David Fortin offers a keynote lecture at Melbourne's Living Cities Forum titled “Towards a Critical Relationalism”

 

https://www.livingcitiesforum.org/

On November 16th, 2023, David offered a keynote lecture titled “Towards a Critical Relationalism” in downtown Melbourne as part of the 2023 Living Cities Forum. David also had the incredible opportunity to meet with the inspiring Uncle Dave Wandin and tour the Indigenous lands known as “Coranderrk” in the Yarra Valley, where Uncle Dave shared some of his knowledge about respecting country.

"Not For Sale!" opens in Venice

Canada’s official entry to the Venice Biennale of architecture was officially inaugurated on May 19th, 2023. The project was co-curated by the AAHA (Architects Against Housing Alienation) Organizing Committee, including Adrian Blackwell, David Fortin, Matthew Soules, Sara Stevens, Patrick Stewart, and Tijana Vujosevic. Read more about CBC’s coverage of the the opening here!

AAHA Organizing Committee at the inauguration of the Canadian pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2023 (left to right - Stevens, Soules, Stewart, Fortin, Vujosevic, Blackwell). Photo by Megan Williams of CBC.

David Fortin named Juror for 2023 Azure Awards

From Azure - “We are pleased to welcome this superlative group of leaders in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, interiors and product and furniture design to adjudicate the submissions to our international program, now in its 13th year.”

David Fortin hosts Design Lodge Symposium at University of Waterloo

On Thursday, July 14th, David Fortin hosted a 1-day symposium, short lecture, and public round table discussing design education through an Indigenous lens, as well as the conceptualization of a Design Lodge at the University of Waterloo. Participants included: Douglas Cardinal (Elder, Douglas Cardinal Architect), Bill Woodworth (Elder, University of Waterloo), Eladia Smoke (Smoke Architecture), Matt Hickey (Two Row Architects), Jake Chakasim (Carleton University), James Bird (University of Toronto), Dani Kastelein (Brook McIlroy), Amina Lalor (University of Waterloo), Jean Becker (University of Waterloo), Robin Stadelbauer (University of Waterloo), Logan MacDonald (University of Waterloo), Jason Surkan (David T Fortin Architect), Celina Rios-Nadeau (David T Fortin Architect), and Idoia Arana-Beobide (Douglas Cardinal Architect). 

Design Lodge Symposium Dinner, - July 14th, 2022.

(L to R): Eladia Smoke, Matt Hickey, Douglas Cardinal, Robin Stadelbauer, Dani Kastelein, Bill Woodworth, Logan MacDonald, Celina Rios-Nadeau, Jake Chakasim, Amina Lalor, David Fortin. Participants missing from photo: James Bird (photographer), Jason Surkan, Idoia Arana-Beobide, Anne Bordeleau, Maya Przybylski

David Fortin a Keynote Speaker at Banff Session 2022

On May 7th, 2022, David will offer a keynote lecture at the Banff Session 2022 alongside Pipa Bradbury, Michael Green and Alison Brooks.

https://banffsession.ca/Banff/Speakers/Banff/Speakers.aspx?hkey=163461b5-da7c-4ecb-aa34-c7c5d5eead19

Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA) Selected to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in 2023!

With this distinction, Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA) will launch Not for Sale! an architectural activist campaign for non-alienated housing. AAHA is an architectural curatorial collective including Adrian Blackwell (University of Waterloo), David Fortin (University of Waterloo, Architect), Matthew Soules (University of British Columbia, Architect), Sara Stevens (University of British Columbia), luugigyoo Patrick Stewart (Architect, McEwen School of Architecture), and Tijana Vujosevic (University of British Columbia).

Canada is in the midst of a severe and protracted housing crisis, with issues ranging from widespread unaffordability to under-housing, precarious housing, and homelessness. This modern reality, shaped by the extractive logic of speculative real estate, is founded on the simultaneous colonial dispossession of Indigenous lands and the modern invention of fee-simple property. Real estate speculation is a form of extortion. It converts homes into spatio-financial assets, changing the form, function, and aesthetics of housing to better serve the logics of wealth storage and speculation. The process is violent, resulting in an urban environment that is racist, sexist, and classist at a systemic level. This global phenomenon is nowhere more visible than in Canada, a country whose economy is now dominated by real estate.

Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA) will transform the Canada Pavilion in the Giardini into a campaign headquarters for equitable housing that rejects this concept of property and the financialized form of architecture that it implies. To address these issues, they will work with interdisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams comprised of activist organizations, advocates for non-alienated housing, and architects. They will collaborate to develop demands and create architectural projects to address housing alienation, presenting bold visions for equitable and deeply affordable housing in Canada. The AAHA goal is to mobilize all Canadians to join the call for safer, healthier, and more equitable housing.


https://canadacouncil.ca/initiatives/venice-biennale

David Fortin joins Dori Tunstall and Evan Jerry on stage at IDS in Toronto

On April 8th, David joined OCADU Dean of Design, Dr. Dori Tunstall, accomplished designer Evan Jerry, and Azure Editor-in-Chief, Elizabeth Pagliacolo, on stage at IDS Toronto 2022 to discuss the importance of diversification in how we think about the design process. Th e panel discussion was titled “Redefining Modern Design in 2022 - and Beyond”.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/azure-talks-at-ids-redefining-modern-design-in-2022-and-beyond/

David Fortin offers seminar on "Home" in Futurecasting Workshop

On Feb 8th, David led a seminar discussion on the concept of home to a group of emerging Indigenous architects and designers from around the world who were participating in the Futurecasting workshops, one part of a larger initiative called “Towards Home” that will be hosted and administered through the Centre for Canadian Architecture (CCA). Co-curators: Joar Nango, Taqralik Partridge, Jocelyn Piirainen, Rafico Ruiz
Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk: Nicole Luke; Curatorial assistant: Ella den Elzen; Curatorial team: Kate Yeh Chiu, Francesco Garutti, Andrew Scheinman.

https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/events/82781/ruovttu-guvlui-towards-home

David Fortin discusses Canadian Design with Andrew King, Leslie Jen and Dezeen Founder Marcus Fairs

Description - “Dezeen teamed up with architecture and design firm Lemay to host a live talk exploring Canadian design.

The talk discussed the different elements that make up Canadian design identity and aesthetics, touching on themes such as the importance of nature, community engagement, and placemaking. 

The speakers also discussed the role of indigenous design practices in shaping contemporary Canadian design.

Appearing on the panel was Leslie Jen, director of marketing at Toronto-based practice Superkül, together with David Fortin, associate professor at the McEwen School of Architecture, and Andrew King, chief design officer at Lemay.

The talk was moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.”

Link here

David Fortin - Keynote Speaker at International Symposium on Spirituality and Architecture

David was an invited keynote speaker at an online international symposium hosted by the Villore Institute of Technology in India titled “At two vast realms: The architect in practice as a being of world and spirituality.” David’s talk was titled “Towards a Relational Future” and discussed how different approaches to architectural education and practice can encourage more sacred relationships with the Land and Water.

David Fortin joins Sanford Kwinter, Sean Connelly, and Bruce Mau for discussion as part of Digital Futures

“‘You can’t do that, Dad.’- said the Millennial to the Boomer: First Meditations on Indigenous Cosmologies, Urgent Knowledge and Humility” - Online Workshop

On June 29, David joined a discussion with Bruce Mau, Sean Connelly and Sanford Kwinter about Indigenous knowledge and shifts in design towards life-centred design (Mau’s description for design that centres on the betterment of all life). Course taught by Neil Leach, Kwinter, Viktoria Luisa Barbo, and Marina Rodriguez das Neves.

Link to event here.

David Fortin guest speaker on Office Hours with Esther Choi

David was invited to speak about the challenges and opportunities of pursuing a career that tries to balance between professional practice and academia. Hosted by Esther Choi. Office Hours describes itself as follows:

“How Office Hours Works

We transmit professional and experiential knowledge to BIPOC creative practitioners from BIPOC creative practitioners in a collective setting, free of charge. We request that all attendees turn their cameras on for our events and arrive accountable to the group dynamic. Our group mentoring format allows us to practice the values of multi-racial and multi-ethnic solidarity, empathy, and generosity—rather than the tenets of singularity, extraction, and competition—as powerful social tools for imagining how we wish to live and work together.”