Design Lab Workshop
Join the 2026 Design Lab for a presentation on projection design. In conversation with Julia Kim (Design Lab facilitator), Kobena and saysah will reflect on their program learnings and their creation process for their work in this year’s festival.
Presented with support from Cahoots Theatre
Design Lab Workshop
- Featuring: Julia Kim, Kobena Ampofo, saysah
Location
Native Earth Performing Art’s Aki Studio
250-585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
https://www.nativeearth.ca/akistudio/
Accessibility
Native Earth Performing Arts and Artscape strive to provide equal treatment to and equitable benefits of its services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.
- The Dundas Street entrance provides barrier-free access to the building
- Two elevators are located in the South Lobby
- All floors have accessible washrooms and stalls, as well as accessible drinking fountains
- Signage throughout the building is written in Braille
- A hearing enhancement system is available in Aki Studio and the Ada Slaight Hall
NATIVE EARTH PERFORMING ART’S COVID HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
BOOK YOUR TICKETS
The Artists
Kobena Ampofo
Kobena Ampofo
Kobena Ampofo (we / they) is a queer Akan anti-disciplinary artist developing a curiosity-led research practice around witchcraft, Akan mediumship, and the spirit realm. Kobena was born on a dark Tuesday morning in Kumasi and has since also lived in Accra, South Bend, Chicago, Brampton, and now Toronto. Our practice is guided by exploring how to conjure new realities into being, and finding new ways to communicate beyond (human) language.
Our first showing was with Goldhost’s “”In the Flesh”” online exhibition in 2020 where we debuted the Shadowmancer series. Since then, our research and exploration of various crafts, practices and histories have informed our artistic practice in a quest to encounter and commune with spirits within and beyond our body. Our experience of collecting stories on the history of the Ghanaian coast during a residency with Saman Archive, especially oral and spiritual histories from elders and townspeople was incredibly eye-opening and a major inspiration in developing the “Notes on Making Jollof” digital collage series, which was exhibited at the 2024 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. We were also part of the 519’s group exhibition “”In What We Carry, We Become”” for the “”In Each Other’s Magnitude”” project held at the Wildseed Center for Art & Activism as well as the 2024/25 Cohort of the VUKA Performing Arts Residency at Theatre Passe Muraille where we debuted the solo performance piece, “”Bonsam Din””. We are currently working on projections for Anansi v God(s) as part of the Paprika 2025 Design Lab and building a virtual garden with the InterAccess Terra Firma residency program. In the future, we hope to better archive our artworks under our Nipazeen platform to make our processes more available to the similarly curious.
saysah
saysah
saysah moves through the world with a deep intention to be in right relationship with their body, the land, and the communities they belong to. they are always in the process of (un)becoming—an ever-evolving learner, maker, and mover. as a multidisciplinary and multisensorial artist, saysah’s practice weaves together different forms of expression, all guided by sensory exploration. they find joy in mulling over layers of embodied knowledge systems and re-membering what has been left for us.
through their work, they build spaces for co-creation, where community-building, ritual-theatre, and archive come together in a shared approach. these elements are deeply informed by earth and water as vital teachers and collaborators — saysah honours these guides by moving with a commitment to reciprocity.
Julia Kim
Julia Kim
Julia Kim is a set, costume, and projection designer. She holds a BFA (Hons.) in Performance Production from TMU, graduating in 2015. Julia’s early career included five seasons as an assistant designer at Shaw Festival and Stratford Festival. Her work has taken her across Canada and internationally, where she has designed for numerous theatre and dance productions. In 2021, she took on the role of resident designer and taught theatre design at Mount Allison University for 2 years. Recently, her work has been presented at Journées Théâtrales de Carthage in Tunis and SIDance Festival in Seoul.
Julia’s excellence in design has been recognized with nominations for the Pauline McGibbon Award in 2020 and the Virginia Myrtle Cooper Award in 2025.
IG: @yeon._.studio
Website: www.yeon.studio