Research-creation at the intersection of music, philosophy and politics
A PhD candidate in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture, Hubert Gendron-Blais pursues research-creation initiatives through a mix of music, philosophy and politics.
Last May, his article "Music, desire and affective community organizing for repair: Note for the piece 'Le désir est un exil, le désir est un desert...'" was published in the British journal ephemera: theory and politics in organization.
"I'm looking at how sound and music can help us understand how communities are lived and experienced on an affective level," he says.
"Which means not based on economic interests or cultural identity or religious identity, but just the intensity of what happens between people. That's the main focus of my process.
"My thesis mixes different elements, including French philosophy and music theory."
A musician, Gendron-Blais composed a piece for a friend who, he says, was experiencing feelings of "political distress."
The piece "Le désir est un exil, le désir est un desert..." uses sounds from the California desert, and figures on a compilation produced by the Montreal label Jeunesse Cosmique, Vivre: Le futur nous appartient 2k19.
The article published in ephemera functions as an accompaniment to the composition, examining the nature of political distress and its impact on individuals in today's society.
"It's about the capacity of music to address issues of political distress, especially distress that emerges after big social movements. It looks at how music can inform community movements but also how community movements can help us make music," he explains.
Gendron-Blais was also recently awarded a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship and will be continuing his research at McGill University next year.
Learn more about Concordia’s Stand-Out Graduate Research Awards.