Undiscovered Artists 2010 by Kasia Figiel

undiscovered artists 2010

desire crave strive yearn greed lcc ma publishing university of the arts london

Desire Crave Strive Yearn Greed: Undiscovered Artists 2010 London College of Communication Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB, UK Published in the United Kingdom by London College of Communication © London College of Communication 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior consent from the publisher. The moral rights of Adam Crabtree, Alexandra Massey, Amy MacPherson, Annwen Moore, Brooke Pegram, Carl Hoare, Clare Johnson, Dan Petang, Dan Seifert, David Spraggs, Gillian Best Powell, Glyn Powell, James Horrocks, Karin Angstrom Ludwig, Mbeng Pouka, Riccardo Attanasio, Sandra Erbacher, Simon *\YYLSS HUK ;YHJL` .\YY [V IL PKLU[PÄLK HZ [OL JYLH[VYZ VM [OLPY PUKP]PK\HS ^VYRZ have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Printed and bound in the United Kingdom at London College of Communication. London College of Communication has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate and appropriate.

introduction 04

Amy MacPherson 08

David Spraggs 48

Sandra Erbacher 14

Dan Seifert 50

James Horrocks 20

Karin Angstrom Ludwig 56

Riccardo Attanasio 23

Dan Petang 62

Gillian Best Powell 26

Tracey Gurr 64

Adam Crabtree 28

Mbeng Pouka 70

Clare Johnson 34

Brooke Pegram 74

Alexandra Massey 39

Carl Hoare 76

artists directory 85

Glyn Powell 42

Simon Currell 78

acknowledgements 90

Annwen Moore 44

contents

introduction “An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one.” 4

It goes without saying that every great artist has at one time been undiscovered. Some of the world’s greatest painters, writers and composers went poverty-stricken Charles Horton Cooley to their graves without ever having a kind word said about their considerable efforts. The renowned Austrian composer Schubert lived off the generosity of friends and family until his death at the age of 31, yet he is now widely considered to be one of the most talented composers of all time. The famed Romantic poet John Keats sold a mere 200 copies of his poetry before his death, and most of his best poems weren’t published at all PU OPZ SPML[PTL (UK WVVY VUL LHYLK 0TWYLZZPVUPZ[ WHPU[LY =HU .VNO ^HUKLYLK PU[V H ÄLSK VUL KH` and shot himself in the chest, having failed to achieve anything like the notoriety he would earn posthumously. Although these individuals have now been well and truly discovered and occupy their rightful places in the canon of human artistic endeavour, they doubtless would have enjoyed a little recognition while they were still alive, to brag to their friends about in the local tavern/beer hall/ madhouse. This, too, is the desire of today’s undiscovered artists, who sweat and toil as Schubert, Keats and Van Gogh before them, striving to share their creations with the public at large. <UMVY[\UH[LS` MVY [OLT [VKH`»Z J\S[\YHS SHUKZJHWL PZ LUZSH]LK [V ÅLL[PUN [YLUKZ WVW\SPZT HUK ÄUHUJPHS greed HUK P[ PZ PUJYLHZPUNS` KPMÄJ\S[ MVY HY[PZ[Z [V IL KPZJV]LYLK >V\SK 2LH[Z OH]L NV[ H MVV[ PU [OL KVVY VM 9HUKVT /V\ZL ^P[OV\[ HU PUÅ\LU[PHS SP[LYHY` HNLU[ [V ]V\JO MVY OPT& >V\SK =HU .VNO OH]L OHK [OL ULJLZZHY` 79 ZRPSSZ [V ZLSS OPZ ^VYR H[ :V[OLI`»Z& >V\SK :JO\ILY[ OH]L THKL P[ PU[V [OL P;\ULZ ;VW ;LU& In a world where glamour, self-promotion and nepotism reign supreme, how much talent and JYLH[P]P[` SPLZ KVYTHU[ PU KYH^LYZ HUK VU K\Z[` ZOLS]LZ HSS V]LY [OL ^VYSK& Although the internet has allowed people to send their work out into the public domain, the saturation of this platform has meant that this type of exposure is akin to shouting loudly into a crowded room, with everyone else doing the same. Consequently, today’s struggling artists still crave the validation of a publisher, gallery, theatre space, or record company to gain access to their audience, and actually make a living out of their talents.

As a motley crew of aspiring publishers, whose ambition is to pluck the talented from frustrated obscurity, we have hunted far and wide to gather together a collection of undiscovered artists, and we now present their work and their stories to you in that most archaic of forms – a book. >L HZRLK V\Y HY[PZ[Z [V JYLH[L ZVTL[OPUN MVY \Z IHZLK HYV\UK VUL ZVTL VY HSS VM Ä]L ^VYKZ! +LZPYL *YH]L :[YP]L @LHYU .YLLK in order to showcase their creativity, and to demonstrate that no one knows more about yearning than today’s jobbing bohemians. The results were overwhelming in their quality and variety and we were at once amused and inspired by our artists’ dispatches from the breadline. Our only regret was not being able to include all of the fantastic work we gratefully received. >L OVWL [OH[ [OPZ IVVR ^PSS WYV]L [V IL HU LUSPNO[LUPUN KPZJV]LY` MVY HSS P[Z S\JR` YLJPWPLU[Z HUK that its generous contributors will not be undiscovered for long.

undiscovered artists 2010

d e s i r e

c r a v e

s t r i v e

y e a r n

g r e e d

Amy MacPherson 21, British art student living in Loughborough 8 Amy MacPherson

The inspiration for my most recent body of work came from living in Loughborough. I work with the idea of the overlooked; with the run down, the familiar and the mundane. My images manipulate everyday spaces and express the craving for something new, something more desirable.

“Sometimes I have days where I wish I could run back to school and pay more attention in science class, but I know that struggling or not, this is right where I need to be.” What are the upsides to being undiscovered? Freedom.

What is the best thing you’ve discovered? The second-hand bookshop by the river in Cambridge. What discovery do you wish you had made? ;OL HIPSP[` [V KLZPNU HYJOP[LJ[\YL [OL ^H` -YHUR 3SV`K >YPNO[ did. He amazes me. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a doctor until the age of fourteen when my science teacher crushed my dreams.

9PNO[! Blossom Tree oil on canvas 5L_[ 7HNL! Jungle (left) oil on canvas; Poster (right) oil and mixed media © Amy MacPherson 2010

Amy MacPherson

Road oil on canvas ÂŠ Amy MacPherson 2010

14 Sandra Erbacher

Sandra Erbacher .LYTHU HY[PZ[ SP]PUN PU 3VUKVU

What are the downsides to being undiscovered? You have to learn to be comfortable with doubt; internal doubt being as devastating PM UV[ TVYL [OHU L_[LYUHS JYP[PJPZT HUK YLQLJ[PVU SL[[LYZ >OLU `V\ THRL `V\Y HY[^VYR your priority, execute it with integrity and stop worrying about being undiscovered, then success will come to meet you along the way. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? I just am. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? Being in-spirit. You want to be connected to it all the time. It is pure joy, yet it can feel empty and dark when it escapes you. I am still learning to relax into those cycles of creativity. What’s your ‘Plan B’? I tried it already. It didn’t work.

“If you can sustain determination, enthusiasm and passion for what you do, your struggles will be rewarded.”

What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? :[Y\NNSPUN ^P[O T` ^VYR JHU IL T\JO TVYL KPMÄJ\S[ [OHU ILPUN H Z[Y\NNSPUN HY[PZ[ As an artist you have a vision which becomes your driving force, and which will guide you no matter what life throws at you. If you can sustain determination, enthusiasm and passion for what you do, your struggles will be rewarded. 9PNO[! Untitled (Malsch #3) digital print © Sandra Erbacher 2010

Sandra Erbacher

A central critical concern in my cross-disciplinary practice is that of the in-between space. By activating marginal objects, materials, sites and signs, my work animates the interstitial as a language with the potential to question dominant discourses in art, 16 J\S[\YL HUK ZVJPL[` 4\JO VM T` ^VYR PZ ZP[L ZWLJPÄJ VY JYLH[LK PU YLZWVUZL [V JLY[HPU spaces. In doing so it wishes to reveal the hierarchies inscribed in space and some of the mechanisms at work in the construction of space. The Untitled (Malsch) set depicts an abandoned paper-making factory in the south of Germany. It is a marginal space on a railway track, a space that in fact doesn’t exist any more as the building has since been torn down to make way for a new development. The Untitled (Leipzig) series shows a former foundry in the East German city of Leipzig. It is a huge, disused, dilapidated factory bearing the inscriptions of its communist history. The pictures capture an absence, a negative space that has ILJVTL VIZVSL[L PU [OL ÅV^Z VM NSVIHS JHWP[HSPZT" `L[ H[ [OL ZHTL [PTL [OL` KPZWSH` a romantic yearning, an opening, an almost otherworldly moment of beauty.

