Rachel Stubbs during her thesis defence in 2020

Rachel Stubbs completed her MA in English in June 2020 at UBC Okanagan. She came to UBC after completing a Bachelor’s degree in English and History at MacEwan University. Her thesis, titled, “Dear Mr. Dumbledore: Handwritten and Printed Intraliterary Texts in Lewis Carroll’s Alice Series and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series,” examined Harry Potter as a serious contribution to contemporary children’s literature that is in conversation with Lewis Carroll’s Alice series.

“This thesis argues that Rowling and Carroll understand the texts within their series, such as the labels, signposts, letters, memorandums, diaries, and textbooks, as important and authoritative entities. This thesis addresses the readers within and outside of the series as figures whose participation is equally as important as the fictional characters. Ultimately, I show that Rowling and Carroll share an obsession with print, handwriting, and reading.”

Rachel is now pursuing an English Ph.D. at the University of Calgary where her research is focused on early twentieth-century Canadian women writers who depict and construct Indigenous girlhood.

We asked Rachel to discuss her experience at UBCO as a master’s student.

Tell us about the road to earning your UBC degree.

I chose UBC Okanagan mainly because I wanted the “big university” feel without living in a big city. Living with close access to nature is and has been a mainstay in my life, and I knew I needed to feed that in some way. When I was researching grad schools, UBCO was one of my top schools for that reason alone (I was not disappointed). I loved my experience at UBCO, but these were definitely some of the most difficult years in my personal life. Not only did I have some personal medical issues, but my father also became terminally ill while I was away. Being away from home and my support network was incredibly challenging. However, I was so fortunate to have the most wonderful and understanding supervisor, and a really close-knit cohort that truly walked through those moments with me. I would not have been able to complete my degree without leaning (sometimes falling) on them.

Tell us about your thesis.

I chose the subject for my thesis because I loved the idea of studying children’s literature at an academic level. Like many people from my generation, I had a borderline obsession with Harry Potter as a child and was so excited about the possibility of studying it as part of my graduate thesis. I also loved the strangeness of Alice and realized that very few people had read these texts together.

How did your professors support you throughout your degree?

The professors at UBCO are in my top favourite things about the university. Dr. Margaret Reeves was my supervisor during my Master’s degree and I cannot put into words how wonderful she was for me. She often reminded me to give myself grace when I needed it most and encouraged me when I felt insecure about my work. Dr. Reeves also believes in a holistic approach to supervising and was concerned about all aspects of my life during my degree, which was something I didn’t even know I needed at the time. Dr. Reeves was nothing short of irreplaceable.

Dr. Lisa Grekul was also a fundamental reason why I began to love teaching. Watching her work and then working with her as her TA was a real privilege. Dr. Grekul’s passion for the material comes through in her teaching which I believe is one of the many reasons her students adore her. She was always positive, always supportive, and always happy to hear from me.

Dr. Fransisco Peña was also a wonderful professor to work with. Dr. Peña allowed me to really grow and gave me so many opportunities to strengthen my experience and also trusted me, which was such a validating feeling as a graduate student. He was invested in my career and encouraged me to pursue PhD programs. Dr. Peña is also a wealth of knowledge, and many times we would get off track just talking about fascinating topics that arose in the classes he taught.

How did the campus community contributed to your experience?

The community at UBCO was one of my favourite parts. My cohort was fantastic. When my father was too sick to travel and my family was caring for him and could not come to my thesis defense, my entire cohort showed up in an overwhelming demonstration of their support and even filmed it for my family at home. My cohort and I became real friends and I was (and still am) so fortunate to have them.

The university library I also found was a great resource for me, especially because some of the articles I was looking for were really niche. What I loved about the library is that they are just as excited as I was about my project!

A highlight for me during my degree was attending and presenting at Congress in 2019, which was a terrifying but rewarding experience as a graduate student!

Photo from the 2018 Okanagan Print Triennial at the Kelowna Art Gallery

Briar Craig, a full professor teaching printmaking in the BFA program here at UBC Okanagan has been organizing international printmaking exhibitions since he started here in early 1991 (then Okanagan University College).  Briar worked with printmaking colleague Mary Smith McCulloch to organize exhibitions of print works from people outside of the local community.

“The initial idea was to bring work here that we would not normally get to see in person,” notes Briar.

