POP CULTURE! Issue

On your website you say that you
are fascinated with mythologies
and folk tales, do you take any
particular ones as inspiration for
your work?
Yes, there are so many! I’m fascinated
by stories about utopia, paradise,
and wish-fulfilment, especially
lands made entirely of food. Some
of my favourites are the French
mythological Land of Cockaigne,
a place where sugar rains from the
sky and the streets are paved with
pastries; the Dutch Luilekkerland,
a land of plenty that you enter by
eating through a mountain made
of rice pudding, or the American
Big Rock Candy mountain, a hobos
idea of paradise. Most of my works
begin with research into local folk
tales, mythologies and cosmogonies
(creation stories). They are a rich
source of inspiration, and endlessly
fascinating.
Candy Lab
Seeing Forever
How would you describe your work
process?
Before the installation begins it’s a
mix of research, sourcing materials,
experimenting and making thousands
of tiny things in my studio.
Creating the installation is quite a
labour intensive process. I work with
my husband and local assistants. We
usually work 12 hour days for two or
three weeks to create a work. I don’t
start with a formal plan, the work just
grows organically and in response to
my research, the physical space, and
the things I’ve encountered in the
local environment and culture.
One thing leads to another then
another, until we have these crazy
interwoven landscapes. This is the fun
part for me, the bit I really love. The
process is quite meditative, but there
is always an underlying sense of time
pressure.
We love the “Romance Was Born”
collaboration, what was it like to
work on this piece?
It was a joy to collaborate with the
two designers (Luke & Anna) behind
Romance Was Born. They took
images of my work and transformed
them into fabrics and an amazing
collection of kooky outfits. I built a
set for the runway show, and created
objects for jewellery worn by the
models. It was a fantastic opportunity
to delve into another world and
collaborate with inspiring people.
Is there a particular piece of your
work that you like the most?
Each work is really connected to
a place for me. So my favourite
works are the ones that gave me the
most memorable experiences and
encounters, or stretched my work in
new directions. I’m especially fond
of the exhibitions that allowed me
to work with, and become friends
Seeing Forever
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