9PNO[! Untitled (Malsch #1) digital print 5L_[ 7HNL! Untitled (Leipzig #1) (left) digital print; Untitled (Leipzig #2) (right) digital print © Sandra Erbacher 2010

Sandra Erbacher

James Horrocks

21, British student between degrees living in Manchester

James Horrocks

I mostly write about the individual and much of my work is driven by personal experience. It explores ambiguity and the peculiarity of each individual’s perceptions and thoughts about the world, and about themselves. I like to believe my free form of writing allows ideas from my subconscious to enter my 20 pieces, especially since most of the time I don’t seem to be thinking about anything at all. Much of my ^VYR PZ )LH[ PUÅ\LUJLK HUK 0 ÄUK 2LYV\HJ»Z American Haiku a particular inspiration in my short poems. Hopefully my own words go some way to approaching the beauty and thought-provoking nature of the pieces that helped inspire them.

What do you desire most? To earn a living writing just exactly what I want to write. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? They don’t pay you. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? They don’t know if you are actually shit. What discovery do you wish you had made? Higgs Boson. What’s your ‘Plan B’? An institution.

“Hopefully my own words go some way to approaching the beauty and thought-provoking nature of the pieces that helped inspire them.”

Yearning 1

and no, she doesn’t believe him.

Yearning 5 Coffee taste and again, so the cups pile up counting onwards, I am your jittery abacus please let me be love.

Yearning 3 There is a slow burn down around his solar plexus. It confuses because he’s quite sure the others KVU»[ ÄUK OLY [OH[ H[[YHJ[P]L

Yearning 9 There is a burning sensation at the front of his brain. She knows about it and she does care She just isn’t sure how to.

21 James Horrocks

Like the swelling trapped behind denim, feeling saddened by the whole affair

Crave 3

Crave depravity like the sinking feeling in your gut the next day that means you’re still living.

James Horrocks

Crave 4 HUK ÄYL PU OPZ N\[ ,`LZ ÅHZO and her legs, her face even and her taste.

Crave 5 Like nerves just want out and he is take her make her believe. This is it for him, them, and if not then end it now.

Riccardo Attanasio 27, Italian artist living in London

Humanity and its behaviour, that is what I represent in my paintings. The crowded masses contain power, fear, constraints and the desire for pleasure. All the bodies are trapped in a canvas. The frenetic movement mirrors everyday human desires. Each person seeks an empty space in the picture but they all end up squashing each other, trying to be seen.

What do you desire most? To survive by doing what I love – art. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? An artist’s struggle with hundreds of applications and proposals often brings about a deep depression. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? /H]PUN [OL WV[LU[PHS HUK OVWL [V HMÄYT `V\YZLSM HZ HU established artist. I believe that artists should not be rushed into being discovered. If they work hard, everything is achievable. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? My own painting technique, ‘Post-Stencilism’. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? I cannot remember, but looking back I have always been like I am now. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? I am constantly travelling with an uncertain base and little money. Every exhibition is a moment of total bliss, but afterwards everything drops down. I believe in what I do, and struggling will hopefully bring me naturally to what I desire.

23 Riccardo Attanasio

“I believe in what I do, and struggling will hopefully bring me naturally to what I desire.”

5L_[ 7HNL! Spiral Concrete (left) ‘post-stencilism’; Holocaustop (right) ‘post-stencilism’ © Riccardo Attanasio 2010

Riccardo Attanasio

Gillian Best Powell Anglo-Uruguayan artist (and much more) living in London

The main theme is the exploration of the connection between the present and the past. The NYV^U ^VTHU Ă&#x201E;UKPUN V\[ HIV\[ [OL WLYZVUHSP[` VM H MH[OLY ZOL OHYKS` RUL^" [OL `V\UN \UTHYYPLK man portrayed through letters to family and friends.

26 Gillian Best Powell

The backstory is of a 28-year-old man, born and bred into a British Colonial family who volunteers [V NV HUK Ă&#x201E;NO[ PU >>00 PU [OL )YP[PZO 9(- ;OL SL[[LYZ ZOV^ PU[LYUH[PVUHS Z[HTWZ JPYJH postmarks across the UK, Italy and Egypt, redirection scribbles and censor stickers. The bilingual content of a letter from a friend and fellow volunteer stationed in Naples has snippets of tantalising personal information with news of family members, interests and daily minutiae. ;OL TVVK PZ YLĂ&#x2026;LJ[P]L ^P[O [OL H^L VM KPZJV]LY` [OL thirst for further knowledge and the nostalgic yearning for what might have been. What is the best thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve discovered? Friendship in networks of artists. For me, being a member of studio groups and networks of artists is a huge source of support, feedback and shared VIQLJ[P]LZ ^OPJO M\SĂ&#x201E;S H ZLUZL VM ILSVUNPUN HUK VWLU up new avenues to follow.

Â¸;OL TVVK PZ YLĂ&#x2026;LJ[P]L with the awe of discovery, the thirst for further knowledge.â&#x20AC;?

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Plan Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? To continue to strive. Who or what do you strive to be like? Picasso or Joanna Lumley, depending on my mood! What did you aspire to be when you were a child? A fairy queen.

9PNO[! Yearning To Know My Father mixed media ÂŠ Gillian Best Powell 2010

Adam Crabtree ,UNSPZO IHYTHU SP]PUN PU *VYU^HSS

>OLU 0 ^HZ PU ZJOVVS 0 ^YV[L H Z[VY` HIV\[ H ZVTLÔH[ THSHKQ\Z[LK `V\UN SHK ÔV ZH^ OPZ ÔVSL SPML PU [LYTZ VM NVVK ZJPLU[PÄJ WYHJ[PJL A Fair Test explores how someone like that might turn out postpuberty, what their dreams and ambitions would be. To strive for something can be empowering, but that feeling of power doesn’t discriminate, no matter what your goal. 28 Adam Crabtree

What do you desire most? A deeper level of connection with people than I currently enjoy. And to be Lady Gaga’s microphone. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? 7YLJPZLS` [OH[! [V IL ZLLU HZ UV[OPUN TVYL [OHU HUV[OLY ^HYT IVK` [V Z^LSS [OL YHURZ HZ PM [OLYL»Z nothing special, nothing wonderfully peculiar, rabid, hungry, dangerous or ecstatic living within you. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? No pressure. Although that too can be a downside. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? The best thing I’ve discovered is the music of Prince. Don’t laugh now, I see those Aqua albums in your collection. Stratospherically famous for about a year back in the eighties, he now has pretty much zero J\S[\YHS JHWP[HS IL`VUK H [LUHJPV\Z I\[ [PU` MHUIHZL /L MHZJPUH[LZ TL HZ H ÄN\YL ^OV ^HZ PUOLYLU[S` ridiculous in so many ways, but who transformed himself into this mighty performer on the stage. That really appeals to me, the idea of someone whose personality meant they could never have not been a star, but could never have been one for long. What’s your ‘Plan B’? /PNOLY LK\JH[PVU KPKU»[ IYPUN M\SÄSSTLU[ ^P[O P[ ZV 0 Z\WWVZL MYVT OLYL P[»Z LP[OLY [OL HYTLK MVYJLZ [OL church or prison. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? :OLYSVJR /VSTLZ ;OLU )H[THU ;OLU H JHYLLY JYPTPUHS ;OL ÄYZ[ JYLKPISL PKLH 0 OHK ^HZ [V IL H ÄST director. I could still see myself as a screenwriter certainly, if not as the guy in charge. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? >OLUL]LY ZVTLVUL [HRLZ [OL WPZZ V\[ VM `V\ MVY `V\Y JYLH[P]L PTW\SZLZ JVU[LU[ `V\YZLSM ^P[O [OL knowledge that they recognise something in you they can only aspire to, and that makes them afraid.

