Artist
Residencies
Cell Driver
Near North Makerspace Artist In Residence
January 2026 – Current
Project Overview
During their 17-week Near North Makerspace Artist in Residence, Cell Driver developed 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, Cell Driver uses garbage, described as “garb that ages,” as a guiding framework for the residency, with the goal of creating an engaging artistic experience about the climate crisis.
Cell Driver’s residency plan focused on identifying a visual aesthetic that is both illustrative and sculptural, using digital fabrication and projection mapping, and merging soft sculpture with digital processes using a sewing machine and gathered materials. The makerspace environment supported an approach of testing one piece of equipment at a time and letting discoveries guide the work.
Throughout the residency, Cell Driver planned structured exploration across multiple tools and methods, including prototyping with 3D printing and scanning using found forms and repurposed materials, experimenting with projection mapping onto sewn structures, and creating work in mobile and immersive spaces using an iPad Pro, Wacom tablet, and Meta Quest headsets. For sound and documentation, Cell Driver planned to use 6K cameras, microphones, and podcasting tools to create high-quality documentation and original sound elements, supported by post-production workflows in Adobe Creative Cloud and DaVinci Resolve.
By the end of the residency, Cell Driver aimed 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.
Public Programming
Digital Guild
Tuesdays, 3pm–9pm
Near North Makerspace
Led by Artist in Residence Cell Driver, Digital Guild is a weekly drop-in program focused on sharing knowledge related to technology and digital creation. Designed as a relaxed and flexible environment, participants are welcome to arrive and leave at their convenience.
The guild invites community members to explore a wide range of tools and techniques, including 3D printing, laser cutting, 3D modeling and scanning, sewing, digital drawing, photography, video editing, audio mixing, electronics, Adobe software, and AI tools. Participants are encouraged to bring laptops, sketchbooks, or existing projects, though no prior experience is required.
As part of the program, attendees receive a one-month free membership to the Near North Makerspace, supporting continued exploration beyond the guild sessions.
Digital Guild reflects the residency’s emphasis on experimentation, accessibility, and collaborative learning within the makerspace environment.
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. Driver is currently expanding their practice at the Near North Makerspace in North Bay, ON. In this residency, they are pushing their professional artistic practice by engaging in a new community and novel experiences to embrace the fortuitous.