Hello, all! We have some wonderful news to share with all Hand Eye Society members as well as the Toronto games community– Em Lazer-Walker and Daniele Hopkins are our latest nominees for our Board of Directors! We invite all active HES Members to attend this week’s AGM to meet the Board and vote in the nominees.

We have a lot of announcements to make about changes to the org in the coming years, including a new Executive Director, so please don’t forget to RSVP to the Annual General Meeting that is happening this Saturday on August 15th! Links and instructions to the new Hand Eye Society Discord will be sent to those who RSVP before the date. The first half is open to the public while the second half is for active Membership only, but you can still hang out and chat with whoever else is in the server that day.

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Now, please allow them to introduce themselves!

Hi! My name’s Emilia (she/her or they/them). I’m a Toronto-based artist/engineer and a games/XR cloud advocate at Microsoft.

As an installation artist and game designer, most of my work focuses on using nontraditional interfaces to reframe everyday objects and spaces as playful experiences and to inspire people to become self-motivated learners. I’ve built projects as far-flung as a site-specific generative poetry walk, a game played on 19th century telegraph hardware, and a commercial board game that uses Amazon Alexa. In the past, I’ve been the co-founder of a VC-funded games hardware platform, worked on commercial mobile games such as Flappy Royale and Words With Friends, and done academic game design research with the MIT Media Lab’s Playful Systems research group. I’ve had work featured in places such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Venice Architectural Biennale, and at games events and spaces such as IndieCade (2016 finalist), alt.ctrl.GDC, Bit Bash, Come Out and Play, Babycastles, Different Games, and New York Toy Fair (2019 Game of the Year nominee).

But my experience shipping games is far less relevant than my experience and interest in helping the community! I already spend a lot of my time doing advocacy work to help marginalized people thrive in the games industry, both in my spare time and (quite fortunately!) as a large part of my current day job at Microsoft. While I’ve never served on a board like HES’s before, I co-run the Roguelike Celebration conference, the annual alt.ctrl.PARTY at GDC, and the local QueerJS JavaScript meetup here in Toronto. After GDC was cancelled, the “altGDC” Discord I created to facilitate alternative GDC community events had around 1,000 people at peak and spawned multiple virtual conferences. I’m beyond excited to take the experience I have building and managing games community organizations to the HES board and helping out the Toronto community!

Daniele is a Toronto-based intermedia artist and founder and executive director of Electric Perfume, a community-oriented production team (former 5yr studio/gallery) focusing on experiential arts. With Electric Perfume, she has organized and curated shows and series that give creators within the community a chance to learn, explore, perform, and showcase their endeavours.

Daniele develops interactive and experiential artworks and physical games for a variety of applications, from festivals and events to storefronts and galleries. Daniele is passionate about teaching and mentorship, both in Toronto, and as a visiting artist engaging indigenous youth across Canada. She is also on the board of directors for Musicworks Magazine, a publication covering cutting-edge experimental music for over 40 years, as well as an inaugural board member for Gallery X, an upcoming public art gallery in east Toronto. Most of her projects are an exploration of intersections between nature, technology, sculpture, sound, and interactivity, and the sculptural component of her works is commonly based in discarded, obsolete, or found materials. Daniele is a lover of insects, and she often looks for subtle methods of incorporating their enigmatic beauty in her projects.

Finally: Have you filled out our Strategic Planning survey yet? It’s open until Thursday this week! We want to hear from you about what a local videogame arts organization can accomplish in the year 2021 and beyond, so please send us your anonymous feedback. We will be discussing everything that’s sent to us in-depth with Currents Group, who are helping to facilitate our year of transition and reflection.

DETAILS

Electric Perfume
805 Danforth Ave (short walk from Pape Station)
Sunday April 28
1 – 2:30 PUBLIC
2:30 – 4 MEMBERS ONLY

*** RSVP FORM ***

We have a limited number of seats, so please RSVP using the above form to let us know you’re coming. As always, while the first half is open to the public and a great way to find out more about what we do and how to get involved, the second half of the event is only open to official members. You can become a member and receive voting rights and more for $5-7/month by registering here. You may also qualify for membership if you have done 10 or more hours of volunteer time with any videogame arts and culture-related event in the city in 2018 — not just for HES! If you qualify, e-mail volunteer@handeyesociety.com with details on your volunteer activities. For both current and new members, when you arrive, please check in to receive your shiny new 2019 membership card.

