Dr Rebecca Caines

I believe in interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative creation, critical thought, and community connection. In these things I find hope.

MultiPLAY: Digital community-engagement with Canadian improvisers (2019-2022)

Lead Artist: Rebecca Caines (with a national team)

This socially-engaged, digital strategies art project uses digital tools to connect isolated regional Canadian sonic, performance and new media artists, who all use improvisation in their work, with each other and with the public; and finds new digital means to support ongoing ethical artist and community collaborations in improvised arts practice. Caines is the lead artist, working with a team of artists, researchers, community and art organizations, community collaborators, and youth artists from across Canada .This 3 -year project, funded by a major grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, includes workshops, talks, demos and events in four provinces, a significant digital presence in online and social media, a variety of public workshops and events, including an artist-run hackathon, and the training and resourcing of a number of partners in digital approaches for creative/social innovation. Digital strategies such as live streaming panoramic video of artist talks at galleries, and artists in their studio/workshops, artist participation in public hackathon style events, expanded digital radio and innovative use of social media, digitally enhanced public events using VR, facial recognition and participatory physical computing, and the utilization of innovative digital training projects for community organization staff and community members, will allow for brand new kinds of access and exchange between artists and the wider public. Together these artists and their partners hope to celebrate the work of Canadian improvisers, and find new ways to collaborate with and benefit Canadian communities through participatory and public art making. Each artist is producing their own body of connected work, as well as participating in public and group activities.

See our website at: multiplay.ca