The CCF/FCMA is continuing to roll out digital presentations from our 10 Digit Technology; Understanding Virtual & Material Realities conference, sharing the insight, vision and expertise of craft, art, gaming, storytelling and design leaders from across the country. Recorded at the Remai Gallery in Saskatoon on March 7th, 2020, these talks explore how tactile culture and digital culture collide.

Two new releases from the speaker series are available now, including the #10digittech keynote speaker, Raphael van Lierop, the Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Hinterland Games. In his talk, Raphael discusses building the company, and their most popular game, The Long Dark. When designing for a sense of immersion in game environments, he sees the language of physical craft blend together with the language of game development – a discipline that borrows heavily from the material arts, despite its digital format. Raphael touches on why crafting is a powerful in-game loop, why he focuses on game engagement and motivation through skills mastery, and how Hinterland connects with their players and community both online and in real life.

Next, we are proud to share our third presentation in the speaker series, a frank and entertaining talk from renowned ceramic artist, Carole Epp. In her presentation, Carole discusses the development, as well as the struggles, of Make & Do (a virtual collective of Canadian ceramic artists), and what it takes to build a resource like this online. Focusing in particular on the process of building this directory, Carole discusses the need for inclusivity and accessibility, tips and techniques for marketing and social media best practices, the value and pitfalls of volunteer led projects, and the barrier created by membership fee structures. Don’t miss out on her open candour and expertise.

And just in case you missed it, the first segment of our speaker series was released two weeks ago, with Michael Peterson’s presentation on the Shared Spaces Saskatchewan program, a University of Saskatchewan research project on how augmented reality can connect artists and communities throughout the province. In this talk, Michael discusses the process of shifting focus from the university galleries as a singular physical space, to one that supports galleries, artists, and organizations throughout the province. The study’s focus on building relationships, developing opportunities for cross-disciplinary action, and a greater inclusion of Indigenous perspectives brings together a project team of artists, curators, and archaeologists, with those in human computer interactions, computer science, and library sciences. Michael discusses sharing knowledge and taking a design approach to discover how can we start to create new opportunities to support artists across geographic and disciplinary divides.

There are many more presentations to come, so follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get the full slate of #10digittech talks over the coming weeks.

Thank you to our many partners who made the sharing of these videos possible, including the Saskatchewan Craft Council (SCC), University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collection and the Remai Modern, and with support from our sponsors; the City of Saskatoon, Hiebert’s Hot Shop, Sakewewak Artists Collective Inc., Vistek and the Canada Council for the Arts.