A Fair Test

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lunchtimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as nebulous and bespoke as it is has nonetheless become ZVTL[OPUN VM H MHSSHJ` >VY[O SVVRPUN PU[V (U`^H` P[ ^HZ LZZLU[PHSS` [OL middle of the day, and all the local caffs had stopped serving breakfast except for Geraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the corner who had run the numbers and found there were plenty of people still willing to pay for an eight item fry-up after ! HT (U`^H` HUK 4HYZOH +HULZ ^HZ Q\Z[ ZL[[SPUN KV^U MVY OLY OHT and pickle sandwich. She chewed, bored (not of chewing, just of, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know, life), and looked around her empty store. A trio of teenage lads walked in and Marsh stowed her sandwich self-consciously under the counter. In their innocuous caps and hoodies the three hulking lads prowled around the shop, examining her wares; NH[OLYPUN \W [OL JV\YHNL [V UPJR ZVTL[OPUN WLYOHWZ& 4HYZO JV\SKUÂť[ OLSW her imagination getting the better of her. You might think her prejudiced against the youth. For all she knew they were taking a break from helping the local church with their community outreach programme, movement of JY\JPĂ&#x201E;_LZ HUK Z\JOSPRL I\[ MYVT OLY WLYZWLJ[P]L ZOL ^HZ ZPTWS` ^VYRPUN with the data available to her. Sales had been poor since opening day, though rather a lot of stock could not be accounted for some nights; just [OPZ >LKULZKH` WHZ[ HZ ZOL JSVZLK \W ZOVW ZOL [OV\NO[ YPNO[S` [OH[ [OL strawberry laces had no business being so depleted when so few had been brought to the counter. She always noted these little discrepancies after the witching hour after school kicking-out time. Not wanting to put

29 Adam Crabtree

The little sweet shop on the corner of the street had opened its doors for I\ZPULZZ I\[ ZP_ ^LLRZ HNV 0[ ^HZ S\UJO[PTL ! WT& ! WT& 7LYOHWZ even late morning. A lot of the more recent studies actually give credence [V [OL UV[PVU VM H ZP_ TLHS KH` HZ ILPUN TVYL LMĂ&#x201E;JPLU[ HUK JVUK\JP]L [V the smooth running of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s metabolic cycle, so perhaps really the idea of

up one of those unsociable “NO MORE THAN 2 SCHOOLCHILDREN AT A TIME” signs, she nonetheless felt she was becoming something of a running joke among the local youth. On more than one occasion she had heard tittering in the ranks of the group of twelve-year-olds who were always hanging around outside the shop at closing time.

30 Adam Crabtree

Another young lad bounced into the shop at this point; he looked about fourteen; he looked anticipatory, thought Marsh. Cursing herself for allowing the newcomer to distract her, Marsh turned back to the three hoods. If they’d seized the opportunity… Upon seeing some smug looks ÅHZOLK IL[^LLU [OLT ZOL ^HU[LK [V HZR MVY [OLPY WVJRL[Z [V IL [\YULK out but, well… they were terribly well built… The three lads silently made to exit the shop. The newcomer suddenly stepped into the path of the trio before they reached the door. “Hello!” said he. The lads’ leader, Smithy if you want to know, looked at the teen in surprise and mild outrage. He was acutely aware of the sweets in his pocket and the proprietor’s eyes boring into his back and he became swiftly distressed, as was his wont. His affected persona ^HZ `V\Y [`WPJHS THZR VM PUZLJ\YP[` ( WLYMLJ[ JHZL Z[\K` -HPSPUN [V ÄUK ZVTL[OPUN [V\NO [V ZH` HSS OL JV\SK YLZWVUK ^P[O ^HZ! ¸<O¯ ºLSSV&¹ [OLU OPZZLK ¸3VVR WPZZ VMM ^PSS`\O&¹ HUK THKL [V NV HYV\UK OPT ;OL `V\UNLY [LLU W\[ [OL ÅH[ VM OPZ OHUK HNHPUZ[ :TP[O`»Z JOLZ[¯ HUK W\ZOLK OPT IHJR :[PSS ZTPSPUN OL ZHPK! “One moment gentlemen, I did just see you and your friends stuff ZL]LYHS -Y\P[ :^PaaLZ )\IIHSSZ >VSS`WVWZ HUK PU `V\Y JHZL ¹ OL WYVKKLK Smithy in the chest with a smarmy grin, “a packet of Princess Sparkle’s Fairy Dust,” he took a breath, “into your pockets. And I think our lovely shopkeeper,” he beamed at Marsh, “would like those items back or at least the monies required to purchase those items.” The teens immediately made to run the younger one down and make good their escape. Except the next moment there was a harsh click and something was being held in the air in front of Smithy’s face. Something metallic. Incomprehension swiftly gave way to fear, and the ^VYK ºIHYYLS» ÅHZOLK \W PU :TP[O`»Z TPUK PU [V_PJ NYLLU SL[[LYZ >O` NYLLU& You wouldn’t ask if you knew the pressure that settled on Smithy’s bladder

like a stone. “Or we could handle it this way...” Smithy’s mind coloured that pleasant ZTPSL H ZH[HUPJ ZOHKL /PZ SLNZ MLS[ PUÄYT ;OH[ [OLYL JV\SK L]LU L_PZ[ Z\JO a thing as a working handgun in the sleepy community he’d often railed against, that frustrated him and drove him to soft drugs and petty theft,

incoherent gibbers. The Gunner seemed disappointed with the lack of response, but fascinated nonetheless. He gestured carelessly with the gun at Smithy’s ‘friends’. “You two irks; get gone. Leave your ‘swag’ on the counter before you go.” Compliance was instant. They dropped the meagre assortment their antagonist had derided onto the counter and left, though not so hastily they didn’t observe what the Gunner had ostentatiously termed a “Gravitational Field of Doom” (GFD). The distance from their antagonist the KH[H Z\IQLJ[Z ÄUK HJJLW[HISL ]HYPLZ IL[^LLU PUKP]PK\HSZ HUK [OLZL [^V were certainly keeping their distance, creeping right up close to the walls of the shop. The Gunner moved forward and Smithy moved back, whimpering. The Gunner had discovered that the subject most directly under threat observes different distance rules, staying the same distance from the gunman, displaying unconscious and conscious compliance. Smithy’s back hit Marsha’s counter and he started with a shriek. “P-please… please mate, d-don’t k-k-k-k-k-kill me!” :VVULY VY SH[LY [OL` HSS OH]L [V JVUMYVU[ [OL R ^VYK YLÅLJ[LK [OL Gunner. This one had done so pretty fast, but the Gunner had seen faster. He produced the questionnaire, rolled up in his back pocket until now, and

31 Adam Crabtree

well, it was a bit of a shock to the system. “Hmm...” the younger teen examined his prey with a new, disaffected HPY ¸+V `V\ [OPUR `V\»YL NVPUN [V NL[ HU` Z^LH[PLY& )LJH\ZL 0»T SVVRPUN to see the minimal time different data subjects reach their pinnacle. How KV `V\ MLLS& :OVJRLK& (O VM JV\YZL :JHYLK& (YL `V\ SVZPUN ISHKKLY JVU[YVS&¹ OL SH\NOLK Z\KKLUS` ¸*VTL VU TH[L NP]L TL ZVTL[OPUN [V collate! Hey…” he turned to Marsh, chirped “that rhymes!” Smithy could not answer him. Smithy found that the only communication avenues open to him at this point in the proceedings was a rush of

tossed it onto the counter. “Need to borrow a pen.” He said to Marsh, who trembled as she fumbled for the biro she used for her record keeping. “Thank you. No, just stick it on the counter there, please. I appreciate it, I did have one of my own, but my last research session got a little hairy. Lost it.” He smiled a

32 Adam Crabtree

very particular smile. You Know How It Is. Seeing a chance for escape, Smithy broke and ran for the door. The doorframe exploded in a shower of splinters as the Gunner let off a shot, and Smithy recoiled screaming. Marsh shrieked and ducked under the counter, hands clasped over her head. “If I could just take a few moments more of your time, the study isn’t quite concluded yet.” The gunner spoke over the ringing in his own ears. He’d lost his plugs in the last session and all. “Just step up to the counter, that’s good. The written section isn’t very long and the data is very useful to me.” 7PJRPUN \W [OL IPYV PU ZOHRPUN ÄUNLYZ :TP[O` MLS[ KLSPYP\T [HRL OVSK HZ he pulled the questionnaire towards him. He blinked the brine out of his L`LZ Z^LH[ VY [LHYZ VY IV[O HUK SVVRLK H[ [OL ÄYZ[ X\LZ[PVU ‘1. Please rate the intensity of the feelings of mortal terror you are currently experiencing on a scale of one to ten, with one being a mild sense of fatalism, ten being the icy grip of Death’s bony digits on your shoulder.’ “Not happening,” he breathed as he scrawled the one-oh on the page, “this isn’t happening…” Agonising minutes down the line, having rated everything from his satisfaction with his regular diet (as it related to stealing to supplement it) to the amount of pooling going on in the seat of his tracksuit bottoms, Smithy handed the paper gingerly back to the gunner. “Sweets.” :TP[O` Z[HYLK K\TIS` HUK [OLU OL YLTLTILYLK [OL [YPÅPUN [OPUN [OPZ had started over, only about a hundred years ago. “Sure! S-sure, of course, ‘course mate! Y-you don’t need to pull a gun on me mate! It’s just this!” He pulled his haul out of the front pocket of

his hoodie. He stared at it miserably. “S’not worth killin’ anyone for…” he whispered. ¸0 [OPUR `V\»SS ÄUK [OH[»Z MVY TL [V KLJPKL ¹ ;OL .\UULY YLTVUZ[YH[LK coldly. “Now you’re going to pay...” “AARGH!”

