Sydney (syd) McManus

statement:

My practice is round. It creates space for ideas that are on the fringe: A round practice does not have a linear pursuit. It is observant of its peripherals and does not isolate itself from those within its circle. Though, it is not static. It loops back to reflect upon habits, patterns, repetitions in order to move. Maybe its shape is more of a spiral, a slinky. It is playful and allows for flexibility and feedback. It requires embodiment and tactile engagement. It wishes to be played with to allow for actions and possibilities to arise. It feels both movement and stasis. It is a container for multiple practices to filter through, interject and collide. It is interdisciplinary, verging on post-disciplinary. It is not fixed, it is an active practice that thrives on collaboration and intersectionality.

As an interdisciplinary artist, I am interested in fostering and attuning to the relationships between my movement practice and design. I see my body as a site/sight of knowing, with which I explore body-object relationships, object-making, and education. The outcome of my work takes its form through performance, objects (both functional and fictional), and publications. Centering my practice around absurdity, queerness, and non-hierarchical communal structures of engagement and exchange, I hope to facilitate spaces for community where people can attune to their relationships with the world around them. My work aims to invite people into whim and play, where design fiction is an agent for design function.

bio:

Sydney (syd) McManus, originally from London, Ontario, is an interdisciplinary queer artist based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, Quebec. Their practice revolves mainly around performance, objects, and publications with an emphasis on body object relationships. Having spent over a decade as a performer they worked with RUBBERBAND Contemporary Dance Company from 2016-2021 as a full-time dancer, collaborator, and educator where they were involved in four creations, a film project, and international tours. Their work for the company continues as an assistant, educator and guest artist. Alongside Jean Bui, they premiered their first full-length work “1, 2, maybe 3” as part of the Wildside Festival in March 2022 with La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines and the Centaur Theatre. The project was then expanded into a publication in co-creation with artist duo Pénélope et Chloë and released in October 2022. Most recently, Syd has obtained a Bachelor in Fine Arts with a major in Design from Concordia University. Through their studies, they examined how their background in performance could assist their design practice and research. Syd continues to explore this intersection within their work as they see their practice as a way to bridge these two frames of knowing.

CV

Education:
2021 - 2024 - Bachelors of fine art, major in design - Concordia University, Montreal QC
2014 - 2016 - Bachelor of fine arts, major in life studies - OCAD University, Toronto ON

Grants/Awards:
2024 - Graham Kennedy Award - Concordia University - Montreal, QC
2024 - Arts Abroad, Residency - Canada Council for the Arts - Schwankhalle, Bremen, GER
2023 - Concordia Undergraduate Research Grant (CUSRA) - Montreal QC
2023 - Craft and Skill Award - Concordia Undergraduate Design Exhibition - Montreal QC
2023 - Concept Award - Concordia Undergraduate Design Exhibition- Montreal QC
2022 - Research Creation Grant - Canada Council for the Arts
2022 - Production Grant - Counsel des arts de Quebec - Montreal, QC
2022 - Travel Grant - Canada Council for the Arts
2019 - Research Creation Grant - Canada Council for the Arts

Exhibitions:
2024 - group exhibition - L’art au quotidien - objet + art + forme + fonction - Plein sud, centre d’exposition en art actuel à Longueuil, Montreal, QC
2023 - group exhibition -Thanks for Tuning In - 4th Space, Montreal, QC
2023 - Strata - Design and Computation Arts Year End Show, Concordia University, Montreal, QC

Performance as a creator and interpret:
2023 - Jane & Fiona - in collaboration with Sayer Mansfield, Jacob’s Pillow, USA
2022 - Jane & Fiona - in collaboration with Sayer Mansfield, Body Sonnet, USA
2022 - 1, 2, maybe 3 - in collaboration with Jean Bui, Centaur Theatre in collaboration with Theatre La Chapelle, Montreal, QC
2020 - Shape Tank - in collaboration with Jean Bui, Bref, Montreal, QC
2019 - 1, 2, maybe 3 - in collaboration with Jean Bui, OFFTA, Montreal, QC
2018 - 1, 2, maybe 3 - in collaboration with Jean Bui, Tangente, Montreal, QC

