Sage Sidley: Planes of View

Vernon Public Art Gallery January 4 - March 8, 2018

sage sidley | planes of view

Inverted

The gaze of the flaneur as a chronicler of urban life is a concept from the 1860’s, brought to theory by Walter Benjamin1 and his interest in the works of the French Poet Charles Baudelaire2; these concepts entered the literary culture within France. This performative aspect of walking and observing was an important component in the act of paying witness to the world around one; this surveillance and observation not obvious within a frenetic city energy. Sage Sidley has inverted this gaze and contemporized this gaze in the exhibition titled “Planes of View”. Instead of walking the urban spaces herself, Sidley employs the capacities of hand held technologies to bring her surveillance of the urban space inside, where she then uses this visual information to draw onto the gallery walls.

Michel Foucault3 investigated society’s power structures through a scrutiny of how language is used to represent governance within politics and ideologies. Sidley references Michel Foucault’s work titled “Discipline and Punishment”, and in this work regarding prison systems, Foucault explored concepts of how to maintain discipline and punishment specifically linked to the use of surveillance as an effective and economical means of control. Foucault cited the Philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham’s4 architectural drawing of the Panopticon5. It is a physical building where inmates are constantly recorded and observed from a central core; the central core can constantly observe the entire population. The intended outcome was that the behaviour of the inmates was modified. Sidley contemporizes these ideas by inquiring how surveillance and technologies are rapidly updating and infiltrating our very personal spaces and does this allow for a type of behaviour modification within our society; her use of the word ubiquitous has profound implications when directed at these acts of observation. This humble adjective suggests surveillance as already existing and being everywhere.

Underpinning Sidley’s ideas is the act of drawing directly onto the gallery wall, using charcoal and graphite.

One can argue that Feminists would claim this methodology as their own. It is a political act that is meant to undermine the hegemony of the Art Historical discourse. This discourse is embedded with the patriarchal lens, gives a hierarchal structure to criticality that is language based in this male gaze. By drawing on the wall, Sidley is undermining its value, identifying this work as not a cultural commodity, which allows her work to exist as a haptic endeavour, for these drawings will disappear after this exhibition ends. Many artists allow that the meaning of art lies in the act of doing the art, regardless of the outcome of the work. A feminist lens allows that drawing in and of itself is a political act, as for many centuries drawing was outside of what was considered art, that drawing was a preliminary step used to begin a major work. This lens also allows that drawing can be seen as a stratification of identity politics that frame the idea of women’s work and women’s value in our work based society.

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One cannot deny the ways and means that our digital devices give many opportunities for a compilation of personal data, and journalists have, for many years, written essays pointing to the existence of global surveillance programs operated by many different countries and institutions. Sage Sidley’s “Planes of View” offers a pluralistic investigation for us to consider; works that reference a variety of political bifurcations that bring us back to the issues of a life surveilled.

Carin Covin visual artist and writer (Endnotes) 1 Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish Philosopher, 1892 to 1940, whose ideas contributed to post-structuralism, its theories and ideas.

2 Charles Baudelaire, 1821 – 1867, was a French poet whose work examined a changing Paris of the 19th Century.

3 Michel Foucault, 1926 to 1984, was a French philosopher who was interested in deconstructing issues embedded in the concepts of power and knowledge.

4 Jeremy Bentham, 1748 to 1832, was an English Philosopher who is credited with the principles of modern utilitarianism.

5 The Panopticon is Jeremy Bentham’s late 18th Century design for institutes of incarceration. It is named after Panoptes, the giant with 100 eyes, who was an effective watchman within Greek Mythology.

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Artist Statement

My work involves the themes of place and time in the context of site-specificity ideologies. Drawing directly on the wall physically connects the work to the space, blurring the line between place and art. In addition to this connection, I am interested in the effect place has on our behaviour. More specifically, how do we behave in an art gallery compared to a city street? By drawing the live enfolding actions outside the gallery onto the gallery walls, I am experimenting with ideas of displacement and surveillance. Additionally, this ephemeral method investigates how space influences our perceptions of art.

