DIGM5010 Introductions
Please insert 2-4 slides to introduce yourself
Graham Wakefield
Born in UK in pre-internet times. In an information void, hacked tape loops and thrift store music tech & Amiga computers. Lived in Chile, USA, S. Korea, now Canada. BA Philosophy, MMus Composition, PhD Media Arts & Technology.
Art practice for last decade with Haru Ji (OCAD U): Artificial Nature.
Co-wrote Gen for Max/MSP, co-wrote software & projects in AlloSphere.
At York: I direct the Alice Lab (keywords: artificial life/AI, VR/XR, creative/live coding). I’m part of Sensorium, VISTA/CVR, CAIS/Connected Minds, and lots of grad programs.
https://ampd.yorku.ca/profile/graham-wakefield/
Artificial Nature
Humans have always looked to nature for inspiration. As artists, we have done so in creating a family of “artificial natures”: interactive art installations surrounding humans with biologically-inspired complex systems experienced in immersive mixed reality. The invitation is to become part of an alien ecosystem rich in networks of complex feedback, but not as its central subject. Although artificial natures are computational, we draw our inspiration from the sense of open-ended continuation and the aesthetic integration of playful wonder with the tension of the unfamiliar recalled from childhood explorations in nature. By giving life to mixed reality we’re anticipating futures inevitably saturated in interconnected computational media. However we believe computation is not intrinsically utilitarian, nor in opposition to nature; we see it instead as a material means to plunge even more deeply into what nature is, and find our place within it. Artificial Nature springs from an inherent curiosity and aesthetic survival instinct to narrate alternate worlds in superposition to us, as a reminder that although the imaginable is greater than the known, the real is greater and weirder still.
Gen~ & audio signal processing
10 years after gen~ launched, co-authored a textbook. ��Generating Sound & Organizing Time is about the astonishing things you can do—and the insights you can find—when you work at the atomic sample-by-sample structure of digital audio.
Whether you are a musician, sound designer, composer, or an experimentalist interested in creating music and tools to generate and modulate audio, our aim is to reveal how working at the sample level is not only easier to reason about, but also far more open to demystify and unleash the immense possibilities of digital audio signal processing.
To do this we use gen~, which lets us work directly at the sample level through visual patching (or by coding if you prefer) and hear results immediately after every edit. That means you can crack open the algorithms of oscillators, filters, audio effects and so on that are inaccessibly black-boxed in most music software, and explore your own variations through experimentation and hybridization.
This book is also about developing useful things to think with: design patterns, techniques and subcircuits to help you bring new musical signal processes to life. Starting from the simplest beginnings we’ll see how very many seemingly unrelated synthesis and sound processing algorithms come down to a pretty small number of common circuits and patterns reapplied in a few different ways
Graham Wakefield
Current/future research questions:
Alice Lab
The Alice Lab supports unique and forward-thinking research, software, art, and training toward collaborative human-machine creativity within immersive media including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Its program of interdisciplinary research-creation applies a deep commitment to the open-endedness of computation—as an art material—toward technologies of artificial intelligence within immersive mixed reality. Keywords: Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Generative Art, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life, Movement and Computing
John Gzowski - PhD but came through music
johngzowski.com
Also old enough to be born before internet, first computer was a commodore 64. 64k of memory. Kind of like me.
Musician/composer/sound designer by trade. Mostly in theatre and dance, with some concert work. A few hundred shows, 8 Dora’s, this year at Stratford, Shaw, NYC City Centre, Lincoln Centre, National Ballet and a few others. Shows like this one, Macbeth @ Stratford dir Robert Lepage
John Gzowski
Started as a guitar player but kept getting distracted by interesting things like oud, Indian music, microtonal music, instrument building.
Got interested in the neuroscience Predictive Mind working at the LiveLAB @ Mcmaster on this show:
(with motion capture, spectral piano, sound to laser, EEG, EKG and 3d LED cube controlled by motion, sound spatialization)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkjgrGxyLAQ
A masters in music composition started a process but didn’t answer all questions so am here.
Presently interested trying to figure out what predictive processing tells us about art and creativity and how that differs from what AI created works show us.
Also interested in how we define sentience and intelligence, sonification of data and whether there is a safe bike route to York.
Came into this as a guitar player so still think analog, like this guitar to laser analog bit
Jingwen Zhang (Catherine) - MA
Digital illustrator, Product designer, Art educator
From China, Graduated from OCAD illustration design & sheridan college digital product design. My digital art work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and has received multiple illustration awards.
My work is usually about exploring the connection between visual design, technology, and human emotions anxiety and promoting China's Intangible Cultural Heritage.
“AviEco Haven” is a revolutionary service designed to address the extreme climate challenges posed by global warming, particularly for birds living in hot environments. I personally capitalized on the psychological healing that birds' songs bring to people by designing a healing space that can help reduce anxiety for busy people in the city.
“Recording”: This illustration looks at present society from the perspective of the future and shows its problems in the form of a mural. It uses the perspective of chinese traditional mural to discuss social issues and warn the viewer of what to expect.
