Art and Science Fiction Residency

October 16th 7:30pm @artengine

Register for a free spot
Join artist Laura Taler and host Zainab Muse for a conversation ‘behind the scenes’ of the creation process for MONAHAN. Find out how this unique generative artwork delivers millions of variations, resulting in a permanent public artwork that always changes. Hear about the process of engaging with over 30 contributors, from musicians, to poets, to scientists. Listen to why MONAHAN can provide meaningful shifts in the way we engage with nature, and each other. Ask your questions and join our discussion.
MONAHAN is a national award-winning permanent public art piece in Ottawa’s Kanata South. It was commissioned by the City of Ottawa’s Public Art Program as part of the City’s per cent for art policy.
Laura Taler is a Romanian-born, award-winning artist, filmmaker, choreographer, and performer with a 30-year career in collaborative art practices. Her experience with public art ranges from large-scale performance works, to projections and screen-based works, to permanent installations. She skillfully integrates mediums, pushes boundaries, and uses technology simply and innovatively. Since the beginning of her career Laura has worked collaboratively as the director of a team of artists and technicians. She provides a clear vision to the team gathered around each project and guides that vision with precision and flexibility.

Web-Based Augmented Reality for Artists

Workshop by Valérie Chartrand

Duration: 2 hours
Reserve your spot HERE (limited capacity)

Description: This workshop is designed for artists interested in exploring the world of web-based augmented reality (AR). You’ll learn how to create interactive AR experiences that are free, open-source, and accessible through a web browser—no need for users to download an app. With just a few lines of simple HTML code, you’ll be able to bring your drawings to life through AR, all without any prior programming experience.

Participants will be guided step-by-step to create their own AR triggers, using a combination of traditional drawing techniques and digital tools. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have the skills to design and share your own web-based AR experiences, with endless creative possibilities to explore.

What to Bring:

A smartphone (no computer required).
Drawing supplies (basic materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own).

Maximum of 10 participants.

Image: Valérie Chartrand. Cyclical Emergence. 2020. Photo credit: Derek Bruekner.

Valérie Chartrand’s practice focuses on the loss of biodiversity and reduction in insect populations due to climate change and human interference in insect life cycles. She primarily chooses imprint techniques, using found insects and non-toxic materials. She has been weaving in open source augmented reality in her work since 2017 to attempt to bring arthropods to life on a different scale and to reveal the presence of nonhumans that often goes unnoticed in our environment. 

The workshop is offered as part of Valérie Chartrand’s artist residencies at the Kharouba Lab and Artengine in 2024, through which her work explores the intricate relationships between monarch butterflies and their environment.