Inspired by Michel Foucault’s theories of surveillance developed in Discipline and Punishment, I am exploring how the ubiquitous use of hand-held technologies with camera and video capabilities has shaped our behaviour. As technologies develop how are surveillance practices changing?

The drawings are a product of their controls: the surveillance app Alfred, the camera phone, the Wi-Fi connection, the projector, and artist’s licence. In this way, the drawings are a direct result of the environment and the effect of time.

Moreover, the drawing performance connects the viewers to the present moment, the process, and the artist. Each drawing is a product of one day of recording.

Planes of View is a term often used in drafting to describe the drawing’s perspective. This is comparable to a window plane.

The walls of the gallery each have a different perspective of the street framed by the window. These planes can also refer to the layers of viewing created through the controls.

Planes of View 2018 Sage Sidley

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Sage Sidley

curriculum vitae

www.sagesidley.com

Education 2011 - 2016 Bachelor’s, Fine Arts, Visual Arts, Mathematics Minor, University of British Columbia Okanagan.

Solo Exhibitions 2018 Planes of View, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon BC. 2017 Gap, Reach Gallery, Abbotsford BC. (catalogue).

Boothed, ARTSCO, Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna BC. Portrait of my Neighbour, Members Gallery, The Alternator Centre, Kelowna BC. Group Exhibitions 2017 Not-So-Silent Auction, The Alternator Centre, Kelowna BC. Select Okanagan Artists, Fundraiser.

Art on the Line, UBCO, Kelowna BC. Select Okanagan Artists, Fundraiser.

2016 Drawing From Life, Kelowna Art Gallery/Liz Wylie, Kelowna BC. David Alexander, Rose Braun, Jane Everett, Wanda Lock, Amy Modahl, Gary Pearson, and Johann Wessels. (catalogue).

U100, Lake Country Gallery, Winfield BC. Select Okanagan Artists.

Red Dot, Alternator Centre, Kelowna BC. Select Okanagan Artists.

Art on the Line, UBCO, Kelowna BC. Select Okanagan Artists, Fundraiser.

2015 Shelf Life: BFA Graduating Exhibition, UBCO FINA Galley, Kelowna BC. 2015 BFA Graduating class. (catalogue).

The Parallel Collective: Re-, The Alternator Centre, Kelowna BC. Courtnee Chulo, Zeke Kan, and Catherine Bennington.

Intermission Series: The Parallel Collective with Sicamous Stories, The Alternator Centre, Kelowna BC. Courtnee Chulo, Zeke Kan, and Catherine Bennington.

Ink Belly, Printmaking at UBCO, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna BC. Select UBCO printmaking students.

Long Range Exchange Print Exhibition, UBCO FINA Gallery, Kelowna BC, U of Regina, Regina SK. Select Printmaking students from UBCO and UoRegina.

4th Annual SIPS, El Minia University, El Minia, Egypt. Select Printmaking students. (catalogue).

2014 Fourth Year, UBCO FINA Galley, Kelowna BC. 2015 BFA Graduating class.

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Group Exhibitions continued

Beyond the Invisible, Cannery Lane, Kelowna BC. Select Okanagan Artists.

Ink, UBCO FINA Gallery, Kelowna BC. Select Printmaking students.

Young, French Cultural Centre, Kelowna BC. Select UBCO visual art students.

UBCO Visual Arts Exhibition Showcase, ARTSCO, Cannery Lane, Kelowna BC. Select UBCO visual art students.

2013 EC.LEC.TIC, FINA Gallery, UBCO, Kelowna, BC. UBCO 2nd year drawing students.

Sculpture, FINA Gallery, UBCO, Kelowna, BC. UBCO 2nd year sculpture students.

Collections UBC Okanagan Permanent Collection, Kelowna BC, Canada.

UBC Okanagan Teaching Collection, Kelowna BC, Canada.

Selected Bibliography Katie Stobbart. “Pics or it didn’t happen: Exploring the Impermanence of the Gallery Selfie”. Raspberry Magazine: November 15, 2017.

Chantelle Fawcett. “Art on Demand 3.3.” Exhibition Catalogue, Abbotsford: The Reach Gallery Museum, 2017. Print.

