Three questions that Sarah posed to me regarding my practice and working processes as part of our New Collaboration Bursary project.
Q1. I almost always work individually in the studio and have rarely collaborated until now. You had a strong idea of a sound/ description project you would like to work on before we began this collaboration. Has this project developed or changed as a result of working with someone else or have any new ideas or ways of working come in to play? And what is it that appeals to you about collaborating with someone who works in another medium?
My ideas have changed as a result of collaborative working. My initial idea of writing and recording abstracted descriptions of found objects still exists as a key part of the project but I am more aware that my ideas are part of a larger whole. My creative process is also more fluid and I feel increasingly flexible to change and development as we work through our project. I find that currently the ‘not knowing’ is really exciting, as is engaging with another artist on all the points of reference for the work. In terms of sound, I’ve used sculptural elements with sound on two other occasions so working with sculptural techniques and sound is very interesting and exciting to me. Collaborating with another artist who uses different media from myself appeals greatly as together you are able to meet in the middle and gain perspectives and ways of approaching the work that you couldn’t achieve alone.
Q2. You have lived on Islay for roughly 7 months now. How has this new location changed/ influenced your practice or what you are interested in- has moving to a smaller population affected your work? You have also made several large moves in the last 5 years. How has moving and change in location affected your practice or has it at all?
Living in a rural island like Islay has actually made me more determined to continue to create and present work. I think I am mire aware of the fragile balance that many artists live through when the try to maintain and develop their practice, live their lives, find escape, gain financial stability and maintain their social and family relationships. Living in a community that itself is fragile has also made me aware of my options to try to make my creative practice generate a small amount of income. An example of this is I have begin to teach myself printmaking and with a view to create printed note cards and larger works for sale on Islay. Other recent moves were to Chicago (2009-2011 see) to study at SAIC and Aberdeen (2012-2013). Both moves were challenging and I think moving makes you re-visit your identity and creative ideas. You need to be adaptable to meeting new people, engaging in a new environment and in the case of Chicago, learning to navigate an entirely new culture by placing yourself bang in the middle of it.
Q3. What is it about Sound specifically that excites or appeals to you more than traditional physical media? It is still early days, but for this project, when do you feel you are exploring unknown territory in terms of themes, place or execution of ideas?
I find working with sound exciting because as a medium it is essentially ephemeral as it exists and changes all the time. Think of all the different parts in a favourite song. You listen and the next second another sound is there, the previous one gone but left within your memory. I think sound is very powerful in activating memory as there is no visual experience there, only what you bring to a listening experience of what is in the environment around you at the time you’re listening and what the sound means to you. It’s almost like you are forced to instantly contemplate and decide on meaning due to the constant movement with sounds and I think this leads to a very honest interpretation of art and experience. In terms of our project, the unknown territory has surfaced with execution to date as we have experimented with mold making and casting which is entirely new to me. For me the challenge will be the execution and physical fabrication of our ideas – sculptural forms and creating objects that exist in space rather that as a digital file.
