Vector X Punk Arcade @ OCAD U

Punk Arcade Poster
Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 5:00am to Sunday, February 23, 2014 - 5:00am

Festival Opening Reception: February 20, 7 –11 p.m. – free admission!

Sponsored by OCAD University’s Digital Futures Initiative

Join us on Thursday, Feb 20, for the official opening reception of the 2014 Vector Game + Art Convergence Festival! This evening will feature introductions by Team Vector, the exhibition curators, and members of the local indie game and art communities as well as OCAD U. We invite you to meet our artists, chat with game makers and critics, and get to know the festival curators and workshop leaders. Play some games, have a drink and a snack, and learn more about the festival and its programming!

Vector’s first cross-border curatorial collaboration will see Team Vector and the curators of Punk Arcade (Sarah Brin and Lee Tusman) join forces to bring you the Vector X Punk Arcade at 49 McCaul Street. Sponsored by OCAD University’s Digital Futures Initiative, Team Vector and the Punk Arcade curators have selected works that fit with the edgy, fun, DIY ethos of previous Punk Arcade incarnations. We are very excited to bring Lee and Sarah to Toronto and share their curatorial vision of games and game art at this year’s Vector festival!

Vector X Punk Arcade features brand new works by local and international game makers and media artists:

Eat Yr Tears, by Jason Corace (Baltimore)
Pale Machine, by Ben Esposito/Arcane Kids (Los Angeles)
Martian Middle School Dance, by Benedict Fritz (Chicago)
Rob Ford Cracksmoking Mayor Pong, by Daniele Guevara (Toronto)
Hug Punx, by Merrit Kopas (Toronto)
Pan Man, by MajorBueno a.k.a. Benedikt Hummel and Marius Winter (Germany)
Distribution of Wealth, by Michael Wilde (Los Angeles)
Rasputin Consulting Agency, by Simon Wiscombe (Los Angeles)
Problems…, by Ilya Zarembsky (NYC)

Continuing Sarah and Lee’s previous curatorial work, the Vector X Punk Arcade presents independent, offbeat, gritty art games that have been constructed rapidly and outside the triple-A world of mainstream videogaming. Many of these game experiments are made by artists who game designer Anna Anthropy has called “video game zinesters,” who benefit from easy, open access to game-making software tools, and who are driving a radical paradigm shift for the independent, often collaborative creation and free distribution of games at the intersection of popular videogaming and contemporary art.

Punk Arcade began as an exhibition at Philadelphia’s Little Berlin Gallery, and has since reached on- and offline audiences of more than 100,000. Sarah Brin is an art historian and curator who has collaborated with SFMOMA, MOCA, The Armand Hammer Museum, and Vice Magazine’s The Creators Project, among others. Lee Tusman has curated dozens of exhibitions and public projects at sites including Riverside Art Museum, California State University, Northridge, University of California, Riverside, and Division 9 Gallery.

The Vector Game + Art Convergence Festival is a participative, not-for-profit, community-oriented initiative dedicated to showcasing contemporary game-based artworks. This year, the second annual festival will run at multiple venues throughout Toronto. It will feature three exhibitions, two screenings, as well as multiple live performances, workshops and panel discussions. All our events are designed to encourage a critical dialogue around the medium of games and its expressive potential as a contemporary art practice. The Vector Game + Art Convergence Festival acknowledges support from the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council.

49 McCaul St. Exhibition open daily (from Feb 20-23rd). 12pm-6pm.

Venue & Address: 
49 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.vectorfestival.org/vector-x-punk-arcade-ocadu/
Cost: 
Free

The Artist Project 2014

Event Poster
Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 5:00am to Sunday, February 23, 2014 - 5:00am

Opening Night Party: Thursday, February 20 from 7 to 11 p.m. in support of the Canadian Cancer Society and Why We Ink

Supported by OCAD University

The Artist Project celebrates its 7th year with another exciting show featuring original works from over 250 top contemporary artists. Artists from a variety of geographic and creative backgrounds will converge and connect with patrons looking to get a glimpse of tomorrow’s Art Stars. From seasoned collectors and first time art buyers, to gallerists and interior designers, visitors will find this art fair a unique opportunity to meet and purchase work directly from artists from Canada and abroad.
Discover all mediums and experience special features, Art Chats and docent-led tours. The Artist Project takes place from February 20 to 23, 2014 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place in Toronto.