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

• Introduction of staff and the Board
• Overview of past, present and future activities, dreams and schemes
• Proposals and ideas for upcoming workshops, events, community-building strategies, etc.
• Presentation of financial activities and voting-in of new policies (voting HES members only)
• Agenda will be sent out 1 week before the AGM proper.

2018 was an incredibly busy and prolific time for us. Our main activities included the Experimental Game Design Workshop series, Comics X Games, Camp Make-A-Game, Game Curious with Art Starts at Chester Le, the Hand Eye Society Ball, WordPlay, Fund Futures with Ontario Creates, and numerous other one-offs, partnerships, and socials in-between! And 2019 promises to be even more exciting, seeing as it’s just our  10 Anniversary and all! Come out and see what we’ve accomplished and where we’re headed after a decade of playful arts and culture programming, with the help of our incredibly generous Membership, sponsors, partners, and of course, the community where it all happens. We would have never made it this far without you. Together, let’s shape the next 10 years of creative game-making and playing in Toronto!

For questions and concerns, please contact us at info@handeyesociety.com

ABOUT THE VENUE

Electric Perfume is a Toronto production studio and exhibition space for live gaming environments and immersive atmospheres. We aim to provide the community with access to a roster of fun and unique spatial and sensory experiences in the realms of gaming, art, entertainment, and learning. In addition, we work with creators and affiliated organizations to explore technology, innovation, and connect local networks through events, product demos, educational workshops, and talks by forward-thinking people.

DETAILS

Electric Perfume
805 Danforth Ave (short walk from Pape Station)
Saturday March 3
1 – 2:30 PUBLIC
2:30 – 4 MEMBERS ONLY

*** RSVP FORM ***

We have a limited number of seats, so please RSVP using the above form to let us know you’re coming. As always, while the first half is open to the public and a great way to find out more about what we do and how to get involved, the second half of the event is only open to official members. You can become a member and receive voting rights and more for $5-7/month by registering here. You may also qualify for membership if you have done 10 or more hours of volunteer time with any videogame arts and culture-related event in the city in 2017 — not just for HES! If you qualify, e-mail volunteer@handeyesociety.com with details on your volunteer activities. For both current and new members, when you arrive, please check in to receive your shiny new 2018 membership card.

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

• Introduction of staff and the Board
• Overview of past, present and future activities, dreams and schemes
• Proposals and ideas for upcoming workshops, events, community-building strategies, etc.
• Presentation of financial activities and voting-in of new policies (voting HES members only)
• Agenda will be sent out 1 week before the AGM proper.

There were a lot of changes in 2017, some big, some small, some behind the scenes. We’ll be officially voting on the revised Conflict of Interest Policy we presented recently, which will be sent out to members along with the agenda. There’s been some great strides towards capacity-building and sustainability, with the generous support of our members, partners, and the overall community, as well as new challenges and problems to solve. We look forward to sharing our plans with you all, as well as hearing your ideas!

For questions and concerns, please contact us at info@handeyesociety.com

ABOUT THE VENUE

Electric Perfume is a Toronto production studio and exhibition space for live gaming environments and immersive atmospheres. We aim to provide the community with access to a roster of fun and unique spatial and sensory experiences in the realms of gaming, art, entertainment, and learning. In addition, we work with creators and affiliated organizations to explore technology, innovation, and connect local networks through events, product demos, educational workshops, and talks by forward-thinking people.

DETAILS

Electric Perfume
805 Danforth Ave (short walk from Pape Station)
Saturday March 11
1 – 2:30 PUBLIC
2:30 – 4 MEMBERS ONLY

*** RSVP FORM ***

We have a limited number of seats, so please RSVP using the above form to let us know you’re coming. As always, while the first half is open to the public and a great way to find out more about what we do and how to get involved, the second half of the event is only open to official members. You can become a member and receive voting rights and more for $7/month by registering here. You may also qualify for membership if you have done 10 or more hours of volunteer time with any videogame arts and culture-related event in the city in 2016 — not just for HES! If you qualify, e-mail our volunteer coordinator Kai Winter at volunteer@handeyesociety.com with details. For both current and new members, when you arrive, please check in to receive your shiny new 2017 membership card.

