Join us at the Near North Makerspace on Friday, May 22, for an Artist Talk with our current Artist in Residence, Cell Driver.

This free public event marks the end of Cell’s 17-week residency and is an opportunity to hear about the work they’ve created during their time at the makerspace.

About the Artist Talk

Over the past several months, Cell has been developing new work while also playing a major role in shaping the Near North Makerspace into a more welcoming, creative, and engaging space. From the atmosphere to the details, much of what visitors experience today reflects their time, care, and creativity.

In addition to their residency work, Cell has helped build community through initiatives like the Digital Guild drop-in program, creating space for people to gather, experiment, and create together.

At this artist talk, Cell will share insights into their creative process, discuss the work produced during the residency, and reflect on their experience at the makerspace. A Q&A will follow.

Looking Ahead

While their residency is coming to an end, this is not the end of Cell’s time with us. They will be continuing at the Near North Makerspace in a new role as Makerspace Co-Coordinator.

Event Details

Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Artist Talk: 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Q&A: 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Near North Makerspace, 108 Main Street East, North Bay
Admission: Free

Chit chat, crafting, and refreshments will follow the talk.

Near North Mobile Media Lab is pleased to welcome Cell Driver as the current Near North Makerspace Artist in Residence.

During their 17-week residency, Cell Driver is developing T.R.Y. (Try and Recycle Yourself), a project centered on trying, exploring, researching, and discovering new directions in their practice while deepening their connection to environmental themes.

T.R.Y. explores the determination to try something new and the idea of “recycling yourself” as a metaphor for renewal: transforming into a fresh form while retaining the same material composition. Building on this concept, Cell Driver uses garbage, described as “garb that ages,” as a guiding framework for the residency, creating an engaging artistic response to the climate crisis.

The residency focuses on identifying a visual aesthetic that is both illustrative and sculptural, using digital fabrication and projection mapping while merging soft sculpture with digital processes through sewing and gathered materials. The makerspace environment supports an approach of testing one piece of equipment at a time and allowing discoveries to guide the work.

Throughout the residency, Cell Driver is exploring multiple tools and methods, including 3D printing and scanning using found forms and repurposed materials, projection mapping onto sewn structures, and creating work in mobile and immersive environments using an iPad Pro, Wacom tablet, and Meta Quest headsets. For sound and documentation, they are working with 6K cameras, microphones, and podcasting tools, supported by post-production workflows in Adobe Creative Cloud and DaVinci Resolve.

By the end of the residency, Cell Driver aims to produce a series of sculptural and projected works blending personal history, technical skill-building, and environmental activism, with an emphasis on reimagining waste as a source of creativity and possibility.

Digitial Guild

Tuesdays, 3pm–9pm
Near North Makerspace

As part of the residency, Cell Driver is leading Digital Guild, a weekly drop-in program at the Near North Makerspace on Tuesdays from 3pm to 9pm. The guild offers a relaxed space for community members to explore digital tools and creative technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing, digital drawing, video editing, audio, and more.

Open to all skill levels, Digital Guild reflects the residency’s emphasis on experimentation, accessibility, and collaborative learning within the makerspace environment. Participants also receive a one-month free membership to continue exploring beyond the sessions.

Learn More HERE

Artist Bio

Cell Driver is a bilingual queer new media artist from the Eastern Townships of Quebec, currently located in North Bay. Working across illustration, animation, sculpture, and digital fabrication, their practice critically engages with digital aesthetics and research-driven approaches to technology to explore the climate crisis through the lens of their neurodivergent experience.

Alongside their art practice, they are invested in public engagement, workshops, and collaborative experimentation to activate creative spaces and invite curiosity, dialogue, and collective reflection. During this residency, Cell Driver is expanding their practice by engaging with a new community and embracing novel experiences to push their professional artistic development forward.