Kelowna Art Gallery. “Drawing from Life artist interviews at the Kelowna Art Gallery.” YouTube: 2016.

Liz Wylie. “Drawing from Life.” Exhibition Catalogue, Kelowna: Kelowna Art Gallery, 2016. Print.

Global News. “Hidden treasure found during Kelowna packing house demolition.” Global News: September 15, 2016.

Oddleifson, Shauna, “Sage’s Story”, Our Stories. UBC Okanagan: 2016.

Gimson, Francesca. “Gallery Review: Drawing from Life.” Phoenix News, UBC Okanagan: January 4, 2017 UBC Okanagan BFA Visual Arts Class 2015. “Shelf Life.” Exhibition Catalogue, Kelowna: Print Factory, 2015. Print.

James, Sarah. “Road Trip Culture on Display at the Alternator”. Phoenix News, UBC Okanagan: March 17, 2015.

Blumer, Jeff. “Artists on the Line: Ardanna Semeschuk & Sage Sidley”. Phoenix News, UBC Okanagan: February 3, 2015.

El Minia University. “4th Annual SIPS.” Exhibition Catalogue, El Minia: Mina University, 2014. Print.

Presentations Guest Presentation: Sage Sidley. VISA 482 Lecture UBC Okanagan, Kelowna BC. Artist Talk: Sage Sidley. CCS 250 Lecture UBC Okanagan, Kelowna BC. Lunch Box Speaker Series: Artist talk with Sage Sidley, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna BC. Quick Talks: Drawing from life, panelist, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna BC.

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Selected Professional & Volunteer Experience 2017/6 – 2018/6 Curatorial Intern, Art Council of the Central Okanagan.

2017/5 Installation volunteer, Art Council of the Central Okanagan.

2017/1 – 2017/2 Installation Assistant, Kelowna Art Gallery.

2017/1 – 2017/3 Artist Inventory assistant, Data Input, Jane Everette.

2016/10 – 2017/2 Front Desk Attendant Volunteer, Vernon Public Art Gallery.

2016/11 Installation volunteer, Lake Country Art Gallery Teaching Related Experience 2018/2 – 2018/3 Drawing Instructor, Advanced Drawing, 6 week course, Kelowna Art

Gallery.

2018/1 – 2018/2 Drawing Instructor, Intermediate Drawing, 6 week course, Kelowna Art

Gallery.

2017/9 – 2017/10 Drawing Instructor, Learn to Draw, 6 week course, Kelowna Art Gallery.

2017/7 – 2017/8 Drawing Instructor, Sunday Sketches, Summer course, Vibrant Vine.

2017/4 Opus Drawing Demo, Opus Art Supplies Kelowna.

2017/1 – 2017/6 Life Drawing Instructor, Yeti Farm Creative.

2016/12 Drawing Instructor, Special One Night Workshop: Drawing from Life,

Kelowna Art Gallery.

2013/9 – 2014/6 Drawing Tutor, University of British Columbia Okanagan.

2013/6 – 2014/8 Summer Program Coordinator, Rossland Public Library.

2012/9 – 2013/4 First Year Peer Mentor, University of British Columbia Okanagan.

Number of Mentorees: 14.

Awards/Scholarships 2016 Doug Biden Memorial Scholarship in Visual Arts

Special UBC Okanagan Award - FCCS DVC Art Purchase Prize BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition Nominee Deputy Vice-Chancellor Scholarship for Continuing Students Dean’s List UBC Okanagan 2014 Frances Harris Prize in Fine Arts Deputy Vice-Chancellor Scholarship for Continuing Students Dean’s List UBC Okanagan 2013 Deputy Vice-Chancellor Scholarship for Continuing Students Dean’s List UBC Okanagan 2012 Deputy Vice-Chancellor Scholarship for Continuing Students Dean’s List UBC Okanagan 2011 Valedictorian of 2011 Graduating Class

President’s Entrance Scholarship 7

This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition: Sage Sidley: Planes of View Vernon Public Art Gallery, January 4 - March 8, 2018 Production: Vernon Public Art Gallery Printing: Get Smarter Copies, Vernon BC, Canada ISBN: 978-1-927407-42-4

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