Briar and Mary started by organizing a couple of invitational shows inviting Canadian artists to submit work, and then opened it up to include international artists for future years. They would set up the shows in the gallery at the K.L.O. campus with the intention of ramping up to something that resembles what is now The Okanagan Print Triennial (OPT).  The university gallery at the K.L.O. campus and at the UBCO campus are just not large enough to host an exhibition of this scope and ambition and it took a number of years to find an Okanagan gallery willing to be a partner for this project.  Lubos Culen the curator at the Vernon Public Art Gallery was the first to come on board followed by Liz Wiley at the Kelowna Art Gallery.  Without the support of those two galleries the OPT would never have been possible.

Since 2009, the OPT has involved showing the work every three years alternating between the Vernon Public Art Gallery and the Kelowna Art Gallery.

The works submitted for the OPT are juried by Briar and the curators at both galleries. Each year they have submissions from between 75 to 125 artists from around the world.  In order to create an exhibition that reflects the current ideas of participating artists, all submitted work needs to have been created in the last 3 years.

“One of the things that distinguishes the OPT from many other international print exhibitions is that we want to show bodies of peoples works rather than just one piece from each participating artist.  When seeing small bodies of an artist’s work you start to get a sense of what that artists ideas are.” He also adds, “we like to have about 25 artists each show, but to do that we do need a big space, and space is limited at both of the galleries.”

Many of the works we juried into the exhibition this year were made in 2020. In the midst of a pandemic, our lens for looking at that work ‘was quite flavoured’ by social isolation, he explains. “The work is timely in its content and what it is trying to say.”

This is something that is intrinsic to printmaking, the history of printmaking in general tends to come from advertising and the spreading of information. The printed word created literacy and artists that use printmaking mediums are creating a kind of literacy for their work in a broad sense.

“Artists continue to say things about their lives through their work and an exhibition like the OPT brings that work here for us to see and investigate. We get to see a snapshot of what is happening in South Korea, or Australia or Poland. It is pretty exciting.”

Since McCulloch retired, Briar is now the only print professor, and he says that the students get only one perspective. While his perspective and experience is pretty broad, it is not all encompassing.

“The OPT exhibition is a huge benefit for students in our classes.  They get to see world class and contemporary work in person”, he explains.   The influence of seeing other people’s work, and seeing the subtleties in those works in person expands what is possible to someone who is just starting out in their art practice.

“It is fun to go through the shows with a class.  Everyone gets excited about what they are seeing, and it is so much fun as it sparks curiosity.” He says, “seeing work from other artists can give students ideas on how to express themselves and how to make use of the materials that are unique to printmaking.”

The 2021 Okanagan Print Triennial is scheduled at the Vernon Public Art Gallery from March 18 to May 19 and has 28 printmakers from 15 countries around the world. The jury for this year’s show were Briar Craig, Lubos Cullen Curator for the VPAG, and FCCS professor emeritus and art historian, Carolyn MacHardy. A catalogue will accompany the exhibition, printed with financial support from the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

There are two major awards given every year, a purchase prize, and the top artist prize. The winner of each Triennial is given a solo show at the gallery not hosting the show the third year following. This year we look forward to seeing the work of Ericka Walker who was in the show in 2018 at the Kelowna Art Gallery. Her exhibition, A decaying fort and lack of guidance, opens at the Kelowna Art Gallery on April 10.

For more information on the 2021 OPT, visit: www.vernonpublicartgallery.com/okanagan-print-triennial

Photo from the 2015 Okanagan Print Triennial at the Vernon Public Art Gallery

What is Printmaking?

The umbrella term printmaking involves a number of different methods of creating art works through the process of printing.  Typically, a print-artist creates an image, then takes that image and draws it onto a lithographic stone, or etches it with nitric acid into an etching plate or makes a stencil on a silkscreen, and then uses that process to transfer the imagery to another surface – usually paper or fabric.

Faculty Spotlight: Kerrie Charnley

Kerrie Charnley

The Department of English and Cultural Studies is pleased to welcome Kerrie Charnley as the newest member to join the English program. Dr. Charnley joined the faculty at UBC Okanagan in the summer of 2020. Dr. Charnley has a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from UBC Vancouver. She is Coast Salish from Katzie First Nation and over the past 15 years has taught courses in Indigenous Education, Literature, and Health at UBC, SFU, and the Institute for Indigenous Governance (NVIT).

Dr. Kerrie Charnley has been working in the fields of Indigenous writing, education, law and health for thirty-five years, since the mid-1980s.

