The Hand Eye Society is proud to present the results of the Artists In The Library program, funded by the Toronto Arts Council, which ran from September through December of 2017. The residency gave seven Toronto game makers time and space to work on their own projects, while providing activities and mentorship for patrons of the Oakwood Village Library.

This Friday, we invite you to the Oakwood Village Library Residency Showcase to meet the artists, the local community, and play the work that was created. Scroll on down for photos and descriptions of all the projects!

Event Details

Oakwood Village Library & Arts Centre (341 Oakwood Ave)
Friday, January 12th, 2018 
3:30pm to 5:30pm
Facebook RSVP

The showcase will take place on the first floor of the library. Light snacks will be provided.

The Residency Games

Oakbook by Jordan Sparks
An ancient evil has possessed several books in the Oakwood Village Library. Explore the library, find the books, and seal the evil away, before it’s too late!

Pillar of Light by David Fono
A physical sculpture full of lights that serves as a battleground for a 1-on-1 territory control match.

That Party by Marishka Zachariah
First person narrative game of navigating a party as a person who doesn’t go to many parties. Semi-autobiographical.

Paris Night Train by Alex Leitch
Somewhere, someone is boarding a train on a late summer evening. The clouds are on the horizon. The train will soon be cancelled. Like many youngs, this young doesn’t know who to be. Take the train with them and help them find out!

Third Life by Jonathan Lavallee
A diceless collaborative game where players are monsters trying to reintegrate back into human society.

Note: The above photo is from a tabletop game Jonathan facilitated with library patrons called Space Library, not Third Life (you’ll just have to come out on Friday to play that for yourself!) Space Library is a quick, light hearted game about a space library, the people on it, and their adventures as well as their adversaries. It uses Evil Hat’s Fate Accelerated Edition.

Untitled Work In Progress (Lalyvilley 2) by Taylor Bai-Woo
The game I made during my residency ended up being a framework of ideas and prototyping for the building of a larger personal project later! I wanted to aim to make some kind of fun and meaningful narrative RPG built like an old game of mine (called Lalyvilley). It’s a game that plays by moving around a mostly top-down space with the arrow keys and navigating dialogs with characters using the numbers 1 ~ 4!

RACISM! by Kadeem Dunn
RACISM! is the excruciating experience of 21st century racialization packed in a friendly bubble shooter.

Get updates for this event on Facebook, subscribe to the e-mail newsletter here, and let us know if you have any questions by messaging us at info@handeyesociety.com. Visit this post for more information about the Residency and the individual artists. We would also like to thank all our lovely volunteers and Iana Georgieva-Kaluba at Oakwood Village Library for all their help in making this program possible!

(Note: The Interactive Fiction Writer’s Circle is being developed in conjunction with two other programs, Game Curious and Screenless Games, on different days of the week. Artists for these programs have already been selected, although we may issue a separate call for volunteers and assisting artists.)

Program Information

Location
Oakwood Village Library and Arts Centre
341 Oakwood Ave, Toronto

Program Dates and Times
Thursdays, Sept 28 to Dec 14 (12 weeks)
2:30 to 7:30 PM

Compensation
Minimum $3000 ($50/hour) for on-site residency and activity time.

The selected applicant will work with HES to determine their needs in terms of resources, transportation, programming and preparation time, and additional on-site assistance, which will also be compensated for in addition to the minimum rate above. The allocation of the budget is being determined collectively with the other artists depending on each project’s needs. If the applicant is unable to attend all 12 weeks, we can arrange for other applicants to complement the gaps in scheduling.

Residency Details

Each weekly session consists of about 3 hours of Residency followed by 1.5 hours of Programmed Activity. During the Residency, you will be given space at the library to work on a personal interactive fiction project of your choosing, while being generally available to answer questions from the public. During this process, HES will promote you and your work through our newsletter and social media channels, and provide you with any other assistance or support you may need.

The Programmed Activity is a scheduled project which you will plan with the help of HES and the library. In this case, the format is a “writer’s circle” that aims to offer peer mentorship, guidance, and technical support to anyone who wishes to develop an interactive fiction piece. You will lead a group of participants on an informal drop-in basis to make progress on their work and to gain feedback, insight, and inspiration. HES and the library will promote these sessions online and around the community, and the program will be open to everyone who wishes to join in.

Residency: 2:30 to 6 PM
Programmed Activity: 6 to 7:30 PM

Age range: The IF Writer’s Circle is aimed at older youth and adults. However, the program is free to the general public and open to all, so flexibility and experience working with children and youth is an asset.

Submission Form

*** Please fill out this form before Thursday August 24! ***

Successful applicants will be notified August 31 and will meet with HES staff to plan activities before the Sept 28 start date. The Writer’s Circle shouldn’t require too much advance planning, but HES will be available to help set you up with any resources you might need ahead of time. The ideal candidate should have the following qualifications:

• Is a professional artist* (can be emerging or established) and has complete and publicly available works of interactive fiction or games writing in their body of work
• Is familiar with Twine, Inform, Texture, or other IF engines that are free and able to be easily learned by newcomers
• Has experience working with people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds in informal learning environments

* The TAC defines a professional artist as: Someone who has developed their skills through training and/or practice; is recognized as such by artists working in the same artistic tradition; actively practices their art; seeks payment for their work; and has a history of public presentation.