Sage has created an immersive sensory installation with lighting, audio and scent. Part of her disability is multisensory hypersensitivity. Through her No Such Thing As 'Normal' installation she attempts to describe her hypersensitivity to pain, touch, scent and light. The audio element describes the pain that Sage experiences in one day of her life. The scratch and sniff odour element has been created by the talented olfactory artist LadyM. LadyM: “My practice is centred around creating art beyond the visual. Solely, or enhanced, by olfactory elements, I create art that aims to stimulate certain psychological responses; as an aid to invoking certain memories and evoking a variety of emotions; ultimately enabling the viewer to engage with the art in a new way. With my art practice I am continually challenging the language and etiquette of the gallery - ‘don’t touch’, ‘stay behind the line’, ‘don’t get too close’- I am upsetting that concept by specifically requesting that people actually touch the paintings and artworks, rub them and then sniff the odour released.”

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About the title:

Sage: “I have been disabled for the past four years and I am still very much learning to come to terms with the limitations of my condition. I have been exploring and documenting my own health as part of my art practice for the past three years. Every day is a journey of discovery and my art practice is evolving and developing alongside my disability. 'Normal' is a word that I have explored in some previous works because it has enraged and frustrated me. I have received test result after test result which have been returned to me with: 'tell patient normal: no action required'. Normal is not tangible. Normal cannot be defined. Normal is not possible to experience. The human experience of each person's world cannot be placed into categories of 'normal' or 'abnormal'. There is no such thing as normal.”

 

Through her practice Sage is finding her way through a distorted world that fills her with doubt and confusion. Processing and re-processing forms a large part of her practice, this deepens her understanding of her work and of herself. Malcontent bubbles below the surface of Sage's work. Her artwork is often driven by issues which enrage or disturb her. She has a particular interest in creating work which provokes feelings of discomfort and disquiet for the viewer. Sage explores and manipulates a wide range of materials. Her approach is experimental, often accidental. She describes herself as an experimental printmaker, who utilises creative writing, photography, film, sculpture and immersive installation. Sage studied at Carmarthen School of Art. She lives and works in Newport, South Wales.