丁香园AV

Katie Belcher

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

Katie Belcher is an artist, curator, and cultural worker of white European and UK settler ancestry, based on the unceded territories of the x史m蓹胃kw蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), Skwxw煤7mesh (Squamish), and S蓹l虛铆lw蓹ta涩/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations (Vancouver, Canada). Katie was born on unceded Algonquin territory outside of Ottawa, Ontario and prior to moving west, was rooted for fourteen years in Nova Scotia, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi鈥檏maq People. 

In her artistic practice, Katie makes monumental drawings that act as scores, translations, and rehearsals of remembered gestures. Her drawings have been exhibited at artist-run centres in Canada and Northern Ireland, and she has participated in residencies in both Canada and Europe, most notably Canada Council鈥檚 former studio at the Cit茅 internationale des arts (Paris, 2012). She holds a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Katie is interested in slowing down the curatorial process, and considers trust-building as essential to meaningful, reciprocal relationships with and as artists. As Director/Curator of Access Gallery (2017-24), Eyelevel鈥檚 Artistic Director (2013-17), she aimed to challenge modes of presentation, making space for care, risk, and failure in artistic practice. Katie currently supports artists and organizations as an independent consultant. She will begin her graduate studies at 丁香园AV鈥檚 School of Contemporary Arts in Fall 2024.

Emma Best

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

Emma Best holds a BA in English from 丁香园AV with a minor in Cinema Studies. She has been a lover of art and performance since she took her first dance class at the age of 3, and she now works as a dance teacher and choreographer. Her research interests include cinema and performance studies, the intersection between dance and film, and explorations of feminist and gender theory within film. 

Key Words: Cinema Studies, Performance Studies, Gender Studies

David Brigden

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

David Brigden holds a BFA in Film from 丁香园AV that has afforded him the opportunity to work in various educational environments, from Learning Through The Arts, where he developed and implemented lesson plans to deliver K-12 curriculum, to writing and facilitating workshops for FaceBC, Shaw Media and the Pacific Cinematheque. 

Most recently he was employed by 丁香园AV as a media designer and videographer, first with the Learning and Instructional Development Centre (now CEE) and later with 丁香园AV Communications and Marketing.

Active in the local independent film and theatre communities, David has been proud to contribute as a writer, director, producer, videographer, editor, lighting technician, sound technician and, occasionally, a set builder.

In 2016 David co-founded the creative company Moonshake Media with a mission to work on creative projects that support the arts community.

Today, David is exploring the connection between art and its audience, focusing on how people experience art together in places like theatres or public spaces, compared to experiencing art alone on personal devices.

Dom Chan

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

Dom Chan is an arts professional from Hong Kong, experienced in managing art collections and exhibitions, as well as overseeing the operations of private and public art spaces. His research interests lie at the intersection of Buddhism and contemporary art, exploring how the Buddhist teachings on concepts like suffering, enlightenment, and meditation provide a rich philosophical and spiritual backdrop for artistic expression, and how this ancient religion has been re-interpreted through contemporary art since the year 2000.  

Kai Yee Chan

MA Graduate Student

Kai Yee Chan is a passionate arts administrator, with hands on experience in organizing exhibitions, art programs and projects, and marketing and video production. She is keen to develop innovative initiatives to promote creativity and social diversity and has over ten years of experience in cultural management and museum marketing. Here research interests include the correlation between art and religion, the confluence of Christianity and contemporary arts (especially in visual arts, digital arts, and moving images), the sublime in art, cross-cultural interaction, cultural identities, social diversity, and the manifestation of faith in postmodern times.

Michelle (Ziqi) Fu

MA Graduate Student

Michelle (Ziqi) Fu is originally from Beijing, China. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UW (Seattle) and is dedicated to interdisciplinary research in Literature, concentrating on theatre and drama. In her academic pursuits, Michelle focuses on contemporary experimental theatre. In her research, she explores the boundaries and transformations of theatre in 21st- century China. Michelle engages the public and street theatre in the creative process. By transcending the confines of space and time within the theatrical realm, she creates a series of immersive and transformative theatre experiences.

