Faculty of Design Competition - LAUNCH

Friday, November 7, 2014 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Launch - Faculty of Design Competition

Taking place in the Auditorium the Faculty of Design Competition Committee will review the Brief, have a presentation and disclose the topic. At the end of the Launch, students will sign-up for the Competition in the Lobby.

The Competitors will set-up in the Great Hall on Tuesday, November 11th at 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Awards Night is Thursday, November 13th at 4:30 pm

Take Down is Wednesday, November 19th at 12:00 pm

Venue & Address: 
Auditorium 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Cost: 
Free

Advertising alumni dominate the Cannes Young Lions qualifying competition

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - 4:00pm

OCAD University Advertising alumnus Justin Luu is heading to France this summer where he will represent Canada at the Cannes Young Lions competition. The event is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival), the biggest annual awards show for those working in the creative communications, advertising and related fields. It takes place June 15 to 21, 2014. The Globe and Mail sponsors the Canadian qualifying competition.

The Young Lions asks individuals age 28 and younger with experience in the advertising and communications industry, to work in teams of two on their entries. OCAD U Advertising alumni dominated the event, winning five out of 12 medals:

FILM
Gold: OCAD U alumnus Justin Luu (with Carol Hung) of Rivet Global
Silver: Allie Keith (BDes, 2008) and Cindy Habana (BDes, 2010) of JWT Toronto

PRINT
Silver: Ihar Turtsou (BDes, 2012), with Michael Appleby of Grip Limited
Bronze: Dylan Silvestro (BDes, 2012) and Edward Buchi (BDes, 2012) of Vitamin T

CYBER
Bronze: Alice Blastorah (BDes, 2011), with Shiran Teitelbaum of BBDO

The Young Lions Cyber and Print teams were tasked with creating an ad within 24 hours; the Media teams developed an innovative media strategy within that timeline; and Film teams were asked to create and edit a 30-second commercial within 48 hours, all for environmental group the David Suzuki Foundation. Some 200 teams competed in the four categories.

2014 Globe and Mail Young Lions and Young Marketers were announced at the Canadian Media Directors Council conference in Toronto on May 6.

See all the winning entries.

Ryan Church, Nihal Ahmed shortlisted in Ivey Business Plan Competition

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 4:45pm

A team composed of OCAD University Strategic Foresight and Innovation (SFI) students Ryan Church and Nihal Ahmed, and Schulich School of Business, Health Industry Management Program students Jason Lin, Dr. Justin Chopra and Srivatsan Vijayakumar, made it to the shortlist in the IBK Capital Ivey Business Plan Competition in January.

Over 50 teams entered the premier graduate student business plan competition, with 12 teams shortlisted. Entrepreneurial teams were drawn from top graduate schools across North America. The competition offers students an opportunity to present innovative business plans to potential investors, offering them an advance look at up-and-coming entrepreneurs and new ventures. 

Leveraging the existing Angel Sensor hardware, the team created Ripple Labs Inc. to develop their product, Circle of Love, a wearable, waterproof, medical band that tracks vital signs and statistics using Bluetooth and Smartphone technology. 

In addition to tracking vital statistics, Circle of Love also has an accelerometer for the purpose of detecting a fall, and a call function connecting the user with a loved one or a personal support worker.

The OCAD U SFI students focused on design thinking, horizon scanning and user flow, while the Schulich students focused on SWOT analysis and the necessary financials. While the they didn’t win the competition, the OCAD U/Schulich team received serious investment interest from one of the judges, and was honoured to be among the shortlist group.

The OCAD U/Schulich connected originally through an SFI/Schulich collaborative design challenge called Boomers to Zoomers:  Re-Designing Health Care for our Coming of Age, which kicked off in November, and proved to be the catalyst for the team’s concept. The team then fast-tracked product development in order to enter the Ivey Competition. The team is now focusing on their final preparations in the Boomers to Zoomers challenge, for which final designs will be revealed at an event on April 23 at MaRS Discovery District.

OCAD U grad regional winner at BMO Financial Group’s 1st Art! Competition

Lisa-Marie Bissonnette, Soak-stained Blanket (2014)
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 - 3:15pm

Lisa-Marie Bissonnette, a recent graduate of the Sculpture/Installation program, was named the Ontario winner of BMO’s 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition. She is among 12 regional winners and one national winner selected from 272 entries.

