Research Talks featuring Ala Roushan

Join us for the February edition of Research Talks, first of the year 2026, featuring Ala Roushan. In this talk, Solar Threads, Roushan traces her recent body of work, critically examining technologies that mediate our relation to nature and the enduring human drive to control it. Her research moves across specific sites, from the atmosphere and subterranean caves to archaeological remains and technological infrastructures—weaving together environmental histories and speculative futures. The presentation centers on her collaborative film with Charles Stankievech, A Shroud Woven of Solar Threads, in which she outlines an approach that brings ancient rituals of sun worship into dialogue with contemporary proposals for solar geoengineering.

Speaker Bio: Ala Roushan explores artificial environments at the intersection of art, architecture, and technology. Roushan’s project, Shaping Atmospheres, was presented Fall 2024 as an exhibition and symposium, exploring the critical implications of today’s solar politics and speculations on solar geoengineering. Most recently, she co-directed a new film commission for MUDAC Museum, Lausanne 2025, tilted A Shroud Woven of Solar Threads, returning to the ancient Sun worship of Mitra thousands of years ago during a climate crisis. Previously, she produced BREATHLESS at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery—a multifaceted project examining the paradoxes of air and breathing. In 2023, Roushan held a research professorship at the University of Tokyo, she is an Associate Professor in Environmental Design at OCAD University. 

p.s.: while you are at this talk, don't forget to check out the ongoing Winter Design Festival.

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The Research Talks is organized by the Office of Research and Innovation. 
Feel free to reach out to parthshah@ocadu.ca or research@ocadu.ca for more information.

Date and Time: Feb 11, 4-6 PM.
Location: Room 701K - 205 Richmond St W.

Instagram: ocadu_research 
email: research@ocadu.ca