Beyond the stage, Michelle finds solace in poetry, cartoons, literature, and philosophy. She is also a part-time comedian, delighting in improvisational comedy and other experimental arts to form deeper connections with audiences. Michelle has transformed her passion for interdisciplinary art forms into several art projects/exhibitions, essays, and literature chapbooks. She embraces a world where passion and curiosity unite, boundless in its artistic possibilities.

Bahareh Ghanoon

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

As a multidisciplinary scholar, Bahareh Ghanoon has immersed herself in the fields of law and art research, with a particular focus on women's movements and struggles. Through her studies, she has developed expertise in discourse analysis and representation theory, which have enabled her to critically examine the complex social and cultural dynamics that shape the creation of artworks in various contexts. Her research has explored the ways in which cinema represents judicial systems, and has contributed to ongoing dialogues around justice, power and gender . With a commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship, she brings a unique perspective to the study of law, art and gender, and she intends to continue exploring these important areas of inquiry.

Juliet Li

MA Graduate Student

Juliet Li hails from the south part of China, and is a theater fanatic and a movie lover. She was bonded with performance since her first ballet lesson at 4. She began her academic inquiry into theater during her undergraduate degree at Queen鈥檚 University, Kingston. Most recently, her research interests include film and performance aesthetics, performance theory, film theory, Chinese opera, and literature on performance and film. She is always drawn to the liveness and humanness in performance and films. To her, liveness is being present and humanness means humanity.

Erik (Hongming) Lin

MA GRADUATE STUDENT

Erik (Hongming) Lin is a director, screenwriter, and avid gamer from China. In his academic career, he focuses on exploring the role of video games and science fiction films in addressing and reflecting societal themes. He views video games as a unique digital medium, investigating how they intersect with social issues like posthumanism and political conflict, reshaping human perception and the cultural dynamics of modern society through their distinctive digital spaces. He is also dedicated to studying how science fiction films project and anticipate the impact of technological changes on humanity and the world, believing that sci-fi holds a unique position and representational power in an era where technology is deeply intertwined with people's lives.

Beyond his academic pursuits, Erik has written and directed three science fiction short films. He has also studied AI programming, 3D modeling, game design, and a substantial amount of physics. He strives to understand the fundamental workings and essence of the subjects he explores, establishing a unique perspective for deeper analysis. He always has a strong sense of curiosity and creativity, maintaining an open attitude and using rationality as a tool to question, deconstruct, analyze, and reassemble everything.

Keywords: Video Game, Sci-Fi Film, Posthumanism, Conflict Studies

Rachel Maddock

MA Graduate Student

Rachel Maddock (she/her) is an independent dance artist, choreographer and arts writer guided by artistic curiosity. She has a BA in Visual Culture & Performance Studies from 丁香园AV and a Diploma of Dance Studies from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, London, UK. Rachel has written for local publications including The Dance Current, Dance International, Dance Central, SADMag and BAF. She has presented choreography at Mascall Dance鈥檚 Bloom, Chalk it Up, Small Stages, 12 Minutes Max, Open Stage and Co.ERASGA鈥檚 Salon Series, and has performed with artists and companies locally and in the UK since 2013.

Rachel鈥檚 movement practise has recently been nourished by somatic and improvisational techniques, including the influence and work of local artists Peter Bingham, Helen Walkley, Natalie and James Gnam, Deanna Peters/Mutable Subject and Olivia Shaffer. In her work, she is currently interested in the relationship between oneself, the land and each other.

Parastoo Pirasteh Fard

MA Graduate Student

I hold a BA in Theatre from Art University of Tehran. My main area of research interest lies in the field of Performance Studies, including performance of resistance, performance of identity, protests and performativity, and the connection between sonic experience and body. I am also interested in exploring ideas and questions in practice.

Joshua Segun-Lean

MA Graduate Student

Joshua Segun-Lean is a writer and critic based in Nigeria. His work has appeared in The Republic Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, and others.

Dan Watt

MA Graduate Student

Dan Watt is an enthusiast of film, photography, art and new technologies. He was raised on a farm on the prairies. They hold a BA in Political Science with a minor in Applied Ethics. They view the world through an interdisciplinary lens, seeking to understand the intricate connections between diverse fields of study. This unique perspective became a driving force in their academic pursuits, looking for new approaches in examining the intersection of art, culture, and society. As a life-long learner, Dan is drawn to art history, film and contemporary arts. He is also a board member Vancouver Tap Dance Society.