An Evening of Craft, Digitality, and Critical Reflection: Artist Talks

Independent Project
Event: Talk
In-person
Jan 29 2026
Free with RSVP
6:30pm 8:30pm
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto

Join the Craft and the Digital Turn (CDT) team in partnership the Craft & Design Studio Residency at Harbourfront Centre and OCAD University for thought-provoking artist talks and discussion emerging from the CDT SSHRC funded international Partnership Development Grant initiative. This event brings together an international trio of educators, makers and researchers who will share insights from their involvement in the project and their individual practices.

We will hear from Dr. Cynthia Villagómez (University of Guanajuato, MX) who will discuss the role of technology in traditional craft processes through the community initiative Fábrica de Artes y Oficios. Geoffery Mann (Manchester School of Art, UK) will speak about his twenty-year trajectory engaging with emergent technologies and craft processes and Dr. Niklavs Rubenis (University of Tasmania, AU) will reflect on a pilot project that connects the creative sector with the waste industry. The conversation will explore the dynamic intersection of contemporary craft and digital technologies, touching on themes of community, the economic dimensions of craft, and the transformative potential of digital tools. The speakers will consider how digitality enables new forms of fluidity, reinterpretation, and the way that we can reuse, reinterpret, and repair our crafted world.

This talk is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Government of Canada (SSHRC) and OCAD University through a Partnership Development Grant. In partnership with Harbourfront Centre.

Participants

University of Guanajuato (Dr. Cynthia Villagómez), Manchester School of Art (Geoffery Mann), University of Tasmania (Dr. Niklavs Rubenis)

Acknowledgements

OCAD University
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Logo

Accessibility

Who should visitors contact with questions regarding accessibility?
Is this venue accessible by wheelchair or similar mobility devices? This includes access to washrooms and all aspects of programming/events.
Yes
Are designated parking spots for persons with disabilities close to the entrance of the building?
Yes
Can people get to the venue using accessible transit?
Yes
Niklavs Rubenis, Trove, 2016, Sourcing materials, still taken from the short film Crafting Waste by Brett Lamb.
Geoffery Mann, Flight takeoff, Long Exposure series, 2010, Kiln Cast glass, photo: Sylvain Deleu