Esports and fashion take centre stage at RUBIX showcase launch
The RUBIX 2020 showcase is promoting 38 projects from FCAD’s scholarly, research and creative community through a series of monthly online exhibits and experiences.
Each year, the Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) at Ryerson hosts RUBIX, a showcase of diverse projects that are being conducted by its scholarly, research and creative (SRC) community. In 2020, RUBIX was launched online with a live, virtual celebration on Monday, November 23.
The projects in this year’s showcase fit into five categories: Audience Engagement, Equity and Diversity, New Social Narratives, Placemaking and Urban Planning and User Experience Design. A RUBIX 2020 publication, which is available on the FCAD website, highlights all 38 participants. In previous years, exhibitors presented their projects at a one-day event at Ryerson. This year, for the first time, their work will be promoted through online multimedia exhibits (opens in new window) and experiences over the coming weeks and months.
In a welcome message at the launch event, Ryerson’s vice-president, research and innovation Steven N. Liss emphasized that the 2020 edition of RUBIX was particularly special because it signaled the resilience of Ryerson’s SRC activities during a global pandemic.
“I know that FCAD continues to initiate new opportunities for partnerships and collaborations locally, nationally and globally, and this is continuing to build Ryerson’s reputation for excellence worldwide, development of outstanding and impactful creative works, and inspiring all of us,” he said.
Charles Falzon, the dean of FCAD, explained that the annual showcase was a highly important occasion in the faculty’s calendar. He added that even with the challenges of the pandemic, SRC in FCAD continues to grow and diversify.
“We pivot, we innovate and we find new creative ways of researching and disrupting the fields that we are in,” said professor Falzon. “I know that you will be inspired by this work and I urge you to explore, connect and engage with our faculty at FCAD.”
Highlights of the RUBIX 2020 launch
Each month, the RUBIX team will release new content on its featured exhibitors. To give a taste of what’s to come, the launch event featured live presentations from two FCAD researchers who are conducting groundbreaking new work.
First up was School of Fashion professor Kimberly Jenkins who talked about her Fashion and Race Database (opens in new window) . This online resource provides students, researchers, members of the fashion industry and others with information about the intersection of fashion and race. The database includes a large library of books and scholarly articles, a section with histories of garments and objects, and a collection of profiles on figures who have shaped the history and business of fashion who are Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPOC).
“The purpose of the Fashion and Race Database is to be an online platform filled with open-source tools that extend the narrative of fashion history and challenge misrepresentation within the fashion system,” said professor Jenkins.
Professor Kimberly Jenkins presents the Fashion and Race Database at the RUBIX 2020 virtual launch event.
The second presentation was by RTA School of Media professor Kris Alexander who outlined his ongoing research project, the Ryerson Interest Survey of Esports (opens in new window) . This student survey aims to uncover details about the video games community at Ryerson in order to help inform the creation of faculty-supported esports teams, video game playing facilities and initiatives. Another aim is to highlight connections between students' current path of study and jobs in the video games industry.
“We’re looking at figuring out what games students play at Ryerson and drawing ties between what they’re in school to take,” said professor Alexander. “If we can make curricular ties in the classroom to what they’re doing and the games they play, we’ll be able to project what kind of jobs connect with the things they love.”
Professor Kris Alexander outlines the Ryerson Interest Survey of Esports at the launch of RUBIX 2020.
The RUBIX 2020 launch ended with a panel discussion and Q&A on the future of SRC activities and the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Professors Jenkins and Alexander were joined by Charles Davis, FCAD’s associate dean, scholarly research and creative, and professor Lorena Escandon from the School of Creative Industries.
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Discover the 38 projects featured in the RUBIX 2020 showcase.