The Fluevog Artist Grant is a $10,000 fund designed to support the creative growth and development of up-and-coming talent within our community of Fluevogers. This year’s recipient is Studio Rat (@studio__rat), a shared creative practice of Montréal-based artists Emily Allan (@em.allan) and Dom Di Libero (@garbagem0use).
Plastiscapes, 2024
Founded in 2018 as a site for investigation into plastics, inflatables, and community building, Studio Rat explores the playful and speculative potential of reclaimed plastics through soft sculpture and installation. Both Emily and Dom hold degrees in Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University and have had their work featured in events and exhibitions across Canada, including Arsenal Contemporary Art in 2024 and Nuit Blanche Toronto 2023 — with an upcoming solo exhibition at Grimsby Public Art Gallery planned for 2026.
Funding from the Fluevog Artist Grant will support their latest project, ‘Lamination 1.0’ — a vibrant, suspended canopy made from hundreds of reclaimed plastic tiles — to be presented at Nuit Blanche Toronto 2025 in October as part of a feature exhibition called ‘Collective Composition‘.
Ongoing workshop series: Inflatables 101
‘Lamination 1.0’ is a large-scale, suspended installation that transforms discarded plastics into a glowing quilt-like artwork, exploring collective agency in the process. This work marks the beginning of a new series exploring plastic as a tool for craft, collaboration, and world-building.
Already partially funded by the City of Toronto, ‘Lamination 1.0’ will be installed above the main escalators of the North York Centre mall and subway station entrance. The monolithic piece — estimated to span approximately 20 x 40 feet — will catch daylight and glow at night, transforming the space with a luminous canopy.
A Room is a Home, Is a Playground, 2024
To support the project’s development, Studio Rat will also lead a hands-on workshop in Toronto this August, where participants bring their own plastic waste, learn fusing techniques, and create tiles that will be joined into the final installation. Workshop attendees will get to see their contributions on display at Nuit Blanche 2025, offering an experience of both individual authorship and shared creation.
“‘Lamination 1.0’ emerges as a living archive of waste and care. It reflects on the contradictions of plastic: a material that can be both useful and beautiful, yet emblematic of overconsumption and environmental harm. Through this work, we invite everyone to imagine new ways of building together with intention, creativity, and responsibility.”
Something In-between, 2023
Congratulations Emily and Dom! We’re excited to see ‘Lamination 1.0’ come to life over the next few months!
For more of Studio Rat’s work, visit their website and Instagram.
Main Image: Emily Allan (left) and Dom Di Libero (right). Photo by Iain Ailles.