Thank you again for your help, most informative.” “Oh,” She breathed, taking on a desperately placatory tone, “don’tKVU»[ [OPUR VU P[ (U`[OPUN [V OLSW H `V\UNZ[LY : ZJOVVS WYVQLJ[ PZ P[¯&¹ She asked, dumbly. “Um.” He considered this. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s say that. Or rather let’s just say that I’m a young man who’s prepared to go out there and collate as much data as necessary. I’m going to be the greatest researcher of all, go farther than anyone before me, and when I reach my conclusion…” He smiled, a greedy look in his eye. “Good day.” He turned, taking out a small notebook, in which he scribbled as he left. He walked out to the sounds of approaching sirens, tires screeching to a halt in front of the shop, and Marsh heard him say as the door swung JSVZLK! “Ah, gentlemen, good response time! Exemplary! If you’ve got ten minutes, I just have a couple of questions…”

33 Adam Crabtree

¸ SL[ TL ÄUPZO `V\»YL NVPUN [V WH` MVY HSS [OVZL Z^LL[Z [OLPY THYRL[ value having been compromised from being stored in the unsanitary conditions in your pocket there.” Smithy didn’t want them anymore. He ÄZOLK H [LU WV\UK UV[L V\[ VM OPZ ^HSSL[ HUK WSHJLK P[ VU [OL JV\U[LY The Gunner dismissed Smithy with a wave of the handgun, who L_P[LK KHaLKS` [OLU [\YULK [V 4HYZO :OL SVVRLK H[ OPT PU [LYYVY MYVT ÅH[ against the wall. He turned and selected a bar of nougat from the shelf. He grinned and put the safety catch on the gun, which he pocketed. The bar of nougat followed it. “Our friend has paid for this. Something for the ride.

Clare Johnson

(TLYPJHU ]PZ\HS HY[PZ[ HUK ^YP[LY ÅP[[PUN IL[^LLU *HTIYPKNLZOPYL HUK :LH[[SL

Most nights before I go to bed I draw a picture on a post-it note. Post-its are perhaps the epitome of an ordinary, daily effort at remembering. They are designed to help you hold on to all the various things that are slipping out of your mind, the things that you are losing each day.

Clare Johnson

What do you desire most? Your basic all-inclusive happiness. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? 7LVWSL ^OV THRL MHPYS` H]LYHNL PUJVTLZ JHU HMMVYK [V I\` T` ^VYR 0[ PZ ZV PUJYLKPIS` ÅH[[LYPUN ^OLU someone who has never bought art before decides to purchase one of my drawings or paintings, something I wouldn’t necessarily get if I were in a higher price bracket. What discovery do you wish you had made? Dorothy Porter’s idea to write a straightforward, classic-noir murder mystery with a lesbian detective… entirely in verse. It sounds so over the top as an idea, but the poetry is so perfect it’s unbelievable. What’s your ‘Plan B’? This is what I’ve always needed to do, so there’s no point to a Plan B. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? 0[»Z H Z[YHUNL TP_ VM ^VYRPUN PUJYLKPIS` OHYK HUK JYVZZPUN `V\Y ÄUNLYZ 0 Z[YP]L [V THRL [OL ILZ[ ^VYR 0 JHU and to be true to my ideas while also expending a huge amount of energy trying to make opportunities for myself. In some ways, trying to make it in the art world is like wanting to win the lottery… but you also have to work really hard.

5L_[ 7HNLZ! Post-it Project © Clare Johnson 2010

Clare Johnson

“This is what I’ve always needed to do, so there’s no point to a Plan B.”

Clare Johnson

The whole project is one that strives to do something PTWVZZPISL! [V OVSK VU [V PUKP]PK\HS TVTLU[Z MLLSPUNZ 36 and experiences even though the passing of each day prevents us from doing so. It’s something that everyone yearns for at some point. The daily, ongoing aspect of the project means that it is constantly striving for its goal, never quite reaching a resolution.

Clare Johnson

Alexandra Massey :V\[O (MYPJHU SP[LYH[\YL [\[VY SP]PUN PU +\YIHU :V\[O (MYPJH

What are the upsides to being undiscovered? There’s a line in Franny and Zooey (J D Salinger) when Franny says, “I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” I think the part of me that needed applause died the second I read those words. I’m the only person who needs to know my name. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? A partially burnt-down house in the jungle in Port ,K^HYK ;OL JLPSPUN MHUZ OHK TLS[LK [OLU ZVSPKPÄLK they were totally Dalí. What’s your ‘Plan B’? 0M `V\»YL Z\YL [OH[ UV[OPUN LSZL JHU NP]L `V\ H M\SÄSSPUN life except making a living making art, then I believe that you can’t allow the idea of a Plan B. You accept a life of feast and famine and a degree of insecurity, and you go about your business determinedly. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? Ariel the Little Mermaid. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? I don’t consider myself a struggling artist, largely because I’m not struggling. I’m busy and happy despite the things I still want. Maybe I feel like I’ve got time.

“You accept a life of feast and famine and a degree of insecurity, and you go about your business determinedly.”

39 Alexandra Massey

What do you desire most? I desire to experience and see as much as it is possible to; to lead an authentic life; and to be content in the stillness between the adventures. I desire to be of service to the world that has spawned me, a useful cog in the workings of the whole enchilada.

40 Alexandra Massey

This piece is a chronicle of unrequited love and the contradictory spot it puts one in. It was one of those loves that’s like a poison or a drug – a love [OH[ `V\ JHYY` HYV\UK ^P[O `V\ SPRL H Z[VUL PU `V\Y ILSS` @V\ ÄUK `V\YZLSM wanting to feel the act of falling because it is aliveness in its purest form, but you’re constantly trying to hold back the magnetic force of it. Despite this, a human heart in yearning is steadfast against its owner’s earnest pleas. This particular piece was written to be performed as spoken word, so I advise readers to do so aloud. Holler it into the elusive eyes of whatever you crave.

;OPZ VUL»Z MVY HSS [OL IH[[LYLK IHSSHKLLYZ PU [OL IHJR YV^ the nimble crimson of my crinkled vision, [OL ÄUL[VV[OLK JVTI VM [OL IS\LZ 0 WLY\ZL `V\ ^P[O No focus of my bestest despot tactics will slow the coaster from its crescendo will strip the glitter from your plainclothes convince the cycle to switch to rinse. Tiptoed a breadcrumb trail back to fools paradise and my pride is riled even as I inner smile because desire is a weighted freighted wing clipping thing and I do not want to be grateful for the stinging tears springing >HUUH SH` P[ HSS KVÛ [V *OPUH[VÛ Show-me-every-face-in-the-vault Every-age-on-the-page Crying-sigh-in-the-sty STUFF that longs to beckon your STUFF to come out and splash puddles in this piecharted compartmented critter, still bitter over a million losses even though she doesn’t know it most of the time. I don’t want to want to feel worse because the hushed shushed craving has found a voice again, awake and yearn-chirping for what it’s been starving for, now raging and mourning because it can’t have no more. >OH[ ^VYYPLZ TL PZ THRPUN UVPZL PZ YLSPLM ÄYZ[ HUK MVYL Be still, you ecstatic frantic little beating beast retreat to the cave that you began in the soup that you swam in return the rolling evolving motion that brought us beckon at this window SL[»Z NV ÄUK VUL ÔLYL [OL ZOHKLZ HYLU»[ KYHÛ where the welcome mat’s out and our invite’s untorn. Then we can feed ourselves fat and swell our banks and not try to keep the tide from the shore.

Alexandra Massey

Glyn Powell 59, British sculptor living in London

This sculpture is about the desire for another; desire for conversation about feelings shared. It’s inspired by The Cure ZVUN º>YVUN 5\TILY» HUK H JVU]LYZH[PVU 0 OHK ^P[O ZVTLVUL ^OV OHK KPHSSLK T` U\TILY I` TPZ[HRL! VUL VM [OL M\UUPLZ[ conversations I can remember.

