DAYDREAMING AND DRAWING WITH LIAM PROUDMAN
A Window to Reality #005 featured Liam Proudman, ex DMU Fine Art student and ex intern from Graffio Arts. His tea-fueled, freestyle doodle performance was completed at our studio. When Liam was finished we sat down with more cups of tea and discussed the project…
THE INTERVIEW
“It was a strange sort of sensation, really. Odd really as I’m really used to people watching me draw. Maybe there’s a pressure surrounding it that brings that feeling out.”
The following interview was conducted with Liam by Graffio Arts at our studio in December 2019.
You've just completed the 5th performance for AWTR - how do you think it's gone?
It's gone pretty well. A challenge but a welcome one!
Where were the challenges for you ?
I've never worked on that scale before trying to essentially transpose the same method I'd use in a sketchbook. Making it wider - keeping those things in mind. It was actually surprisingly difficult.
Whats the usual scale that you work at?
Usually A4 or a little bit bigger. I've got some nice some nice newsprint paper if I want to go a bit bigger - I tend to use that for life-drawing classes as apposed to sketches at home.
Have you ever worked on this scale before?
Never quite this scale. I've done large scale paintings - but nothing where we're spreading onto the wall.
Can you talk us through your practice
A lot of drawing essentially. Elaborate doodles, is a good way of looking at it. It gets to be wider ranges than that -can be pretty far flung - but for these purposes. It's lots of drawings - a stream of consciousness, seeing what comes out when I switch off.
You were asked to do this slightly different project - involves producing a piece of art under pressure. How have you dealt with the four hour window?
I tried to prepare before hand. Coming up with an idea of the kind of stuff that I might start to draw. That was very helpful, as apposed to going blind - which would have been more of a struggle. There would have been a lot of siting around trying to come up with something. This was, I had something to fall back on, like a kickstart point, so I could take it from there.
How much was improvised and how much pre-planned?
I'd say pre-planned would be a bit false! The general idea of a lot of it was already there, but it didn't come out exactly like anything I'd already done. It was more concepts than a play by play.
Did you treat it in a different way from a normal piece - did the fact that you were being recorded add a different slant for you?
Yeah - it was an uncomfortable sensation - even if for the most part it was just me dealing with the camera. It was a strange sort of sensation, really. Odd really as I'm really used to people watching me draw. Maybe there's a pressure surrounding it that brings that feeling out.
Would you say that affected the way you drew?
It felt harder to get into the zone - maybe like there was a sense of judgement there even when there wasn't? It was just a thing to overcome. At least it means that when I go back to sketching without being on camera I'll find it a lot easier!
Can you see any point in the future when Augmented reality is added to all pieces of artwork?
I don't know about "all" - I think people will always want to return to traditional means. As it becomes a more accessible thing for more people I think we'll start to see it more and more.
Are there any benefits you can see, or any negatives for using AR or VR within the arts?
There is something to be said about seeing a piece of art in the flesh. You get a different feel for it when you do that. There's been a long long long debate in the art world about that. I think the benefits could out-weigh the negatives.
We were talking about a strange paradox in this Instagram world where people are feeling like the've seen real art on their devices, without seeing it in the flesh. We're finding that AR can actually help get people to a visible location to see it. Do you have any thoughts on this concept?
Yeah - I would agree with that. While it's niche it won't make much difference but as it becomes accessible it would help. Take social media - the amount of art that I've found out about that I wouldn't normally know about is ridiculous. I would assume that's true for a lot of people. AR would allow you find art in places that you wouldn't normally see it. Like in a place that you would already go anyway.
I think what you're talking about is very similar to the concept of AWTR. Presenting art to people outside of the traditional context. Offering a chance for people who don't normally go to a gallery to see it. If your art could say something to someone off the street -what would you want it to say to them?
I would want it to say that art is a worthwhile endeavour in of itself. Even if you don't want to do it as a job. Even if you're not very "good". It's worth doing just for the fun of it. Just for the joy of it. Just because you've not found some art that you want to do, there' a lot of art out there that you'd enjoy doing
How does it make you feel when you're drawing?
Everything. It's like life - in the process of a drawing - you might feel everything going, ranging from absolute frustration, rage to blissful highs. Also sometimes you feel absolutely nothing at all!
So would you say it's therapy for you, creating art?
Yeah, I'd say it's the only thing that no matter whats going off in my life, I will keep returning back to. It's got its claws in at this point. I think that's a big part of the reason that I keep doing it.
Could it be good for the wellbeing of people that see it as well?
In a certain sense, it can be more comforting as you don't have the stress of making it! You know, they get to enjoy it for what it is. That's a very nice experience. If more people where doing that it would be a good thing.
We've made an effort to temporarily repurpose shop windows in Loughborough really to offer something to an area that needs filling, in our option. Maybe improve the aesthetics, add some culture. Have you got any comments to the empty shops on the high street?
Maybe not get into that. As political statement as statement as it would end up being from me! How far can we go?
Go as far as you want!
Tory cuts have devastated every community going, and they've systematically destroyed working class towns, such as Loughborough. Such as Rotherham, my home town. It's a good thing to be bringing some brightness and some culture to these places. But we should be very aware of why these high streets are empty and not be distracted by pretty art. Ideally we have full high streets and art everywhere. But you've got to pick your battles.
So if the high street is in its transitional faze, where can you foresee it going next ? Is it going to be more of the same - just more shops or can see it turning into something else ?
I'll tell you what I'd like to see. Id like to see more than just shops on the high street - I'd like to see more community centres or various - little clubs. Places you can go and not spend any money. Libraries, cultural centres, galleries. You could come up with a thousand different ideas for what you could do with the high st. The issues is that if it's not monetarily viable they're not going to let you do it. That's what I'd like to see, I don't have any faith that its going to happen.
This is it, through the arts and through creating, and going something back and putting some colour and culture and life back into the high street, maybe in some small way if can create a shift. There's talk of the high street needing to become this experiential place - where it really does just become about people. The shops that have stopped working are commodity based shops, they can't compete with the online world. The offline world is rapidly becoming a world where people meet, create, share and commune. And- importantly as you've just said - for free. Could there be more places for people to do and do something, for free?
There's something to be said for - a lot of - through out the arts, it spits in the face of the traditional market logic. You can't quantify art -when it's subjective. If some of that rubs of on people, that would be a very good thing. You might start to understand things of value - not economic viability -something deeper than that. That's what art is - ultimately. It's something that's more than the material basis of it.
It's pure self expression isn't it? It's unquantifiable as well. As soon as you add a monetary value to it, it becomes something that it isn't.
It perverts the process somewhat. But hey - people gotta eat!