Something To Do With Art: Recent Episodes
Robert Good
What makes artists tick and why is art important? Robert Good compares notes with experimental artists to find out what they do and why.
Music: Beric Livingstone Logo: Danielle Blyde
Gudrun Filipska
Why not use ham radio instead of WhatsApp?
In this episode Gudrun Filipska tells me about the origins of her project Arts Territory Exchange (aTE) in which she provides a matchmaking service for artists in remote parts of the world to connect with eachother. She tells me how she spent years building up her followers on social media before having her account irretrievably deleted by a bot, and how she now plans to go off grid and connect via ham radio instead.
Gudrun Filipska is an artist and writer whose work considers the cultural and literary associations of journeying ranging from subjects such as, road trips, Sci-fi voyages, the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), pilgrimage, lunar exploration and the human relationship to wilderness.
LINKS www.artsterritoryexchange.com
How do you build a successful contemporary arts project in one of the most remote parts of England?
In this episode Alan Smith and Helen Ratcliffe tell me how (and why) they relocated from New York to the remote former mining village of Allenheads in Northumberland to set up a thriving artists' retreat. Alan also tells me about his own practice creating live events, performance and audio/video installations and I find out why he has a dislike of projects.
Alan Smith and Helen Ratcliffe are founders and directors of Allenheads Contemporary Arts, whose mission is to provoke questions, encourage discussion and stimulate developments in contemporary arts practice. ACA is also home to The North Pennines Observatory.
LINKS www.acart.org.uk
Should plants be included in the democratic process?
In this episode conceptual artist and experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats explains why we should consider extending the political franchise, and how you might include plants (and other life forms) in our banking systems. We also discuss my visit to Silicon Valley and whether we should be concerned by the rise of technology.
Acclaimed as a “poet of ideas” by The New Yorker and a “multimedia philosopher-prophet” by The Atlantic, Jonathon Keats is an artist, writer and experimental philosopher based in the United States and Europe. He is currently working on The Library of the Great Silence, a Terrestrial Center for Interstellar Research on Planetary Futures, in partnership with the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute.
LINKS www.modernisminc.com/artists/Jonathon_KEATS/ www.seti.org/library-great-silence
What are Wordsworth?
In this episode Dr Pip Thornton tells me how a chance encounter with Google autocorrect led her to research the world of attention economy and the value of words online. She has created works including {poem}.py and Newspeak, which feed texts including works of literature through Google's algorithmic pricing system.
Pip Thornton is a Chancellor’s Fellow in GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh. Her theory and practice revolves around exploring the politics of existence in online spaces, and critiquing and making visible structures of power within the digital economy with creative methods.
LINKS https://pipthornton.com https://zoomobscura.wordpress.com/
Can you make jewellery in the metaverse?
In this episode Rebecca Ilett tells me how she uses jewellery to tell stories and challenge stereotypes and preconceptions. We also discuss the importance of craft, and the possibility of making physical objects in the metaverse.
Rebecca Ilett is an artist and jeweller who uses adornment as a means of worn communication. She uses traditional jewellery techniques, which are technically challenging, to create works relating to ideas of stories and memories.
LINKS https://www.rebeccailett.co.uk
Why collect shopping lists?
In this episode Guy Bigland tells me how (and why) he uses systems, constraints and rules to create paintings, prints, books and digital media. His latest work 'All The Time In The World' lists every second of the day in standard ISO 8601 notation, and he has previously recorded four letter words, three letter acronyms, and continues to collect shopping lists.
Guy also tells me about his successful online business 'Books About Art' and how his work has been acquired by national and international collections.
Guy Bigland is an artist who is interested in language, systems and rules. His practice involves oversimplifying, ordering, and tidying up.
LINKS https://www.guybigland.com
A selection of short audio recordings with some of the many artists and arts organisers who I met during my visit to Silicon Valley. Sadly the audio quality is very poor in places but I have included them as a record of my travels.
