Crouched low to a stretch of aggregated concrete, a satin-gloved Cinderella reaches down – not to retrieve her lost slipper (on this occasion, a white pointed toe kitten heel), but to browse through an assortment of post-punk listening options for her ever-faithful portable CD player. This is Sarah Elise Bauman’s fairytale.
In her latest solo endeavor at Good Sport, “There’s a place I go only in my dreams... come with me l’ll take you…”, the lens-based artist captured the new millennium’s forgotten reveries through large-scale prints of analogue video work and interactive models of bygone technology; a swollen collage of stills preoccupied the gallery’s main wall, while a private viewing kiosk offered visitors a chance to experience her signature VHS work in motion. Although the space was curated with an air of early internet innocence, it dually served as an honest vantage into the 26-year-old’s lifestyle.
A colossal print of a gritty iPod unearths memories of despaired searches for valid YouTube to MP3 conversion sites. As a proud 5th-generation-iPod-Classic-user, Sarah regretfully admits that the challenge still presents itself, even in 2025.
An enlarged screenshot from an archaic YouTube page displays the exhibition’s intention statement with 173,276,326 views. Styled in nostalgia, the cleverly edited thumbnail titles make self-reference to other works while secretly hinting at the kinds of videos she spends hours spiralling down rabbit holes for.
Like most of her recent work, Bauman’s pieces cleverly entwine the curiosity of cybernetic delicacy with a quarter-life sense of ennui; scenes of cigarette breaks, dancing aimlessly and gazing deeply into the abyss are documented as if her actors were asked to take part in their favorite pastime activities. Often included in her audiovisual practice is a style of ambient portraiture that offers viewers the courtesy to soften their gaze; glimmering profiles imbued with feedback capture the static-laced thoughts of those pictured rather than any definitive features.
Although the ephemeral realm of “There’s a place I go only in my dreams... come with me l’ll take you…” is no longer in the grasp of the material world, the show’s phantom exists in print form to those lucky enough to have come by a copy of the collaborative poster book project of the same name, self-published earlier this summer with a friend.
For the rest of us, the exhibit lives on in the digital ether of Instagram (and in our dreams).
Q&A with Sarah Elise Bauman
As a lens-based artist who works across various formats, how did your shift from still to moving images transpire?
For as long as I’ve been taking photos I’ve also been exploring video. I went to school for photography but when I was applying I strongly considered film. Both have always been a huge part of my life and which form I’m most drawn to ebbs and flows all the time. I think video is so alluring to me these days because it’s such a freeform process. My practice is usually structured by whatever song I’m editing to so I rarely have a specific plan for how I want the end result to look – I usually just allow the music to guide me.
G.I.R.L. performed by 8485 and Danny Brown. Directed, filmed and edited by Sarah Elise Bauman
What’s been inspiring you lately?
Lately I’ve been trying to explore creative outlets outside of lens-based mediums – I’ve been knitting, diy’ing clothes and redecorating my room. I’ve always loved making things with my hands and it’s been really nice to explore modes of making that are outside of my video/photo practice. One of my favourite ways of finding inspiration is through CD hunting. Looking at CD booklets often inspires my video edits and ways of arranging for me. Another one of my favourite pastimes is thrifting or looking in antique shops or on Facebook Marketplace. Often a really interesting object or prop can inspire a whole shoot for me. Even if I don’t buy it, it’ll still spark something. I also love archive accounts that source images from the mid-late 2000s and early 2010s flickr. One of my favourites is tvwishes on Instagram.
What rabbit holes have you fallen down recently?
I watch a loooooooot of music videos, specifically ones from the 90s / early 2000s. My favourites are often dance/electronic based musicians, but I watch tons from different artists of that time across a variety of genres. I also love videos filmed by regular people where it’s like “hot topic employee in 2007” or something. I also watch a lot of footage from inside 90s raves. A bit ago I fell down a rabbit hole of watching dance battle footage uploaded 15 years ago, presumably by the people in the videos. I love early YouTube so anytime I’m recommended something with a strange title from at least 10 years ago, I’m likely to click on it. I love seeing what the YouTube algorithm leads me to so whenever I’m in deep, like with 30 tabs open, I’ll just leap from video to video and keep them all open. Each video leads me to at least 10 more and I’m scared if I close a tab I’ll lose it all.
Top 3 photography books/publications?
Pretty recently I found a book called The Complete Book of Hairstyling by Charles Worthington and it’s so awesome. It has these illustrations that remind me a lot of MyScene and all the portraits are so stunning and paired with really gorgeous macro shots of hairstyling tools. The images are so emblematic of the styles of that time and have such a gorgeous glow to them.
I’ve been collecting 90s SPIN magazines for a while. At this point I own quite a few and the ads in them are really awesome.
One of my all-time prized possessions is my copy of Chloë Sevigny’s self-titled photobook. I found it for $15 at a record shop in 2017 and it really shaped my taste for a long time.
Recent favourite image?
Lately I’ve been loving images of bedrooms and interior decorating from the early 2000s-2010s. I recently found this one and loved it.
“There’s a place I go only in my dreams... come with me l’ll take you…” was on display from October 1st-19th at Good Sport (402 ½, Richmond Street, London, ON). To view more of Sarah’s work, visit sarahelisebauman.com. The interview portion of this article has been edited for length and clarity.