Her work, Soak-Stained Fleece (2014), was designed in Corel Painter and then dye-sublimation printed onto an Ikea fleece blanket. She describes it as a “juxtaposition between the canons of 'high art' and the banality of well-used objects of living. It simultaneously reads as an object that has been stained and altered through personal use and one that has been designed with care and digital sensibility to echo the tropes of soak-stain minimalist painting.”

The national winner of the competition receives $10,000 and regional winners each receive $5,000. All winning BMO 1st Art! works will be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), 952 Queen St. W. in Toronto from October 2 to October 26, 2014. For a complete description of winning works visit BMO’s website.

Bissonnette is taking part in the Fresh Paint, New Construction exhibition at Art Mur in Montreal and plans to continue to work and live in Toronto.

Works by Carson Campbell and Kristina Hicks on display at Relative Space

Logo Floor by Carson Campbell, installed at Relative Space.
Step Lightly by Kristina Hicks, installed at Relative Space.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014 - 3:00pm

Fourth-year Drawing & Painting students Carson Campbell and Kristina Hicks are this year’s winners of the Relative Space Toronto’s Upscale Concept Retail Showroom Competition. The competition has invited students to submit proposals for the storefront gallery of Relative Space since 2008, through a partnership between Relative Space Artistic Director Fraser Greenberg and the fourth-year course “Painting in the Expanded Field” (DRPT 4C08), delivered by Professor Colette Laliberté.

Relative Space is an upscale design store with a storefront gallery located at the corner of King and Parliament Streets in the heart of the Toronto’s inspiring design and development core. Formerly located at 360 Dupont Street, Relative Space’s new location offers OCAD U students multiple possibilities to mount site-specific works in a non-traditional gallery setting.

This year’s competition was juried by Dr. Vladimir Spicanovic, Dean of OCAD U’s Faculty of Art, Luke Painter, OCAD U Assistant Professor and Fraser Greenberg. Campbell and Hicks’ works are now installed and remain on display until the end of October.

Step Lightly by Kristina Hicks
“Upon entering the Relative Space Floorworks Store, I was initially struck by the architecture of the interior. In particular, how the natural light highlighted the space. I was then drawn to the area beneath the second flight of stairs, which is seemingly hidden and has a minimal light source. The light that is present within this area filters through the breaks between the steps creating cast shadows and streams of light on the two walls. This intimate area offers many possibilities of showcasing the cast shadows without overwhelming the space and emphasizes the structured architecture of the store’s interior and light patterns that already exist under the staircase.

Step Lightly occupies both walls under the staircase. A series of 5 painted vertical lines on each wall run down from each step above. A second set of transparent lines trace the light cast onto the wall from the fixed light source, which emanates from the platform above. The artwork creates a framing effect within the space. Painted in latex paint ranging from very pale pink to vibrant red as well as the addition of a high-gloss medium to enhance the second set of lines energize this unused area.”

Works by Carson Campbell and Kristina Hicks on display at Relative Space

Logo Floor by Carson Campbell, installed at Relative Space.
Step Lightly by Kristina Hicks, installed at Relative Space.
Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 2:15pm

Fourth-year Drawing & Painting students Carson Campbell and Kristina Hicks are this year’s winners of the Relative Space Toronto’s Upscale Concept Retail Showroom Competition. The competition has invited students to submit proposals for the storefront gallery of Relative Space since 2008, through a partnership between Relative Space Artistic Director Fraser Greenberg and the fourth-year course “Painting in the Expanded Field” (DRPT 4C08), delivered by Professor Colette Laliberté.

Relative Space is an upscale design store with a storefront gallery located at the corner of King and Parliament Streets in the heart of the Toronto’s inspiring design and development core. Formerly located at 360 Dupont Street, Relative Space’s new location offers OCAD U students multiple possibilities to mount site-specific works in a non-traditional gallery setting.

This year’s competition was juried by Dr. Vladimir Spicanovic, Dean of OCAD U’s Faculty of Art, Luke Painter, OCAD U Assistant Professor and Fraser Greenberg. Campbell and Hicks’ works are now installed and remain on display until the end of October.

Logo Floor by Carson Campbell
Thirteen digital paintings are derived directly from the Relative Space logo, a painting representing each letter. The logo was abstracted by extruding the letters to give them depth and then rotating them to reveal their underside or floor. The space between the paintings varies in direct relation to the kerning of the letters in the logo.

Step Lightly by Kristina Hicks
“Upon entering the Relative Space Floorworks Store, I was initially struck by the architecture of the interior. In particular, how the natural light highlighted the space. I was then drawn to the area beneath the second flight of stairs, which is seemingly hidden and has a minimal light source. The light that is present within this area filters through the breaks between the steps creating cast shadows and streams of light on the two walls. This intimate area offers many possibilities of showcasing the cast shadows without overwhelming the space and emphasizes the structured architecture of the store’s interior and light patterns that already exist under the staircase.

