Our Philosopher-in-Residence.“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
-LAO TZU
The gym has long been the forgotten birthplace of Western philosophy, dating back to Plato’s Academy, where physical and mental training were one. Similarly, Eastern martial arts are intertwined with the evolution of Zen and Buddhist philosophy.
At Flow, strength of the body is incomplete without strength of the mind.
Our residency program invites Philosophers and Doctors of Philosophy to symbolically inhabit Flow Gym for a season. During their time here, residents will engage in thematic research inspired by the intersection of movement, culture, vibration, spirituality, and thought. This journey culminates in a series of informal talks, offering their insights to the community.
These events are free and open to all with registration.
FAN WUsummer 2025
Fan Wu is a performer, writer, translator, and organizer based in Toronto, Canada. His practice involves studying knowledge traditions and engaging with wisdom traditions, namely Daoism, and is guided by a fascination with the expansiveness of such archetypes as “the wounded healer” and “the indulgent monk.” In his work and life, he asks: how can mythic ur-narratives help us to integrate our own suffering into transformation? And, how can we rearrange the forms of social life so it’s conducive to open channels of change? He is a Pisces/Pisces Rising, born into yin fire, and—of all the major arcana—most drawn to Temperance.
emily murphySpring 2025
Emily Murphy—aka Venus in Foil—is a theorist, DJ, and community organizer working at the intersection of psychoanalysis, queer theory, affect theory, crip theory, and cultural studies. For nearly a decade, she has been a key figure in Toronto’s underground dance music scene, organizing events under monikers such as SOAK, Combo Breaker, Dirt Rave, and Club XXX. Her SSHRC-funded dissertation examines raving as an aesthetic mode of survival. Through the affective space of the dancefloor, she explores how the residues of trauma can be communed with and moved through. Rooted in moments of catharsis and queer kinship, her research considers raving as a reparative practice—one where mutual aid and activist networks emerge as tangible blueprints for alternative futures grounded in care.
Alia O’ BrienSpring 2024
Alia O’Brien holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Toronto and an MA in ethnomusicology from Tufts University. Her theoretical and research interests include SWANA musics in diasporic contexts, popular music, urban ethnography, sound and Islam, sensory anthropology, practice theory, and phenomenology. Her dissertation project-turned-book-in progress, supported by both Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) doctoral scholarships, focuses on faithful listening practices amongst Muslims in Canada. Beyond the academy, Alia has studied the ney/nay in Ramallah, Boston, and Toronto, has recorded and toured internationally with her band Blood Ceremony, and has scored several plays and films.
