A. So my
work is about place, and about, I think, the desire to bring a lot of places
that are significant to me, together into one thing... rather than it just
being this disparate mess. So I’ve been thinking a lot about places that are
significant to me, and why; so places that I’ve lived, or that I have
attachments to through family, and finding ways to visually connect them. So
that’s what the models are, is bringing
a lot of places together into this one landscape that I can hold and be a part
of. So it’s all a quest for that really... to feel less... in pieces.
Q. What artists are you looking at?
A. I have
looked at Tacita Dean a lot; I think she’s a really interesting artist. She
talks a lot about place... Her work’s really kind of delicate, and she kind of
builds narratives and stories that are based on fact, but twisting it into
fiction.... altering things as she works as a way to present something in ways
other than just the truth. I really like Charles Avery who was at BAS7. The way
that his work is... I don’t know if you know much about him, but over the last
few years he’s been inventing this place called Onomatopoeia, and every artwork
he makes is another chapter in this story... So it’s an ongoing collage of lies.
I quite like that. And a lot of writing as well, I’m really into literature...
Like Dylan Thomas, the way he talks about place. There’s a poet called Stephen Vickery.
A Lot of places.
Q. So have you created your own narrative?
A. I think that’s
happened. I don’t think it’s been a deliberate thing, but I think in trying to
make all of these places into a single thing I have created a new landscape that
I can inhabit in my mind. So I think the narrative is there...taking all of
these little bits of memory, and building something out of them.
Q. Does all of this stem from one... I can
tell it’s very to do with the outdoors... Does it all stem from one trip? Because
I’m seeing a repeat of this one image.
A. What the
prints are... That diorama was... I don’t know if you know, but Didge and Kensa
and I went on this walk in December, and we walked 25 miles under the full
moon, we planned it to coincide with the full moon, and it was to get a new
perspective on the Cornish landscape, and to discover something new for
ourselves. I made that diorama in preparation for that. And then this diorama was 6 places or so that
I’ve spent time in or lived in that are constantly on my mind... And then the
prints on the wall are made from a combination of images of both. So it’s
combining this imaginary place, or this strange place with all of these
realities... all existing together.
Q. Is it a fantasy-type place?
A. I think there’s
an element of fantasy, where it’s taken me now. I think there always is... but
it’s based in this sad reality, and then taking that into a fantasy that makes
a bit more sense to me. So it’s kind of a mixture of fact... and then the
psychic... fantastical, made up element.
Q. How will you present it... will it just be
all of this on the wall?
A. Like
this, yeah. Well these are kind of finished prints.. And having talked with
Edith, I think the process is very important. If you work in the studio you’ll
see that this wall is always plastered with stuff, and I think it demonstrates
this search that I’m on for whatever it is that I’m trying to find. That’s why
I decided in the end to keep the wall like this, because it does demonstrate
this process, and this kind of frenzied, obsessed thing that I have in me.
Q. You did take them down for a bit... Was
that just to paint, or...?
A. Yeah I
did. I took it down because I thought I didn’t need it anymore, and then once
it was down for a bit I thought ‘no I do, I need that’, and put it all back. It
just seemed that without it, it had lost so much of what it meant before. This
project isn’t done... I think that’s really important. So I don’t know if I
ever reach a conclusion, if I won’t need it anymore, but at the moment I feel
like it’s really intrinsic to what I’m trying to put across.
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I didn't really feel like people 'got' my work today. Is that my fault or theirs? If it's mine, is it my work, or is it my failure to explain it properly?
How would I have answered these questions better?
I felt confident and certain talking about my work today, and I didn't feel nervous or defensive. I think regardless of any reaction/misunderstating of my work this is a huge development, and I feel really thrilled to have some degree of certainty about what it is that I'm doing, and the confidence that at least it resonates in the right way with me.
Its not you bird....your work comes from 'you'....I get that...but those that think that their art is something separate from themselves will not get where your work comes from....its the process that's important not the end product....if there is one, there doesn't have to be...if fact I'd even say there shouldn't be....everything created is connected and part of something that is an ongoing dialogue which is constantly changing.....its great to feel sure about you have to say....I think this shows a belief in your own work....this is great! :-)
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