CAD University will be involved in two ways this year:
1. Sponsor of The “OCAD University AWARD” for $250. The winner is chosen by a panel at the Artist Project

2. President Dr. Sara Diamond will be participating in a panel moderated by Vandana Taxali for the Artist Project scheduled on Friday, February 21 at 6 p.m.

Venue & Address: 
Better Living Centre Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.theartistproject.com/
Cost: 
Tickets on sale

How To Build Your Professional Online Portfolio using 4ormat

How To Build Your Professional Online Portfolio using 4ormat - Event Poster
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - 8:00pm to 9:30pm

A hands-on workshop that will walk you through the process!

OCAD University has developed an exciting partnership with 4ormat to provide FREE access to their online portfolio-building tools for current students and faculty so that they can effectively showcase creative content using a sophisticated, customizable platform.

Take advantage of Reading Week and use this workshop to set up your custom online portfolio from start to finish...in only 90 minutes!

Venue & Address: 
Room 1516 113 McCaul St., Room 1516 Toronto, Ontario
Email: 
zfarber@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 x3843
Cost: 
Free

Food=Need OCAD U Exhibition

Event Poster
Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 5:00am to Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - 5:00am

A multidisciplinary art event exploring issues of food poverty and insecurity

Food is a basic human need. It shapes desires and obsessions and yields many kinds of enjoyment and pain. One can explore food from diverse perspectives seeing it both as an object produced and consumed and also as the means and symbol of our human relations. The diversity of what we eat (and don’t eat) and of how food is produced and shared shapes cultures, communities, and nations. Refracted through language, culture, and media, food is a central lens for exploring the patterns of our interaction. Hunger, as an index of poverty and of environmental disaster, provides a reversed lens with which we can explore justice and ethics. How we get what we eat, from near and far, is basic to ways of inhabiting places on the earth and relating to each other. Food=Need OCAD U is an event that explores these issues and their effect on the lives and work of artists and designers.

6:15-7:45 Film Screening and Panel Discussion
The evening begins in Central Hall, Room 230 of 100 McCaul, with a welcome by OCAD U Art and Social Change Faculty Andrea Fatona. WIA projects’ feminist artist-researchers Pam Patterson & Leena Raudvee will introduce the young Toronto filmmakers Naked Eye, Diana Piruzevska and Anlina Rana, who will speak to and screen the film Food=Need. This short documentary film based on the Food=Need community performance art event curated by WIA projects in the Fall of 2013. Watch the trailer

The screening will be followed by a panel (composed of OCAD U student and OCADSU Free Lunch coordinator Che-Chi Liu, OCAD U student and Food Not Bomb Toronto member Shirley Ceravolo, and Greenest City Artist, community facilitator and museum educator Cath Campbell) which will lead a OCAD community discussion on the politics of food insecurity and the value of creating sustainable food-linked projects. Free popcorn!

7:45-9:00 Workshop & Reception
The evening's events will continue in the OCAD U Library's Learning Zone, Level 1 of 113 McCaul, with a closing reception for the Food=Need Exhibition where we will celebrate the event with food and further discourse. The Food=Need Exhibit is a multimedia installation featuring poster designs and booklets from the students in Audrey Hudson's Think Tank courses. The creative responses from the Think Tank courses address food availability; food access and food use around the subjects of: food co-ops, gardening, nutrition, schools & food, labelling food, art/design food activism, narratives of food, and community development projects. The Video work from Pam Patterson's Life Studies course address sustainability and food insecurity in and through diverse populations and people.

Mary "Mack" Tremonte, OCAD U IAMD graduate student and Just Seeds Collective member, will lead participants in a silkscreen workshop so that they may come away from the event with printed tote bags that will facilitate further awareness and discourse in the future.