Step Lightly occupies both walls under the staircase. A series of 5 painted vertical lines on each wall run down from each step above. A second set of transparent lines trace the light cast onto the wall from the fixed light source, which emanates from the platform above. The artwork creates a framing effect within the space. Painted in latex paint ranging from very pale pink to vibrant red as well as the addition of a high-gloss medium to enhance the second set of lines energize this unused area.”

OCAD student designs transform desolate public space at 52 Division

Monday, March 15, 2010 - 4:00am

(Toronto — March 15, 2010) In an exhibition opening at Toronto City Hall next week, Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) students present their visions to revitalize one of the city’s major pedestrian thoroughfares, the plaza in front of Toronto Police Service 52 Division, on Dundas Street between St. Patrick and Simcoe Streets.

Reassembly Required is the result of OCAD’s annual Design Competition, where students were given approximately 97 hours — from the Thursday afternoon until the Monday evening (January 21 to 25, 2010) — to research, conceptualize and construct their solutions to a given challenge.

“Many students tell us that this experience was one of the highlights of their time at OCAD,” explains this year’s competition organizer Stuart Reid, Professor in the Faculty of Design. “The exhibition proves emerging OCAD designers have the tools to transform lacklustre urban space into accessible, functional and engaging space.”

In this year’s competition, Faculty of Design organizers carefully chose the site, a wide-open, cemented “plaza” in front of the 52 Division TPS building. With just the sidewalk, the street and the police station to use as boundaries, the challenge was immense: how might student design teams turn this forgotten city plaza into a functional, creative space that facilitates social experience?

The teams, each consisting of four to six students from both art and design faculties, were not left without inspiration. Will Alsop, British architect of OCAD’s famed Sharp Centre for Design, returned to the university for the competition’s pre-launch public lecture. Toronto City Councillor Adam Vaughan spoke to students as well, providing local perspective and context. Faculty of Design professors and guest volunteer critics provided mentoring and advice over the course of the weekend.

OCAD students flourish, even when under immense time constraints. The resulting concepts are extraordinarily thoughtful, making use of materials like laminated glass to respond to differing lighting conditions, and techniques like recessing the walkway to help combat the strong wind tunnel created in the area. Other designs incorporate roof panels that change orientation with weather conditions. The designs offer Toronto residents a glimpse into the imaginative minds of the designers of tomorrow. Immersed as they are in the city’s downtown core, OCAD students are uniquely positioned to apply their creative problem-solving skills to its infrastructure.

Reassembly Required: Selections from OCAD’s 2010 Annual Design Competition will run in the first floor Rotunda at Toronto City Hall from March 15 to 19. An opening reception will be held Tuesday, March 16 at 6 p.m. (remarks at 6:30) with comments from Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20 — Trinity–Spadina) and OCAD President Sara Diamond. All are welcome to attend.

Reassembly Required:
Selections from OCAD’s 2010 Annual Design Competition

March 15 to 19, 2010

Opening: Tuesday, March 16, 6 p.m. (remarks at 6:30)
Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20 — Trinity–Spadina)
OCAD President Sara Diamond

All are welcome to attend.

Toronto City Hall
Rotunda, First Floor
100 Queen Street West
Exhibition hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily.
Information: 416-977-6000 | www.ocad.ca

About the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD)
The Ontario College of Art & Design (www.ocad.ca) is Canada’s “university of the imagination.” OCAD is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. The university is building on its traditional, studio-based strengths, adding new approaches to learning that champion cross-disciplinarity, collaboration and the integration of emerging technologies. In the Age of Imagination, OCAD community members will be uniquely qualified to act as catalysts for the next advances in culture, technology and quality of life for all Canadians.
 

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For more information and images please contact:

Sarah Mulholland, Media & Communications Officer, OCAD
416.977.6000 Ext. 327 (mobile Ext. 1327)

OCAD student design to memorialize fallen Constable Michael Sweet

OCAD student design to memorialize fallen Constable Michael Sweet
Monday, April 5, 2010 - 4:00am

(Toronto—April 5, 2010) An artwork dedicated to the memory of Police Constable Michael Sweet, who lost his life in the line of duty 30 years ago in March, will be installed this summer on Michael Sweet Avenue, in downtown Toronto. The design, by Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) fourth-year Industrial Design student Joshua Sin, was chosen from more than a dozen submissions by OCAD students in a competition held this spring. The selection of a winning concept is part one of a multi-stage process.