“I am particularly interested in land-based learning and teaching in multimodal, embodied and experiential ways through literary and discourse analysis, story, performance, art and cultural-spiritual and sustainability practices. I am also interested in language revival and how language translation theory can inform and expand our understandings of communication within a given language.”

We met up with Kerrie to find out a bit more about her, her research and her teaching practices.

Why did you choose to come to UBC Okanagan?

I have long appreciated and respected Dr. Jeannette Armstrong’s epistemological and language work, and her voice, activism and leadership. Also, since the 1980s I had been impressed with Theytus Books as one of Canada’s first Indigenous owned and operated publishing houses, and then the establishment of the creative writing school at the En’owkin Centre, both in Penticton. Shortly after UBCO came into existence, while I was completing my master’s degree in 2007-2008, I happened to be working in the administration of faculty appointments for the Dean of Applied Science, Dr. Michael Isaacson, who told me about UBCO and how it came to be. From then on UBCO was on my radar. I noticed there was a growing cadre of highly respected Syilx Okanagan scholars at UBCO, such as Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Dr. Marlowe Sam, and more recently, Dr. Bill Cohen. This, along with the kind of relationship that the Memorandum of Agreement established between the Okanagan Nation and UBCO, told me that, from an Indigenous perspective, and within an Indigenous values framework, things were being done in a good way here.

Tell us about your research and any recent publications.  

My research focus has been on the holistic and multi-modal aspects of Indigenous Peoples’ land-centered literacies, epistemologies, and pedagogies, and educational programming. By land-based I also mean air and water-based.  I’ve also been interested in what Indigenous women authors have to say. Many, if not most of whom are activists. I’ve interviewed and written about some of the most influential Indigenous women writers, such as Mohawk writer and activist Beth Brant, Coast Salish and Cree author and activist Lee Maracle, and many others. Some of my work is in the first two Gatherings Journals (1990, 1991) published by Theytus Publishing, and also in feminist journals (Kinesis 1987), (Fireweed, 1991) and other Indigenous publications and a linguistics journal, Salishan Language Conference Proceedings (2008).

My biggest writing feat is my Ph.D. dissertation (2019), which tells the story of my research journey focusing on land-based and storied Indigenous pedagogy within a specific Coast Salish, Katzie familial and educational context. The research journey traverses geographical, educational, experiential and cultural-spiritual cognitive landscapes. Other related interests include a/r/tography and arts-based research. I am also keenly interested in art practice and performance as knowledge creation and as pedagogy. I’m a painter, photographer, knitter, and runner and enjoy thinking creatively.

How did you know you wanted to be a professor?

It was a process. Given the recent history of colonization, and its impact on every Indigenous person, there were extra hurdles I faced for any goal I wished to achieve in my life. If there is one pivotal moment in terms of becoming a professor that stands out to me, it is a brief conversation that Dr. Graham Hingangaroa Smith, (UBC Distinguished Chair in Indigenous Education at the time), struck up with me in the spring of 2006 as we walked across campus during the UBC SAGE Indigenous graduate conference. He asked me questions and took it upon himself to tell me it was important for me to go on to do the Ph.D.. I was doing my masters at the time. He spoke to me with great respect, care and attention, he said the university and the students needed me and my work. He was the first person to give me that complete sense of confidence in my ability and recognize the value and purpose of my work in terms of becoming a professor.

What most excites you about your field of work?

Witnessing the transformation of students’ consciousness over the weeks of a course, and the shifts that happen in their identities – as learners, scholars and creative and critical thinking, world changing, socially just, empowered human beings – excites me. Sharing the wisdom of Indigenous scholars and elders in the readings/viewings and guest speakers with the students excites me. Stereotypical and surface thinking is a challenge and an opportunity. Even with all that I have overcome and all of my achievements, I still struggle with self-confidence and conveying that confidence in the way that I present and communicate myself. Communicating confidence is a work in progress which I think will become less of a struggle as I settle into my role.

About Kerrie

I grew up in the West End, along English Bay, by Stanley Park in Vancouver with my single mother, and in the country on two acres surrounded on three sides by a forest, above Mission City overlooking the Fraser Valley, with my English Blackburnian grandfather and my Katzie Coast Salish grandmother. Both my grandparents were fluent in our Hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. Throughout my childhood, my extended family, including my aunt, two uncles and cousins, would convoy in two vehicles to the Okanagan in the summertime. We’d travel up and down the Okanagan, visit family and friends, camp or stay in a motel, and most excitingly, go horseback riding up and down the sage brushed hills, receive rejuvenation from the beautiful Lakes, and bring home flats of tomatoes and peaches. My grandmother told stories during the drive. These are fond childhood memories that continue to sustain me today.

