Hello Kieta 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?
es, the dialogue between antiquity and contemporary sensitiveness has subconsciously inspired me later on in life.I have always felt the creative process is a healing process allowing a sense of escapism. This is even more relevant at present in the current climate, as a way of changing the frequency on the dial, in a world with so many problems on so many levels. On a positive, this tuning out as it were, has made my making more productive, which in turn has brought with it fresh creative/intuitive thoughts. Inspiring new ways of approaching the material, bringing about new forms and structures within the body of work.
In a way I am tuning in to the aesthetic, by tuning out from the noise. There is no getting away with the changes we all go through as we get older. We hopefully learn more as well as learn to question more. Very often going backwards to go forwards.
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 grew up in a household full of unusual objects, antiques and tribal artefacts. My parents both collected artefacts and curiosities from around the world. My Mother taught me how to crochet and worked in antique shops and my Father was in the Merchant Navy, when not working he would teach me knot work and canvas work.
At about eight years old we moved to Exmoor, South West England, with its rugged rural landscape. It is here that I began to build shelters and collect sheep wool off the barbed wire fencing. With the wool, I began to spin it between my thumb and finger, creating a yarn which I then crocheted. Experimenting with textiles became an instinctive process which later developed into the use of metal. I distinctly remember in my early years, that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.
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?
The idea of identifying with a specific artwork is somewhat a narrow prescribed way of thinking. There is so much that inspires and influences, that to break it down to a specific is very difficult. It may be easier to open it up to reference a time or a place.
I remember back in 1988, going to the Victor Vasarely museum in Pecs, Hungary. Vasarely, amongst other art forms, created tapestries, taking textile techniques and throwing them into the world of Op Art. The results were stunning within their design, to such a point that they imparted a huge sense of what could be done with such an old technique, into a fresh bold statement, pushing out from the walls. Looking back I now see a connection between his black & white works, “Zebra Tapestry”, where the woven line has a familiarity with my paper and ink series 2018.
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.
My most natural and instinctive ideas have always had a sense of bringing the past into the present. Inspired by Modern Contemporary and Tribal Art, with lines, textures, patterns and forms. My memory of these objects or cultural icons, never stays in the past, but spans the now and also the future. I suppose the past inspires the future, and when the sculpture has transformed from idea to finished piece, it is delivered into the present. The artwork will have elements of memories from the past but also intuitive ideas grown from the creative process of the future. A faithful translation would never quite bring about anything that was new and never seen before, but more like a facsimile of the past.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
There are various stages of making. First there is the warping up of the loom with wire, followed by the weaving. Once woven the assemblage begins, this is the most creative and exciting part.
In the beginning I often have a fixed concept, but the meditative motion of the weaving process allows my thoughts to grow and wonder. Although aware that I am affected by my surroundings, I cannot immediately identify where the ideas for the sculpted forms have materialised from. This is what I mean about the future.