These are two of a very long and ever-evolving list of personal influences. I would like to provide a disclaimer that I find it somewhat unfortunate that they are both male artists, and would like to provide a small explanation as to why:
It took me quite a while to learn about the works and achievements of the many female artists that occupy my list of influences and it is a large intention of mine to continue seeking out female-identifying artists to research.
Since you transform your experiences into your artwork, we are curious, what is the role of memory in your artistic productions? We are particularly interested if you try to achieve a faithful translation of your previous experiences or if you rather use memory as starting point to create.
I have an awful memory- I rely on a calendar, a daily journal and at least 2 ‘to do’ lists per day, just to make sure I sustain momentum and don’t get lost within my head. I remember the distant past far more than I do, say, yesterday. I also have a memory box filled with bits of the past that I will sometimes sit down with and allow myself to sort of ‘time-travel’ back to those moments- I feel the past has never left but lives within my bones. I will often create art in the form of stream-of-consciousness, which enables me to create on impulse and then to edit the creation when in slower, calmer moods. I don’t believe we ever let go of our past but it lives in small crevices of the sub-conscious awaiting their moment to be remembered which is why I find the method of free-drawing/creation really helpful. I find a lot of ‘Easter-eggs’ within my artworks of memories and experiences, small surprises that reference to my past. Whether they exist as references or whether I have projected those references onto the artworks is of great interest to me…
So, I believe that I do not create with memory as intention, but that memory finds its own way to adorn and imbue the artworks with extra-value and meaning.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
I mentioned earlier that I began with photography as a mode of artistic expression, but quickly after beginning my studies I had been opened up to the potential of many more mediums. Now, it is of great importance to me to learn as many different methods as possible because I don’t believe that anything can be expressed in just one way. As for technique, that tends to be the exciting element of deciding which medium I can utilise to express my intention. I have become deeply consumed by Installation Art as a mode of transforming the space around the viewer, and subsequently have become somewhat resentful of white-cube oriented art, perched atop a plain wall. I think the white wall becomes a void that almost consumes anything that is placed upon it.
This method of aiming to create an Installation has ultimately become a restriction, which has made me focus on the end result as opposed to the smaller aspects that create the whole. I have realised that as soon as I feel too comfortable and familiar with a method of creation, I want to steer away from it and challenge myself to grow with other mediums. So I have begun realigning my practice, centring it on the process and not the result (installation).
This year I learnt about ‘enabling constraints’ as a method of refining our lens to better articulate our research/project. I have been collecting rubbish and gluing them together in a collage-esque approach. I began with the restriction of only using rubbish I had collected, but this approach became somewhat contrived as it was not articulating my intention, and seemed unnecessary. I have now incorporated moving objects within this project, bought from ‘$2 stores’ and whilst they are not 2nd hand objects they still articulate my intention. I think I believe that an imposed restriction can assist when experiencing a ‘block’ in creation, but once your ball is rolling the restriction may become unnecessary as the flow of art needs to have its own route that we, as creator, can watch as it flourishes.
How do you see the relationship between emotional and intellectual perception of your work? In particular, how much do you consider the immersive nature of the viewing experience?
I create installations as a method of representing the daily life of somebody within the city; surrounded by so many sensory demands, experiencing people as objects in flow as we do not interact but ignore one another. I believe the immersive provides a respite from our daily lives that can appear dull and monotonous, but by stepping into a transformed world we can let our qualms wash away as we experience something unlike the outside world.
I just contradicted myself, but by representation I don’t mean it literally. I want to represent the city-scape by creating immersive, sensory experiences but I also want to represent the imaginative realm by the same approach.
I always find it the most interesting when somebody tells me what they believe the artwork to be about; this is why I tend to steer clear of titles as they may inform a meaning. I have often been told that my installations appear to represent the mind of an artist, chaotic and colourful with many references to emotional and intellectual experiences. I accidentally imbue my works with these references, by which I mean, I do not intend to create a work about, say, existentialism, but because I am utterly immersed in various philosophies, it is almost impossible for my works to not represent these interests.
If people pick out these ‘Easter-Eggs’ it is almost like a Magickal invocation of discussion and debate.
I never want to tell someone what to think, I believe our society does that enough through the means of advertising. I think the element of open-discussion and interpretation to be a large component of my artwork as the discussion that arises around my creations is its own platform for learning and growth for myself and others involved. I learn best from the active discussion with other peoples perspectives, as opposed to reading or watching.