Doug Buis’ Okanagan Hover looked into the surprising place that Kelowna occupies in the history of astronautics and space travel. The installation, comprising a large historical landscape diorama, a video installation, photography and stories, brought the viewer on a flight over Kelowna, through volcanic tunnels and vents, past strangely formed asteroids and a beautiful, but tortured planet.
The exhibition celebrated the story of a local woman Verona Frelein, who came to the Kelowna region to study volcanoes and their possible use in early astronautics.
Buis explained, “This exhibition allows the viewer to relax in a bucolic back yard with stunning views, rest in the ancient fruit orchard and read up on the role of the Okanagan Valley in developing early theories about the possibilities of launching space craft.” The viewer could also choose to lie back in a canoe to watch a movie or simply sleep for a while.
Doug Buis was born in London Ontario, and lived in many places including BC, Mexico, Montreal, Saskatoon, and in California for 7 years, before moving to Kamloops. His BFA is from the University of Victoria and his MFA is from York University in Toronto. His exhibition record includes galleries and museums across Canada, Holland, Belgium, Korea, and USA.
Buis’ work investigates our malleable perception of landscape and environment through a series of different media and strategies including sculpture, video, kinetic art, installation, other time-based media, photography and some writing.