2014 FCAT Undergraduate Conference

The Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology held its 4th annual Undergraduate Conference on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. During this exciting event, students had the opportunity to share their essays, performances, films, art pieces, and projects with fellow FCAT students, faculty and staff, while celebrating the diversity of our programs. Following 2011's "Spaces of Culture", 2012's "Border Crossing", and 2013's "The Human", this year's conference theme was The Machine.

The theme of 'The Machine' was meant to offer some guidance and inspiration for submission pieces. However, it was completely up to each student as to how s/he interpreted this theme. We welcomed all interpretations. We also welcomed submission pieces that may have used the theme as an initial point of inspiration, but in their final forms ended up diverting from the theme.

The conference consisted of a series of 20-minute student-presentations*. Three presentations occured concurrently in any given time-slot throughout the afternoon. There were approximately 16 presentations and 6 performances. As well as an Installations, Displays, and Posters area featuring 12 different projects. Attendees (professors, students, and community members) chose to attend approximately 8 presentations, and interacted with Installations, Displays, and Posters during a set break. Following the presentations, there was a reception on-site for both presenters and attendees.

Special thanks to all of the presenters, the Ambassadors/Adjudicators - Dr. Stuart Poytnz, Dr. Carman Neustaedter, and Dr. Robert Kitsos, SFU President Andrew Petter, SFU VPA Dr. Jon Driver, SFU Meetings & Events, SFU Woodward's Cultural Unit, and SFU Bookstore.

Presenter profiles

Thank you to everyone who attended and to all of the presenters!

Program: Download or View
Twitter: #FCATUGC2014

Robert Azevedo (SCA) - Real-time Composition

Azevedo, a Dance student in the School for the Contemporary Arts and a FCAT Research Fellow 2013, presented his research with professor Rob Kitsos at the conference. Their research examined how audiences respond to this method of composition and if it functioned differently from a regular choreographic process.

Tim Bodyka Heng, Alvin To & Katie Ng (SIAT) - The Dark Void

Heng, a FCAT Research Fellow 2013 and conference presenter, shares his experience presentating at the conference with fellow group members To & Ng. The Dark Void is a design that allows users to become aware of the effects of alcohol consumption in connection with breast cancer.

Elizabeth Arnold (CMNS) - Racialized Femininity and Beyoncé's Bodacious Bod

Arnold, a School of Communication student, presented her research paper at the conference. In the case study, a series of six magazine covers featuring Beyoncé demonstrates that representations of an iconic racialized woman reproduce historically stereotypical depictions of black women.

Sean Hougan & Madelaine Simpkin (CMNS) - Ms. Prime Minister

Hougan, a School of Communication student, shares her experience presenting her research project with partner Madelaine Simpkin at the conference. Ms. Prime Minister is an educational non-partisan documentary short about the barriers women face in Canadian politics and why more women are needed.

Lam Kwan & David Yang Li (SIAT) - iRobo

Kwan and Li, School of Interactive Art & Technology students, presented a video of their project iRobo. iRobo explores the idea of an advanced mind-controlled robot that allows the user to live in an idealized form. Its purpose is to help the disabled experience a richer life and be a part of the community again.

Yan Hong, Marcus Su, Miles Liu & Perry Hsieh (SIAT) - SIATBOT

Hsieh, a presenter at the FCAT Undergraduate Conference 2014, shares his experience of presenting at the conference with group members Hong, Su, and Liu. SIATBOT is an interactive animation that allows users to interact with a virtual 3D animated character by using an Xbox360 Kinect Camera.

Brendan Lane, Christie Wong, Kaen Calder & Andrew Tso (SIAT) - Inner Light

Lane, a presenter at the FCAT Undergraduate Conference 2014, shares his experience of presenting at the conference with group members Wong, Calder, and Tso. With dancers clad in clothing containing LEDs and force-sensitive resistors, Inner Light is a modern dance performance that chronicles the emotional journey of two incomplete people interacting through physical and social contact.

Paola Pinto Vidal (CMNS) - Hallyu 2.0, Globalization and 'the Network Society'

Pinto Vidal, a presenter at the FCAT Undergraduate Conference 2014, shares her experience of presenting at the conference. Her presentation offered a critical examination of ‘hallyu’ -- roughly translated as ‘the Korean wave’ through the theoretical lens of Manuel Castells’ conceptualization of the Network Society.

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology