Touch Designer Meetup: MediaPipe Workshop
06/03/2025
This week we kicked off our new cultural incubator program Sourdough. The beta version of the program includes three participants all developing new projects for their creative communities. They will meet together on a weekly basis for mentorship and workshops from leading artists and cultural producers from around the world.
Learn more about the program and the participants at sourdough.art
Jennifer A. Quintanilla
Jennifer A. Quintanilla (she/her) is a Salvadoran-American New York native who has been calling Canada her home over the past few years. She holds an M.A. in Film and Media Studies from Concordia University.
In addition, she recently earned an Arts in Medicine Graduate Certificate from the University of Florida. Her experience there led her down the path of developing a creative wellness initiative. Her project centres on how film can serve as an outlet and tool to unearth possible solutions for mental and emotional health & well-being.
Abdul Muse/KAR33M
Abdul Muse (he/him) is an award-winning entrepreneur and singer/songwriter. He is the founder of Woke Studios; an artistic residency for Afro-diverse emerging artists to find support for their debut work.
As an award-winning Afro-soul artist famously known as KAR33M, he creates narrative-style music to provide a unique perspective into the African diaspora. His project focuses on how to build alternative blueprints for success for afro-diverse genre artists within the music industry, while uncovering resources to guide their path.
Mikayla Gordon/Seiiizi
Mikayla Gordon (she/her) was born and raised in Ottawa. Her artist name is Seiiizi. She became a self taught Emcee, DJ and Producer with artistic roots in Hip-Hop and reggae. Since 2015, Mikayla/Seiiizi has been creating spaces for creatives to learn and showcase their talents. Seiiizi strives to build the urban arts community, while fusing her own unique twists on tracks and mixes.
Her project focuses on supporting multimedia immersive showcases of emerging artists in the Ottawa region, while connecting them with new audiences.
Artengine GroupChat: Game Night
Join us for a special edition of GroupChat where we explore the world of gaming. In this interactive event, we’ll not only play a variety of games but also dive into a thought-provoking discussion on how gaming can inspire and be applied to artistic practice.
Gaming has become one of the most important cultural spaces today and for this group chat we have specially selected games for artists to try out. Wethere you are brand new to gaming or an experienced gamer you will be interested.
Whether you’re a passionate gamer or simply curious about the creative potential of games, this is a space for you to connect with like-minded people and explore the intersection of tech, gaming and art.
In our new Group Chat Format, we will play games and then have a discussion about those games and what does it mean for the art world.
Play and explore video games
Participate in a group discussion on the influence of gaming
Network with fellow artists and gaming enthusiasts
Snacks provided!
Web-Based Augmented Reality for Artists
Workshop by Valérie Chartrand
Duration: 2 hours
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.
The blank page can be intimidating, whether it’s the start of an email, an artist statement, a novel or a newsletter. Imagination in our use of language is a skill and a resource, and is more valuable than ever in an age of chatbots and large language models. This workshop with University of Ottawa Writer-in-Residence Kate Heartfield will help participants spark new ideas and open up connections between them. Using prompts and play, participants will generate short pieces of creative writing. Participants will come away from the workshop inspired to write, with increased confidence in their own creativity and skills. Open to writers of all levels and genres, and to anyone who uses the written word in their work.
Kate Heartfield is a writer of novels including the Sunday Times and Globe and Mail bestseller The Embroidered Book, as well as dozens of short stories, novellas and interactive fiction. She usually includes speculative or fantastic elements in her work. Kate is a former journalist and a longtime teacher of creative writing and non-fiction. She has won the Aurora Award for Best Novel three times, and her work has been shortlisted for the Ottawa Book Award, the National Newspaper Award and the Nebula Award.