedule. But why do we work? And on what? What space does this human activity applied to the production, creation and maintenance of things occupy? 1

For the OFFTA’s 13th edition, we want to assert the festival as a workspace that promotes this notion of “maintenance.” Partly because we showcase works in progress, but most importantly because this year, feedback, discussions and radio recordings over meals will permeate the festival’s interstices. This is our way to shed light on an often-overlooked part of the work, and to take time to help artists in their creation process.

Because artists produce works, create meaning, and maintain our sensitivity.

They do so by showing us a different way of looking at and listening to the world around us. Sensitivity is a tool that gets finer and sharper through exposure to new ideas and individuals. It is a tool that can be used to forge empathy, vulnerability, but also strength and resilience.

This year, they will do so by reading our future with tarot cards, by dragging us into a ketchup and soy sauce food fight, by inviting us to watch the sunrise, by proposing a concert in their innermost intimacy, or by explaining to us how the end of the world is actually a great business opportunity.

They will relentlessly sharpen our collective sensitivity.
So that we may be ready, all of us, together, to face whatever comes next.