FREE. Suggested donation: Non-perishable food items for the Starving Artist Pantry, the OCAD Student Union's Food Bank.

Photo credit: James Looker

OCAD U Sustainability Initiatives, in collaboration with the OCADU Student Union and other OCAD U departments, is proud to announce the 2nd Sustainability Month at OCADU (sMarch). During the month of March (4th to 29th) we will celebrate a range of activities on campus, like Food=Need OCADU, that highlight and acknowledge student, faculty and staff sustainability initiatives and provide the means to live, think and act sustainably. Visit ocadu.ca/sMarch for more details.

Venue & Address: 
Learning Zone, Level 1 (also accessible from 122 St. Patrick Street) 113 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.facebook.com/events/221230268082546
Cost: 
Free
Keywords: 

6th Annual T24 Project

T24 Logo
Friday, February 14, 2014 - 12:30am

Hosted by the Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival including work by OCAD U alumnus Maikol Pinto

The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival hosted their annual T24 Project, a unique twist on the 24-hour film challenge format for local emerging filmmakers, on January 17-18, 2014. Thirteen teams from across the GTA participated in the film challenge where they had to create a short film that answered an essay-style question. Eight teams completed their film on time.

This year the theme is ApocalypT.O. Filmmakers were asked to examine and provide commentary on what could cause "the end of days" in Toronto and how the population can deal with such an event. The T24 Project tests young filmmakers' ability to think on their feet and exercise their skill in film production under an intense but exciting experience. “Most 24 hour film contests are very minimal. They give you a prop, they give you a sentence but [the festival] gave us an idea to work with,” said Gorjan Veletic, co director of the T24 Project film Peaches.

Though the idea of apocalyptic cinema may bring out many standard tropes from horror and science fiction, teams were
creative in their incorporation of the theme, applying it to many situational narratives that transcend the genre. “For me, it
was how we can make it not go in that direction,” said Anne Phitsanoukanh, director of Stiffilis, a short based around the concept of social media and memes. “I wanted to try something more refreshing other than the whole zombie or dead people aspect.”

At the film screening, one of the eight teams will be awarded the Visual Thesis Award by an esteemed panel of industry professionals. Jury members include Arthur Yeung (co-host of Frameline on Radio Regent and winner of a 2013 Trailblazer Award at the ReelWorld Film Festival), Bern Euler (Festival Director of the Canadian Film Festival), Milica Dodic (programmer for the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s Canadian Screen Awards), Joshua Ostroff (senior editor at the Huffington Post Canada), and Kania Lou Gagliardini (Production Coordinator at the Emmy Awardwinning interactive agency, Secret Location). They will also be providing feedback of the films at the event.

"I don’t think there’s any better way to pay tribute to something you love than to imagine its ultimate destruction. It’s for
that reason we were excited to present this year’s T24 Project challenge question to the filmmakers, and it’s the reason we're excited to present their films,” said John Gallagher, Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival programming coordinator.

The T24 Project film screening takes place Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto (2 Sussex Ave). Single tickets cost $8.50 and a group package of ten tickets costs $50 when purchased in advanced at www.torontoyouthshorts.ca. This is an 18+ event.

The following list of films will be presented at the T24 Project screening:

ALL WE'VE GOT
Directed by Ryan Liu (Broadcasting student at Centennial College)
Starring Paul Dods, Stephanie Bergeron, and Nick Aliwalas
Stuck in their house with very little food left, a couple and a mutual friend try to get through the days without driving each
other crazy. Soon their resources are depleted and they are forced to go outside in order to survive.

APOCALYPSE NOW?
Directed by Chelsea Chen (TV Writing and Producing student at Humber College)
Starring Albert Zablan, Chloe Chen, and Roy Wang
A power outage interrupts the daily lives of four disparate individuals, forcing them to come together.

