Emily spent her childhood in Canada, Senegal and Greece.  She received her BFA in printmaking at the Ontario College of Art and Design, where she first encountered handmade paper. She has since spent three years at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, studying paper and its properties and the unique qualities it can bring to artwork.

During her time there Louisiana was hit by two of the worst hurricanes in 100 years. The devastation of natural landscapes and human lives witnessed in Louisiana informed Emily’s work since then.

Emily has now returned to Toronto and is teaching papermaking at Ontario College of Art and Design.

www.emilycook.ca

Stephanie was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. After receiving her special diploma in Visual Arts from Canterbury High School, she struck out for Toronto to get her BFA in Visual Arts from York University. 

Since graduating, she has worked photographing houses for the Toronto Real Estate Board, dressing as Gandalf the Wizard at Toys 'R Us conventions, and serving as finger food mistress to the stars; all a part of life as an artist. 

She is now working in film as an art director, a field that combines her love of installation art with her love of paying rent.  She also participates in art shows including Nuit Blanche and the Toronto Contact Festival. The rest of her time is devoted to experimenting with any medium she can get her hands on, and she is always looking for ways to make the world more interesting place.

www.stephanieavery.com

Charlotte graduated from Queen’s University in Engineering. Her experience has been mostly in the mining sector. Recently Charlotte has decided to take some time away from engineering to better align her career and personal paths with those of her values. Currently she is involved in philanthropy and children’s programming at the YWCA. She is getting married in the fall, followed by a one-year trip around the world through New Zealand, Asia, North Africa and Europe.

Charlotte enjoyed visual art and writing in high school and has chosen to explore her creative expression again with FireSlide. Her inspiration for the show stems from her intuition that unchecked growth for the sake of growth is not always synonymous with progress and does not necessarily advance our species.

Kerry graduated from York University in June 2003 with an Honours BFA in Dance. Being a member of the 2002/2003 York Dance Ensemble, Kerry was able to work with Danny Grossman, Motaz Kabbani, and Andrea Nann. 

From 2003-2006 Kerry had the privilege of dancing in various works by Tracey Norman for several productions. Her choreographic accomplishments include at York University Apocalypse(2001), Voices from the Piilu (2002), and In Case I Remember(2003); with Series 8:08 Red and Blonde Roots(2004) which was also showcased at Fida (2004) and Slight Hysterical Tendencies(2007); and an Untitled Work inspired by Slight Hysterical Tendencies which was presented at Artist’s Play…a Cabaret! in July 2007. 

Kerry is thrilled to be working with this amazing group of artists brought together by FireSlide Productions since this group is exactly what she has been searching for…

Jonathan is a graduate of Claude Watson School for the Arts and York University and has spent the last eighteen years fine tuning his craft in various visual arts mediums including theatrical stage design, digital art, installation pieces and painting utilizing plastic, metal, electronics and glass in his installations and paint and found objects in his wall pieces.

Following the success of his Cocoon Garden installation at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche in the fall of 2008, Jonathan has begun producing larger scale works under the “Ultra Lime Arts” banner, providing pieces for various entertainment and fundraising events.

Jonathan’s work is conceptual. His installations are meant to challenge the façades of inter-personal relationships, using western iconography to assault the viewer’s self-concept. He is not scared to use cliché, lulling the audience into complacency only to shock them as they look deeper into the piece. More recently, Jonathan has branched out into film and television writing and production, and has become intrigued by the visual possibilities of the new stereoscopic 3D technologies.

For more information about Melanie Click Here.

Amanda is an actress, singer, and filmmaker. She graduated in 2007 from the joint theatre program at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. She has performed in countless theatrical productions and independent films, and is a featured singer across Toronto. In 2008 she attended a summer course at the New York Film Academy, studying film-making. She hopes to create ground-breaking and affective films, and to run her own production company one day.

Amanda was inspired to write the story of her and her father in the hopes that others can learn from their experience, and will think more deeply and freely about forgiveness. This piece, and subsequent performance, is dedicated to David Gilbert, and to all those who have experienced the loss of a parent.

'Enjoy the show and all the beautiful artwork! I am honoured to be featured alongside such talent!'

www.amandaives.com

Andy is a passionate, young, self-starter with a keen interest in the creative arts. He has been writing from a young age and has always dreamed of inspiring and entertaining people with his stories. His first real writing project came when he was asked to write his high school’s Christmas Play. Andy managed to write and co-direct an original one-hour stage play called A Grinchy Christmas. It opened to rave reviews by the school and the public and ran for four days in the month of December 2000.

He studied film for two years at Ryerson’s respectable Image Arts Program and gained knowledge in film theory, screenwriting and production. He later completed a diploma in Advertising and Graphic Design. His determination and passion for storytelling has lead him to complete a pilot currently in review and a treatment for a feature film.

Kris is most inspired by great art, particularly the works of the many masters of illustration, such as Gustav Dore, Windsor McKay, JC Leyendecker and Alphonse Mucha. He has also found inspiration in his travels, but most often through good friends and fun times.

Kris only endeavours to forge enjoyable stories that people take pleasure in hearing, reading and perhaps even retelling to others when the opportunity arises.

Kris hopes to inspire the audience to wade through the events alongside the characters, suffering and succeeding with them, all the while allowing the challenges and adventures tug at their heartstrings and evoke memories hidden beneath a forgotten time.

Amar Kumar is a consultant and owner of Effensource Global Services; a consulting firm which helps people rediscover and infuse passion back into their careers, whether it's an individual pursuing their dream job or a small business looking to reduce their administrative workload so that they can focus more on what they truly love doing. 

Amar has been writing off and on from an early age. Most of his pieces come in the form of short stories that highlight human transformation. Amar is most attracted to the human ability to overcome darkness, suffering, and monotony and turn it into the most precious stuff in the Universe: beauty, passion and love.

This is Amar's public debut as a writer.

For more information about Joe Click Here.