Francophone Media Arts Center in Toronto

How do we work?

A space for exploration

Le Labo is first and foremost a place for artistic exploration: image and sound equipment rentals, laboratories, residencies, discussions, wanderings, and a library. It is a space where one can experiment without the immediate obligation to produce.

A place to meet

We create contexts to circulate contemporary practices, particularly in media arts, and to spark encounters between artists, audiences, and partners. Le Labo acts as a point of passage and connection within Toronto’s artistic ecosystem.

A human-scale structure

We develop our activities with care, taking into account our resources, our rhythms, and our commitments. Caring for artists, the team, and projects is an integral part of how we work.

Le Labo was born from a simple need in the 2000s in Toronto: to create a space for experimentation in media arts, to share professional equipment, and to have opportunities to gather, all in French.

Driven since 2006 by the initiative of filmmaker and producer Babek Aliassa, the project to gather around moving images was built collectively through encounters, discussions, and a commitment from Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Trillium Foundation to establish a place dedicated to creation and production.

Today, the center continues to evolve with the artists who pass through it: Franco-Ontarians, immigrant artists, or visiting artists sensitive to media arts and the hybridity of practices.

This movement was supported by, among others, Nicole Croiset, Dominique Banoun, Alex Loukos, Joseph Muscat, Denis Leclerc, Marc Audette, Mireille St-Cyr, and Dante Lacarde.

The Team

Dyana Ouvrard (she/her) 
Executive and Artistic Director

A curator and director of the Francophone artist-run center Le Labo (media arts) since 2020, Dyana develops creative support formats such as residencies, micro-programs, and collaborations within Studio 277 at 401 Richmond. Her practice focuses on notions of space, walking, and landscape, with attention to life rhythms and eco-responsible processes and practices.

Gabriel Córdova (he/him)
Communications

A Canadian musician originally from Toronto, Gabriel develops an artistic practice that bridges musical traditions and intercultural dialogues. Trained in classical music at the University of Toronto and in jazz at the Université de Montréal, he is interested in the links between European art music, Afro-American jazz traditions, and the music of Mexico. In parallel, he explores musical mediation, sound creation, and community engagement, with a focus on inclusive and intercultural practices.