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

Presented by Thinking through Craft and the Digital Turn: Writing our Future in partnership with the Craft & Design Studio Residency at Harbourfront Centre, OCAD University and DesignTO Independent Projects

Niklavs Rubenis, Trove, 2016, Sourcing materials, still taken from the short film Crafting Waste by Brett Lamb

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

Thursday, January 29, 2026, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Free Admission | Register on Eventbrite

Join the Craft and the Digital Turn (CDT) team in partnership with 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.

Geoffery Mann, Flight takeoff, Long Exposure series, 2010, kiln cast glass. Photo: Sylvain Deleu

Related Programming

Open Studio: To build from nothing and also from everything – Thinking Through Craft and the Digital Turn
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Room 718, 205 Richmond Street West, Toronto
Free Admission | Register on Eventbrite

In their studio at OCAD University, the Craft and the Digital Turn (CDT) team were bequeathed a pile of 4′ x 8′ left over cardboard—80 sheets to be exact. They were smitten by the possibility of creating new and useful objects from this otherwise disposable material. This was the beginning of their material exploration that led to particle board, moss, metal, foam, fabric, yarn, vinyl, glue, rebar, linen and their interactions with digital tools and methodologies.

Visit their open studio to see the work the CDT team has produced during this 3-year research project exploring the intersections of craft and digitality. The team utilized digital tools such as laser cutters, CNC machines, computer software programs and more, while also investigating tangible handmade processes like hand-knitting, welding, and weaving. Themes of outsourcing, material-informed making, pedagogy, and digital-making will be highlighted. Join the team for conversation and exchange around craft methodology, digital tools, processes, and networks.

Eduardo Garcia, studio shot dancers’ masks, 2025. Photo: L. Heller

About the Artist(s)

Dr. Cynthia Villagomez is a professor at University of Guanajuato, Mexico in the department of Architecture, Art, and Design. Steeped in digital art and methodology, Villagómez will discuss the role of technology in traditional craft processes in Mexico. As a case study, she will present the community initiative Fábrica de Artes y Oficios (FARO). FARO de Oriente is a vibrant community centre located in the heart of Mexico City catering to the needs of the underserved neighbourhood of Ignacio Zaragoza in Iztapalapa. The centre’s mandate encourages skill development, exhibition support, community engagement and social outreach. Craft plays a dynamic role in Mexican culture fostering social engagement and community development and providing the glue for cultural enterprise. FARO is a microcosm of Mexican craft practices.

Geoffrey Mann is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester School of Art, United Kingdom and a practitioner renowned for his hybrid studio practice. Mann’s practice embraces the symbiotic relationship between digital media and physical form. His sustained investigation into the transposition of time has cultivated a body of work that challenges established disciplinary boundaries. Mann will reflect on his twenty-year trajectory engaging with emergent technologies and craft processes. His current research examines the integration of applied technologies within craft-based curricula, positioning AI and VR/AR as collaborative agents within contemporary craft workflows.

Dr. Niklavs Rubenis is a designer, maker, and educator at the University of Tasmania (Australia), where he coordinates the Bachelor of Fine Arts program and leads the Object Design Studio. His work explores how creative practice can respond to issues such as waste and the need for repair—not just of things, but of systems and communities. In this presentation, Niklavs reflects on a pilot project that connects the creative sector with the waste industry. Based in lutruwita/Tasmania, a small island state just south of mainland Australia, he examines local challenges such as low resource recovery rates and socio-economic factors, and how, when paired with craft-based approaches, these issues can spark meaningful conversations, inspire creative responses, and help build stronger communities.

Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

OCAD University
Room 718, 205 Richmond Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 0H4

Accessibility:
Harbourfront Centre is an accessible venue, captioning will be provided. OCAD University is an accessible venue but requires key card access if a larger elevator is required, please contact hello@craftandthedigitalturn.com for more information.

Image Descriptions:
1. Image of someone bent over a large blue recycling bin pulling clear plastic bottles out of it and tossing them on the ground to the right of the image.
2. A large undulating white shape made of glass displayed against a black background.
3. A section of a purple wall covered in colourful masks made in Mexico. Some are humanistic and some mythical with large horns.

These events are 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 and DesignTO.