Skin Hunger exhibition installation shot, showing the work of Pip Dryden and Jorden Doody

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies is excited to announce a new exhibit, “Skin Hunger”, opening at the FINA Gallery on March 4, 2021 that will provide the community with an opportunity to explore the international issue of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of physical distancing through a student-organized art exhibition.

The exhibit will run until March 26, 2021 and will feature works from UBCO’s Bachelor of Fine Arts students, Masters students, and faculty members, displaying works focusing on the theme of our need for touch and the impact that social distancing is having on our “Skin Hunger”. This exhibition is a project for a curating course by Stacey Koosel, instructor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. It allows students to hone their skills into curating their very own exhibition and an opportunity to broadcast their talents.

“It’s an honour to teach the first curatorial course in the Okanagan. The students have done an amazing job at producing a dynamic, socially engaged contemporary art exhibition that explores the impacts of the Covid-19. The ten artworks selected for “Skin Hunger” play with the paradox of social distancing and the need for touch and connection. It’s a great exhibition that will have lots of online public programming to help us engage with the community.” says Dr. Stacey Koosel, Curator of UBC Okanagan Art Gallery and art history instructor.

This exhibition also socially engages with the greater community in the Okanagan amidst difficult times. Dr. Koosel is providing all students with this opportunity, and ensuring they are working safely to prepare this exhibition.

The term “Skin Hunger” refers to our universal and neurological need for touch. Touch is a vital part of both physical and mental health. It releases oxytocin, reduces stress, and calms our nervous system and currently many of us are starving for touch. Our increasingly digital existence is leaving many people alienated from the physical world. In response to this, “Skin Hunger” places art in direct response to our physical estrangement. These works will evoke a desire to “feel” the materials in the audience, while also allowing for a safe, COVID-friendly way to do so. In order to mitigate this desire, we are providing informational brochures that contain a material reminiscent of that of one of the artworks. The shift to online learning has kept many students from engaging with the artwork made by their peers, in addition to reducing the opportunities for student artists to show their works.

“Skin Hunger” features works by Jordan Doody, Briar Craig, Brittany Reizel, Avery Ullyot-Comrie, Hana Hamaguchi, Pip Dryden, Ashley Desjarlais, Bethany Hiebert, Arianna Tooke, and Jordan MacDonald. All the artists are members of the UBCO artistic community, with students from UBCO’s Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts, as well as faculty members.

“Inspiration from the pandemic has resulted with an online option for the exhibition,” explains Amber Barker, one of the students from the class. “People will have the option to view the exhibition from the comfort of their own home with an online 3D tour of Skin Hunger, as well as Zoom talks with some of the featured artists.”

The artistic director for the project, fine arts student Pip Dryden, is working closely with the gallery and other team members to ensure that this exhibition showcases the artists. They are ensuring these pieces bring a sense of connection during these isolated times, while also ensuring the exhibition a safe experience for visitors.

We encourage you all to check out the exhibition and artworks as an opportunity to feel a connection and bring a positive experience to light during this pandemic. Visitors to the gallery must follow social distancing measures which include a maximum of 6 people in the gallery at one time.

As part of the “Skin Hunger” exhibition, a panel of artists will discuss materiality in their artworks along with how the pandemic has changed or challenged their practice. Registration is now open for the panel on March 16th at 6:00 pm.

“Skin Hunger” opens to the public on March 4, 2021 and runs until March 26, 2021, in the FINA Art Gallery, 1148 Research Rd, Kelowna, BC.

Celestial Bodies projection at the Rotary Centre for the Arts

On display every evening from 5:30-10 p.m. outside the Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.), Celestial Bodies is a multicultural creation of animated media that depicts ancient astrological stories, exploring the belief systems that make up Canadian and Indigenous society’s diverse fabric. The multimedia projection shows animated images of star stories— alongside world-class cross-cultural music. 

Celestial Bodies is the second projection series to be showcased in downtown Kelowna this year thanks to Light Up Kelowna — a new partnership between the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan (ARTSCO) and UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. In addition, there are a diverse range of artists involved in the production of Celestial Bodies, including UBC Okanagan faculty members Aleksandra Dulic and Miles Thorogood who directed and co-created the show. Discover more about the research team behind Celestial Bodies HERE.

