Hello Samantha and welcome to NotRandomArt. The current issue is revolving around the problem of communication and identity. Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
The best way to describe myself is as an alien, rather than human. I feel alienated from normal society and have been marginalised most of my life. This is partly due to being brought up in a autistic household and being quite autistic myself. I don't seem to be able to live the same sort of normal life to 'people' - it always seems 'over there' somehow- unattainable. I also haven't lived with humans in my home setting for about 25 years - apart from my children but they are also on the spectrum so I'm not sure if they count as aliens too? I have to make art to give my life eqilibrium it's the way I express feelings as often I struggle to do this - but I have improved in this area in the last decade - I actually can express some feelings now rather than non at all. It's hard to say if art practice has helped with that or it's just making sure I have positve and expressive people in my life around me so I learn from that and I feel really safe.. I think having children has connected me with emotions, that's been really key I think.
I have deep concerns about the political atmosphere . I'm sure you realise, it has no sympathy or support for citizens such as myself. It's a constant concern always there in my mind. I have made art about this as well- how we sit in the current climate regarding homelessness and housing. Mental Health as well. In the past I made a lot of feminist art as I have a strong sense of equality and of course this is the area where I largely feel inequality on a day to day basis. It's so ingrained though in our culture it's hiding in plain sight - We need to be aware of this and remember to call it out when we can- to tackle it. Objectification and stereotyping of women is in virtually every film, game, magazine and newspaper.
Would you like to tell us something about your artistic as well as life background? What inspired you to be in this artistic point in your life when you are now?
I was actually aiming to study politics at Uni but got led astray by art in my late teens. Leaving my teens I found myself working in animation studios in London and with filmakers - including BAFTA and Oscar winners- studios around Soho and North London. These people I felt an affinity with and there was no problem fitting in with these eccentric creatives! I also worked for book publisers sometimes around this time. I departed from this to do a degree in art and then went on to study multimedia and photography. My degree in Art was actually the time when I felt most marginalised and misunderstood in my life- it was very restrictive and the people were extremeley middle class having all these rules about how to behave that I didn't understand or like very much. I was all the time working with underground sound systems at that time in the early 90s and all through the decade- this was creative as we designed backdrops. flyers, played around with electronic music and Djing. The turn of the millenium saw me working in clubs projecting my visuals in nightclubs in North London. These people I met in the underground music scene are my family still today.
I was involved in graphic design for a few year at that point before my second child was born. I went back to ceramics which was the core of my degree, after that in 2003. Since then I have worked in several media but mostly sculpture and most of that has been working in clay.
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture?
No. I absorb everything I see in equal terms and it all informs me subconsciously through osmosis
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 just make things with clay it comes out of my fingers through my body, from my soul. Man.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
The sculptures I'm working on currently I try to make them look blobby. I think that looks good. I try not to get too much clay on the carpet, it's reeeaaally really annoying
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?
Being autistic I can't answer this question.
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Samantha.