THE DROUGHT
Directed by Jacky Vuong (freelance filmmaker and York University alumni)
Starring Hourmazd Farhadi, Jennifer Carolina Meneses, Emma Alimi, and Meesun Kim
A couple suddenly loses their libido in the middle of a session and they seek help.

FUTURITY LOST
Directed by Maikol Pinto (freelance filmmaker and OCAD alumni)
Starring Alexander Mann
On a barren night in a cold, industrialized future, one man wanders aimlessly seeking asylum.

GAG
Directed by Jamie McMillan (graphic artist and web designer)
Starring Deidre Hennigar
A lonely scientist who is desperate for friends and company takes in a stranger.

HINTERLAND
Directed by Adrienne Knott (University of Toronto student and member of Raindance on Campus)
Starring Jordan Policicchio and Matthew Griffith
43 days after an unknown event that silenced the city, a man hopes to find someone to talk to. Anyone.

PEACHES
Directed by Greg Fox, Gorjan Veletic and Adrian Gentili (Film Studies students at Ryerson)
Starring Hannah Gordon and Oresiri Oputu
A woman keeps a video diary of her days after a hydro facility contaminates the water system and kills most of the
population.

STIFFILIS
Directed by Anne Phitsanoukanh (Media Studies student at University of Guelph Humber)
Starring Mark Browning, Winnie Wong, Tina Seepersad, and Nathan Chan
A new meme becomes a universal sensation but one man finds this joke to be more severe than it appears.

About the Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival
The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival is a showcase of cinematic work from local emerging filmmakers aged 14-28 in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The festival provides a professional platform for young filmmakers to network with peers, present their films on the big screen, and receive adjudication by industry experts.

Venue & Address: 
Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto 2 Sussex Ave. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.torontoyouthshorts.ca
Email: 
torontoyouthshorts@gmail.com
Cost: 
$8 Single / $50 Group of 10
Keywords: 

The Perimeter Series

Event Poster
Thursday, February 13, 2014 - 11:30pm to Friday, February 14, 2014 - 12:30am

Hybrid Design: Collaboration in Practice

A0 (ALSO Collective + Mason Studio) invites you to The Perimeter Series, the first of a series of panel discussions on issues related to contemporary design practices.

"Hybrid Design: Collaboration in Practice” is the topic of the first discussion and investigates the value of working in cross-disciplinary formats. The panelists will explain how collaborative efforts in their professional practices have informed their current work, their forecasts for the development of these processes, and the risks and issues in collaboration. The ideas expressed by the panelists will begin to explore if and how adaptive modifications are required in a Canadian context to facilitate collaboration in practice.

The first event is hosted by the School of Interior Design at Ryerson University, and moderated by the Interior Design program Chair, Lois Weinthal. The panelist are:

Mark Argo (Aesthetec Studio)
Mike Lovas (PUSH Strength)
Marc De Pape (OCAD University)
Laura Fyles (Academy of Design)
Zaiba Mian (Humber College)

The Perimeter Series was developed by AZero, the joint efforts of ALSO Collective and Mason Studio. The studios share philosophies of design, but originate from two distinct practices. ALSO occupies a space in digital media and graphic design, while Mason inhabits the domain of physical interior space. The Perimeter Series was developed as an opportunity to share in the conversation between the studios to explore a shift in the boundaries of design. Come take part in our discussions!

This event is free. Please register.

Venue & Address: 
Ryerson School of Interior Design 302 Church Street Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.facebook.com/events/1461892004031982
Cost: 
Registration required

Design with Dialogue

Design with dialogue poster
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 11:00pm to Thursday, February 13, 2014 - 2:00am

Bridging Polar(ized) Perspectives: Enabling a Productive Dialogue on Climate Change

For February's DwD, join host Sheila Murray as we explore how we can have conversations on polarizing topics.

SESSION OUTLINE
How do we have productive conversations about climate change with people
whose views are different from our own? Can conducting the climate change
conversation at a local community level help to forward the national dialogue?