Selected performances as an interpret:
2024 - 2023 - Reckless Underdog - RUBBERBAND, QC
2023 - She Looks Like She’d Be an Animal in Bed - Beatrice Larivee - Parcour Dance, Montreal, QC
2023 - between the moment and duration P01 - Marion Paquette - Espace Transmission, Montreal, QC
2022 - Reclaiming the Streets - RUBBERBAND/Unusual Symptoms, GER
2021 - Danse en Trois Temps - RUBBERBAND, Télé-Quebec, Montreal, QC
2020 - TRENZADO - RUBBERBAND, Montreal, QC
2018 - 2021 - Ever So Slightly - RUBBERBAND, CAN, USA
2016 - 2021 - Vic’s Mix - RUBBERBAND, CAN, USA, MX, GER, POL
2016/2019 - both/and - Alysa Pires Dance Projects, CAN
2015/2018 - Eve of St. George - TranscenDance Projects, CAN
2018 - The Fall - Frog in Hand, Toronto, ON
2017 - Fils de Ville - RUBBERBAND, Montreal, QC
2016 - Fountain - Frog in Hand, Toronto, ON
2015/2016 - The Waiting Room - Helix Dance Project, Toronto, ON
2012/2013 - untitled - Toes For Dance, CAN, USA

Company Experience:
2022 - design intern - Andrew Lewis Designs, London, ON
2016 - 2021 - dancer, collaborator, teacher - RUBBERBAND Contemporary Dance Company, Montreal, QC
2016/2018/2021 - dancer, graphic designer - Frog in Hand, Toronto, ON
2012/2013 - dancer - Toes for Dance, Toronto, ON

Publications:
2025 - danse—cité journal - in collaboration with the artists of danse—cité - Montreal, QC
2024 - concerto libretto - in collaboration with Olivia Tapiero and Charlie Prince - Montreal, QC
2024 - motion in print - excerpt of research - Den Haag, Netherlands
2024 (to come) - space for holding space - Montreal, QC
2023 - Deep Gazing - in collaboration with Nina Vroemen and Erin Hill
2022 - 4, 5, maybe 6 - in collaboration with Jean Bui and artist duo Penelope et Chloe, book launch at Hoy, Montreal, QC

Residencies:
2024 - research residency - Groundworks, Massachusetts, USA
2023 - research residency - Shwankhalles, Bremen, GER
2023 - Inception Residency - Parbleux, Montreal, QC
2023 - CUSRA research and creation residency - Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2019 - 2021 - Delegrate Production Artists LA SERRE - arts vivants, Montreal, QC
2021- technical residency - Centre Culturel de NDG, Montreal, QC
2021 - production residency - CCOV, Montreal, QC
2020 - technical residency - Theatre Aux Écuries, Montreal, QC
2020 - research residency - Studio 303, Montreal, QC
2019 - research residency - Danse a la Carte, Montreal, QC
2019 - research residency - Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Montreal, QC
2018 Creative Gestures - Collective Composition Lab for Music and Dance - Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, CGY

Teaching:
2025 - 5-15 class and creation workshop - Toronto, ON
2023 - again, again - workshop/lab, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2023 - Deep Dive - in collaboration with Sayer Mansfield, The Berkshire, USA
2023 - Creative Boarders - Batswana, AF
2022 - Synergy Lab - Unusual Symptoms - RUBBERBAND Method, Bremen, GER
2019 - Springboard Danse Montreal - RUBBERBAND Method and Rep, Montreal, QC
2019 - Transformation Danse - RUBBERBAND Method and Rep, Montreal, QC
2019 - Domaine Forget - RUBBERBAND Method and Rep, QC
2019 - Ignite Sumer Program - Research Lab, Toronto, ON
2016 - 2019 - RUBBERBAND Winter Intensive - Montreal, QC
2016 - Beyond Movement Dance Intensive - ON
2011 - 2016 - FRESH Dance Intensive - ON