The competition asked students to design a memorial for the brick wall that runs along the north side of Michael Sweet Avenue, which runs east/west between St. Patrick Street and Simcoe Street, south of Dundas Street. Property owners First Urban, Toronto Police Service 52 Division and OCAD collaborated on the project.

The concept features the words “I remember” laser cut into rectangular sheet of Corten steel, a weathering metal alloy that will change colour as it ages, representing the adaptability and change present in all life. The panel, to be mounted offset from the brick wall to allow sunlight to penetrate the letters and create a solemn shadow beneath, is designed to be easily installed and easily moved, a requirement set out in the competition, to accommodate development plans for the site in future years. Engraved into the steel is the message, “This memorial is dedicated to Constable Michael Sweet, a fallen officer who lost his life in the line of duty. To serve and protect, always.”

“We began discussions with 52 Division about three years ago to see how we could improve the streetscape. We then approached OCAD for their participation which led to the competition," said Ron Thomson, President of First Urban. “We’re very pleased with the results of the competition and look forward to further development and installation of the winning design.”

Sin’s concept earned him a $5,000 prize, a small part of which is to be used towards further development and refinement of his design. Working with representatives of Toronto Police Service 52 Division, First Urban and OCAD faculty advisors, Sin’s final design will be installed over the course of the summer. An unveiling ceremony will be held at a date yet to be determined.

“My design is a reflection on the fragility of life,” explained Sin. “It sends a message evoking memories, feelings and past experiences. By allowing pedestrians to reflect and recollect about their own histories, the installation encourages them to ponder life. Not only is this piece about Constable Michael Sweet’s life, it is a reflection of your own. More importantly, it is about change and hope for the future — to remember and learn from the past, and to live in the “now.” It is a universal message for everyone, something that everyone can relate to. It is a story waiting to be shared.”

“Our students, faculty and staff are engaged members of the neighbourhood in which Constable Sweet lost his life,” said Associate Dean Cheryl Giraudy, of OCAD’s Faculty of Design, who coordinated the competition. “We are honoured to have been approached by Toronto Police Service and First Urban to collaborate with our students in memorializing his sacrifice. Not only is it a solemn moment of our collective past that should not be forgotten, it is an opportunity for our students to create public works in tribute of important historical events, a long-standing tradition for professional artists and designers.”

“The Toronto Police Service is grateful for the partnership we share with OCAD, First Urban and other community members with respect to the Michael Sweet Memorial project,” said Detective Sergeant John Whitworth. “Constable Michael Sweet gave his life in the line of duty, a short distance away from where the university stands, while serving the citizens of Toronto. After thirty years, this undertaking by students, the faculty, local businesses, citizens and police officers is truly a testament to the sacrifice Michael Sweet made for this community. It was an absolute honour to represent the Toronto Police Service on the jury panel and to see just how much consideration, effort and skill the students put into their research and designs.”

Backgrounder:

Winning Concepts for the Michael Sweet Memorial Competition:

First Place: $5,000:
“I remember” by fourth-year Industrial Design student Joshua Sin
In Joshua Sin’s design, the words “I remember” is laser cut into a half-inch thick rectangle of Corten steel, a weathering metal alloy. A short message is engraved, dedicating the memorial to Constable Michael Sweet. The installation will obtain a rust-like appearance when exposed to weather for several years, changing colour as it ages, representing adaptability and change in life. The work is mounted off-set from the existing brick wall by a foot, allowing sunlight to create a solemn shadow beneath the steel. After its wall life, the piece can be used as a freestanding installation.

Second Place: $500:
“Trapezius” by fourth-year Environmental Design student Jimmy Hyunjin Cho
Jimmy Hyunjin Cho’s design is premised on human anatomy, specifically the back and shoulder, as a jumping off point. Referencing the trapezius muscle, the large shoulder muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the shoulder blades, Cho’s design connotes the burden of hard work, with the shoulder representing protection and strength. The design features an architectural framework mounted over the wall, providing a sense of motion and imbuing the physicality of the body. Constable Sweet’s name appears on the wall behind the structure, inviting viewers in to read and know his name.

Third Place: $500:
“Missing Piece” by fourth-year Environmental Design student Marek Rudzinski
Rudzinski’s design is an expression of loss and memory of an individual from a family, from a police force and from a community. The memorial is made up of interlocking, unique pieces that remains impossible to complete: one piece is missing. The surface of the memorial is mirrored, a powerful reminder for viewers of their own relationship to the puzzle, and the missing piece.