Featuring: 00:06 Sharon Daniel tells me how she uses digital media in her documentary artworks 11:08 Shamsher Virk shares the ZERO1 project and its work with communities through art, science and technology 14:59 Scott Kildall discusses his early adoption of new technology and the future of technology 22:11 Kirstin Bach tells me how the San Francisco Exploratorium uses art and technology in its programme 25:26 Dana Harris Seeger introduces me to the School of Visual Philosophy 30:20 Robert Dawson shares his epic project to photograph the libraries of the world and reflects on their continuing importance
LINKS Sharon Daniel: www.sharondaniel.net ZERO1: https://zero1.org Scott Kildall: https://kildall.com Kirstin Bach: www.exploratorium.edu Dana Harris Seeger: www.schoolofvisualphilosophy.com Robert Dawson: www.robertdawson.com
How do you run a gallery and keep the show on the road in challenging times?
In this episode I find out what inspired Matthew to set up Backlit Gallery in 2008 and how he stays motivated to keep it running. Does he manage to find time for his own work? Matthew tells me about the dynamic between artist, curator and gallery and how the local community have become central to his thinking.
This episode was recorded shortly after the final lockdown restrictions were lifted and we discuss how things might be different post-pandemic.
Matthew Chesney is founder and director of Backlit Gallery, Nottingham. His work as an artist is based around performance, video and sculpture with experimental configurations of people and technologies.
LINKS backlit.org.uk
In which I encounter, and attempt to discuss, a three-buttocked sculpture.
Madi Acharya-Baskerville allows me a peek into her creative processes and introduces me (literally) to some of her mixed media sculptures that she has made using found objects and discarded ephemera.
Our conversation ranges widely as we consider the importance of titles, a Library of Lies, being in the naughty corner at an exhibition, and the role of lunch in the creative process. We fail to find cake.
Madi Acharya-Baskerville is an Asian born diasphora artist, living and working in the UK. Broadly speaking, the themes she explores in her work include environmental concerns, migration and exile and gender issues.
LINKS www.madiacharya-baskerville.org
Why use old technology in the digital age?
In this episode Philip Harris share his love of analogue cine media and tells me how he rescues and repairs old equipment for use in his work. We discuss digital media and why he continues to use old equipment. Through our discussion of his immersive installation River Film, it becomes apparent that far from being a nostalgia trip, his use of outdated technology is a means of engaging with and critiquing contemporary political, economic and social concerns.
Philip Harris is a researcher, image maker and senior lecturer at the University of Derby, specialising most recently in analogue cine media and the creation of multiple projector installations in internal as well as external locations.
LINKS https://vimeo.com/user86994981
Can trapped wind become a source of inspiration?
In this episode Amanda Couch tells me about the origins of her project Reflection on Digestion. She shares her love of tripe and I find out that extispicy is the practice of divination through the use of entrails. Our outdoor picnic does not quite go according to plan, and we discuss the importance of reconnecting with the natural world.
Amanda Couch is an artist, researcher and senior lecturer in Fine Art at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Farnham. Her work explores narratives of digestion, food and eating. Amanda is a co-curator and contributing artist to The Commons: Re-Enchanting the World at MERL, The Museum of English Rural Life.
LINKS www.instagram.com/amandacouch_art
What is an artist book?
In this episode I discuss books and book art with Egidija Čiricaitė. We talk about how books function as cultural objects, how our preconceptions inform our expectations of what the contents might be and how readers of books are portrayed on social media. Egidija tells me that she thinks she has now become a poet, and she shares some of her favourite books.
We also discuss the relationship between academic research and artistic practice - what, if any, is the link between the two? - and I discover the perils of trying to pronounce Egidija's surname.
Egidija Ciricaite is an artist, poet and PhD candidate at the Slade School of Fine Art and UCL Linguistics, where she is researching Relevance Theory and metaphor.
LINKS www.egidija.com
What is the sound of a nuclear installation being hacked?
In this episode MOOGZ tells me how he manages to evade security and how he uses the recordings of his (legitimate and pre-authorised) cyber attacks to create sonic installations. He also discusses his work [Malignancy], recorded over the course of 12 years as his mother Angela underwent radiotherapy.
I want to find out about the hidden world of cybercrime and whether we should be concerned by the rise of AI robots, but I leave not knowing quite what to believe.
MOOGZ (Matthew O'Donnell) is a hacker and conceptual artist whose evolutionary research into sound and digital mediums has seen him present work at the Tokyo Science Museum and the Manhattan Javits Center. He has been a live performer of electronic sound since 2003.
