Artist Bio
I am a British/Irish artist, singer, and lecturer, captivated by the powerful, uncanny, and playful facets of life. Through moving tableaux, performance, film and sound I craft fragmented narratives that attempt to magnify the sometimes bizarre and absurd moments where we lose our sense of self. My work questions what it means to be human, through idiosyncratic portrayals of the human soul. I have exhibited internationally, including at Tate Modern (Tate Exchange), and in China, Switzerland, Greece and the world’s first photography exhibition in space with ‘Sent into Space’.
1. Could you explain your practice? Only you know why you do what you do.
My practice is deeply intuitive. I often feel and sense my way through the process as I am creating the work. The concept itself tends to ‘tell’ me what it needs to become and how it should be made. I do not work with a singular approach, nor do I always consciously know why I am doing what I am doing. I am intrigued by intuitive knowledge, and I may follow a hunch, letting my artwork form, knowing it may not work but enjoying the process, as the process is all I might ever have. Some of my work has never left the studio and some of it has never been heard. Making work fulfills an inner drive. I enjoy the excitement of not always knowing how it will evolve, I like to keep things open to change and be tempted by the new possibilities it affords. I feel that art is my first language and the one that I communicate best. My practice is cathartic, frustrating, joyous, and necessary.
I collaborate with others, and I work alone. I am currently working with Dr. Asha Ward (Creative Technologist and Researcher) on our Project ‘Soul Song Sensorium’, funded by HEIF (Higher Education Innovation Fund) through AUB Innovation Grants Programme. I hold a deep appreciation for the skills that my colleagues bring to the project. Dr Ward has brought complex technological ideas to life, and John James who typically specializes in crafting unconventional bicycles, applied his metal fabrication expertise to create a wearable cage on wheels, enabling mobility within the performance. I interact with diverse technology to produce a variety of sound sculptures. I use a sound looping mechanism to record, and layer, spontaneous live vocals, which are then played back simultaneously and accompanied with additional live vocals. I use a handheld device that is programmed to sense the ‘soul and essence’ of both living and inanimate objects, triggering a change in my vocals. Each encounter gives a unique sound alteration, adding to the composition of what evolves into a walking orchestra.
My earlier works have drawn inspiration from archives, personal experiences, and my fascination with the enigmatic mysteries that lie beneath the surface of everyday existence. This led to a body of work collecting stories about altered states of consciousness and moments where you lose your sense of self, such as out-of-body experiences, grief, and seizures. I reimagined these stories into artworks and have actively sought inspiration through immersive practices, such as undergoing past life regression, to deepen my exploration of these themes.
Certain topics or motifs reoccur in my work including the body as an instrument, human connection, loss, and the use of costumed characters. I am curious about the power of the scream, and I often use non-verbal communication in the belief that it transcends the need for words. I am intrigued by the psychological impact of sound. I strive to create visceral experiences that disrupt the every day and blur the boundaries between audience and performer. My work attempts to challenge conventional interactions, seeking to connect and immerse through unexpected means.
2 - Is art relevant today?
I cannot envision a time when it won’t be, my guess is that most artists think it is relevant. We spend so much time in the midst of it, I can’t imagine we would do that, if we didn’t see art as relevant, even on the bad days.
Art, especially with sound, reaches humans on an emotional level that other things just can’t, it positively changes lives, I’ve felt it, and I have witnessed it and that is a beautiful thing.
3 – We are always asked what other artists influence us, we want to know what art
you don’t like and which influences you?
With regard to work, I do not like it, I can usually appreciate aspects like the colour palette, the way it is hung, the effort that has gone into it or the thoughts it provokes. I respect the guts it takes to make art, take risks, and put your art into the world. Ideally, I want to be moved; I want art to affect me. But let’s face it, I don’t like some of my own work sometimes!
Key influences include Marina Abramović, Pina Bausch, Anne Imhof, Ragnar Kjartansson, Meredith Monk and Bill Viola. There tends to be a performative, spiritual or sound element in the works that I am inspired by the most. I am struck when a piece of art lives with me long after I have seen or heard it, and I can carry it with me. That is very special.
4- If you could go back 10-20 years what would you tell your younger self?
Advice to me is like luck, you have to be ready for it and open to attempt to understand and explore its potential. I think I would tell myself something like this:
The short version:
BE BOLD (Put your work out there), BE BRAVE (Keep going, even when it seems futile), BE BEAUTIFUL (On the inside; kind and connected). If the younger me seemed receptive I might give them the long philosophical version!
5 – If you could go forward 10-20 years what do you hope to have done or not done?
Sometimes things have felt bad at the time but have turned out to be blessings in disguise, so I do not think it is always obvious what would be a good thing to do or not do, life is intriguing in that way.
I hope that whatever adventures I choose and path I carve out, that I can always make art. I hope to have helped other artists on their artistic journey. I aspire to make art that I am mostly proud of and that I enjoy making it, even the challenging parts. Of course, amazing gallery interest and fabulous opportunities wouldn’t go a miss, but the number one thing is to make art that I feel connected to.
Social Media contact