For Celestial Bodies, the artists have re-interpreted the cosmological stories and oral histories from their own cultural heritages — the Indigenous Haudenosaunee, Greek, Chinese and African culture — exploring the meeting of cultures in their collaborative process with community members, where unique stars signifying individuals’ heritage were made. Each story is connected to a season, and characters from the heavenly world travel through time and space as the night unfolds, highlighting diverse cultural beliefs. 

Those viewing Celestial Bodies will see the Big Dipper story from the Haudenosaunee Nation, the Chinese story of Weaver Woman, a Greek story highlighting the mythology of human desires and emotions through heroes and Gods and a suspenseful African story called ‘Why the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars live in the Sky?’

Kirsteen McCulloch, Executive Director at ARTSCO, can’t wait to see the show come to life:

“I’m confident that Celestial Bodies is going to be a massive hit! With rich storytelling, talented artists and a unique urban canvas in downtown Kelowna, this is the night sky as you’ve never seen it before. Ditch the couch and Netflix for an evening and join us safely and from a distance to enjoy Celestial Bodies while standing beneath celestial bodies. I’m grateful to all the skilled artists who have contributed to this project and I hope you’ll come to see the projections from Feb 5-28!”

Celestial Bodies is presented by ARTSCO in partnership with UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. It runs from February 5 to 28, 2021, from 5:30-10 p.m. every evening at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) The showing is free and open to the public. Projections are shown on the exterior of the Rotary Centre for the Arts. Please abide by COVID-19 safety protocols while participating in Celestial Bodies.

Learn more about the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan HERE. Find out more about Celestial Bodies HERE

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the following organizations in the creation of Celestial Bodies: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), University of British Columbia Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the Work-Study program , Canada Council for the Arts, and the Central Okanagan Foundation.

The Phoenix News has been the student newspaper since 1989, originally started by students at Okanagan College. The paper transitioned to Okanagan University College in 1993, and finally to UBC Okanagan in 2006. The Phoenix News offers a terrific opportunity for students to support the public culture of our campus by participating in and sharing with the student body relevant news and information.

The paper is currently made up of a team of ten people including staff editors, the coordinating editor, the photo editor, a marketing strategist, web editor, and the editor in chief. The paper is also supported by a faculty advisor each year.

Student newspapers offer opportunities to learn about journalism, digital publishing, communication, coding, social media management, design, marketing, project management, and other career-oriented skills, explains George Grinnell, this year’s faculty advisor.

“The most important opportunity the paper offers is the capacity to address pressing matters and to ask questions of the university on behalf of its students. Speaking truth to power is the hallmark of media, and student newspapers are at their very best when they do so.”

We spoke to two of our students in the English program to get their perspective on being part of the Phoenix team and the impact that will have on them for their futures.

Carolina Leyton

Carolina Leyton is a fourth year English Honours student, and is currently the Editor in Chief for the paper.

How did you get involved with the Phoenix?

I got involved with the Phoenix in 2019. I saw the poster that they were looking for writers and editors, so I applied to the email that was provided. I was really aiming to just be a contributor, even if it meant not getting paid because I just wanted to have my writing out somewhere and I wanted to get involved. Little did I know that I would become the Life Editor for that year and later on, Editor in Chief.

What has this opportunity done for you as a student and as a writer?

This is going to be valuable experience to put in my CV. I think that it is important for any sort of job that people see that you are able to clearly communicate an opinion, so the experience is invaluable. Personally, I want to be a writer and you really just need to write to do that. The Phoenix gave me the chance to hone in on my skill weekly, and has given me exposure with my writing.  Finally, and I think the most important thing, the Phoenix gave me a team in which I trust and who always have my back. I really wanted to cement the idea that, even though each person writes their own article, we always have to openly communicate and be able to ask for help and ideas when we need it. It has been great so far and I really love this year’s team.

What are your thoughts on the future for the paper?

I want to sketch out a growth plan for the EICs to come and a sort of manual that contains all the information necessary to run the Phoenix. I don’t want the excellent content and our incredible outreach to stop once I am gone. Bearing in mind the resources we have available, I am hoping that we can become a reputable news source for the wider Okanagan area and, most importantly, an opportunity for all UBCO students to openly share all their thoughts and ideas.

Jayme Miller

Arts Editor Jayme Miller, an English Major graduating this year, is looking towards a career as a freelance writer.

How did you get involved with the Phoenix?

I was friends with the previous Arts Editor at The Phoenix, so when he graduated he encouraged me to apply for the role as he had really enjoyed doing it. I’m very glad that I took on the role, despite being hesitant as I had a full course load and already an overwhelming amount of reading and writing to do.

