Uii Savage

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Uii Savage, “Celestial Passage,” 2022, augmented reality filter capture (courtesy the artist)

When we look towards outer space, we can see only so much with the unaided eye. Using advanced technology, we can see more, but at what cost? 

Celestial Passage, a small but impressive exhibition on display at Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton for the next year, ponders this question as it renders visible the unseen and explores issues related to astrology, outer space, labour exploitation and queer iconography. 

Artist Uii Savage, who graduated in 2020 from the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, acknowledges the work has aspects not everyone will explore.

“But I hope that viewers can access whatever dimension they’re ready to with the work,” says Savage. “If I could hope for one thing audiences understand when experiencing the work, it’s that data can be used and represented in many forms, even in fantastical ways.” 

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Uii Savage, “Celestial Passage,” 2023, installation view at Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton (photo by Charles Cousins, courtesy AGA)

The bulk of the work is visible only through a cellphone. As you enter the gallery’s main hall, planetary symbols affixed to the wall draw attention to the project. A nearby sign with a QR code provides access to the augmented reality.

Savage used the geographic coordinates of the gallery to parse satellite data from Norad, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, rendering actual satellites, both in operation and defunct, that are passing overhead. 

As well, Savage used the augmented reality SkyView app to map the alignment of Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Pluto, along with the sun and moon, in relation to Pluto in Aquarius on March 23, 2023. In astrology, that’s the day Pluto carried themes of wealth, power, secrets and death into Aquarius, a realm of science and data. The gallery’s didactic panel notes the last time Pluto passed through Aquarius was from 1777 to 1797, a period that saw both the French and American revolutions.

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A sneak peek at what you might see on your cellphone at “Celestial Passage” at the Art Gallery of Alberta. (photo by Ashlynn Chand)

While I know little about space, I found the interactive technology interesting.

Lindsey Sharman, a curator at the gallery, believes some people will just enjoy the play of light over the planetary symbols on the wall. 

“For others, they will understand the sheer magnitude of satellites and space debris that is in the sky above us,” says Sharman. “Others still will take the satellite-identifying codes and use them to navigate the immense amount of public data that’s available on satellites and consider the ramifications of celestial bodies on those of us who are earthbound.” 

Savage, who uses the pronoun their, is inspired by many things, but says experience as a data analyst made them aware of how information is commodified, as well as the exploited labour behind artificial intelligence. They were also intrigued that many people have accepted surveillance in order to use products from technology companies. 

“I think of how information, as data, is a mass, and the processes it undergoes to take form and shape. Too much information is abstract in many cases, which I find so interesting because of the emphasis, especially recently, on what is valid information, or otherwise, misinformation,” says Savage. 

“I’m interested in how a singular subjectivity is imposed as a universal objectivity. It is synonymous with imposing authoritarian measures and projects of domination to render a person’s autonomy as a freethinker as hostile or illegitimate.”

In this installation, Savage also connects surveillance technology with meta angeli, what artificial intelligence accessed through an online text-to-image generator imagines an angel of the metaverse would look like.

“I think there is definitely a cult of worship that happens with technology,” says Savage. “But in my experience it’s a cult that glorifies the prison and military-industrial complex laden with surveillance tools and the ongoing extraction of our bodies.” 

It’s easy to walk past Celestial Passage. But if you linger, you’ll find a powerful work that provokes conversation.  ■

Uii Savage: Celestial Passage at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton from April 29, 2023, to April 29, 2024.

Correction June 3, 2023, 12:52 p.m. An earlier version of this article suggested Uii Savage explores issues related to religion. Savage wishes to clarify their work deals with astrology not religion, and death angels are used in reference to popular culture rather than in a religious context. The post has been updated to reflect this.

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