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The FOLDA 2025 program amplified diverse Canadian voices, showcasing performances that reflect the changing social and political landscape. FOLDA’s eighth edition continued its mission of uniting audiences through innovative, thought-provoking live performances that challenge conventions and spark conversation.
The StartUp is a four-day series of conversations. This year, we made space for what seems most important. The 2025 StartUp was a space for artists, technologists, scholars, and audiences to, consider the context of what author and UBC professor Naomi Klein called end times fascism in the Guardian:
“If we are to meet our critical moment in history, we need to reckon with the reality that we are not up against adversaries we have seen before. We are up against end times fascism…. we counter their apocalyptic narratives with a far better story about how to survive the hard times ahead without leaving anyone behind. A story capable of draining end times fascism of its gothic power and galvanizing a movement ready to put it all on the line for our collective survival. A story not of end times, but of better times; not of separation and supremacy, but of interdependence and belonging; not of escaping, but staying put and staying faithful to the troubled earthly reality in which we are enmeshed and bound.”
These events were held in Kingston, Ontario at the Broom Factory, and Queen’s University—The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, the Ingenuity Labs, and Theological Hall.
About this year’s format:
In a time defined by urgency and polarization, we need spaces that resist spectacle and instead cultivate deep listening, reciprocity, and care.
We structured The StartUp around Breathing Circle Conversations, a participatory dialogue format designed to center reflection, exchange, and collective insight. (Fun fact: We developed this format with our friends at HowlRound for the 2019 Digital+Performance convening!)
In this format, a small circle of invited speakers begins the conversation, surrounded by a larger listening audience. Midway through, the circle expands as listeners are invited to step forward and join the dialogue, or continue holding space as witnesses. Click here for more information about The StartUp.
Wednesday June 4, 2025
Conversation #1: The Canadian Context
11 a.m.—1 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC -7) / 2 p.m.—4 p.m. EDT (Ontario, UTC -4)
What does it mean to be an artist in Canada at this critical moment in history? What is our role as citizens and imaginers? How can we combat and provide alternatives to the apocalyptic narratives driving this new brand of fascism taking root in North America?
Conversation Starters: Brett Christopher, Sarah Kitz, Sarah Garton Stanley, and Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen. Facilitated by Michael Wheeler.
Thursday June 5, 2025
Conversation #3: The International Context
9:30 a.m.—11 a.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m.—2 p.m. EDT (Ontario, UTC -4)
How can Canada play a bigger role in international culture? How are we perceived from abroad? What relationships and types of work could prove fruitful?
Conversation Starters: Gala Hernández López, Iman Datoo, Clayton Lee, and Naomi Campbell. Facilitated by Michael Wheeler.
Conversation #4: The Technological Context
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC -7) / 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. EDT (Ontario, UTC -4)
Can digital tools be engaged for inclusive democratic outcomes? Silicon Valley emerged with a "move fast and break things" approach that has mixed (or even poor) results for individuals and societies. Can artists move slower and fix things using emerging technologies?
Conversation Starters: Patrick Blenkarn, Lisa Karen Cox, Jared Mezzochi, and Laura Levin. Facilitated by Adrienne Wong.
Friday June 6, 2025
Laser Talks
7 a.m.—9 a.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC -7) / 10 a.m.—12 p.m. EDT (Ontario, UTC -4)
Short, focused presentations from artists/researchers engaged with emerging technologies and urgent issues.
Presentations by Ronnie Cheng, Zackary McKendrick, Jay Westerlund, Shabnam Sukhdev, Sarah Garton Stanley and Owais Lightwalla.
WindRush by Marcel Stewart
5 p.m.—6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC -7) / 8 p.m.—9 p.m. EDT (Ontario, UTC -4)
There is no archive available for this performance.
ALPHA—WindRush follows the journey of a Jamaican man across generations as he navigates migration, identity, and what it means to belong. Using immersive sound, storytelling, and visual design, WindRush brings to life Caribbean histories that are often overlooked or forgotten in Canada. The show invites audiences to reflect on family, resilience, and the idea of home—how we carry it, lose it, and remake it. Click here for more information about WindRush.
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