For some of us the implications of climate change are so urgent that they demand
immediate action. For others of us, global warming produces a wide range of
responses including apathy, guilt, fear, boredom or vigorous opposition. How do
we restart a conversation that has become so polarized?

If you work on climate change issues as a campaigner, business leader, politician
or community organizer, or if you just want to be able to convince cousin Kirsten
that climate change is relevant to her life – then this session should interest you.

We’ll start by identifying our own values and principles concerning climate
change and discover how the language we use can distance others. Then we’ll
explore some of the barriers to communication and how to counter them. Next,
we’ll look at a variety of strategies for effective climate change communication
that invite everyone to have a stake in the outcomes. Finally we’ll explore the
potential of a proposed mapping tool that might encourage even the reluctant to
participate.

ABOUT THE HOST
Sheila Murray is a writer, documentary filmmaker and communications specialist.
She has an MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies where her research focused on climate change migrants. Sheila believes that climate change can be a catalyst for significant social and cultural change. Her communications model encourages individuals to engage in small-group dialogue about climate change with people like themselves. As they engage they will connect with others who are already working on numerous climate change issues and solutions and may even become part of a civic community that supports those actions.

Venue & Address: 
The Moment Studio, Suite 407 130 Spadina Avenue Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://bit.ly/1hJgdRN
Email: 
<p><a href="mailto:pjones@ocadu.ca">pjones@ocadu.ca</a></p>
Cost: 
RSVP

Creative Workshops

Event Poster for Portfolio Workshops
Saturday, February 8, 2014 - 4:00pm to 9:00pm

Creative Workshops

Boost your portfolio with OCAD University

At OCAD U, we have developed a unique program of daylong Creative Workshops designed to give prospective students the opportunity to explore new territory, to build confidence in your skills as a visual communicator and to get a sense of what its like to be a student here.

Pre-registration and payment required. Visit our online registration secure payment site, https://portfolioclinic.ocad.ca, to sign up.

Venue & Address: 
OCAD University 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.ocadu.ca/prospective_students/preparing_a_portfolio/Creative_Workshops.htm
Email: 
portfolioclinics@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
416-977-6000 ext. 2055
Cost: 
$90.40 ($80 plus HST)

IT'S A START Creative Camp

Saturday, February 8, 2014 - 5:00am to Sunday, February 9, 2014 - 5:00am

A pitch competition for digital entrepreneurs

IT’S A START
Digifest is proud to announce a unique opportunity for individuals to participate in the IT’S A START pitch competition.

What is IT’S A START?
Supported by the Digital Media Research and Innovation Institute and the undergraduate and graduate Digital Futures Program of OCAD University.

IT’S A START is a pitch competition for digital entrepreneurs.

This competition is open to creative professionals, budding entrepreneurs, start-ups, students and recent graduates looking to pitch their ideas in a competitive format. Finalists will have an opportunity on stage during the festival to show the jury why their project deserves to win one of the prizes, which includes financing and incubation space in the George Brown College Digital Media & Gaming Incubator and OCAD University’s Imagination Catalyst Incubator. We are looking for the most innovative ideas from individuals, start-ups or digital companies who have special projects that they want to take to the next level. There is no fee to apply for this competition.

How does the contest work?
The contest will be developed in the following phases.

Phase 1 – The competition officially launches in October 2013. Contestants have two months to submit their application.

Phase 2 – Applications will be accepted until Friday January 17, 2014 at 5 p.m. All entries will be reviewed by the IT’S A START Committee and the first round of finalists will be announced on Monday January 27, 2014.

Phase 3 - First round finalists will have an opportunity to attend a Creative CampSaturday February 8 & Sunday February 9, 2014) where
entrepreneurs in residence will provide mentorship support and help the finalists evolve their projects.

Phase 4 – In order to be considered for the pitch contest finale, finalists must re-submit their updated project proposals by Friday March 14, 2014 at 5 p.m. All entries will be reviewed by the IT’S A START Committee and the second round of finalists will be announced on Monday March 24, 2014.

