Overview
Digital Arts Camp for Youth is a week-long program that provides an opportunity for queer and/or racialized youth* aged 13-17 to gain hands-on experience with 3D worldbuilding and sound design.
Under the guidance of professional multimedia artists and musicians, participants will collaborate to build virtual 3D worlds and produce original sound art or electronic music compositions. Participants will learn how to import, customize, and combine text, images, video, and audio in virtual space.
We will complete exercises to better understand how audio and non-linear media interact and also explore the process of playtesting and iteration. Participants have the option to work independently or together in small groups to produce a live interactive, 3D world that can be visited and experienced at the end of the program.
This is an in-person workshop offered at Digital Arts Resource Centre (67 Nicholas St, Ottawa).
*Registration for this program is reserved for queer and/or racialized youth aged 13-17
Target Audience
Queer and/or racialized youth with an interest in media art, game art, worldbuilding, sound design, or audio production.
Outline
Worldbuilding in New Art City:
What is worldbuilding?
Exploring the possibilities of virtual world creation using New Art City as a toolkit
Exercises in worldbuilding for theme generation
How to create a world in New Art City
How to add text, images, photos, videos, and audio clips in New Art City
How to import and animate 3D assets
Playtesting
Electronic Music Production:
How do compositions and sound add to a world to create a more immersive experience?
Introduction to Ableton Live
How to navigate your workstation, browse sounds, and use plugins
How to write parts and arrange tracks in Ableton Live
How to use a MIDI controller
Creating a short piece or multiple sounds to import into a virtual world
Schedule
March 10 – Welcome / 3D Worldbuilding Introduction / Lessons and Exercises
March 11 – Music Production Lessons and Exercises
March 12 – Worldbuilding Lessons and Exercises
March 13 – Worldbuilding Assembling Music in Worlds
March 14 – Finalizing Projects
Materials Required
All equipment and software required for Digital Arts Camp will be provided by DARC.
Instructors
Mercedes Ventura (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Odawa/Ottawa, Ontario. Her work blends autobiography and fiction to explore themes of identity, technology, and the digital age, using mediums like web-based art, sculpture, and photographic self-portraiture. Mercedes holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Ottawa and has exhibited their work in galleries and artist-run centers across the Odawa/Ottawa-Gatineau region and Tkaronto/Toronto.
Beyond her artistic practice, Mercedes has experience in community engagement and youth programming. They have organized and run camps and after-school activities for youth fostering creativity, self expression, and play among young participants. Mercedes is excited to use her skills and passion to guide participants in the upcoming Digital Arts Camp for Youth to create meaningful, tech-driven art.
Yolande Laroche (she/they) is a franco Taiwanese-Canadian clarinetist, keyboardist, singer-songwriter and producer established in Gatineau, Quebec. She holds a Bachelor degree in Music and Minor in Arts Administration from the University of Ottawa. She is a core member of art-pop group Pony Girl, experimental sound-art trio KAY-fayb and leads her solo project Orchidae who will soon be releasing her debut album in spring 2025. Yolande works as a clarinet teacher and brings her classical training to her world of contemporary music as a freelance touring and session musician accompanying artists such as Tess Roby, Nick Schofield, Rayannah, Luka Kuplowski and Cedric Noel.