How do you come up with ideas for stories?

Coming up with the pitches is a mixture of pursuing my own interests, keeping up with what’s going on artistically and culturally at UBCO/Kelowna/worldwide, and making sure that other students/alumni voices are heard and amplified. I never want the Arts section to simply be my own perspective on arts and culture, I hope it can showcase a diverse perspective on things.

What has this opportunity done for you as a student and as a writer?

I’m so glad I took on this role because it is an amazing thing to have on my resume and I’ve learned a lot. For example, I had never really interviewed people before, but since joining the Phoenix team I have interviewed many different people and become quite comfortable with asking questions and chatting with total strangers. As a very recent graduate, I have been applying for different writing jobs, and so being able to say I’ve worked as an editor and have examples of published work is an excellent asset for me.

The Phoenix welcomes submission ideas from UBCO students in any discipline with a passion for writing and for their university. Carolina notes that these are low commitment positions, the contributor can write an article once a month, or whenever fits their schedule.

Any student wishing to get involved with the Phoenix News is asked to contact eic@thephoenixnews.com.

Oliver Lovesey is a full professor, teaching English in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. Dr. Lovesey offers first year introductory courses on genre and upper level courses on Oscar Wilde and also on the Victorian novel. He is the author of five books, and has four other edited works.

Oliver shared some insights on his teaching and research practices here at UBC Okanagan.

Tell us about your research interests.

My work within English Studies allows me to research in different but related areas, keeping in mind that English has traditionally had a close relationship to the study of vernacular music and folklore/folklife. I am now working on a study of popular music autobiography, a monograph project for which I have a contract from Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. It relates to my previous work on music and autobiography and on Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the African theorist and novelist who is best known for his provocative ideas about language, culture, and oral literature or “lit-orature.”

My present research also relates to my previous work on “postcolonial” George Eliot, the great Victorian novelist and intellectual whose writing career reflected the Victorian expansion of the British empire. The special issue of the academic journal Popular Music and Society I guest edited, entitled “Woodstock University” with the introduction (“The Idea of Woodstock”) and an essay (“Pop Art at Woodstock: Sha Na Na”) and eight other articles, one from a performer at the festival who became a professor of German studies, appeared in 2020 (PMS 43.2 2020).

How did you know you wanted to be a professor?

After teaching in Nigeria and then P. R. China, I began to realize that university teaching would be my future. Preparing courses on literary theory and the history of the novel for grad students in China, a number of whom had been caught up in different ways in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, really opened my eyes, and this initiated my pursuit of a PhD and then teaching and research. Being a professor means being a student forever.

I try to introduce the broad range of these subjects, to connect the material to our chaotic world, to focus on essay writing, and to engage with what students find useful, interesting, and relatable.

What do you think makes UBC Okanagan unique?

UBC Okanagan has many unique opportunities and challenges. It’s located in a famously beautiful part of Canada, but it is also located on unceeded territory. It has a lovely, uniquely hot and very dry climate, but there’s ever increasing fire danger with global warming. It is a smaller campus but it is linked to a much larger campus in Vancouver with all of its research resources. From its inception, UBC Okanagan has been open to adaptation and change, and that will no doubt continue in the years ahead.

Artistic Director Neil Cadger viewing one of the projections. Photo credit: Chloe Chang

A new art installation called The Collective Body is catching the eye and setting tongues wagging in downtown Kelowna’s Cultural District.

Created by Neil Cadger, Miles Thorogood, Aleksandra Dulic, Lin Snelling and Andrew Stauffer with support from UBC Okanagan students Chloe Chang and Ryan Broadbent, The Collective Body is a unique nightly outdoor projection series showcasing dancers, body parts and musicians from across North America at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.)

Light Up Kelowna — a new initiative that will see ongoing projections in downtown Kelowna and the fifth annual Living Things Festival present The Collective Body. Every night from 5-9 p.m., now through January 30, The Collective Body presents an evocative collage of diverse bodies projected onto the Rotary Centre for the Arts windows, as a cascade of sensual sound washes over visitors. The project explores the constraints and unique possibilities of digital connection while reminding us of the profound importance and irreplaceability of shared physical space.

Using communications technologies as a central metaphor, artists from across North America connect through The Collective Body. Dancers film choreography for discrete body parts and musicians create sound elements in response to the imagery. The cycle is repeated, forming a woven pattern that simultaneously acknowledges human differences and fundamental connections.

