Digifest Wishes OCAD U a Happy 135th Birthday!

This autumn marks the 135th anniversary of OCAD University. Throughout its 135 years, OCAD University has been a city builder, whether through the creation of the Grange at the north end of Grange Park that was designed by George Reid to be the first building in Canada for the sole purpose of art education, or the Sharp Centre for Design created by British architect Will Alsop which has become a symbol of the combined power of art and design, OCAD University and the City of Toronto.

Who would have thought that when it opened its doors in 1876 that the Ontario School of Art, located at 14 King Street West and home to 25 students, would become OCAD University with more than 4,000 students, hailing from 50 different countries, in a mixture of undergraduate and boutique graduate programs. In recognition of this evolving mission, OCAD University adopted the moniker “University of Imagination”. We encapsulate the vibrant passion and energy that have resounded in the school’s studios, classrooms and laboratories bursting with fearless and well-founded ideas and a solid foundation in critical thinking.

From all the Digifest team – Happy Birthday OCAD University!

Siobhan O’Flynn

Siobhan O’Flynn teaches in the Canadian Studies Program at University of Toronto and at the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab. Her teaching focuses on how artistic works and practices across media engage with political, social and cultural concerns. Her academic research examines the function, design, and experience of narrative in interactive environments, with a particular emphasis on transmedia/crossmedia design; foresighting emergent trends in digital storytelling and entertainment in a Web 2.0/3.0 world; and pyschogeographic practices across media. Her schedule for Fall 2011 talks includes presentations at The StoryWorld Conference and Expo, San Francisco, Digifest, WIFT’s International Women in Digital Media Summit, The McLuhan 100 Conference, and the Sheffield Doc/Fest & Crossover Lab Convergence Catalyst Summit in Wales. She is currently engaged in a two-year research/data visualization project, funded by SSHRC, on Nuit Blanche and Transformational Publics with her collaborator, Faisal Anwar.

Siobhan will be talking about: Digital Narratives & Documentaries