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

• Introduction of coordinators, staff, the venue
• Overview of past, present and future activities, including perennial favourites and new kids on the block
• Proposals and ideas for upcoming workshops, events, community-building strategies, etc.
• Voting-in policies and board member nominees (HES members only)
• Agenda will be sent out 2 weeks before the AGM proper.

We did a lot in 2016 and have continued to expand while constantly thinking of the best ways to serve the gaming arts community here in Toronto. Our members have done so much to support our efforts, and now is a great chance to contribute to the direction and vision of the organization. We look forward to hearing you questions, suggestions and concerns!

ABOUT THE VENUE

Electric Perfume is a Toronto production studio and exhibition space for live gaming environments and immersive atmospheres. We aim to provide the community with access to a roster of fun and unique spatial and sensory experiences in the realms of gaming, art, entertainment, and learning. In addition, we work with creators and affiliated organizations to explore technology, innovation, and connect local networks through events, product demos, educational workshops, and talks by forward-thinking people.

For questions and concerns, please contact us at info@handeyesociety.com

DETAILS

Electric Perfume, 805 Danforth Ave (near Pape Station)
Saturday February 13
1 PM

We have a limited number of seats, so please RSVP using this quick form to let us know you’re coming. As always, while the first half is open to the public and a great way to find out more about getting involved, the second half of the event is only open to official members. You can become a member and receive voting rights and more for $7/month by registering here. You may also qualify for membership if you have done 10 or more hours of volunteer time with any videogame arts and culture-related event in the city in 2015 — not just for HES! In both cases, when you arrive, please check in to receive your 2016 membership card.

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

• Announcing a new Executive Director: Sagan Yee! See her statement below.
• Introduction of coordinators, staff, the venue
• The future of Game Curious, WordPlay, To The Streets, the Torontrons, Comics vs Games, the Hand Eye Society Ball, YYZ Gameshow, and more
• Proposals and ideas for upcoming workshops, jams, and events
• Strategies for membership, volunteers, advocacy and artist support, public outreach, community-building
• Voting in policies and board members (HES members only)

ABOUT THE VENUE

Electric Perfume is a Toronto production studio and exhibition space for live gaming environments and immersive atmospheres. We aim to provide the community with access to a roster of fun and unique spatial and sensory experiences in the realms of gaming, art, entertainment, and learning. In addition, we work with creators and affiliated organizations to explore technology, innovation, and connect local networks through events, product demos, educational workshops, and talks by forward-thinking people.

STATEMENT FROM SAGAN YEE

Hi everyone, I’m so happy to be able to introduce myself here! It has been a long, interesting, and strangely circular journey.  I first became involved with the Toronto videogame community in 2011, when I participated in a 6-week women-focused game-making incubator run by the Hand Eye Society called the Difference Engine Initiative. Prior to that, I had enjoyed videogames as a hobby and even dabbled with making my own, but had never considered them as an artistic practice or vocation.

Having made my first game through DEI, little did I know how I would be spending the next five years of my life: Co-coordinating subsequent programs including the Artsy Games Incubator: Animation Edition and Game Curious; speaking at various conferences and events across North America; and collaborating with incredible people on projects that have been showcased at events like Montreal’s Sight & Sound Festival and IndieCade in Los Angeles. I’ve made many new friends and games through other local organizations like Bento Miso and Dames Making Games, and gotten to know artists and facilitators from all over the world. Videogames changed my life, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue learning, teaching, and growing alongside this medium and its community.

Jim Munroe, co-founder and former executive director of HES, will be moving into a Funding and Partnerships role. I’d like to thank him and the Board for their continued support in this time of transition, as well as the many many other people who have encouraged and mentored me over the years. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next, and see you at the AGM!

For questions and concerns, please contact us at info@handeyesociety.com