HAL: Connecting Montreal to its Artists

On 9th October Montreal’s Ile Sans Fil, student radio station CHOQ.FM and and student-run CUTV are launching new service that promises to change the way Montrealers interact with local artists. Dubbed HAL (Hub des Artistes Locaux – in English: Local Artists’ Hub), the technology will distribute artistic content throughout Montreal cafés, restaurants and parks via Ile Sans Fil’s wireless network.

An international first, HAL encourages Montrealers to discover local artists and media producers via wireless jukeboxes capable of streaming high-resolution video and audio. In particular, it allows for rich media dissemination of unique content relevant to individual hotspots.

Using HAL at an ISF hotspot is as easy as starting iTunes (available for Windows and Mac) and clicking on the HAL logo. There are currently 12 HALs at ISF hotspots, with another 13 promised for December.

The project is partially supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts, along with the collaboration of the Terminus1525 online art studio.

The HAL project furthers Ile Sans Fil’s mandate of empowering Montreal communities through the creation and deployment of community-centric technology. It is ISF’s third large-scale project involving the development and deployment of new media platforms to take advantage of new technologies. ISF, CHOQ.fm and CUTV are excited to be working together to bring this “bottom-up” cultural and technological project encouraging local participation in culture to Montreal.

As with ISF’s other projects, all technology and knowledge developed will be shared in an open-source manner to encourage adoption by other communities.

Ile Sans Fil is a volunteer-run organisation developing, deploying and maintaining community-oriented wireless technology. With a free wireless network of 105 hotspots and 24,000 users, ISF is a world leader in the field of community wireless networking.