The visual media is automatically recomposed using state-of-the-art software programmed by the artists and combined with arranged audio material into an ever-changing collective body composition. The artwork displays nine independent screens projection-mapped across the building windows with sound and image enveloping visitors inside and outside.

Going forward, Light Up Kelowna will deliver a groundbreaking art-dedicated urban screen experience to Kelowna, and it all starts with The Collective Body and its shimmering projections in the dark winter night.

In partnership with UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan (ARTSCO) is developing the permanent digital exhibition infrastructure, and Kirsteen McCulloch, Executive Director at ARTSCO, is excited about the possibilities:

“We’re so thrilled about this initiative! Light Up Kelowna will enable the presentation of new and innovative performance experiences to the Okanagan. This urban screen will feature various local and international media artists who use technology to push art in different and thought-provoking directions. It creates opportunities for our artists to weave storytelling into their work through imagery, and to engage visitors in a multi-dimensional and multisensory way.”

Starting with The Collective Body, Light Up Kelowna enables audiences to experience a personal journey of exploration and interaction, allowing passers-by to observe and connect to an intimate collective body from a distance.

The Collective Body is on display now through January 30 from 5-9 p.m. at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) It is free to attend. For those who are unable to attend in person, January 27’s viewing of The Collective Body will be shown on Kelowna’s Unicorns.LIVE streaming platform. Final details are still being worked out, so those interested in this showing are encouraged to register for the Unicorns.LIVE newsletter to stay in the loop.

The live stream will be accompanied by a ZOOM gathering for the duration of the show providing the artists involved with The Collective Body with the opportunity to finally ‘meet’ each other. Up to this point, the only contact they’ve had is through sound or imagery.

Learn more about The Collective Body, and the artists behind the project, here. Find out more about the fifth annual Living Things Festival here.

Photo Caption: The Collective Body on display at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (photo credit: Chloe Chang).

About the Living Things Festival

Founded in 2017, Living Things is a carefully curated festival that brings award-winning performances to Kelowna. With accolades from critics and audiences alike, a Living Things show is certain to have people talking, thinking, and connecting long after the lights have dimmed and the curtain has dropped.

Due to COVID-19, the 5th annual Living Things Festival looks a little different, but it still promises a small but extraordinary lineup of shows, performances and experiences that inspire, entertain and provoke thought and conversation, including The Collective Body.

In short, this is Kelowna’s International Arts Festival. It’s groundbreaking theatre, art, and performances that will leave you feeling exhilarated.

Living Things is organized by Neil Cadger—a professor at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies—and Inner Fish Performance Company. The festival is financially supported by the City of Kelowna, the BC Arts Council, UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Public Humanities Hub Impact Award, Heritage Canada and local businesses and individuals.

The Collective Body installation was created by: Neil Cadger, Miles Thorogood, Aleksandra Dulic, Lin Snelling, Andrew Stauffer with support from UBC Okanagan students Chloe Chang and Ryan Broadbent.

The fifth annual Living Things Festival is set to launch in Kelowna on Sunday, January 10, 2021. The festival which has a growing cult following in Kelowna’s art and culture scene is renowned for bringing boundary-pushing contemporary theatre, dance, music, animation, art, and more to the darkest days of winter.

The festival, which is dubbed Kelowna’s international arts festival, is organized by Neil Cadger—a professor at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies—and Inner Fish Performance Company. This year’s festival will run through to January 30, 2021.

2021’s festival is set to deliver a small but extraordinary lineup of shows, performances and experiences that inspire, entertain and provoke thought and conversation.

“I believe art is to mental health as sport is to physical health. In this COVID-19 era of isolation and digital connection, the need for safe gatherings and in-person interaction is crucial. I hope Living Things 2021 can brighten this challenging winter at least a little”, explains Cadger.

Living Things 2021 will feature The Collective Body—a unique outdoor projection showcasing dancers, body parts and musicians from across North America at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) The Collective Body will run from 5-9 p.m. every evening during the festival. It is free to attend.

Artistic Director Neil Cadger viewing one of the projections

In addition, the ever-popular Objects in Motion—a selection of animated films that push narrative boundaries returns on January 19 and January 26. Tickets start at $15 and films will be shown on Kelowna’s Unicorns.LIVE streaming platform.

