About.
Hello, I'm Bex. I do lots of things to satisfy my creative needs. First and foremost, I am an Artist. I am also a teacher, I sometimes lecture and I work to plan and facilitate artistic events and workshops on behalf of different cultural institutions. Some of the organisations that I have worked with/continue to work with are: BALTIC, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle University, Durham University, CRISIS, House of Hues, and the National Trust.
I've been educated in Fine Art; I have a BA (Hons) degree and an MFA (Masters of Fine Art). I also have a PGCE for Secondary Education.
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I find articulating the motivations of my artistic practice quite difficult, because it tends to span a multitude of things, and it also constantly changes, but I'll give it a go:
I like to make things about people, with people. Recently, my work has been about embedding myself within specific communities, in order to creatively express their stories and assist them in finding common ground with other, nearby communities. Currently, I'm working on a commission with Durham University; both documenting and championing the female social history of the Castle, which only started accepting female students 30 years ago. I feel very privileged to have been able to speak to many different people over the course of the project and this idea of making work with people, for the people is very much at the crux of my practice. Previously, my work was more focused on the character of the Artist, because I'm so interested in assumed characters, and particularly like creating fake characters through which to discuss an issue, or critique an institution, often playing those characters myself. Being a good actor is less important to me than what my characters actually say. The construction of my scripts is something that I labour over, whereas my actual performances are quite poor, underdeveloped and slapdash (which I am OK with.) Similarly, I like to play with traits, tropes and expected visual cues in everything that I make; I'm especially excited by film and cinematic conventions. I'm also fascinated with sound, noise and music, and this often finds a way to infiltrate my work.
My work doesn't tend to follow a particular medium, but I find that I often gravitate toward using digital film as I find it a really accessible way to exhibit work and also to tell stories and introduce people or characters. I also enjoy the permanence of digital work; feeling simultaneously enthralled and disgusted by the fact that it will always exist in some way or another. It also appeals to me as a medium as a climate-conscious person who does not like to create unnecessary waste. Above all, I want my work to be accessible, and I'm trying really hard to make this happen as my practice evolves in different ways and as I express my creative output across different digital platforms.
I also work in collaboration with non-binary artist and musician, Sarah Li. Together, we operate under the name Unlearn & Publish, through which we make work about 'unlearning' and provide critique on the societal constructs that we believe to be really damaging to a progressive and nurturing society. Our work takes the form of publications, letters, films, performances and talks.
I'm really chatty and I love talking to other, like-minded creative people, so if you ever want to chat about my work, or about yours, or about similar topics, please get in touch. On a personal note, I am also a queer individual, identifying as a Lesbian Feminist, which is also a topic I will happily chat about for hours. In my spare time I like to play Badminton, walk my dog, cook Asian food and watch and review Queer Cinema.
Love,
Bex x