42 Glyn Powell

The phone introduces anonymity. It’s a mask to hide behind, and helps people override shyness and reserve. People want to talk about themselves and have someone else say, “Yes, I feel like that as well”, or to hear, “That’s okay, it’s only human”.

“Relationships can get blocked, people don’t always talk, and the phone can help people unblock themselves.”

9PNO[! Talk to Me (Wrong Number) sculpture Photographed by Kelda Hole © Glyn Powell 2010

What is the best thing you’ve discovered? Manual skills and chance combinations of objects as materials are among my best discoveries.

What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? 9LQLJ[PVU PZ [OL ^VYZ[ WHY[ VM [OL Z[Y\NNSL! [OL MLLSPUN [OH[ `V\ MHPSLK [V KV your art well enough to be accepted. The worry that time and material JHU IL ^HZ[LK HSZV LYVKLZ ZLSM JVUÄKLUJL HUK JVTTP[TLU[ ¸:OHSS 0 L]LU IV[OLY [V ÄSS PU [OL Z\ITPZZPVUZ MVYT& >LYL [OL PTHNLZ [OL ^YVUN YLZVS\[PVU&¹ Part of the struggle is to remain true to yourself. My own inner struggle is to be as good as I can at my own work. I no longer want to be Richard >LU[^VY[O VY 4HYJLS +\JOHTW 0 THRL ZJ\SW[\YL ZV 0 JHU ZLL ^OH[ T` ideas look like for real. Achieving the right state of mind is a balancing act. Being open to chance requires a trance-like state. To make things well requires a real, practical state of mind. Trances and sharp tools do not mix easily. Another struggle. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? I used to want to be Dan Dare (a comic book spaceman). Now I just strive to be more like me.

Glyn Powell

Annwen Moore 23, British artist and gallery assistant living in London

44 Annwen Moore

I enjoy playing with the viewer’s automatic, subconscious desire to associate an image with something they already pictorially recognise, a technique we developed HZ IHIPLZ )` UV[ WYLZLU[PUN [OL MHJL VM [OL MLTHSL ÄN\YLZ HZ PU Annis, or by juxtaposing the perspective as in The Conversion of the Dean, the viewer desires to read the image to the best of their ability, and is forced to make sense of the contradictory world that is present in the painting. 0U T` ÄUHS `LHY VM HY[ ZJOVVS 0 MV\UK [OL WYLZZ\YL [V [Y` HUK JYLH[L [OL ILZ[ ^VYR I’ve ever produced incredibly exhausting. It was my yearning to prove myself and my ideas artistically that kept me passionate and successful.

9PNO[! Annis acrylic on paper © Annwen Moore 2010

Annwen Moore

What are the downsides to being undiscovered? >VYRPUN MVY MYLL VU T\S[PWSL WYVQLJ[Z TV]PUN MYVT VUL L_WLYPLUJL [V [OL V[OLY HUK VUS` OH]PUN `V\YZLSM [V L]HS\H[L ^OH[ ^V\SK IL H ILULÄJPHS \ZL VM `V\Y [PTL¯ whilst always striving for a better, more satisfying opportunity. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? >VYRPUN MVY MYLL VU T\S[PWSL WYVQLJ[Z moving from one experience to the other, and only having yourself to L]HS\H[L ^OH[ ^V\SK IL H ILULÄJPHS use of your time… whilst always striving for a better, more satisfying opportunity. 46

“It was my yearning to prove myself and my ideas artistically that kept me passionate and successful.”

Annwen Moore

What is the best thing you’ve discovered? ;OL 6\[ZPKL >VYSK .HSSLY` PU :OVYLKP[JO ^OLYL 0 PU[LYU HZ HU HZZPZ[HU[ NHSSLY` director. Owner C A Halpin is an incredibly worldly and experienced artist. She was present in Shoreditch when the YBA was merely a group of creative friends. Who or what do you strive to be like? +H]PK /VJRUL` 0 HKTPYL [OH[ OL OHZ [OL JVUÄKLUJL [V TV]L H^H` MYVT OPZ established styles and reinvent his work. And, perhaps more importantly, that he PZ HWWYLJPH[LK PU OPZ V^U [PTL >OH[ HY[PZ[ KVLZU»[ Z[YP]L MVY [OH[&

9PNO[! The Conversion of the Dean acrylic on board © Annwen Moore 2010

Annwen Moore

David Spraggs 23, British sculptor/installation artist living in London

Spill presents the viewer with an excess of objects, familiar and yet foreign when all read together, strewn in front of a wardrobe. No explanation is offered by the work as to what caused this ‘spill’, leaving the viewer to build their own rationale with what is presented before them.

48 David Spraggs

The work is reliant on an abundance of objects, which references our contemporary attitude to consumption and consumerism. These take root in desire and greed, though this is more of a social greed than a personal one.

“There is time to develop and take more risks that maybe ‘emerged’ artists feel they cannot.” What do you desire most? I most desire to be able to contribute to the cultural debate of art. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? There is time to develop and take more risks that maybe ‘emerged’ artists feel they cannot. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? www.vvork.com. It’s a brilliant online gallery which is updated daily with all sorts of artists. What discovery do you wish you had made? The structure of DNA or Penicillin. Who or what do you strive to be like? ;V UHTL ZVTL UHTLZ! 2\Y[ :JO^P[[LYZ 4PJOHLS :HT\LSZ .YHOHT /\KZVU HUK Phyllida Barlow. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? I went through a few different phases, from an architect to a time traveller. 9PNO[! Spill sculpture © David Spraggs 2010

David Spraggs

Dan Seifert

:^LKPZO ZOVY[ Z[VY` ^YP[LY HUK HY[PZ[ IHZLK PU :PUNHWVYL I wrote Catharsis with the theme of desire in mind. I wanted to create a story where two charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desires clashed against each other, whilst remaining oddly connected. I always enjoy stories with reprehensible characters so the old man was fun to create.

What are the downsides to being undiscovered? Nobody ever comes up to me in the street and tells me they love my work.

Dan Seifert

What are the upsides to being undiscovered? )LPUN \UKPZJV]LYLK NP]LZ `V\ ZVTL[OPUN [V Z[YP]L MVY! H NVHS [OH[ THRLZ `V\ ^HRL \W L]LY` KH` HUK try to get better at what you do. What is the best thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve discovered? I ignored Roald Dahlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books as a kid and instead became hooked on his short stories. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve loved them ever since for their macabre humour, deplorable characters and ingenious twists. Who or what do you strive to be like? I strive to be myself, and experience a life that I can look back on and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;no regrets!â&#x20AC;? Preferably in a bed with silk sheets, holding the hand of my 20-year-old wife. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? ;OL TVYL 0 [Y` [V ^YP[L [OL OHYKLY 0 YLHSPZL P[ PZ 0 Ă&#x201E;UK T`ZLSM getting pickier regarding the books I read now, but the joy is [OH[ ^OLU 0 Ă&#x201E;UK H Z[VY` 0 LUQV` P[ Ă&#x201E;SSZ TL ^P[O L_JP[LTLU[ HUK envy, lots and lots of envy). I turn the pages and think, â&#x20AC;&#x153;this is H IVVR 0 ^PZO 0 OHK ^YP[[LUÂš >P[O HU` S\JR VUL KH` 0 ^PSS

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being undiscovered gives you something to strive for...â&#x20AC;?

*H[OHYZPZ

“That hurts!” whined the old man as she ran a brush through his thick white hair.

He looked at her with dull milky eyes. At this point they were really only decorative; bright curtains in a dark house. Yet the hazel points still slid into her. She tried not to look him in the eye too much, or at his face, or even his body. That’s why she brushed his hair daily. She liked the softness of the strands, like a baby’s palm. He slapped his own palm now on the newspaper that dwarfed his lap. She cleared her throat and read out the words. ¸6UL HJYVZZ! :OHRLZWLHYL»Z TVZ[ ]PVSLU[ WSH` ¹ “Titus Andronicus,” he croaked, and she marvelled. It was impossible to tell when his words would come out sharp and lucid, or thick and stupid. He burned with intelligence, or sputtered. It was unnerving to witness the change, still. ¸>LSS KVUL ¹ ZOL ZTPSLK HUK WH[[LK OPZ ^YPZ[ 4H[JOZ[PJR IYP[[SL “Don’t patronize me, Helen,” he glowered, imperious. “I’m not Helen,” she said gently. He glared and with clenched jaw ran his tongue over his teeth. She returned to the paper, picking something out at random. ¸5PUL[LLU HJYVZZ! -H]V\YP[L VM ]\S[\YLZ :L]LU SL[[LYZ ¹ He yawned, showing a mouth slick and pink.