And last but not least, the festival intends to wrap with The Book of My Shames presented with Opera Kelowna—an original solo chamber opera that’s thoughtful, raw and honest, with achingly funny turns. Due to public health advisories, the final details around The Book of My Shames are still being worked out. Those interested in this event are encouraged to keep an eye on the Living Things website/Facebook and Instagram channels and to sign up for the festival’s newsletter to stay in the loop. All Living Things 2021 events will follow appropriate public health guidance.

Despite the challenges presented by organizing a festival during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neil Cadger is thrilled to see Living Things return:

“For 4 years we have been bringing live, groundbreaking, exhilarating theatre, art, and music to Kelowna in the darkest days of winter. Of course, running this year’s festival has presented many new challenges, but we were determined to keep Living Things going. We’ve worked hard to create some unusually unusual experiences in a way that is COVID-safe and respects public health orders. We hope you’ll join us either in-person or online for the strangest Living Things yet!”

Living Things is financially supported by the City of Kelowna, the BC Arts Council, UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, ARTSCO, Public Humanities Hub Impact Award, Heritage Canada and local businesses and individuals. You can learn more about the festival by visiting the Living Things website.

Andreas Rutkauskas, Valhalla Provincial Park summer 2020. Photo credit: Lianne Caron

Andreas Rutkauskas began teaching photography in the Department of Creative Studies in 2016, and has been a full time Lecturer since 2018. As an artist whose practice is rooted in direct experience within the landscape, he was attracted by the potential of the Okanagan as a location for fieldwork, as well as the diverse yet intimate nature of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

Andreas shared some insights on his teaching and research practices here at UBC Okanagan.

Tell us about your research interests and work as a photographer and artist.

I am passionate about the environment. As a photographer, I focus my attention on revealing alternative points of view regarding sites and events that are often represented in the media, including petroleum extraction, international borders, and climate change. I believe in the power of contemporary art to open up dialogue across various communities, and I strive to leave space for interpretation in my work, rather than adhering to a persuasive agenda. I have been fortunate to have my independent projects supported through provincial and federal arts funding, and have been undertaking collaborative research at UBCO through a New Frontiers in Research Fund grant called Living with Wildfire, alongside colleagues in the Departments of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Sustainability, and Geography. We are collectively examining wildfire risk in the Okanagan and cultural perceptions of wildfire within one of Canada’s most fire-prone ecosystems.

How did you know you wanted to be a professor?

Teaching did not come to me naturally. I knew that I wanted to be an artist since I was eighteen, however it was when I arrived in Montréal and began my first year of graduate studies that I was offered a role as a teaching assistant. I was admittedly hesitant, however my professor provided me with a great deal of freedom, included me in curriculum development, and allowed me to direct certain classes by myself. I was immediately hooked, and enjoyed the energy that I received from discussing art with a group of like-minded individuals. I continue to obtain a great amount of energy from teaching, and our recent lack of face-to-face contact with students in light of the pandemic has been a challenge in this regard. On the other hand, this opportunity has allowed me to make valuable adjustments to existing courses. Even at this stage, I am always learning!

What kind of learning experiences do offer your students?

Photography, unlike other forms of contemporary art, requires that a subject be physically present for the artist to capture, therefore the ideal environment for most photographic learning is outside of the classroom. I bring my personal bias towards fieldwork into my pedagogy, generally encouraging images made on location rather than in a studio environment. My thematic assignments support this approach, but I am also interested in developing course content that relies on field trips and collectively experiencing the landscape as a means of generating content. During the summer of 2019 I led a field course that combined artistic and scientific approaches and increased student understanding of certain processes occurring in the land on which we currently reside. We can learn a great deal through direct observation of the world around us; I hope to inspire students to pay close attention to the minutiae of their surroundings.

Tell us about your artwork.

My primary medium of expression is photography, but I also employ other media such as video, and more recently immersive video to investigate landscapes that have been shaped by an array of human interventions. From 2012-2015 I created a photographic survey of the entire Canada/U.S. border, which is often referred to as the longest undefended land boundary in the world. Between 2009-2015 I worked on a project titled Virtually There, which examined our increased reliance on terrestrial imaging and geolocation technologies in experiencing the natural world. Currently, I am involved in a multi-year research project looking at the aftermath and regeneration following wildfires in the Central Interior of British Columbia and Rocky Mountain Region. You can learn more about my work by visiting my website: www.andreasrutkauskas.com

“I enjoy the ease of collaborative research outside of my home department at UBCO, especially when compared to larger institutions that I have worked with in the past.”

Field class lead by Andreas Rutkauskas, 2019

Andreas at work with his large format camera