Visual art, fabric art, photography, performance, dance, virtual reality, and music were all the subject of sessions at Furnal Equinox 2018, a conference held from March 16 to 18 at Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle. Canada's largest furry convention by attendance, the annual event offers dozens of subculture-specific programs.
The convention's communications and public relations coordinator for the event, Ronnie, describes furries as "people that enjoy arts and culture centred around animals and animal-themed topics, essentially. Furnal Equinox in particular, we like to celebrate in a very visual and very [...] artistic nature, where we have lots of arts and performances and crafts that go on, and people celebrate with lots of socialisation involved."
Of the attendees, Ronnie told Wikinews "they come from all walks of life. They are people of all ages, sizes, all sorts of backgrounds, and they come together under one mutual interest, which is their love for animal culture."
"Programming at Furnal Equinox involves[...] a lot of informational panels, so you can find out about topics from art and how to draw, or how to visually incorporate different elements into your artworks. You can also find panels that teach you how to write better, be a better fiction author for example," explained the event representative.
At one panel Wikinews attended, members of its all-volunteer organising committee spoke of the year-long process of planning the event, and their reasons for committing such a significant amount of their time. Said one panelist, "if you're happy, we're happy."
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
The largest hub of activity at the convention was a dealer's room; nicknamed the "Dealer's Den", giving it an anthropomorphic twist. Vendors were selling original visual art, wearables like faux fur tails or ears, or things like jewellery or soap with motifs that would interest attendees.
The back area of the room was dedicated to a charity auction, with proceeds benefiting Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary. According to the convention website, the charity is "dedicated to rescuing abused, neglected, and abandoned farmed animals. Their goal is to provide a safe, life-long home for all of their residents, and to educate the public about the true nature of farmed animals through tours, volunteer programs, and community outreach."
Split into groups, some attendees played "Fursuit Games" in front of an audience, like trying to toss a ball into a garbage can. The activity made harder, of course, by the limited dexterity and vision the most of the costumes entail.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Berrie Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Attendees try to catch their own prizes, like t-shirts, after the Games. Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Only 10–15% of people within the fandom own a fursuit, according to a 2011 study, contrary to the impression that this photo montage may give.
Ceyla Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Damian Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Tdot Babs Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Pip Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Jack Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Burning Nightingale Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
A massive group photo Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Red fursuits Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Fursuits of small mammals Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Fursuits with beaks Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Baldric the Sheep Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Eddie Bear as Fu Manchu Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Spawts Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Beez Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Battlebeast the Moonkin Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Peach Schnebly Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
Image: Nicholas Moreau.
SoulWolf Image: Nicholas Moreau.

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Culture of creativity features at Furnal Equinox 2018