Phase 5 – All of the second round finalists will have an opportunity to present to their mentors from the Creative Camp on Saturday April 5 or Sunday April 6, 2014 and receive coaching and feedback for the pitch contest finale.

Phase 6 – The Pitch Contest Finale Part 1 will take place during Digifest on Friday May 9, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Corus Quay building located at Toronto’s Waterfront. Twenty semi-finalists will have 60 seconds on stage before a live audience to convince the jury why their project deserves to win. The jury will then select 10 finalists to present in the Pitch Contest Finale Part 2 the next day.

Phase 7 – The Pitch Contest Finale Part 2 will take place during Digifest on Saturday May 10, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Ten contestants will have 3 minutes on stage to present to the jury and a public audience (please note that this is not a Digifest ticketed event).

Final Presentation Pitch Contest Rules for Part 1, Friday May 9th
• Only one individual from the team can deliver the 60 second pitch at Digifest on
Friday May 9, 2014.
• Each contestant will have two minutes to respond to judges’ Q & A, directly
following their pitch.
• Audio-visual equipment, PowerPoint presentation slides, prototypes etc. are NOT
permitted during the pitch competition. However, finalists have an opportunity to
showcase presentations/prototypes for their projects in the festival exhibit area.

Final Presentation Pitch Contest Rules for Part 2, Saturday May 10th
• Only one individual from the team can deliver the final 3-minute pitch at Digifest
on Saturday May 10, 2014.
• Each contestant will have two minutes to respond to judges’ Q & A, directly
following their pitch.
• PowerPoint presentations are mandatory for this part of the presentation
• May 10, 2014 at Corus Quay building Main Stage area where the winners will be
announced.
• NB: For technical purposes, all finalists are required to attend a dry run
of their pitch presentation before Digifest on Tuesday May 6, 2014 at The
Corus Quay building located at Toronto’s Waterfront.

What are the prizes?
We will be announcing the It’s A Start 2014 prizes soon.

It’s a Start prizes for 2012 included more than $8,000 in cash prizes, mentorship and
incubation space at George Brown College Digital Media & Gaming Incubator and OCAD
University’s Imagination Catalyst Incubator.

What Projects are eligible?
Project Criteria

The focus for Digifest 2014 is “future cities” and digital urbanism. For the IT’S A START competition, we are looking for creative, cutting-edge projects driven by conscientious and dedicated individuals that will help us solve some of today’s pressing urban challenges. Do you have an original idea that can improve the way we live, work and play? Have you developed an application or technology that will allow us to manage
complexities and build more resilient cities? Does your project connect people and
networks, ultimately enabling us to live better lives? If your project or idea fits the above-mentioned criteria then please keep reading.

Project Eligibility
• Project entries or ideas must be the original work of the applicant(s).
• Applicant(s) who have submitted to IT’S A START competition in the past and
have not qualified as a finalist can re-submit a proposal, however, you must be able to demonstrate how the project or idea has changed.

What projects are NOT eligible?
• Submissions that have won in previous IT’S A START competitions.
Who can enter?
• Start-up companies
• Entrepreneurs
• Students or recent graduates
• NB: George Brown College and OCAD University students/graduates/faculty are eligible to participate in the competition,
however, you must disclose this information in your application.

Who is on the IT’S A START committee?
The committee is made up of experts from industry, academia and finance.

What are the selection criteria?
The committee will use the following criteria to determine the finalists for the
competition:
• Originality (Has this idea been presented this way before? How does your idea
compare to existing projects/ideas that address similar issues)
• Marketability (Is there a demand for your idea? Why would someone buy it?)
• Market Readiness (How much more development is needed?)
• User friendly (How easy is it to use?)
• Creativity & Design (How is the project executed? Is the overall design clear and
effective?)
• Feasibility (How realistic is your plan to execute this project? Does your budget
take into consideration the logistics, production, technical requirements and
other expenditures?)
• Probability of Success (With the right investment and support, could this idea
become a successful business?)