Who are the Intergalactic Hanseatic League and is it possible to keep up to speed with all the latest developments in crypto-art?
In this episode Karen Eng takes me on a tour of King's Lynn to view a large-scale sci-fi time travel adventure taking place around the town. The multi-media installation is the culmination of a two-year project run by Collusion to use art and technology to find new and positive ways to engage people with climate change.
Karen also tells me about her experiments at the cutting edge of crypto-art and how online communities provide her with advice and support.
Karen Eng is a writer and artist who works in both analogue and digital media. She has experimented with VR, blockchain and NFTs, and is especially interested in art as a catalyst for innovation, cooperation and creating communities.
LINKS www.karenfranceseng.com www.the-ihl.com
A special bonus episode to mark 1000 plays. Thanks to everyone who has supported this project so far.
Artist William Furlong is the founder of Audio Arts, a seminal sound art magazine that began in 1972 and over the next three decades went on to become possibly the most comprehensive sound archive devoted to art and artists in the world, comprising contributions from over 900 artists including Joseph Beuys, Tracey Emin and Andy Warhol.
This conversation was recorded before lockdown, and I hope to follow it up with further investigations into the Audio Arts archive as circumstances permit.
LINKS www.tate.org.uk/about-us/projects/audio-arts
How do you transport fresh manure across London and why would you want to?
Carl Gent is an artist who includes 'bovine excrement' in his list of materials, and in this episode Carl discusses how he creates his performances and he reflects on the role of humour and theatricality in his work. We also consider the difficulties of trying to write an artist statement.
Carl Gent is an artist from Bexhill-on-Sea, UK.
LINKS www.carlgent.com
Why would you walk round town in a bright yellow suit, pushing a large silicone dog in a wheelbarrow?
Tom Hackett did just that for his project Shaggy Dog Stories, holding conversations with other dog walkers and passers by, and becoming something of a confessor figure in the process. Tom describes how he made his own confession in Six Yard Apology and we discuss the importance of using art to make connections with others. Tom also tells me how a chance conversation with his manager whilst working in local government led him to become an artist.
Tom Hackett has an established reputation for his multiple sculptural installations, exhibitions and performative interventions at galleries of contemporary art and in the wider public situation. He makes sculpture across a wide range of media and concepts.
LINKS www.tomhackett.org
Can art change your life? And can copying someone else's style be considered a creative act?
In this episode Jayne Good tells me how Bob Ross changed her life. We discuss the Bob Ross phenomenon, whether his art is kitsch, and why he remains so popular to this day. Jayne tells me how to pass the Bravery Test, and we also consider the importance of pleasure in the creative process.
Jayne Good (no relation) is a certified Bob Ross instructor and teaches others how to paint mountain scenes and lakeside views in the wet-in-wet style developed by Bob Ross for his hugely popular, cult classic TV show The Joy of Painting.
LINKS www.paintwithjayne.co.uk
How does making music compare to making art? And what happens when life doesn't quite go according to plan?
Musician and actor Beric Livingstone unexpectedly found himself in the limelight as a quiz show host, and in the episode we discuss the unexpected perils of being recognised by members of the public, as well as the process of making music and the importance of starting things that you may never finish.
Beric Livingstone trained in musical theatre at Guildford School of Acting and was front man of indie band The Healing Fields before turning to acting and music production. Beric was also host of the popular online quiz show, HQ Trivia.
LINKS www.bericlivingstone.com
Can you have the highs without the lows?
In this episode Lizz talks openly about her own mental health and how she uses art as a catalyst to challenge perceptions. She also tells me how she persuades established artists such as Martin Creed and David Shrigley to take part in her shows, and how she copes with the regular disappointment of being a football fan.
Lizz Brady is an artist and founder of Broken Grey Wires. Her work creates apprehension and psychological isolation, through a repetitive pull between rejection, failure and hope. She is also a fanatical Everton FC supporter.
LINKS www.lizzbrady.com www.brokengreywires.co.uk
Could you transform your own home into an experimental art venue and allow artists to explore whatever and wherever they like?
