Technologies of the Self

12 - 15 August 2021

12pm to 5 pm, Thur to Sun

Artists: Ashley Baldwin-Smith, Katy Drake, Vivienne Loraine, Ann Mitchell, Katalin Petschner-Peto, Sachiko Purser, Diane Roe, Sandra Scott, Tomasz Surgiel, Katherine Van Uytrecht, Alexander Unsworth.





Technologies of the Self

“…technologies of the self, which permit individuals to effect by their own means or with the help of others a certain number of operations on their own bodies and souls, thoughts, conduct, and way of being, so as to transform themselves in order to attain a certain state of happiness, purity, wisdom, perfection, or immortality.”

Foucault, M., 1982. Technologies of the Self

Eleven international and UK based artists have come together to offer explorations into various aspects of subjectivity and our relationship to the environment around us. The works question our perceptions, cultural expectations, experiences and the influences that inform who we are. Some works cast a critical eye over power and knowledge systems that cause behaviours that affect our sense of self, our agency and our connection to community, other species and the natural world. Other pieces explore consciousness, emotion, isolation, memory and material to gain insight and understanding into our own existence.

Through drawing, installation, moving image, performance, painting, printmaking, psychogeography and sculpture, the artists demonstrate a current perspective of our personal and collective human identity.

https://www.instagram.com/technologiesoftheself/

Participating Artists

Ashley Baldwin-Smith


An important part of my methodology is to document my local environment through walks including, photographing and collecting littered materials and found objects. I use a variety of media to research how a lack of awareness and respect for others is impacting the human condition and the environment.

Katy Drake


Utilising a feminist methodology my practice researches silence around sexism, sexual harassment and assault. I am particularly interested in the reasons why victims and witnesses do not speak up against sexual misdemeanours when they occur in public.

I represent these misdemeanours and the reasons why we don’t speak up through printmaking.


Diane Roe

My practice is situated in a state of tension born from the positioning of subjectivity as a constantly shifting process. I use seemingly disparate materials to create form: the ensuing dialogue interrogates the notion that the subjective self ‘occurs in the zone of proximity in the space between entities’ (Hannah Stark, 2017).


Katherine Van-Uytrecht

Exploring concepts of identity, community, and how we are connected, my investigations include how sound and thought can be used to create bonds on a physical, chemical, and psychological level.

My current work questions how sound and listening can be used as a vehicle for bonding and acts of co-creation.

Vivienne Loraine


The external appearance of our bodies does not always reveal our inner feelings. Emotions play a significant part in people’s lives and yet there is no scientific or logical model that provides evidence of their existence. I explore ways to visualise and map these chaotic, yet vital, bodily sensations.

 

Ann Mitchell

I am a Cambridge based artist and printmaker. My recent work has been an exploration of the feelings and perceptions of older women in our current society. Using printmaking, textiles, performance and sound I hope to enable these women’s voices to be heard and challenge negative stereotypes of ageing.


Sandra Scott

My interest in the relationship between memory and domestic objects has been present in my practice for many years. My personal experience of Alzheimer’s has influenced my work’s direction. My art practice focuses on the exploration of issues surrounding memory, forgetting and loss through the forms of printmaking and free machine embroidery (stitch).


Alexander A D Unsworth

My practice explores the visualisation of experience through painting. Specifically, in relation to pugilism, and the investigation into the physicality of boxing and painting. Physical imagery involves the key concept of immersion and embodiment of subject matter through my own physical body and psychological adoption of pugilism

Katalin Petschner-Peto


I am an international artist from Hungary. My pharmaceutical background gives me a technical viewpoint that I combine with the freedom of artistic expression. I often use medical imaging as inspiration and represent my subjects through natural patterns. Currently, my focus is introspective and encompasses different approaches to the process of self-investigation.


Sachiko Purser

Humans are taking away the territory of other creatures, and species are quietly disappearing from Earth. I capture their existence by creating images of ghostly humanized animals.


This is a tragedy we brought on ourselves because of our disrespect for the natural world and disrespect for animals. Perhaps the origins of the pandemic are here too.


Tomasz Surgiel

“Life In Heaven”

The theme of my pieces is life after death and the path we must cover to get there. This work was created under the influence of the Arte Povera trend. In the project, particular attention is paid to symbolism, colour scheme and the use of various materials.



 

Film

Technologies of the Self - Online conversation and Q&A with Victoria Ahrens and the artists.

Recorded on Wednesday 11 August 2021