History
The first IT’S A START competition was held in Monza, Italy organized by Regione Lombardia, Provincia Monza Brianza and Camera di Commercio di Monza in June 2012. The next competition “IT’S A START Canada” premiered at Digifest Saturday, October 20, 2012.

Contact Us
For more information and general inquiries about the competition, contact Miriam
Brookman at mbrookman@georgebrown.ca or at (416) 415-5000 ext. 3556.

For sponsorship inquiries about the competition, contact Lucia Piccinni at
LPiccinni2@georgebrown.ca or at (416) 415-5000 ext. 3152.

Website: 
Email: 
mbrookman@georgebrown.ca
Cost: 
Free
Keywords: 

Material Traces: Time and Gesture in Contemporary Art- Lecture by Dr. Amelia Jones

Image of Doctor Jones
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 11:30pm

Graduate Studies and the President's Office are please to welcome Dr. Amelia Jones

Amelia Jones practices a queer, anti-racist, feminist history and theory of twentieth- and twenty-first century Euro-American visual arts, including performance, film, video, and installation—articulated in relation to increasingly global frameworks.

Jones is the author of a number of books including Postmodernism and the En-Gendering of Marcel Duchamp (1994), and Body Art/Performing the Subject(1998), Irrational Modernism: A Neurasthenic History of New York Dada(1994), and Self-Image: Technology, Representation, and the Contemporary Subject (2006). This latter book expands on her work on body art, exploring the experience and understanding of the self in relation to performances of the body via technologies of representation from analogue photography to the Internet. It is linked to Jones's new research on the problematic of identity or identification in relation to visuality and Euro-American histories and practices of contemporary art and visual culture broadly construed; this latter interest finds its way into a number of articles published in journals from Art History to Parallax and The Drama Review and the book Seeing Differently: A History and Theory of Identification and the Visual Arts (2012). Seeing Differently offers a history and theory of ideas about identity in relation to visual arts discourses and practices in Euro-American culture, tracing the rise of identity politics in the mid-twentieth-century and critically examining debates in art discourse about "gaze theory," "post-identity" movements, and "multiculturalism." The book covers case studies of art practices exploring aspects of how we identify in relation to visual images, and offers a new theory of how to think issues of identification in relation to visual culture.

Jones has curated exhibitions, including Sexual Politics (1996, UCLA/Hammer Museum) and Material Traces: Time and the Gesture in Contemporary Art (2013, Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal). She has organized performance and creative events including Theorising Queer Visualities (2005), Faith and Identity in Contemporary Visual Culture (2006), and Fluid States: Trans- Montréal, for the Performance Studies International 2015. And she has edited volumes such Contemporary Art, 1945-2003 (2005) and Feminism and Visual Culture Reader (new edition, 2010), which collectively attempt to rethink standard chronologies and modes of thinking about areas of visual culture studies and art history by including voices previously marginalized, or otherwise not fully accounted for, in debates and histories of these fields. Strategically, as with Jones's curating and single-authored books, these aim to provide new ways of thinking histories of art and ideas that work in productive tension with existing dominant histories. This goal of (un)doing and/or rethinking art's histories (including the very structures through which these histories unfold and are institutionally embedded) is also reflected in the new series Jones is co-editing with Marsha Meskimmon at University of Manchester Press, entitled "Rethinking Art's Histories."

Jones's research is also at the forefront of the surge of interest in retrieving histories of feminist art and histories of performance or live art practices from the 1960s and 1970s. She has published major essays on feminist curatorial practices as well as an article on Marina Abramović's recent projects re-enacting body art works from the past and staging herself as an artwork (in The Drama Review, Spring 2011). Her new book, co-edited with Adrian Heathfield, Perform Repeat Record: Live Art in History (Intellect Press, 2012) includes a range of primary documents, artist's projects, and academic articles examining the issues surrounding historicizing ephemeral, live art practices.

Venue & Address: 
Central Hall 100 McCaul St. Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
http://www.ocadu.ca/graduate-studies
Email: 
arowe@ocadu.ca
Phone: 
<p>416 977-6000 ext 4366</p>
Cost: 
Free

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