“I’ve been thinking a lot about dignity since you called. It really is an interesting word, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” we asked.
“Well, when we create things, when we make things, we are so focused on the act of creating and making that we don’t really think about our actions or those things in a broader context. But in thinking about dignity, I really had to think about my work, my art – what I do and reflect upon the context of what I do. Dignity is a very powerful word, don’t you think?”
With such a question posed back to us, the interviewers, we knew this was not going to be an ordinary lunch or an ordinary conversation. And suddenly we were off to the races, something fitting given the previous family who owned the country home successfully bred and raced Greyhounds.
“Well, before we provide an answer about our thoughts, we are more interested in hearing what you think dignity is, what it means,” we said.
“I’m not exactly sure. But I think it has something to do with balance: being so secure in your own identity, your own sense of self, that you can open yourself to and be accepting of others. That is what I think of when I think of people whom I know are dignified – friends, older people, people about whom life is no longer centered upon just themselves but who are open to the thoughts and experiences of others.”
“It’s also why I want to pay my staff, my colleagues, a fair wage. I want them to know their skill is important and valued, and I hope it gives them a sense of value and encourages not just their work but their sense of self.”
Kate explained:
"It’s the provision of a secure regular income that I provide. Not a fluctuating feed of hours when I want or need them, but giving them a secure base helps my assistants have their own studios. And I also have all my assistants work
part time, so that they can undertake their own
Left:
Kate Malone: in the Studio
Video Courtesy of:
Adrian Sassoon Gallery
&
Kate Malone
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