Rituals of Reuse

You’re invited to a collective ritual to bid farewell to, and find new life for, deceased game controllers. By repairing our relationships with broken technologies, can we repair our relationships with each other and the larger ecosystems we inhabit?

In this collaborative ceremonial teardown, we will reflect on the life cycles of our hardware and the physical footprints left by our technologies as they decay over time. We will explore sustainable practices that refuse to neglect the deep-rooted, deeply felt impacts of our objects of play designed for consumption, not renewal. Weaving together notions of graceful degradation, circular technologies, and life-centred design, join us for an immersive experiment in slow repair.

Participants can bring their broken, unused, and decaying game controllers to include in the ritual, or one will be gifted to you. Additional tools will be provided. Controllers will be disassembled, so please bring tech that you are willing to repair, repurpose, or ultimately part with.

Developed with support from York University’s Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology and Connected Minds.

Donations of additional game controllers for this session are encouraged and appreciated.

This workshop is part of Vector Festival 2025, and presented as part of the Sustainable Practices series, made possible through funding from the Microsoft Toronto Community Fund.

About the Facilitators

Thalia Godbout (she/they), Laurel Green (she/her), RJ Remesat (they/she), and Omar Shabbar (he/him) are artist-scholars from York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance, and Design and the Lassonde School of Engineering. As technologist, designer, dramaturg, and ethnomusicologist, our artistic practices meet at the intersection of interactive technology, community activation, and inclusive design.

Together, we explore the participatory applications of research-creation methodologies as tools for accelerating collective awareness, cultivating imaginative agency, and building capacity for actionable change.

Accessibility Information

• The main entrance is accessible by stairs or ramp, and the workshop will be held on the second floor which is accessible by stairs or elevator.
  Accessible and gender neutral bathrooms and water fountains are both located on the second floor.
• Visual signage will be provided to help guide attendees through the venue to the workshop.
• Portions of the event will be dimly lit, and task lighting will be provided during the take-apart session to provide adequate light levels.
• Participants will be seated for a majority of the workshop, but are encouraged to move around the space and interact with one another.
• Ambient background sounds (including nature sounds and music) will be present at a low level throughout the duration of the workshop.
• The workshop will run for 3 hours, with a 15 minute break halfway through. Tea and snack will be offered.
• This workshop involves a high level of participation and interaction with workshop facilitators and other participants.

If you have any questions or require any accommodations, please don’t hesitate to reach out to rjremesa@yorku.ca with the subject line “Rituals of Reuse at IA - Access”.