On March 31, Milieux Institute celebrated its one year anniversary and we have been busy! In celebration, we’ve taken a look back at some of the research clusters’ most memorable talks, workshops, projects, symposiums, and exhibitions.The Community & Differential Mobilities research cluster works to build communities around democratic innovations and processes, such as accessible spaces and sustainability.
On August 25th 2016, the cluster, under the Aging + Communication + Technologies (ACT) research project, held Age 3.0: The Creative Ageing Fair. The one-day interdisciplinary event brought together panel discussions from researchers working in the field of ageing studies; community art interventions created by senior organizations; and kiosks hosted by companies and research groups working to bring ageing to the forefront of public, commercial and academic discourses. Over 1,000 people were in attendance. A second Age 3.0 will take place this August.
That same month, ACT co-organized the Open Living Lab Days with community partner Communautique. The event brought hundreds of researchers, practitioners and other experts of living lab and co-creative methodologies to Montreal. We also launched the interview series “co-creating conversations,” which features several Milieux researchers reflecting on collaborative work, inclusion in research and intergenerationality.
Finally, ACT is wrapping up a project called Foodtalks, conducted in collaboration with our community partner RECAA (Respecting Elders: Communities Against Abuse). This project draws on the idea of food as a medium to consider political issues at the intersections of ageing, culture and intergenerationality.
Last May, we hosted the first Inviting Movements: Emerging Critical Disability & Deaf Perspectives and Practices symposium at Concordia University. A cluster initiative, the symposium was an invitation for members of our communities to share differing perspectives and practices in the hopes of enabling our communities to “move together.” Attendees shared their critical perspectives within disability, Deaf, neurodiversity, mad, illness, crip, and other social justice movements, to discuss ideas of disability, art, and movement.
In November, our cluster held Making Things and Making Things Private as part of Media Literacy Week across Canada and in collaboration with LEARN Québec. The event comprised a mini-maker fair for participants to explore themes like electronic circuits, robotics and and LEDs; a digital fabrication showcase displaying various “maker culture” projects; and, the official launch of “Define Privacy” an interactive documentary that explores how youth define and understand privacy in their lives.
We recently launched the 5a7 Maker Jam workshops to foster a collaborative and inclusive learning experience. The Jams are meant as dynamic and informal get-togethers for tinkerers to make their own tools and devices. Participants are encouraged to further explore and learn maker culture.
Text by Elise Cotter, Tristan Matheson, Luciano Frizzera, and Constance Lafontaine