51 Dan Seifert

She sighed and stroked it through the wisps even more gently. Still he complained. “Too hard,” he moaned. :OL \UILU[ OLY IHJR HUK IY\ZOLK OLY V^U OHPY IHJR ^P[O ZVM[ ÄUNLYZ

“Carrion,” he mumbled, and went to sleep. The light was fading as she quietly closed the apartment door and walked the seventeen steps to the bus stop. The old man lived on the ground ÅVVY HUK PM ZOL [\YULK HYV\UK VU [OL ILUJO ZOL JV\SK ZLL OPT Z[PMM HUK breathing, through the window. Always she kept her back to him. And

52 Dan Seifert

HS^H`Z OLY ULJR JYLHRLK V]LY OLY ZOV\SKLY [OL [HZ[L VM ZHS[ ÅVVKPUN OLY mouth. Another day, another week, and the old man was more lucid. She cleaned OPZ HWHY[TLU[ ÅPJRPUN H[ K\Z[ [OH[ JVI^LIILK Z\YMHJLZ (Z ZOL ^PWLK down an ornate mirror, hanging fragile on the wall, her features loomed. She did not like what she saw. Heavy skin hung slack on her, giving her face a softness that bordered on weakness. Her lips were thick and curved up questioningly. It seemed like she was smiling when she was UV[ :OL ISPURLK VM[LU 0[ ZLLTLK SPRL ZOL ^HZ ÄNO[PUN IHJR [LHYZ ^OLU she was not. As she ran the rag up and down the gilded frame she spied the blurred ÄN\YL ZP[[PUN \W PU ILK 0[ [HWWLK P[Z JOPU ¸)LHY JOPSK! [OYLL SL[[LYZ ¹ OL T\YT\YLK HZ PM [V OPTZLSM “Cub,” she called behind her. “Pregnant farm animal,” he savoured the syllables. ¸:V^&¹ ZOL N\LZZLK PUOHSPUN ZVTL ZPJRS` K\Z[ “Pertaining to the navel,” he whispered. The words came slow and patronizing because he knew she would not know. “Nine letters,” he pressed, urging her ignorance. “You’ve stumped me!” she laughed in high tones. “Go on then.” “Umbilical,” came the rolling answer from the still form, and she knew his eyes were stiff on her. Steam stuck to the mirror as she exhaled. Then the ^HYT[O ÅLK HUK [OL Z[LHT KPLK H^H` /LY Z[VTHJO HJOLK LTW[PS` HUK memories bloomed. :OL ^HSRLK JHYLM\SS` [V OPZ ILK OLY ÅH[ ZOVLZ JSPJRPUN VU [OL VSK ^VVK She focussed only on his pyjama buttons as she piled heavy sheets around his neck. On the bed was no paper, no crossword. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked up at her.

¸>V\SK `V\ SPRL ZVTL[OPUN [V LH[&¹ ZOL ZHPK SPNO[S` “Breast milk,” he replied mischievously. ¸7LYOHWZ ZVTL UPJL IYVJJVSP ZV\W ^V\SK `V\ SPRL [OH[&¹ He nodded seriously “Only if it has breast milk in it.”

swamping the thin skin of her neck. Now he burrowed his long nose into her and sucked in, and she grew prickly and hot. “Helen,” he wheezed and pawed at her. “I’m not Helen,” she said calmly, in a tone which was not cloyed with revulsion at all. “You look like Helen,” he pouted, and wet lips danced against her throat. She did, yes. At most times the thought cheered her, but for twenty minutes every Thursday she fervently wished otherwise. Sadly, one cannot ÄNO[ JOYVTVZVTLZ The bathroom was solid with heat. Shoved in a corner was a large white bathtub, its clawed feet remarkably similar to those that dangled now in her arms. She laid him gently in the water as he let out a sigh that eked out of his drooping stomach. Cradled by the tub he looked like a child HUK UVZ[HSNPH JY\LSS` I\YZ[ PUZPKL OLY >H[LY SHWWLK H[ OPT ZVM[S` HUK OPZ shoulders came down from his ears. The heat, so gentle on his snarling muscles, was unbearable in her thick practical dress. Its cotton glowed white in the steam and needles of sweat dropped from her face to the Å\VYLZJLU[ ZUV^` [PSLZ :OL H]LY[LK OLY L`LZ HZ OL ZPNOLK JVU[LU[LKS` the colour yellow billowing out below his navel.

53 Dan Seifert

At home she listened to an ill-tuned radio, a teacup rattling coldly in her hand. It was a shame that he knew so much about her (though only natural, of course) and it was a mystery why he tormented her. Perhaps anger and pity had been interchanged in the nettled fog of his mind. :OL [HWWLK OLY YPUN ÄUNLY HUK ZOL [OV\NO[ VM [OL IYPNO[S` WHPU[LK LTW[` YVVT PU OLY ÅH[ HUK ZOL ^LU[ [V ILK Thursday. Once a week only did she bathe him and ponder the extent of her willpower. The worst part was holding him. Her broad shoulders enveloping his skin-clad frame, as he lay slack and naked, breath

+PWWPUN H ZWVUNL PU [OL [\I ZOL ILNHU [V IYPZRS` ZJY\I OPT >P[O OPZ OHPY ZSPJRLK IHJR HUK ^H[LY KYPWWPUN VMM [OL LMÄJPLU[ QH^ OL HSTVZ[ SVVRLK handsome. He gazed at her questioningly and waited. She scrubbed his rusty arms and sunken chest, and he waited. She ran the sponge

54 Dan Seifert

up his calves, his thighs, his ankles. He waited. She watched the hard metal taps and cleaned him quickly where he liked it best, and he giggled. 4LJOHUPJHSS` ZOL TV]LK VU [V OPZ OHPY ÄUNLYZ MVHTPUN “Helen, I’m still dirty. I’m still dirty, Helen.” He pointed proudly to the thing peering out of the top of the froth. “I need to get more soap,” she said tightly in the steam and tried not to swallow. “Stay here,” she pointed, as if he would bound out like a dog otherwise. She strode to the cupboard by the bed and quickly found more shampoo. A grandfather clock in the corner creaked kindly and she stayed an extra second and breathed, forehead against the doorframe. )HJR PU [OL IH[OYVVT HUK SPTIZ ^LYL ÅHPSPUN /L OHK THUHNLK [V Z[HY[ [OL taps and they roared blazing water down, and he roared back. His skin ^HZ H ÅHTL UV^ HNHPUZ[ [OL KHaaSPUN ^OP[L [\I :SLUKLY OHUKZ OHTTLYLK at the enamel lip. He was so red. She stared and stared and something billowed gently in her chest and said, wait. She did wait, as her heart jumped twice, a child with a rope. Umbilical. She lugged him out of the maw of the tub and gawked at the form steaming in her arms like an afterbirth. Eyes hammered shut and mouth slashed with pain, his face was a theatrical mask. She dropped him quickly and ran to [OL MYLLaLY ISPUKS` `HURPUN V\[ WHJRL[Z VM WLHZ PJL JYLHT ÄZO Z[PJRZ :OL WHJRLK [OLT [PNO[S` HNHPUZ[ OPZ ZRPU HUK I\YPLK OPT ^P[O ÄLYJL LULYN` HZ OL ÅVWWLK SPRL H ZOHYR VU [OL ZSPJR ÅVVY She sat by the old man’s bed that night as he shook and wept aside his bursting sores.

¸@V\»SS Z[H` ^P[O TL [VUPNO[ ^VU»[ `V\ /LSLU& >PSS `V\ Z[H` ^P[O TL&¹ /L reached out his hands, clumsily questioning where his eyes could now certainly not. :OL ZH[ \UTV]PUN IH[OLK PU ISLZZLK KHYRULZZ /LY ÄUNLYZ JHYLZZLK [OL OLH]` SHTW VU [OL ILKZPKL [HISL 0USHPK PU [OL [OPJR KHYR PYVU ^HZ H ÄN\YL a maiden with a hand reaching out to the heavens. From under a green shade the bulb threw sickly shadows across half her face.

55 Dan Seifert

He spoke again, his voice trembling out into the dimness of the room. ¸/LSLU& >PSS `V\ Z[H` ^P[O TL& >PSS `V\ Z[H` ^P[O TL&¹

56 Karin Angstrom Ludwig

Karin Angstrom Ludwig :^LKPZO HY[PZ[ SP]PUN PU 3VUKVU

My work touches on the seduction of consumerism, the fetishisation of commodities and the body, and the restraints of the “beauty myth” (see The Beauty Myth I` 5HVTP >VSM ;OL PTHNLZ OLYL sprang from a study of department stores and, in particular, how their displays create seductive narratives around objects that are banal or that have no connection to the way they are presented. In these stores we are given a sense of control as voyeurs, yet these palaces of consumerism teach us what to desire while the urge to buy more and more turns us into commodities and objects ourselves.

