Meet HAL
A Montreal collective’s “digital jukebox” project
BY Misha Warbarnski
Illustration by Matthew Daley
Montreal wireles group Île Sans Fil has a ne way to showcase local music and media. The collective’s latest project, Hub d’Artistes Locaux (HAL), is a sort of digital jukebox of independent media, bringing together music and video, including shorts, documentaries and alternative news programming.
Since 2003 ISF has established and maintained a network of free wireless internet hubs around Montreal, available through cafés and in public spaces such as parks and libraries. In October, ISF launched 12 HALs at their hotspots: When a user connects to the local wireless network, HAL automatically appears on the computer’s media player.
HAL’s content comes primarily from local universities. CHOQ. FM at the Université du Québec à Montréal provides music playlists. Closed-circuit broadcaster Concordia University Television is using HAL as a way to get videos from the station’s Makealottamovies workshop and news collective to a wider audience. Local podcasters have also been welcomed, and there are plans to expand.
“It pushes the serendipitous discovery of local artists,” says Michael Lenczner, ISF’s project co-coordinator. Through HAL, Lenczner hopes to reach a broad audience, many of whom wouldn’t normally seek out local and alternative broadcasting. “Local broadcasters want to share their content with other members of the community, but the infrastructure doesn’t exist. This is an attempt to address that.” ISF has received additional Canada Council funding for 13 more units in Montreal, and two will soon be set up in Toronto.
The homegrown wireless collective gained international recognition for developing Wifidog, a free software that allows people to share an internet connection wirelessly. More than 25 wireless hotspot providers in England, Europe, Japan, Honduras, Canada and the U.S. are using the software. Lenczner hopes to repeat this success with HAL.
