In this first iteration, a cohort of Emily Carr artists, designers or teams will work with advisors to take the next step in the development and launch of their ideas. Part of Shumka Centre programming, this pilot takes place in collaboration with SPACE – a collaborative and hyper-local interdisciplinary coworking space in East Vancouver aimed to foster new collisions of creativity.

Between May 15 – July 30, 2019, 5 residents will have access to studio space, mentorship, peer support and funding toward the goal of applying projects to real-world contexts, including developing products or services; initiating events, programs, initiatives or festivals; or starting studios, collectives, agencies or non-profits. The 2019 residents are:

Kerem Dogurga is a UX designer with a passion for merging digital and physical spaces to enhance the human experience. Dogurga is interested in taking complex problems and coming up with creative multisensory solutions that combine his various skills in the art and design spectrum, namely creating powerful visuals through storytelling and design thinking. He holds a Bachelor’s of Design from Emily Carr University with a major in Interaction Design and minor in Social Practice and Community Engagement.

Michael Fowler is a Vancouver-based interdisciplinary artist and designer currently immersed in the fields of discursive and speculative design, illustration, sound art, interaction design, and performance. His practice values caretaking, re-imagining our inhabited world(s), and investigating the invisible or overlooked aspects of modern life. He has recently earned a Bachelor’s of Design degree from Emily Carr University with a major in Interaction Design and minor in Social Practice & Community Engagement. Fowler’s work has been shown at SBK, Saarbrücken, Germany, Roheline Saal, Tallinn, Estonia, Tailgate Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, and within the Landmarks 100 exhibition in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Avery Hannig and Stephanie W (ECUAD BFA 2019) are artists of divergent practices who share a background in photography. The two initially collaborated in Orbit XIIV: Maximalism (2017) and have since then been valuable peers and partners in the ideation of each other’s art making. Avery’s background is rooted in documentary photography, journalism and film, and Stephanie’s in curation, editorial and linguistics. Linked through their shared interest in the future of imaging and knowledge production, they hope to build a “community of inquiry” model applied to curatorial practices and art making. 

Reyhaneh Yazdani holds a MArch from the University of Tehran, Iran. Her focus on relationality and interdisciplinary approaches towards art and architecture led her to continue her education in the MFA program at Emily Carr University in 2017. Through her work, research, writing and teaching, Yazdani critiques conventional architectural practices and explores how art and design modifications and interventions can activate change in the built environment. Yazdani’s current works engage with discarded objects, spaces and materials as the site for exploring new meanings and forms. Through the process of remaking and reconstruction, she responds to the stories and creates her own.

About SPACE

SPACE was developed by Patrick Christie in 2015 with the intention of creating a starting point for Emily Carr graduates who want to extend their practice and join a community of interdisciplinary practitioners. It was created to activate and accelerate projects through the design of the physical co-working space, the membership model informed by how people gather, interact and connect on a day-to-day basis, and the focus on developing a strong city-wide network.