“...there’s the constant need to defend what you do to people who don’t understand the purpose or importance of art.”

9PNO[! Untitled photography 5L_[ WHNL! Untitled (left) photography; Untitled (right) photography © Karin Angstrom Ludwig 2010

Karin Angstrom Ludwig

What do you desire most? ;V ÄUK H WSHJL [OH[ JHU MHJPSP[H[L T` HY[ THRPUN" H WSHJL [OH[ VMMLYZ NVVK SPNO[ HUK lots of space where I can pursue large-scale projects. And a darkroom! 60 Karin Angstrom Ludwig

What are the downsides to being undiscovered? I need daylight for much of my work, and I feel constantly frustrated having to be at ^VYR PU HU VMÄJL! [OLYL»Z ZV T\JO 0 ^HU[ [V KV HUK UV [PTL [V KV P[ :VTL[PTLZ 0 get up really early just to catch some morning light before heading to work. What are your thoughts on being an undiscovered artist? )LPUN HU \UKPZJV]LYLK HY[PZ[ JHU IL KPMÄJ\S[ ILJH\ZL [OLYL HYL UV ÄUHUJPHS rewards, and there’s the constant need to defend what you do to people who don’t understand the purpose or importance of art. Still, I have found that for those who are in the arts there is often no other option but to walk down this path. For ZVTL VM \Z HY[ HUK [OL THRPUN VM P[ PZ HSTVZ[ SPRL V_`NLU! `V\ ULLK P[ [V SP]L What’s your ‘Plan B’? I know from my own experiences that art can have a really therapeutic effect, so I’d like to explore the possibilities of using art as a tool to help and inspire others. What discovery do you wish you had made? >OLU SVVRPUN H[ *PUK` :OLYTHU»Z PTHNLZ 0 VM[LU ^PZO [OH[ 0 OHK KVUL ^OH[ ZOL did before she did... The theatrical quality of her work and her skill for commenting on the world using simple means is something I strive to emulate.

9PNO[! Untitled photography © Karin Angstrom Ludwig 2010

Karin Angstrom Ludwig

Dan Petang 22, unemployed British artist living in London

The Last 3 Fish PZ HIV\[ THURPUK»Z NYLLK V]LY UH[\YL 6U YLHKPUN H UL^Z HY[PJSL HIV\[ OV^ V]LYÄZOPUN PZ killing our oceans, I realised we will probably do too little too late. ;OL WPJ[\YL WVY[YH`Z SP[LYHSS` [OL SHZ[ [OYLL ÄZO VU LHY[O (S[OV\NO ^L JVUZPKLY V\YZLS]LZ [V IL OPNOLY ILPUNZ capable of advanced mathematics, philosophy and architecture we are increasingly destroying our planet. 62 Dan Petang

What do you desire most? For people to walk past my work and say, “That’s kinda cool, but I have no idea what it means,” then for them to read the small print next to my work, step back and say, “oooooh that’s fucking brilliant that is! Best call my ma to tell her about it!” That is what I desire. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? Pay checks don’t go on rent. They go on canvas, paints, pens and PVA. You end up with a lot of these in your dad’s garage. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? You get to walk around London without being mobbed by feminists (Tracy Emin), taxidermists seeking employment (Damien Hirst) and Oasis fans (Noel Gallagher). Incidentally I did see Noel on a night out and responded appropriately by shouting, “Noel! Noel!” What discovery do you wish you had made? ;OL .LVYNL -VYLTHU NYPSS! P[»Z HU` ISVRL»Z YLZWVUZL [V JVVRPUN :[LHR& .YPSS P[ *OLLZL& .YPSS P[ *OYPZ[THZ KPUULY ^P[O HSS [OL [YPTTPUNZ& >VY[O H [Y` What did you aspire to be when you were a child? ( ÄYLTHU! [OL \UPMVYT [OL H_L [OL [OV\NO[ VM Z[HY[PUN \UJVU[YVSSHISL ÄYLZ ¶ it was all rather exciting until I found out you had to put them out.

9PNO[! The Last 3 Fish oil on canvas © Dan Petang 2010

Dan Petang

Tracey Gurr 38, British artist, carer and cleaner living in Kent 64 Tracey Gurr

My work aims to display to the viewing public the hitherto unknown emotional distress L_WLYPLUJLK I` H Z\MMLYLY VM ZJOPaVWOYLUPH! T` WHY[ULY ;VTT` ;OL KLJPZPVU [V create works that centred on this theme was taken in an attempt to reverse the discrimination that sufferers face as a result of sensationalist media coverage and the consequent widespread misunderstandings of the condition. It is my desire to tell the truth. On an emotive level my portraits depict the fears and acute terrors that face the sufferers of this condition on a daily basis. They also speak of my partner’s intense yearning to recover his sanity after 18 years of living with schizophrenia. ;OL NLV KLZPJ Z[`SPUN VM [OL WPLJLZ ZLY]LZ [OYLL W\YWVZLZ! [OL ÄYZ[ YLMLYLUJLZ [OL fractured cognitive state of the sitter; the second relates to the regimented nature of the style which mirrors the need for me, as a carer, to maintain complete control; ÄUHSS` 0 \ZL [OL Z[`SL MVY [OL VW[PT\T LTV[P]L L_WYLZZPVU [OH[ JHU IL HJOPL]LK

9PNO[! KL[HPS! The Fear of Telepathy ink on paper 5L_[ 7HNL! There Are Demons Behind the Door (left) ink on paper; The Fear of Telepathy (right) ink on paper © Tracey Gurr 2010

Tracey Gurr

What do you desire most? That my work becomes recognised and that the message contained within my works becomes understood by the viewing public, in order to lessen the stigmas attached to mental illness. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? The failure to transmit the power of work and its meaning. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? Retaining one’s privacy. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? Artistic instinct.

What did you aspire to be when you were a child? Artist-Astronaut-Palaeontologist. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? As with any career the early days can be somewhat daunting, especially with so much competition, but there is much to learn about this process and it’s important not to get too down-hearted or apathetic. My attitude is to assess each opportunity that arises and make a decision which will ILULÄ[ T` JHYLLY ;OL TVZ[ PTWVY[HU[ [OPUN PZ [V UL]LY NP]L \W" [V TH_PTPZL VWWVY[\UP[PLZ I` THRPUN PU[LSSPNLU[ JOVPJLZ! JOVVZPUN [OL JVYYLJ[ WPLJLZ MVY your portfolio, providing informative and intelligent artist’s statements, and keeping a keen eye on all avenues of opportunity.

“The most important thing is to never give up; to maximise opportunities by making intelligent choices...”

3LM[! There Are Voices In My Head ink on paper © Tracey Gurr 2010

69 Tracey Gurr

What’s your ‘Plan B’? Never surrender.

Mbeng Pouka HY[PZ[ HUK >VYSK *P[PaLU SP]PUN PU 3VUKVU

Mbeng Pouka

Feeding the War is about corruption as a result of greed. Most of the wars in (MYPJH HYL PU [OL JV\U[YPLZ ÔLYL `V\ JHU ÄUK VPS KPHTVUKZ NVSK HUK V[OLY 70 riches of the land. Betrayed by their governments, abandoned by the world, the VÛLYZ HYL SLM[ PU WV]LY[` HUK TPZLY` ÔPSL V[OLYZ LUQV` [OL IV\U[` >LHWVUZ and bullets replace their daily needs – food and water. What do you desire most? To see the light shining in human hearts; to make mankind’s way of thinking match with the transformations occurring in our environment. What are the upsides to being undiscovered? It helps me to work even harder. What’s your ‘Plan B’? 4` 7SHU ) PZ [V ILJVTL [OL ÄYZ[ >VYSK 7YLZPKLU[ Who or what do you strive to be like? Like no artist before me has ever been. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? I do not consider myself to be a struggling artist. Since taking up the brush seriously a couple of years ago I consider myself an emerging artist, having more opportunities to exhibit but still yearning for a breakthrough.

9PNO[! Feeding The War oil on canvas © Mbeng Pouka 2010

Mbeng Pouka

72 Mbeng Pouka

I aim to show in my work the value and the privilege of being alive. My art enables me to reach out to people’s minds and engage them in better understanding about the world we live in. Much of my work draws on the environmental transformations that are happening in the world and the effect that these changes have on mankind and nature.

