About

Vithèque presents Vidéographe’s collection, one of the most important collections of independent video in Canada. To date, Vithèque offers close to 2,200 titles by more than 1200 artists, activists, and engaged citizens, all of which are distributed by Vidéographe.

All forms of independent video-making are represented, including documentary, essay, fiction, animation, video art, video installation, experimental cinema, and dance video. The site brings together works by leading, as well as emerging, artists from Quebec, Canada, and beyond. Vithèque serves to preserve the history of video-making and includes works that are key to understanding the artistic themes that have inspired the cultural milieu since the 1970s in Montréal, Quebec, and Canada. The documentary works belonging to the collection serve as witness to events and movements of cultural and historical interest, such as the workers’ movement, the feminist movement, the October Crisis, counter-culture, and LGBT rights. New acquisitions that reflect current practices are regularly added so that the collection is ever-growing and always relevant.   

More than simply an accessible viewing platform, Vithèque is a space dedicated to research and education in the media arts. The site offers free video programmes that are renewed every three months, critical and historical texts on the media arts, and educational material. These documents are made available by the team at Vidéographe, researchers, artists, and curators.

History 

Set up in 2008 and launched by Vidéographe in 2010, Vithèque is a pioneering project on an international scale, making independent video available to view online. In 2016, in order to better respond to artists’ needs and the habits of internet users, Vidéographe decided to dedicate Vithèque to its own collection exclusively.  The emphasis is on finding and showcasing new works, as well as on conservation and documentation. The search engine, navigation tool and graphics have been redesigned. This new version was launched in the spring of 2017.

About Vidéographe

Established in 1971, Vidéographe is an artist-run centre dedicated to the research and dissemination of the moving image. This includes experimentation in video art, animation, digital arts, video installation, documentary, essay, fiction, and dance video. We are dedicated to promoting the recognition and understanding of current and archival works equally.

Our activities include: 

• programming
• distribution
• publication
• training
• residencies for artists, researchers and curators.