YORKTON – Saskatoon-based multimedia artist Lindsey Rewuski invites audiences into a world of calm and introspection with her debut solo exhibition, “Only In Dark, The Light.”
The show, which runs until May 24 at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, features a collection of light-based works, including video, soundscapes, light box art, slide projections and interactive kinetic sculptures.
“The whole purpose of the exhibition is to create a sense of calm. To reduce anxiety—which during COVID was really super important I found,” said Rewuski, in an interview with 麻豆传媒AV.ca, during the artist's reception held at the GDAG March 29.
Rewuski, who has been practicing her craft for over a decade, originally began as a performance-based artist, creating light projections for musicians and sound artists across Canada.
“I’ve performed doing visuals for these kinds of performances all over Canada at festivals and arts spaces,” said Rewuski.
When COVID-19 halted live events, Rewuski shifted her focus.
“Performances were no longer possible and so I pivoted with the idea of being able to create work that would fit within an exhibition and be able to travel without necessarily me being there,” said Rewuski, “it worked well with the concepts I was working with at that time.”
Rewuski found inspiration in therapeutic multi-sensory environments, spaces designed to reduce anxiety for people with sensory disorders like autism or dementia.
“These spaces were really popular in the 90s—there was a lot of funding for these multi-sensory environments that were built. There’s over 800 of them in Canada and there’s almost 100 of them in Saskatchewan alone,” said Rewuski.
Rewuski said she reinterpreted these environments through her light-based work.
“The works themselves are changeable—they adapt to whatever space they’re in," said Rewuski.
Rewuski's creative process also draws on her background in graphic design and fine art.
“One of the things you’ll notice about the work is there’s no computers involved. I spend all day on a computer and so for me this was really therapeutic,” said Rewuski, noting, “everything was done in isolation during COVID so I was going into the space and getting messy with inks and dyes and creating this work.”
“Some people think the videos are computer-generated but they’re all in camera practical FX. All of the visuals you’ll see are done by hand in camera with liquids and materials and different chemical processes. I feel like there’s definitely something a little more wonder-inducing when you see something that’s hand-made as opposed to computer-generated," said Rewuski.
Rewuski emphasized that her work draws from the legacy of 1960s and 1970s psychedelic light shows.
“When I started researching equipment to perform these really old-school 1970s, 1960s psychedelic light show experiences—the only place you can buy that kind of equipment nowadays is for therapy space for people with sensory disorders like autism or dementia.”
Rewuski has even connected with some of the original light show pioneers.
“When I started getting into the light shows themselves ... I found a small community online on Facebook that was being run by a couple of the original light show performers,” said Rewuski.
“They were a lot of older people who were realizing if they didn’t pass on their knowledge it was going to get lost. And so I actually have been mentored a little bit by some of these people that were really huge in the psychedelic light show community," added Rewuski.
The soundscapes in the exhibition also play a key role.
“I commissioned two audio pieces to go in this exhibition. One of them is exploring isochronic tones,” said Rewuski.
According to Wikipedia, "isochronic tones are regular beats of a single tone that are used alongside monaural beats and binaural beats in the process called brainwave entrainment. At its simplest level, an isochronic tone is a tone that is being turned on and off rapidly. They create sharp, distinctive pulses of sound."
“There’s been a lot more research in the past 10 years about music as therapy and isochronic tones are also considered to promote relaxation, anxiety reduction and focus," said Rewuski.
Reflecting on her journey, Rewuski opened up about her challenges.
“In late 2022 I got diagnosed with cancer and everything went on hold until now,” said Rewuski, adding that the cancer has since been resolved.
“This is my first showing of any of this work that I’ve been sitting on for a couple of years. There are some new pieces that I created specifically for this space," said Rewuski.
For Rewuski, the exhibition is about creating a moment of peace in a chaotic world.
“The creation of this work was meditative,” said Rewuski, “it felt like the world needed a little bit of anxiety reduction and it still does. I feel like that part of it is still relevant today.”
