Our Feature this month is artist and lecturer - Demeter Dykes -
Demeter Dykes lives and works in Dorset. She was a shortlisted artist for Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2020-21 and was a funded participating installation artist for Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe 2019/21.
She is also a lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth.
1 - Could you explain your practice? Only you know why you do what you do.
My practice has shifted quite a lot due to the pandemic and lockdowns and my need to have contact with other artists. Something that kickstarted this process was 30 Works 30 Days, which then, was run by 120 collective. For each day in April, participants are given a different proposition and make work in response. I really didn’t want to end up making more ‘stuff’ that I would then have to store somewhere so, it meant making things that were temporary or that lasted as long as it took to take a photograph or short video. Because there was a new proposition each day work was made quickly, which meant not overthinking but being playful and responsive. The experience was a combination of being pressured but at the same time, totally free. I really enjoyed this way of working.
Gradually, through this approach, a transformation began and this other part of me evolved. She could be considered an alter ego. She is an exaggerated version of myself. She is totally fearless, and I really love her. I wish I could be more like her!
I started responding either to things that were happening around me, things I was reading about, or, things I was responding to emotionally, and this is ongoing. The work is about things I care about and that are important to me. I make the work relatively quickly although some of the costumes do take time to make. This is where I go back to a way of working from previous years which is very much to do with making. I am a maker. I need to keep my hands busy. The animators, the Brothers Quay, say that the hands do a form of thinking that the brain does not. This resonates with me. Making gives me time and space in my head for ideas, reflecting, mulling, cogitating, and for being alert to new possibilities. Recently I was making something for my granddaughter to wear which she had chosen. I misinterpreted the pattern instructions so what I produced was not what was in the photograph of the chosen item. But I love what happened. So, that error has now led me to make a new costume for myself which I am very excited about.
Within the work, there is always an underlying idea that is about current events – either in the world or in my personal life. There are often references to images that I have consumed by other artists that have influenced me and iconic imagery that is familiar to a lot of people, whether it is a particular look, composition or atmosphere. It can also be the influence of old black-and-white movies, slapstick, and something emerging that is reminiscent of a Punch and Judy show with the format I am using. I play on these connections that are not overt but are little hints.
Humour plays a huge part in what I do, touching on the absurd and pushing towards transgression in terms of challenging peoples’ expectations of a mature woman, who she is and what she does, and how she behaves.
2 - Is art relevant today?
Art is always relevant. No matter what form it is or what the subject matter is, it is always relevant. Any mark that is made today, whether on paper or through other technologies, is about now. Art is fundamental to life.
3 – We are always asked what other artists influence us, we want to know what art you don’t like and which influences you.
I don’t like lazy art, quick-fix art, art that comes from a massive ego, or art that is about showing off.
Artists I have been looking at include Claude Cahun, the Bauhaus artists’ fancy dress costumes, Cindy Sherman and Ana Mendieta. I am also interested in clown makeup, slapstick, silent movies, and circus/fun fair culture.
4- If you could go back 10-20 years what would you tell your younger self?
I wouldn’t say much really. Apart from that, keep doing what you are doing. Nothing I say now will change anything. I might also say, well done for making it this far.
5 – If you could go forward 10-20 years what do you hope to have done or not done?
I hope to still be doing what I am doing now – just more of it – and having a ball!
Your Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/demeterdykes/?hl=en