Why Digital Media
Jingwen Zhang(Catherine) - MA
Because painting requires both time and financial resources, I chose to work in UI/UX to ease my economic pressure. After one year in that field, drama office and workplace politics cause my severe anxiety to return. At the same time my dog became gravely ill because of my carelessness. While caring for my dog, I began to reflect deeply and realized that this was not the life I truly wanted. I regretted and this remind me again about my anxiety after my first dog and cat. I felt guilty and wished them can show in my life again. It took me a long time to get better.
At that moment, I returned to the subjects I had always been most passionate about—digital media, sounds, visual art, and healing. I realized my knowledge in these areas was still not enough, and I hope to have the opportunity to study and research these topics in greater depth.
Currently
I am currently focusing on using digital media to transform personal loss into guided healing. As for a pre anxiety patient, I wish more and more people will not be in this situation after personal loss. More people can breathe a little easier after goodbye.
Xingbang Tang
Why Digital Media
Tech geek
My Experience
I was primarily responsible for the technical aspects of the project, but I was very glad to collaborate with many artists.
Current Focus
Ian Hayward - MSc Digital Media
Experience and Master’s Work (Ian)
Experience
Master’s Work
I don’t really know! Since I’m in MSc, I already have my supervisor and know I will probably work on something that has to do with security and privacy education through games as a medium, but I’m not yet sure what direction I want to go with my research project.
End of my section
Gianluca Sabatini - MA Digital Media
After four years of the Digital Media undergrad, I decided I needed to further my education and knowledge of modern digital industries, hence my presence in this program.
I hope to have a future in the video games industry, whether through development or journalism, and I hope my time doing research propels me to this goal.
In addition to my extensive knowledge of the game development, I also have experience in film and video production. As of right now, I am currently working for the production studio Maison Film as part of an internship, creating videos and edits for their social media pages.
My Works (Gianluca)
For the past year, I have been steadily developing a video game. The title is a cutesy retro-styled pinball game with a sizable number of tables, and even simultaneous multiplayer modes. Production has been going well, but I still need to determine the final scope of the project and how it will be released.
I hope I have fruitful updates to bring to you all in the coming months.
https://codepen.io/jingwencat/pen/ZYQzwjJ
TODAY: https://codepen.io/grrrwaaa/pen/myVdEZR
Kesha Upadhyay - MA
Graphic Designer, Interdisciplinary Designer
From Toronto, Kesha Upadhyay recently graduated from York University’s Bachelor of Design Honours program in June 2024. Kesha’s work is primarily interdisciplinary, ranging from illustration and graphic design to package design.
Kesha’s work explores culture, nature, and diversity of topics catering to her artistic interests. Check out her portfolio links to explore her diverse works (refer to bottom right).
Mindful Space Is a package design project focusing on mindfulness and meditation. Created in the Fabrication Lab (Fab Lab) at Dahdaleh Building, York University. This project uses laser cutting to achieve the intricate design on the front, and Pacdora online tool for dieline prototype.
Mindful Space was professionally photographed in the Photography Studio at Dahdaleh Building, York University.
View full Virtual AMPD
Tour here:
Kesha Upadhyay - MA
Experience | Location | Duties |
Graduate Assistant (Sept 2025 - present) | York University, Faculty of Graduate Studies | CUPE 3903 Unit 3 Collective Agreement • Develop, design, and manage promotional social media material for the Department of Visual Arts & Art History and Computational Arts |
Junior Graphic Designer (March 2025) | GAM Creative Marketing | • Created new content daily to be published on Walmart Photo Centre website, and Etsy listings for GAM Creative |
Website & Social Media Assistant (Sept 2023 - April 2024) | York University, Student Recruitment & Admissions | • Researched existing trends and best practices, reviewed and improved website functionality, and assisted with creation of marketing and digital advertising materials |
Graphic Design Intern (May 2023) | Postalgia | • Created new content daily to be published on the website and social media pages |
Graphic Design & Multimedia Assistant (May 2021 - August 2023) | York University, Communications & Marketing | • Help support the creation of still and multimedia resources through social media and print creations for on-campus events |
Kesha Upadhyay - MA
Research Interests
1. Interactive Digital Archive: “Voices of the South Asian Diaspora”
2. Augmented Reality Rangoli/Mandala Installation
3. Projection Mapping: South Asian Architectural Storytelling
Khushi Jetley - MA
Interdisciplinary Artist, Designer and Curator
Portfolio: khushijetley.format.com
Artist CV: https://shorturl.at/r9hj8
My name is Khushi Jetley, an interdisciplinary artist trained at OCAD University. My practice explores identity, diaspora, and decoloniality by bridging traditional and contemporary art while challenging Western art world constructs. Through this work, I aim to amplify diverse voices, disrupt dominant narratives, and create space for more inclusive artistic dialogue.
Divine Within, 2024: Thesis at OCAD
Divine Within is a culmination of my four-year journey at OCAD, exploring cultural identity, feminine power, and self-discovery through art that bridges tradition and contemporary expression.
Catharsis, 2023
Catharsis is an art project that reflects my transformative journey as an Artist in Residence in Trinidad and Tobago, celebrating cultural resilience, community, and the power of shared identity.