So, in the past you've said your work tends to develop as you yourself develop, and in that it becomes self-explorative. Are you currently working within that same context?

I think I definitely am still working in the same context. At the moment I've decided to have a break from my performances and just exist. Moving to a new place especially somewhere like London is a big change for me and I'm kind of just riding out this physical and mental change until I feel ready to respond to it.

What's been the biggest change for you in that move, so far?

Probably the change in environment. I visited Glasgow recently and it made me realise that whats lacking in central London is the scene that you get in small cities like Leeds or Glasgow. Theres not really a singular place for art and music, it's kind of dotted around everywhere which makes it hard to feel a part of something. There was definitely more of a sense of community in Leeds, the art and music scene seemed to be very interconnected. Moving to London has made me realise the importance of music and art venues like Belgrave, The Brudenell and Wharf Chambers. I mean London has similar places but very spread out which takes away that sense of community I think. But Slade is amazing. There is a community within that but because it's part of a bigger university the bars are not exclusively creative folk which makes them kind of feel less safe. I guess it's exciting to think that there is room for a scene to be created here.

Creating a new artistic scene is what we're here to do as artists, isn't it? Whether we do that consciously or not. What would or should that new scene be, in your opinion?

I don't think it's necessarily our purpose to create a scene as such. I mean maybe it is I haven't really thought about it like that. I think it's important for us as artists to create new things and bring up new ideas and provoke change. I think throughout history to our current time there's going to be patterns in what artists create depending on what's happening in the world or the influence of art schools, so I think there's probably certain scenes that are being created right now that art historians will probably look back on. But I think the scene I'd like to see would be less focused on an art movement and more community based if that makes sense? There was an amazing DIY scene in Leeds which incorporated music, art and politics which seemed to cover the whole of the city. I know there's pockets of the scene around London but I'd love to create something central.

I think that idea of creating a community is interesting. I attended a talk recently where the speaker made a point that the art world has gone from acting as the first steps in a new direction for society, to reflecting society, and now it should act as a resistance, considering current affairs. Do you think a stronger community would create a better space for that kind of resistance?

I think that's a very interesting way to put it. Yes I do agree with that to an extent. I think most art will be about reflecting whether that's ourselves or society and I can't imagine this reflection changing, but I think society itself in a non-art context is being more resistant to happenings such as our current politics situation, so maybe resistant in an art context is a reflection of that? I definitely think that a stronger community would create a better space for resistance - it's hard to resist on your own, people make resistance happen. Maybe that's the next job for the artist.

Do you think your own work is taking part in this resistance or reflection? Or if not, would you like it to?

My work has always been very reflection-based but mainly an outcome of self reflection and I think now it's reached a point where I am reflecting on what's going on beyond my own bubble. At the moment I am looking at the structure and systematicness of people in the city - focusing on the robotic-ness of rush hour in comparison to the freedom we have as artists. As we get older we seem to be set more and more rules by society and this results in a loss of self expression. The city seems to be full of suit wearing sheep.

I want to resist more. And I will, I think. Maybe that's the way forward.

And in what ways are you developing this reflection of the systematic structure around you?

At the moment I am spending a lot of time writing and observing. I'm spending time just being within the everyday movements of the city, trying to be mindful. Eventually I hope to take this research and turn it into performances, videos and hopefully a publication of some sort. I've spent a lot of time walking without a purpose around London, taking tubes with no intention of a destination - just existing in a place where everyone seems to have somewhere to go. We seem to get in the habit of only caring about the destination, never the journey. Theres a really nice text by John Cleese about the importance of being open which changed the way I work completely;

"We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful. If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies.

When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don’t waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the “closed” mode. But the moment the action is over, try to return to the “open” mode - to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is need to improve on what we have done. In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent." - John Cleese

He taught me the importance of being open to allow myself to be creative. It's so important as an artist to be present in the moment and reflect on things in real time as they're happening.

And definitely a tough skill to learn. We wish you all the best with honing it and absolutely look forward to seeing the results of your reflections. We'll just end with one last question: What are you usually doing when you're away from your work?

Thank you! I'm not really sure where the boundaries between working and not working start and stop as for me my work is just as much research and observation as it as about physically making something, but in the time that I try to stay open I enjoy going to places with a lot of space and water and fresh air. Counter to that I also spend a lot of my free time at gigs or making music and spending time with friends, and I guess the rest of my time is filled with eating, sleeping and self care.