OCAD University’s inaugural Fall Design Festival is now underway, bringing together students, faculty, alums and international partners for a month-long celebration of design.
The festival, which runs until early November, showcases the creativity and innovation of the Faculty of Design through exhibitions, screenings, panels and collaborative projects. A similar festival was held in the spring.
“We created these design festivals to serve as a mid-term period for bringing together faculty, students, alumni, industry partners and community members. The festival also acts as a platform for faculty and students to suggest events that interest them. We gather most of the events from crowdsourcing,” explains Faculty of Design Dean Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel.
The fall festival builds on the spring events, such as the Alumni Meet and Greet and Panel Discussion and includes several events suggested by alums, such as the sold-out DesignMeets talk, which kicked off the festival on Sept. 29.
This event, led by OCAD U alum Ian Chalmers and co-organized with DesignMeets, featured Andrew McLuhan, grandson of Marshall McLuhan. About 100 attendees, including students, faculty, alums and Toronto-based designers, turned out to hear McLuhan’s insights on media, pattern recognition, and the ongoing challenges of information overload.
The evening fostered new connections across diverse design disciplines, and plans are underway for future collaborations with DesignMeets.
“It has been both exciting and rewarding to learn about the interests of our community members, and very gratifying to see new conversations emerging among the various stakeholders we serve,” says Dr. Noel.
SHOWCASING STUDENT CREATIVITY
Unravelling, which opens Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. in the Ada Slaight Gallery, presents an open-themed showcase of illustrative works created by Illustration program students using the unique Risograph stencil-based printmaking method. Narratives are explored through drawing, mark-making, half-tone textures, and layered shapes.
The exhibition, which closes Oct. 19, has been organized by faculty lead Associate Professor Jody Hewgill and Illustration student curators Jamie Lin and Reeves Melnechuk.
Also on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m., is the opening reception for The Global Postcard Project in the Ada Slaight Gallery. This is an international collaborative drawing project that revisits the postcard as a medium of communication across cultures.
By using techniques like layering, mixing images and trying out different materials, students have combined their personal stories into a shared collage of memories, creating artworks that reflect collaboration and creativity.
Led by Associate Professor Shea Chang, chair of OCAD U’s Illustration program, this is the second Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project between OCAD U, LASALLE College of the Arts and the University of the Arts, Singapore.
The exhibition features work by Illustration and Graphic Design students, including Alexandra Maftei, Amir Nevis, Chenwei (Claire) Sun, Donia Shami, Elizabeth Zolino, Emma Boulanger, Hana Abdelrazik, Ito Palaganas, Isa Pasquali, Jack Conroy, Jayden Rostie, Joshua Reginales, Minjeong Ju, Mads Whelan, Naveena Premananthan, Sanchari Dey and Selina Zheng.
FESTIVAL SIGNATURE EVENT
On Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., the festival presents its signature event, the screening of Design Canada, followed by a post-show talk. This documentary, directed by OCAD U alum Greg Durrell, celebrates the golden era of Canadian graphic design.
The film explores the transformation of Canada from a colonial outpost to a vibrant multicultural society, through the lens of graphic design. Durrell joins the screening for a panel discussion, followed by a Q&A with students, faculty, alums and Toronto’s design community.
ALUM CONNECTIONS
On Oct. 24, features two events for Illustration program alums, beginning with a panel discussion from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Three graduates will share insights from their careers in concept art, mural commissions and editorial projects.
Then, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Illustration Alumni Meet and Greet takes place, providing an informal opportunity for students, alums and faculty to connect and strengthen OCAD U’s design network.
FESTIVAL COINCIDES WITH INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONFERENCES
The festival coincides with two major global gatherings at OCAD U – the RSD14 Symposium and global colloquium, Transforming Birthspace.
From Oct. 15 to 18, global design experts, researchers and academics will attend the Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD14) Symposium, one of the world’s leading events at the intersection of design, innovation, and systems change.
The well-regarded academic forum, hosted by OCAD U and the Systemic Design Association, features workshops, keynote speakers, and an exhibition focusing on the theme of “Arcs of Impact,” exploring how systemic design can address the complex challenges of our time – from climate change and health care to equity, technology and governance.
The RSD14 also included a global virtual gathering from Oct. 3 to 6, RSDX Festival, including the Community (AC)Chords, an online series that amplifies the voices and visions of the systemic design community with more than 20 sessions. From Oct. 8 to 10, there is a series of online presentations and discussions, Paper Talks, featuring 90 peer-reviewed papers.
From Oct. 24 to 27, Transforming Birthspace: A Global Colloquium is bringing together international experts, including architects, designers, midwives and researchers, who will show how design can reshape birth environments and contribute to better health and well-being for women, babies and families.
The five-day colloquium includes the official launch of a new online knowledge resource hub for designers and policymakers and the opening of the exhibition, Transforming Birth through Architecture and Design on Oct. 24 at the Open Space Gallery, 49 McCaul St., from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
FESTIVAL DESIGN AND PLANNING
Associate Professor Michelle Astrug created the festival’s visual identity and co-led the event’s planning with Associate Professor Jody Hewgill.
