Upcoming Programming
Past Programming
Library of Infinities TV Screening + Artist Talk
On December 8th, 2022 from 5pm - 8pm, we have a special evening lined up to celebrate the launch of Library of Infinities TV - a web series that showcases the work of emerging Black storytellers in Canada. The series, directed by Ayo Tsalithaba and inspired by 90s public access tv, follows Canadian artists and writers such as Omi Rodney and Kais Padamshi from the anthology Griot: Six Writers Sojourn into the Dark, multidisciplinary artist and poet Assiyah-Jamilah Touré, and selector Sahra Soudi in the vibrant world of the Library of Infinities.
The evening will include a Library of Infinities Submission Station for guests to submit IRL to the digital archive of afro-diasporic literary work, a screening, and artist talk with the Artist and Creative Director of the Library of Infinities Shaya Ishaq and Director Ayo Tsalithaba.
The artist talk and screening will be moderated by adé abegunde from local.global.
Library of Infinities at Printed Matter Art Book Fair 2022
For the launch of Library of Infinities at Printed Matter, two limited edition series of works designed with Shaya’s creative direction will be released. A collaboration with multidisciplinary artist G L O W Z I that celebrates the launch of the Library of Infinities as a digital platform will be showcased. Additionally, a series of posters and tote bags designed by Simon Guibord will also be available. These memorabilia celebrate the humble beginnings of the project and exhibition that took place at SAW, an artist-run center in Ottawa, during the summer of 2021.
Infinite Vibes: Intro DJ Workshop facilitated by Pass the Vibes
Pass the Vibes is a grassroots arts collective aimed at fostering an inclusive and accessible ecosystem of QTBIPOC and other BIPOC creatives in Ottawa. Celeste Alcena and Mars Ramlogs, founding members of PTV, co-facilitated a workshop that covered historical, technical and practical aspects of DJing the weekend of September 11th in the Library of Infinities. Participants got the chance to have hands-on practice with both DDJ and CDJ controllers.
This workshop took place as part of Pique, a new forward-thinking, artist-driven quarterly event series featuring eclectic musical, visual and multimedia artists produced by Debaser. Debaser is one of Ottawa’s leading independent and underground music presenters, best known for its experimental music curation and inclusive events. Shaya was an invited curator of this season’s round of Pique.
Produced by Youth x Library of Infinities
Produced by Youth is a grassroots organization that leads music production workshops for black youth in Ottawa. They are dedicated to creating safe(r) spaces where youth can explore their creativity, be empowered, and build confidence. During the exhibition period of the Library of Infinities, Shaya teamed up with the founders (Tafari, Lealem, and Samuel) to facilitate a sample based music production workshop that fit into their curriculum. We used the vinyl library as a starting point to select records and make samples using midi controllers as well as the SP-404.
SENSING: A workshop facilitated by francesca ekwuyasi and Shaya Ishaq
SENSING was a dynamic creative writing workshop presented as part of the exhibition Library of Infinities. Participants were invited to explore the exhibition and other prompts through ekphrastic practice to engage our various senses. As part of this offering, an original syllabus was developed that can be found on our resources page.