The federal government is putting money into a mobile and multimedia project underway at the Ontario College of Art & Design. OCAD — together with partners including Decode Entertainment (Bromwell High), Triptych Media (Republic of Love) and Collideascope Digital Productions — is developing what it describes as a virtual theater and entertainment park for cell phone users in downtown Toronto, and on Friday scored a $367,000 cheque from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

‘Portage,’ as it is known, will provide interactive content such as short films, museum tours and other cultural content about specific locations around town, according to an OCAD statement.

‘We’re marrying academy with industry in imaginative ways,’ says Paula Gardner, one of two OCAD professors attached to the project. The purpose of the project is to find broader uses for mobile technology. ‘We want to see this as a potential space for people to engage, meet each other and enhance their cultural and social lives.’

OCAD is hosting the four-day Mobile Nation conference this week, starting Thursday in Toronto.