Advertise on podcast: Something To Do With Art

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of his immersive installation River Film, it becomes apparent that far from being a nostalgia trip, his use of outdated technology is a means of engaging with and critiquing contemporary political, economic and social concerns.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 short introduction to the new episodes

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