Smartwear Revolution eSymposium 2026

University of Alberta

Online Symposium Series
June 10, 15 & 17, 2026
plextex.ca

Smartwear Revolution is a large, co-developed research project led by researchers at the University of Alberta and a team of international researchers, funded by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund – Transformation Stream (NFRF-T) in 2024. The project involves the codesign of smartwear fibres to create intelligent garments that provide assistance for basic trunk support, arm and leg support and movement for activities of daily living, and basic injury prevention for People with Lived Experience (PLEX) of neuromuscular weakness, adults of an older age, caregivers and healthcare workers.

Through the creative research collaborations between technology, textiles, social justice, artists, designers, and PLEX, new smartwear technologies and fibres will be codesigned and shared to the community in a series of symposia, exhibitions, and publications. The creative possibilities of the PLEXTEX smartwear will be shared in two public art and technology festivals in 2028 and 2031, featuring visual art, performance and dance, live dress and fashion design collections, and creative research design presentations that showcase the evolution of the Smartwear Revolution research project to the community at large.

Ahead of launching an open call for arts works and artists in residence for the first festival, we are researching the work of disability arts organisations, and reviewing best practices for accessibility in the arts. We are now sharing this research and seeking community feedback through a series of eSymposia on Artists & Accessibility on June 10, Ecologies of Care on June 15, and Cripping Collaboration on June 17, 2026. Each session will include presentations by the research team and guest speakers, followed by facilitated break out discussions.

Smartwear Revolution. Image: Al Young

Smartwear Revolution Symposium Session 1
Artists & Accessibility

June 10, 2026, 4 – 6pm MT
Register here. Access details will be included in your confirmation email.

How can we create and distribute open calls, artist supports, and opportunities that centre accessibility as a baseline, and not an afterthought?

Presentations by Carly Neis, Brooke Leifso and Aynaz Raoufian, followed by exchanging thoughts and thinking together about what accessibility means to artists.

Smartwear Revolution

Smartwear Revolution Symposium Session 2
Ecologies of Care

June 15, 2026, 4 – 6pm MT
Register here. Access details will be included in your confirmation email.

How can the artistic endeavors of the Smartwear Project contribute to supporting and strengthening existing networks that curate / present / give space & resources to disability arts practices?

Presentations by Nexi Alarcon, Jenn Kowalchuk, Sean Lee and Ginger Carlson, followed by exchanging thoughts and thinking together about how to support and expand an ecosystem of disability arts networks.

Smartwear Revolution

Smartwear Revolution Symposium Session 3
Cripping Collaboration

June 17, 2026, 12 – 2pm MT
Register here. Access details will be included in your confirmation email.

How can we invite, embody, and sustain modes of collaboration that truly support extraordinary ways of thinking and making?

Presentations by Carla Rice, Claudia Alick and Louise Hickman, followed by exchanging thoughts and thinking together about how to support and expand an ecosystem of disability arts networks.

PLEXTEX: Smartwear Revolution Research Project
University of Alberta
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Department of Medicine 5-005B Katz Group Centre
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1 Canada
(780) 492-8991
plextex@ualberta.ca

Instagram @PLEXTEX
LinkedIn @PLEXTEX

Accessibility
Smartwear Revolution Symposium 2026 is a series of three virtual events with captions and ASL descriptions available. For additional accessibility information please contact: plextex@ualberta.ca

Image Descriptions
1. An event poster with a colourful artwork by Al Young in the background, referencing blue, green, and yellow textiles.
2. An event poster with a blue background, with an illustrated figure that references a mushroom.
3. An event poster with a collage background, featuring images that appear to be sourced from a magazine with including imagery of medical devices, plants and flowers, and architectural features.