Ahmed Farooqui did exactly that, turning his house into Space36, and in this episode we compare the domestic and the gallery as artistic spaces, and discuss the importance of being challenged and moving out of your comfort zone. We also talk about the impact of Covid, and how Ahmed chose to meet the challenges of putting together a show in response to the virus.
Ahmed Farooqui investigates the role of art and artistic resistance in creating the conditions for small scale, progressive and collaborative human relationships. He is the founder of the Degrees of Freedom collective who aim to investigate, make conscious and challenge the contours of unfreedom in public spaces. In 2016 he set up Space36, an occasional arts space based in an inhabited house in a residential street in North London to investigate the boundaries of the domestic, the private and the public.
LINKS www.ahmedfarooqui.com www.degreesof-freedom.com www.space36.org.uk
Is Truth dead?
Gemma Marmalade often blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, and in this episode Gemma tells me how to tell a lie that is 62% more believable. We also discuss her project to set up a call centre in Las Vegas, and Gemma explains the origins of her amazing surname - and why that story is strangely relevant to her work. But can I believe her?
Gemma Marmalade is a contemporary British artist currently undertaking doctoral research titled: In A Manner of Speaking: The Subversive Voice in Performative Art at the Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University. Gemma is also an academic and Senior Lecturer in critical and experimental approaches to Photography at the University of Derby.
Her work specialises in photography, video and performance which playfully negotiate the authenticity of speech acts, history and science with queer politics.
LINKS www.gemmamarmalade.com
What the prospects are for artists starting to make their way in the art world and how do you navigate life after art school?
Ellie Breeze paints figuratively in oils and in this episode we discuss painting over old work, the need for persistency and how artists are often the last people to know what their own art work is really all about.
Ellie Breeze reimagines memories and old photographs to create scenes that may or may not have occurred in the past. Since completing her MA in Fine Art from Cambridge School of Art, Ellie has been selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries and has also been shortlisted for the Marmite Prize for Painting. Her work has been shown at Bloc Projects, Sheffield and Kettle's Yard, Cambridge. She is co-founder of the artist collective Motion Sickness.
LINKS https://www.instagram.com/eleanor.breeze/
How does the world of theatre compare to contemporary performance art and how does the theatre compare to the gallery as a creative space?
Craig Pinder is a West End actor and in this episode we discuss mind-body connection, the need for narrative in art, and how to analyse a script.
Originally from the Bahamas, Craig Pinder trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He has appeared in Mama Mia and is an original cast member of the world's longest running musical, Les Miserables, eventually playing the lead role of Jean Valjean. Amongst many other credits, Craig has also acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Artist and illustrator Alban Low often devises and delivers exhibitions featuring contributions from hundreds of members of the public. How does Alban's inclusive approach compare to a traditionally curated gallery show?
During our conversation we consider the merits of honest feedback, Alban's approach to drawing fast and slow, and how to make a book in a week.
WARNING: We also discuss Alban's invitation to sketch in the dissecting room at Guy's Hospital - so please be warned that this conversation is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Since graduating from Leicester Polytechnic and Kingston University, Alban Low has worked as a signwriter, lecturer and professional illustrator, designing dozens of album covers for jazz artists. He is also the organiser of many group exhibitions around the themes of caring and mental health, such as the Art of Caring at St George's Hospital, London, and his project 'Ideas in Motion' was shown at Tate Modern in London. Alban Low is also reviving the publishing imprint Sampson Low, and has published over 150 chapbooks.
LINKS http://www.albanlow.com
Can you fall in love with concrete? And why collect hubcaps?
Barbara Zanditon has spent several years researching and documenting the history and fabrication of the South Bank Centre in London and in this episode we discuss concrete as a material, the motivation to make art and the desire to acknowledge the overlooked.
B.A. Zanditon is a London-based artist and writer. She received her BAFA from Chelsea College of Art & Design in 2011 and her artwork documents places and spaces, and she often makes booklets or pamphlets that contain diagrams, drawings, lists and tables with data about her chosen subjects. She makes work in and about spaces in response to things she finds and is interested in how we collect and codify. Her responses frequently rely on archival methodologies resulting in work that documents her research activities.
LINKS https://zanditon.com
A short introduction to this podcast. Find out what it is about and why it is called 'Something To Do With Art'.