DesignTO Festival, Canada’s largest annual celebration of design, transformed Toronto into a city-wide playground of creativity and community. Visitors were invited to not only view imagination- sparking installations, but to step inside them — touching, listening and shaping each experience alongside family and friends. The festival was presented across the city until February 1, 2026, and it demonstrated how design could be immersive, participatory and deeply human.
Throughout the festival, several artists and designers explored the concept of experiential design. Among the installations was Beneath One Sky by Asli Alin, featuring suspended cloud-like forms made from colourful translucent mesh. Each form was unique yet interconnected through layering and spatial dialogue, creating an immersive overhead environment. The work evoked a sky that had been shaped by many identities, reflecting the fluid and evolving nature of Canadian identity. Through its openness and overlapping forms, the installation celebrated multiplicity, exchange and shared belonging, proposing that true pride emerges through embracing diversity.