What is the best thing you’ve discovered? “The truth.” 0U L]LY` ^HY [OLYL PZ H JH\ZL! SPRL H Y\UULY ^OV Z[YP]LZ MVY H gold medal, nations are driven by a desire to be in a better position. The craving for land and natural resources is the number one reason for war. Searching for life where there is no life, A Kiss from the Devil YLWYLZLU[Z H THZZ NYH]L! [OL result that war and greed has on our environment.

9PNO[! A Kiss from the Devil oil on canvas © Mbeng Pouka 2010

Mbeng Pouka

Brooke Pegram

(TLYPJHU IVYU )YP[PZO YHPZLK HUK (MYPJHU OLHY[LK ^LI KLZPNULY SP]PUN PU 3VUKVU 74 Brooke Pegram

My poem is about the transforming, transporting, inebriating, near-divine compulsion for physical love. Best read aloud – maybe to a lover. Speed up and slow down in the right places. Savour the right words. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? The constant internal battle between wanting to give time to the work I love and having to give time to the work that pays the bills.

“The ultimate goal is to become something of a travelling polymath: a masterful jack of many trades with the freedom to work from wherever I want to play.”

What are the upsides to being undiscovered? Being a little shy, I like the anonymity. And there is a greater potential for surprise – I doubt many of those who know me would see this poem coming. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? ( ML^ `LHYZ HNV :H\S >PSSPHTZ 4VYL YLJLU[S` 2H[L ;LTWLZ[ -VY IV[O WVL[Z P[ ^HZ SV]L H[ ÄYZ[ line. What discovery do you wish you had made? I wish I had realised ten years ago that all these things I call hobbies actually exist as subjects for study. I am considering an ethnomusicology degree. What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? In life and in art, my struggle is mostly with time. Otherwise I quite like being undiscovered. I am not really ready yet. I’m probably ten years behind.

*VTWLSS\Z[

the honey moon ended. then came a peace and beauty that was transcendent. they love like they found the one – and if they're wrong

tongues play and dance in nooks, entranced. arms hold fast hooked by human pasts,

it's the closest they've come to

breathing heavy. teasing steady. bodies writhing, they are striving for better than the best

the map of her body

they’ve ever given ‘til it’s done, and

guides the path of his lips,

they come back around to

ÄUNLY[PWZ [HRL to familiar streets of skin – roads they know like the backs of their hands. mouths anoint hearts with holy sweat, and nails trace in turns the forks of limbs up to a space that burns between hips.

75 Brooke Pegram

singing starlets and ringlets of stars under cloud-soft carpets, colours like avocados, purple and earthy scarlets.

presents and always will be's.

singing skies and rays of blazing moon before the dawn, colours like papayas, orange and autumn warm. and after such a dose of summer so intense, IYLLaL ISV^Z [OL IY\ZO VM ^PUNZ V]LY ÅLZO smattering of rain scatters kisses over these slow heaving carnal beings, still unsated and waiting for more (of the same, please).

Carl Hoare 28, English artist/illustrator living in Kingston

Desire, craving, greed, striving and yearning are thoughts and feelings that come to the fore in the art of living. The desire for sex, the craving for happiness, the greed of the self, the striving to achieve, the `LHYUPUN MVY SV]L ;OLZL HSS SP]L PU T` WHPU[PUNZ SPRL H WVL[PJ ÄJ[PVU VY H [YHNPJ SV]L Z[VY` 76 Carl Hoare

¸;OL ILZ[ [OPUN 0 KPZJV]LYLK ^HZ H Ä]L pound note walking back home from the pub – that was very handy. ”

What are the upsides to being undiscovered? ;OLYL HYL KLÄUP[LS` \WZPKLZ PU HSS [OPZ HUK 0 ^V\SK ZH` [OL main one is having no real limits; not being pigeon-holed into doing one thing because there is not a lot of money at stake. In fact, there’s not really any money at stake. What is the best thing you’ve discovered? ;OL ILZ[ [OPUN 0 KPZJV]LYLK ^HZ H Ä]L WV\UK UV[L ^HSRPUN back home from the pub – that was very handy. What’s your ‘Plan B’? ;OL PKLH VM ILPUN H KLLW ZLH ÄZOLYTHU OHZ HS^H`Z appealed. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? 0 ^HU[LK [V IL HU VMÄJLY PU [OL HYTLK MVYJLZ \W [V [OL age of 14, which is very odd because now I really hate that sort of thing.

Carl Hoare

Simon Currell

33, unemployed British telesales representative living in London

Simon Currell

I have spent the past twelve years employed in call centres. Frustrated with T` QVI P[Z L[OPJZ HUK ^VYRPUN JVUKP[PVUZ T` WPJ[\YLZ Z\I[S` Z\I]LY[ [OL VMÄJL environment. My art is created by me wasting company time and resources, 78 and it is my assertion that this action functions as a humanising reprise or form of resistance over what could be described as a dehumanising workplace. 4` HY[^VYRZ KLWPJ[ [OL \UZ[VWWHISL NYLLK MVY JVTWHU` WYVÄ[ ^OPJO PZ MHJPSP[H[LK by the architectural design of the modern-day call centre.

Simon Currell

3LM[! Gideon photography (IV]L! KL[HPS! Make Believe photography ÂŠ Simon Currell 2010

Simon Currell

What do you desire most? ( QVI ^OPJO 0 JHU [VSLYH[L [OH[ KVLZU»[ ÄSS TL ^P[O H ZLUZL VM KYLHK HUK KY\KNLY` ( JSLHY WH[O V\[ VM [OL THaL VM TVK\SHY PU[LYPVY VMÄJL WHY[P[PVUPUN ^OLYL 0 OH]L wasted too many years lining the pockets of others. A career which is not solely based on increasing company capital. What are the downsides to being undiscovered? Having little or no leverage with the people who are able to put your career on the map. Being excluded from the circles of air-kissing luvvies.

“...it’s better to be poor than to have an impoverished imagination.”

Who or what do you strive to be like? >OLU 0 ^HZ `V\UNLY 0 HS^H`Z ^HU[LK [V IL 1LMM 2VVUZ I was obsessed with him and read somewhere that he made his fortune in commodity broking, so I became a commodity broker. Unfortunately the world of outbound telesales enveloped me and I never quite escaped as planned. What did you aspire to be when you were a child? I aspired to succeed. I was taught to believe that education is the key to success. After self-funding ten years of higher arts education, including a BA (Hons), MA and PhD, I have to conclude that education is no means to ensuring a better job. However, it is a way of avoiding mind-numbingly repetitive and joyless work for a while. It is also a way of getting into huge amounts of debt. However, it would be far worse if I pursued a career in telesales just to become a call centre manager – it’s better to be poor than to have an impoverished imagination.

What are your thoughts on being a struggling artist? Post-Modernists like Jeff Koons have taken the archetype and the mythology of the struggling artist and inverted it. For all intents and purposes it is ‘the struggle’ [OH[ THRLZ HU` ZSPNO[ L_WLYPLUJL VM Z\JJLZZ L]LU Z^LL[LY >P[OV\[ Z[Y\NNSPUN HZ artists we are static, assured, blind masters – and that only usually leads to the creation of substandard artwork.

81 Simon Currell

What are the upsides to being undiscovered? Being excluded from the circles of air-kissing luvvies.

Simon Currell

artists directory & acknowledgements

artists directory (KHT *YHI[YLL

Brooke Pegram

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Poet, London

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Alexandra Massey

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Writer, Durban

Artist/Illustrator, London

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Amy MacPherson

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Painter, Loughborough

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Annwen Moore

Painter, London

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Dan Petang

Poet/Painter, London

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Poet, Manchester

Photographer, London

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Karin Angstrom Ludwig

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Photographer/Painter, London

Photography Artist, London

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Mbeng Pouka

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Painter, London

Painter, Kent

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Riccardo Attanasio Artist, London

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acknowledgements 90

special thanks to our primary sponsors

Macmillan Publishers 3** -HJ\S[` VM 4LKPH our print sponsors

Xerox Digital Printing our tutors

.PSS +H]PLZ Keith Martin Desmond Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke +H]PK 7LUMVSK the print technicians

:JV[[ /V\ZL 1PT 4J)YPKL ;VU` @HYK the paper suppliers

9VILY[ /VYUL 3[K Peter Kiberd

undiscovered artists 2010

desire crave strive yearn greed Project Manager

Nicola Rusk

Editors

Lucy Austin Charlotte Colwill Kasia Figiel Rebecca Hargrove

Production and Design Lumiere Chieh Kayan Karen Tsui Marketing and Publicity Hannah Consterdine Printed and Bound

London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, UK

Published

March 2010

Publisher

London College of Communication University of the Arts London, UK

Imprint Address

London College of Communication Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB, UK

Email Address

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