Piece: Swiss Army Knife (20:1)

Medium: Cardboard, Acrylic, MDF Year of creation: 2017 & 2023

Dimensions: need to measure

Swiss Army Knife, 20:1 is a moveable cardboard model scaled exactly 20 times larger than its 2.2” predecessor. The original steel and translucent plastic components are represented through a composition of laminate, skin, and skeleton cardboard forms playfully utilizing the textural range of cardboard. The knife’s scale recontextualizes the handy tool into semblances of a useless floatation device, or an unwieldy sword. The original cardboard model was shown in the artist’s first year of art school. Seven years and two program transfers later, the cardboard keyring was replaced with an acrylic and MDF support, speaking to the artist’s material preference in creating models from art, to architecture, to design school. Artist Bio: Michelle Wong (they/she) is multi-disciplinary creative with an emphasis on experience across various platforms and media. Navigating their way across service, UI, environmental, and exhibition design, Michelle's work addresses the intersections of human interaction and historical precedence via iterative design and critical dissertations. Working with SAID in the previous academic year as a founding member and president, Michelle is participating in this collaborative show at Central Gallery as both an exhibitor and co-curator. Drop by the gallery and say hi!

Piece: Mohr-e-Mehr (Seal of Melancholy)

Medium: Mixed Media on Mirror mounted on hard board and lumbers

Year of creation: 2021-2022

Dimensions: 72 by 72 by 2.5 inches

I researched internally from my body and soul as an Iranian female artist. I ask myself, how am I being affected by what I am experiencing as an artist far from my homeland? What distortion is happening within my psychological narratives? How could my beliefs, and my background empower me to overcome internal conflicts happening within me? Mirrors play a symbolic narrative in my work that conveys the repetitive division of pain and distortion within me with infinity reflections. Also, it interacts with audiences from other parts of the world, feeling themselves in space and making a connection to it, because social-political issues are not limited to a specific geographical area or to a specific time in history. Patterns echo my cultural narratives that question and situate my identity in Canada. Along with floral patterns inspired by Persian rugs, mirrors, and bluish shades of colors are inspired by Islamic classic Persian architecture. The calligraphy of Farsi poems conveys my mystical point of view, coming from the mystical Sufism beliefs that empower me in crucial situations in life. Artist Bio: Raha Fard is an Iranian-Canadian artist, based in GTA, Canada. She is currently studying MFA, IAMD at OCAD U, where she had her BFA too. Also, she has a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Engineering, and 15 years of experience before coming to OCAD University. She works in multiple disciplines such as drawing and painting, installation, digital art, and making short films. Investigating her own identity as a member of the Iranian diaspora, her works are rooted in classic Persian architecture, its traditional motifs, and Persian poetry, focusing on cultural and mystical themes that help her explore and define her identity. Her works also highly engage with critical perspectives related to social and political issues happening in the world. She has participated in several group exhibitions in Iran, Canada, Italy, and Korea. OCAD U President’s Award, Patricia Joy Alpert Memorial Award, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and Scarborough Arts' 36th Annual Juried Exhibition Staff Pick Award for Visual Art are some of the awards she has won.

Piece: SKETCH THIS!

Medium: Zine printed on Risograph

Year of creation: 2021

Dimensions: 8.5 by 11 inches

Sketch This! is a printed magazine/publication, created in the winter of 2021, centring around the culture and diversity of the diverse student body at OCAD U. The magazine’s production was focused on providing a platform for student works, thoughts and processes across all faculties of OCAD U. The publication celebrates students’ resilience and allowed them to express their ideas and work throughout a time of separation and isolation. Artist Bio: Trae Gallemit-Fraser is a multidisciplinary designer of the Filipino diaspora operating in Toronto, and studying industrial design at OCAD U, with roots in Ottawa, ON. His work spans from 3D modelling, digital video collaging, and graphic design to physical objects, projection mapping and printmaking.

Piece: Angela Rose Guitar

Medium: Epoxy resin, flowers, maple, rosewood

Year of creation: 2023

Dimensions: 12.25 by 38.5 inches

The Angela Rose Guitar is a uniquely designed and visually striking electric guitar. Crafted from resin, the guitar features intricately embedded flowers suspended within its transparent body. It is not only a work of art with its captivating appearance, but it is also a fully functional instrument that produces an excellent tone. The Angela Rose Guitar is a testament to the creativity and innovation that can be achieved in guitar design, and it has garnered widespread admiration from millions around the globe through social media. Artist Bio: Allysha Vigneux is a fourth year Industrial Design student at OCAD University minoring in Furniture Design. Allysha's designs are a unique blend of form and function, with a focus on creating pieces that are both visually stunning and practical. Her specialty lies in designing and building custom furniture and guitars, using her trained ear for sound and her eye for design to create one-of-a-kind pieces. She has over a decade of experience as a guitarist and has earned several honors certificates in classical guitar and music theory from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Whether she's in the woodshop or on stage, Allysha's passion for design, woodworking, and music is evident in all that she does and she hopes to continue with her journey of pushing the boundaries of what's possible in guitar design.

Work 1

Piece: Hand crafted shoes and Skateboard graphic

Medium: Shoes: Cow hide leather, pig suede, urethane rubber, EVA foam, cotton, nylon, elastic, polyester. Skateboard: Canadian hard rock maple veneer, heat transfer PET film

Year of creation: 2022

Dimensions: 11 by 10 by 4 inches

Hand crafted shoes that explore the past and the present by utilizing traditional crafting techniques and applying them to a modern form.

Work 2

Piece: Programmed

Medium: Canadian hard rock maple veneer, heat transfer PET film

Year of creation: 2021

Dimensions: 32 by 8.25 inches

A graphic exploring the programmability of human perception. Artist Bio: Ryan Carney, born in 1994, is a passionate industrial designer who is currently in his final year at OCAD University. With a background in product design and manufacturing, Ryan has developed an understanding of manufacturing processes and the importance of designing products that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Over the years, Ryan has developed a keen interest in designing systems and artifacts that facilitate human behaviors and experiences. He is motivated by a desire to create solutions that are efficient, holistic, and inclusive. Ryan is particularly passionate about tackling problems that range from human-centered to climate change issues. As an industrial designer, Ryan has honed his skills in data-centric human-centered design, product strategy, systems thinking, and prototyping. Ryan is well-versed in a variety of materials and technologies and is always looking for ways to push his skills and explore new ideas.

Piece: Chinatown Mall Project

Medium: Acrylic on unstretched canvas

Year of creation: 2020

Dimensions: 16 by 56 inches

Chinatown Mall Project features 3 longtime shop owners in the Chinatown Centre mall who were kind enough to pose for these paintings. This piece was created at a time when I was working at a community space inside the mall, and it was made in an attempt to create connections and provide brightly-coloured windows into the ecosystem that exists within a space that is often forgotten or discounted. In this way it echoes Chinatown’s relationship to gentrification beyond the mall. The work is made into a hanging scroll format so it could travel easily and change hands. I didn’t want to simply extract content from the community, the work belongs here in the mall. I always want this work to be displayed along side snacks and a place to sit down. I hope it invites you to have a rest and share a snack. Artist Bio: Christie Jia Wen Carrière (she/her)—or Chris—is a visual artist, illustrator, and graphic design student based in Toronto/Tkaronto. Her work centres around communication, connection, relationships, and often the lack of them, using her art to explore both the community around her as well as her own inner worlds. Outside her art and design practice, her work focuses around community organizing and arts and cultural programming in an effort to help create much needed spaces for us to exist within our overly commodified city.