Additional Information
How do you create your own inclusive spaces in a context of exclusion? How do you occupy the public space when the system invisibilizes you as soon as you reach a leadership position? How do you reverse the trend when your image is exploited or when you are subjected to different forms of violence at all levels?
In response to this reality of systemic discrimination, whether conscious or unconscious, the queer/bipoc/trans/allied community has founded the Federation for the Nocturnal Arts to ensure the safety, sustainability and solidarity of a thriving nightlife culture in Montreal.
This non-profit organization, although only recently founded in 2022, is a telling sign that the tide is turning. Using an online questionnaire, the founding team – Lou Seltz, Olivier Philbin Briscoe and Taher Gargouri- assessed the needs of the community in terms of challenges, needs and opportunities to sustain their careers and, most importantly, ensure their decision-making. The results will be made public in May 2023.
In addition, a panel discussion was held on February 25 on the issue of spaces for these communities with rising artists and activists such as Syana Barbara or Crissemarqueur.
FANTOM is in the process of raising funds to ensure the viability of the project in order to create an application to identify safe spaces for this community, to better sensitize municipal policies to take into account their specific needs and to find permanent spaces for their nocturnal activities to flourish. A launch event is scheduled for April 25.
PAN M 360 talks to one of the founders of the project, Taher Gargouri, to better understand the ins and outs of this organization that will certainly revolutionize the Montreal scene!
PAN M 360: Taher, what is your background and your involvement in the Montreal music scene?
TAHER: Taher aka Crissemarqueur, I am a DJ and rave organizer. I started as a percussionist but I also followed a path through studies in cinema, design and photography. I’ve been multidisciplinary for about ten years and I got into the techno scene with this background. The first organization was Slataprod, focused on creating safe spaces for visible minorities. The idea was to put forward artists from visible minorities: trans, colored, Maghrebi too. I am Tunisian and it is important to me to be in solidarity. Since then, other projects have come to fruition such as Tangerine or Latex. My experience of life in Berlin gave me the taste to transpose this atmosphere to Montreal where the techno scene merges with the queer and racialized scene in a relaxed atmosphere. This series of events is in collaboration with Shibari, pole dancer and swana artists.
PAN M 360: How did the idea of creating FANTOM come about? What was the trigger?
TAHER: For the last 2 years I have gained experience in organizing several events and I have been confronted with a series of very problematic situations. First, we lack information on processes related to organizing as safe venues. The older ones do not share their experience because the competition is intense in our environment. We could avoid making mistakes if we were better informed. Second, as a racialized and queer person, techno spaces are very white. The “care” is not meaningful enough towards diversity. As a crowd, we don’t always feel comfortable. Some collectives are sorely lacking in diversity. Thirdly, we would like the city of Montreal to offer more information to support safe organizations. It would be interesting to have regulations on venue rental rates, access for diversity, a charter of good conduct between stakeholders, etc. Lou and Oliver met and discussed solutions to these problems. This is how we created Fantom.
PAN M 360: What are the goals you want to achieve?
TAHER: We wanted to reach this audience to identify the needs and challenges of the racialized and queer community in the face of these issues and try to find solutions. We thought of creating an application, soon, on which we could already exchange and share information. We wish to mobilize politicians to our cause to obtain more benevolence. It is essential to compensate for the shortage of venues in Montreal. We could also think about training centers. In the long term, we could see ourselves as a union with our own consultation table.
PAN M 360: Since the foundation of FANTOM, what have been the reactions to your demands?
TAHER: Overall, the reactions have been positive. People are waiting for concrete actions. We want to change the game quickly and move forward positively.
PAN M 360: What do you think of the situation in the music industry with regards to decision-making, leadership and programming positions in Montreal?
TAHER: Montreal is full of white promoters and it lacks diversity. When you’re intersectional, it’s very difficult to move forward. You have to put in a lot more energy and find a lot of tricks to get to the same level as white people. In reaction, we have to create our own spaces of inclusion in this context of exclusion. In the end, we evolve in parallel universes. And even if we are just as successful and creative, we remain ghostly in society. We want to break this persistent and unjust glass ceiling.
