— Main points
- City Lit catches up with Alice Washbourne, Foundation Art & Design student at City Lit
- We find out more about her experiences on the course, her current projects including her work in the current Foundation Diploma exhibition.
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Q: Tell us a little bit more about yourself?
A: I was brought up on a council estate and we never had much money. As a child, I was a magpie – collecting scraps of materials – wool and buttons from my mum; fabrics, trimmings, sequins from my Nana and bits of card, shiny things, matchboxes. My dad used to bring fax paper home from work and I’d always be drawing and creating with my treasures. It was natural that I would go to art college where I did an art and design foundation course. But being young and naïve, I didn’t realise that to become an artist requires hard work and practice, so my dreams ended there. Instead, I went on to have a successful career in education. In 2017 I got cancer which made me reassess my life and realise what was really important and I made the decision to return to art.
Q: What did you enjoy most about the Foundation Diploma Art & Design?
A: I chose City Lit because, as a mature student, I wanted to learn in an environment with people of various ages who had diverse life experiences, rather than people fresh out of school. The taster sessions in a range of disciplines were brilliant. Although I felt a strong creative urge and had lots I wanted to communicate visually, I didn’t really have an artistic language to express myself. Having a chance to experience sculpture, ceramics, textiles, moving image, ceramics, 2D fine art and visual communication made me aware of possibilities and discover what I am most drawn to. I have an academic background and enjoy research, so I liked learning about other artists, theoretical contexts, considering what contemporary art is and how to analyse art. I felt that peer feedback, reflection and review was a key component of the course in developing as an artist. I appreciated being challenged in my approach and have learned the value of play – although I sometimes still struggle with this! The highlight was preparing a final project and exhibiting in a real gallery with the group.
Q: How did the course help you with your personal goals?
A: A process of self-discovery, finding my voice and artistic language and reigniting my passion. I have come to realise that my work is very autobiographical. The body is central and I use the self as subject to explore themes such as the construction of identity, memory, loss, ageing and the altered body. I enjoy using different media including photography, printmaking, drawing, stitch collage and working in both 2D and 3D. As a result of doing the course I have stopped working in education and am a full-time practising artist.
Q: What projects are you currently working on?
A: I am exploring psychological states and feelings of suppression through a series of ‘Squashed’ self-portraits. I have experimented with photography, drawing, printmaking and constructing artist books - repeating and fragmenting the images, adding text and using different materials such as latex. I am hoping to progress towards some final work.
Q: What's your role in this year's City Lit Foundation Art & Design Show?
A: In my role as an alumnus, I am supporting and advising the current lead students in organising this year’s Foundation Art & Design Show at Downstairs, Brixton. Some of my work will also be on display as part of the show. ‘Skinhead’ is a series of photographs with stitch and collage. It consists of ten repeated images of a photographic self-portrait I took 5 years ago after losing my hair during chemotherapy. The work revisits that time and is a performative act of healing. It explores attitudes to cancer and the importance of hair in defining femininity. I am hoping to donate one of the photographs to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, where I was treated, which would be a fitting legacy.
City Lit Foundation Art & Design Show
THERE, YET brings together the emerging practice of 28 artists working across a diverse range of media, taking in ceramics, textiles, print, sculpture, paint and film. The show spans an intergenerational reflection and shared journey into creative practice, with participating artists ranging in age from their 20's through to their 60's.
7-10 July 2022, Downstairs, Brixton