Honourable Mention: $75:
“Northern Lights” by fourth-year Environmental Design student Amy Doerner
Doerner’s design is inspired by the Northern Lights, and aims to create a place of reflection and remembrance, honour, change, and to reflect communal richness. The installation features vertically mounted wooden elements, coloured in tones of blue and green, reminiscent of a cityscape.

Honourable Mention: $75:
“Day Shift” by fourth-year Industrial Design student Adam Kereliuk
Kereliuk’s concept calls for mounting steel structures high on the wall that are laser cut with words and images. Sunlight casts ‘text shadows’ on the wall, revealing the message of the memorial.

Michael Sweet Memorial Competition Jury:
Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20 — Trinity–Spadina)
Detective Sergeant John Whitworth, Toronto Police Service
Ron Thomson, First Urban
Peter Caldwell, Vice-President, Finance & Administration, OCAD
Professor Eldon Garnet, Faculty of Art, OCAD
Thomas Payne, Founding Partner, KPMB Architects

About First Urban
First Urban is a land development company with vast experience in Canada and abroad. First Urban team members have extensive backgrounds in property development that include community planning, engineering, marketing, financing, project management, and construction. To learn more, visit www.firsturban.ca.

About the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD)
The Ontario College of Art & Design (www.ocad.ca) is Canada’s “university of the imagination.” OCAD is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. The university is building on its traditional, studio-based strengths, adding new approaches to learning that champion cross-disciplinarity, collaboration and the integration of emerging technologies. In the Age of Imagination, OCAD community members will be uniquely qualified to act as catalysts for the next advances in culture, technology and quality of life for all Canadians.
 

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For more information and images please contact:

Sarah Mulholland, Media & Communications Officer, OCAD
416.977.6000 Ext. 327 (mobile Ext. 1327)

smart & OCAD University announce a new design competition to showcase student talent

Thursday, October 6, 2011 - 4:00am

(Toronto—October 6, 2011) This fall, smart Canada, a division of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. and OCAD University challenge art and design students in a competition celebrating style, innovation, sustainability and playfulness, by asking students to design a thought-provoking wrap for the smart fortwo.

Organized by OCAD U's Faculty of Art, the competition is open to fourth-year students-individuals and teams-in both the Faculties of Art and Design. The winning concept will be awarded a $5000 prize and a full production of the concept that will be revealed at OCAD U's Project 31 fundraising auction in March, and showcased as part of the university's 98th annual Graduate Exhibition in May. The competition is part of the university's 135th anniversary celebration, and smart Canada is pleased to support the Faculty of Art Innovation Fund, established to leverage innovation of faculty and students through projects and initiatives that support the realization of the Faculty of Art's Academic Plan.

"We are delighted to broaden our existing partnership with smart Canada and Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. through this unique opportunity, and to have our students conceive a wrap design for one of the most technologically advanced vehicles today," said Dr. Vladimir Spicanovic, Dean of OCAD U's Faculty of Art. "Merging sustainability with artistic imagination and aesthetic innovation is at the core of this exciting project."

"The revolutionary smart fortwo began as an innovative idea from forward-thinking engineers who challenged the status quo. This ground-breaking concept ultimately went on to pioneer an entirely new segment that redefined intelligent transportation here in Canada and around the world," said Richard Trevisan, Director, smart Canada. "Considering our remarkable heritage, there is a natural connection between the smart brand and expressive design. In fact, the smart fortwo's iconic status was reinforced when it became the only automobile still in production to be displayed at the New York Museum of Modern Art. The smart fortwo provides an ideal canvas for students to demonstrate their creativity, and we are extremely proud to sponsor a competition that will provide an outlet to recognize and help cultivate the extraordinary talent that exists in this country."

The competition kicks off in mid-October with an information session for students and the launch of a display of a smart fortwo at the campus for students to contemplate as they prepare their submissions.

About smart Canada
smart Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service for the smart brand in Canada. Produced in one of the most modern and environmentally friendly plants in the world in Hambach, France, the smart fortwo is a safe, comfortable and extremely versatile vehicle that offers exceptional fuel consumption and segment-leading low vehicle emissions. Since its launch in Canada in the fall of 2004, smart Canada's nationwide network of 52 dealers across the country have sold over 20,000 smart fortwos. Further information about the smart can be found online at http://www.thesmart.ca/, facebook.com/smartCanada and twitter.com/smartCanada.

