RUBIX 10: A decade of creative innovation at The Creative School

At the intersection of education and creativity–and with 19 installations spanning a breadth of modes and disciplines–stands RUBIX, an immersive exhibition of scholarly, research and creative activities coming out of The Creative School. Now in its tenth year, RUBIX continues to push boundaries, proving that the creative world of tomorrow is here today.

An evolution of creative thought

When RUBIX launched in the fall of 2015, it set out to reimagine how the faculty's scholarly, research, and creative activities (SRC) could show up on a global scale. Its first year saw 26 faculty members showcasing their groundbreaking work in various forms through research, experimentation, collaboration, and knowledge creation, and was a wild success. Now, ten years in the making, RUBIX has transformed the lens through which the faculty–and by extension, its students–grapple with this new, innovative and creative world.

“The establishment of RUBIX was a pivotal moment in the evolution of our academic ecosystem in the realm of creativity,” says Charles Falzon, Dean, The Creative School.“From the beginning, it showcased the breadth of our faculty’s work—spanning both traditional and non-traditional research and creative pursuits—while highlighting the profound impact and value of creative innovation.”

This year’s showcase featured cutting-edge projects, from immersive virtual reality to experimental soundscapes, each offering a glimpse into the future of creative possibilities. But RUBIX is more than just an exhibition–as Associate Dean, Scholarly, Research and Creative Activities Natalie Alvarex notes–it’s a space where innovation and possibility collide.

“RUBIX is a catalyst for connection, collaboration, and bold new ideas—bringing brilliant minds together to shape the future of SRC,” says Alvarez. “At a time of complex global challenges, creativity is not only an essential form of expression but a force for intervention, transformation, and imagining new possibilities. RUBIX celebrates this power, showcasing the ways creative scholarship and practice-based research address pressing issues and inspire alternative futures.”

Blurring boundaries between technology, nature, and human experience

Among the exhibited work this year, Aleatory by Viola Ago merges digital graphics with three-dimensional surfaces, overlaying vivid imagery onto rigid panels to explore perception, materiality, and spatial transformation. 

Memory Eternal (Вічная Пам'ять) by Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof is a VR experience that navigates grief, memory, and history through 360-degree video, spatialized sound, and AI-generated visuals in a surreal, water-filled world. 

Music for Weather Station 19 by John Shiga transforms a year of Toronto’s environmental data into an evolving soundscape, reflecting the shifting rhythms of climate change.

The Creative is Now

As RUBIX marks a decade of groundbreaking work, it continues to serve as a dynamic space for exploration, bringing together scholars, artists, and technologists to shape the next era of creative innovation. With each passing year, the exhibition proves that the intersection of research and creativity isn’t just where ideas happen—it’s where the next era of creativity begins, and the creative is now.

The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University

The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.