What’s the impact of going digital on the way we live, work and learn?
Everywhere we look, digital culture is changing how we engage with each other and the world around us.
From December 2 to January 17, Concordia’s 4TH SPACE is hosting a program called Going Digital? Concordians and community members are converging with digital scholars, researchers and artists to explore the impact of digital worlds on our lived experiences.
Listen, explore and learn
Until December 10, the event series Listen, Learn and Explore engages and animates the Living Archives of Rwandan Exiles and Genocide Survivors in Canada.
The Living Archives project is a digital repository that chronicles the life stories of Montrealers who survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide. It enables researchers and community members to gain new insights from stories, identify patterns, map memories and immerse themselves in new ways of listening to the experiences of survivors.
The project is a collaborative effort of the Association des parents et amis des victimes du génocide contre les Tutsi du Rwanda and Concordia’s Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling.
The event series includes Woven stories. The sound art installation by Montreal-based artist Patil Tchilinguirian and researcher and curator Marie Lavorel is an experiment in listening to sensitive memories and their connectivity to other sounds we hear.
Contribute to Wikidata’s common source open data
Join archivist Rachel Black on December 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn how to use and contribute to Wikidata. The workshop will cover theoretical and practical aspects of working with the open data repository. Don’t forget your laptop and Wikipedia username.
Read and write for Wikipedia
On December 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., take part in a training workshop on reading, writing and adding content to Wikipedia Commons, with Amber Berson, Concordia Library's Wikipedian in residence.
The session will also delve into the ethics of working with content, applying feminist and anti-oppressive methodologies, proper referencing and its five pillars.
Don’t forget your laptop.
Climate clock update with Damon Matthews and David Usher
December 12 at 5 p.m., drop by 4TH SPACE to witness the annual update of the climate clock used to track global warming.
Following the digital projection, take part in a discussion and a question-and-answer period with climate clock co-creators Damon Matthews, professor of Geography, Planning and Environment and David Usher, musician, author and founder of Reimagine AI.
Launched in 2015, the climate clock tracks the rate at which global warming is occurring as the planet approaches a temperature rise of 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels.
The clock is updated every year to reflect the latest data made available by leading climate scientists from about the world.
RSVP to take part in the unveiling and discussion.
Digital learning: from interaction to emotion
From January 6 to 17, Knowledge One and Ubisoft pair up to mount self-guided interactive kiosks that will be available throughout the space.
Visitors can drop by the four unique stations to learn about the digital learning roadmap. The journey guides participants through concepts in creating digital learning experiences that cover creating interactive content, gamification, immersive experiences through virtual reality (VR) and learning by playing.
The Knowledge One team will hold additional discussions on the new digital learning experience on January 14 and 15.
The Ellen Gallery’s Expanding Exhibitions residency
On January 13 from 5 to 7 p.m., residents Gavin Park and Kristina Vannan will present Establishing a Database Connection.
Developed in fall 2019, the project investigates how the digital file database of the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery’s collection can be used beyond the purposes of data preservation and storage.
A VR journey into Notre-Dame de Paris with Ubisoft
From January 14 to 15, experience the cathedral’s historic beauty and architecture in VR with Ubisoft.
Following the April 2019 fire that damaged significant portions of the monument, Ubisoft used their 3D model developed for Assassin’s Creed Unity to create a VR immersive experience of Notre-Dame de Paris.
The VR journey enables visits to the site as if touring it prior to the 2019 fire. The UNESCO headquarters in Paris showcased this experience as part of their European Heritage Days held this September.
The virtual visit comprises 10 scenes around the cathedral, from the altar to the roof, that were damaged by the fire. The tour also provides views that were previously inaccessible to the public.
Learn about Concordia’s ongoing work as digital first and Next-Generation university
On January 9, from 10 a.m. to noon Concordia’s Digital Strategy team will provide the community with an update and progress report on its work advancing a number of transformative projects and initiatives. Register today to attend.
Art and anxiety
Concordia’s Joëlle Dubé, MA student in Art History and 4TH SPACE’s student-in-residence, has developed a collaborative digital art project that investigates the at-times anxiety-producing effect of digital technology.
Dubé’s research explores the increasing anxiety levels experienced surrounding the concept of finitude, whether relating to our planet or our own existence. She investigates the impact of digital media on our anxiety as well as how it can be used to creatively relieve worry.
Throughout the Going Digital? programming, three interactive video artworks will be on display by collaborators and Concordia fine arts graduate students Alexis Bellavance, Kevin Dubeau and Jean-François Robin.
At the close of Dubé’s residency, a collaborative digital artwork will also be on display at 4TH SPACE — stemming from discussions between Dubé and her co-creators (Bellevance, Dubeau, Robin, as well as Maria Castañeda, Patricia Péra and Miri Chekhanovich).
Visit the 4TH SPACE website to learn more.