OCAD University (OCAD U): 135 Years of Imagination
OCAD University (www.ocad.ca) is Canada’s “University of the Imagination.” The University, founded in 1876, is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. OCAD University is building on its traditional, studio-based strengths, adding new approaches to learning that champion cross-disciplinary practice, collaboration and the integration of emerging technologies. In the Age of Imagination, OCAD University community members will be uniquely qualified to act as catalysts for the next advances in culture, technology and quality of life for all Canadians.

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Download this release as a PDF file.

Students: Download the competition brief and application form (PDF). Visit the events calendar for the competition schedule. Questions? Contact John Deal in the Faculty of Art at smart.competition@ocad.ca or 416-977-6000 Ext 373.

Media, please contact:

Sarah Mulholland, Media & Communications Officer, OCAD U
416-977-6000 Ext. 327 (mobile Ext. 1327) 

JoAnne Caza, Director, Communications-Public Relations, Mercedes-Benz Canada
416-847-7550 

Michael Minielly, Supervisor, Public Relations, Mercedes-Benz Canada
416-847-7509

OCAD University partners with Bell Trinity Square to showcase student and graduate work

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 4:00am

(Toronto—October 26, 2011) Students and graduates from OCAD University's Faculty of Art will get an exclusive career boost this academic year through a competition that will result in the purchase of their work and permanent display in the common spaces of a prominent Bay Street office building in downtown Toronto.

Sponsored by Union Investment Real Estate GmbH based in Hamburg, Germany, owner of Bell Trinity Square building located at 483 Bay Street in Toronto, the Bell Trinity Square Imagination Zone Student Competition will lead to a purchase  of several large works of art that will be permanently displayed throughout  the newly renovated common public areas of Bell Trinity Square.

"The competition recognizes and celebrates the talent and skill that has emerged out of OCAD University over its 135 year history," said Dr. Vladimir Spicanovic, Dean of the Faculty of Art. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Union Investment  in a partnership that will showcase the work of our students and recent graduates in a way that enriches and energizes an important architectural and business landmark in our city."

The Bell Trinity Square Imagination Zone Student Competition is open to students and 2011 graduates nominated by the Faculty of Art's program chairs based on artistic merit. The nominees will be invited to submit art work that considers themes of:

  • Spaces of Nature: illuminating, unexpected encounters of natural phenomena, the sublime and landscape;
  • Light and Architecture: instigating viewer's reengagement with the poetics of space and intersections of light in built environments;
  • and Cross Cultures: evoking the capacity of art to interpret the iconography and values of a multicultural world.

The art works will be selected by a jury comprised of representatives from the sponsoring institution, a representative of OCAD U's Faculty of Art and an invited expert in contemporary art from the Toronto community.  The Bell Trinity Square Imagination Zone will be open to public in January 2012.

About Bell Trinity Square
Designed by John Parkin and Associates Bell Trinity Square is a million square foot office building located in the heart of downtown Toronto with direct access to PATH. Home to major telecommunication, banking, finance and power distribution firms, the building has been broadly recognized as a leader in sustainability and energy efficiency. Certified as LEED EB Gold in 2009 and voted BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) Outstanding Building of the Year in Canada in 2011, the building is an ideal location to host the Imagination Zone Student Competition.

About  Union Investment
Union Investment is a leading international property investment company specializing in open-ended real estate funds for private and institutional investors. Union Investment has assets under management of some €19 billion in eight real estate funds. The portfolios of Union Investment's open-ended real estate funds comprise some 300 properties and projects in Germany and other European countries, the Americas and Asia. Within the commercial real estate sector, Union Investment is active as an institutional investor, developer and landlord.

OCAD University (OCAD U): 135 Years of Imagination
OCAD University (www.ocadu.ca) is Canada’s “University of the Imagination.” The University, founded in 1876, is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. OCAD University is building on its traditional, studio-based strengths, adding new approaches to learning that champion cross-disciplinary practice, collaboration and the integration of emerging technologies. In the Age of Imagination, OCAD University community members will be uniquely qualified to act as catalysts for the next advances in culture, technology and quality of life for all Canadians.

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Download this release as a PDF file.

For more information contact:

Sarah Mulholland, Media & Communications Officer
416-977-6000 Ext. 327 (mobile Ext. 1327)

Fabian Hellbusch, Head of Real Estate Marketing, Communication
Union Investment Real Estate GmbH
Tel: +49 40 3491 94160, fax: +49 40 3491 95160 
www.union-investment.com/realestate   

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