Cristal Buemi is a Puerto Rican Canadian award-winning multimedia artist. She holds a BA from Toronto Metropolitan University and an MA from Bau, Design College of Barcelona. While multidisciplinary by nature, (stop motion animation, video art, photography, collage and digital design), her work pushes frame by frame boundaries by exploring the materiality and inherent beauty found in the minutia, through an experimental, and ecological lens. Cristal’s practice revolves around abstract storytelling, sustainability and texture through a plethora of natural and recycled materials. Both her collaborative and individual works have been exhibited worldwide including: The New York City Independent Film Festival, Animac, Harbourfront Centre’s CoMotion Festival, Fashion Art Toronto, Venus Fest, Stop Motion Montreal and broadcasted on AMC and HBO.
Cristal’s diverse education and artistic practice both personal and industry based, have influenced her to become a flexible experimental thinker and maker. This method of practice has inspired her passion for pedagogy and exploratory creative expression through community art education in collaboration with various organizations and academic spaces such as OCAD University’s Experimental Animation program, Creative Users Projects, TIFF, SKETCH, TAIS, Big Brother Big Sisters of Canada, North York Arts and the Toronto District School board, both in person and online. Cristal’s teaching philosophy is all about an engaged pedagogy while creating safe, flexible and accessible learning environments. As a facilitator she has had the opportunity to work with participants of various ages and backgrounds by leading artistic workshops, talks, camps and courses to help advance their creative practices.
Cristal most recently co-founded Frame by Frame, a research and programming initiative that through the magic of stop motion animation creates flexible and adaptive artistic opportunities accessible to participants of all abilities.
