Audio Arts: Volume 23 No 3

Jordan Baseman discusses his practice at Matt's Gallery London during his exhibition don't stop 'til you get enough. The conversation ranges from the inclusion of provoking and controversial subject matter to human nature and obsession. Cactasia features Gordon Rowley, the former president of the British Succulent Society, the resulting footage quirky and compelling. Baseman discusses his relationship with his subject in terms of his own compelling drives as well as the practicalities of making the work. don't stop 'til you get enough similarly deals with 'obsessive Michael Jackson fans' - the collation of hundreds of website drawings of the star and the inclusion of the voices of the Jackson fans talking. What is revealed in the conversation is Baseman's own relationship to notions of stardom and the Jackson fans desire for fulfilment in the act of drawing their idol, as well as the act of impersonation. July the Twelfth the most controversial of Baseman's works is discussed with regard to the live audio recordings of the state execution of Ivan Ray Stanley in 1984 with its 'harrowing sound of banality and history'. Throughout the conversation of his practice Baseman engages with process describing the narrative structure of his work and his intensive methodology'. Interview by Jean Wainwright, April 2005.

Lali Chetwynd was interviewed in her studio at the end of November 2004 after her performances at the 2004 Liverpool Biennial and at London's Gasworks Gallery and before her performances at the ICA as a finalist for Beck's Futures 2005. She talks about how she chooses the subjects for her performances, the reasons for their deliberately unrehearsed feel, the use of costume and collaboration in her work and the importance of the idea of entertainment for the audience and enjoyment for the performers. She also talks about the other areas in her multidisciplinary practice including painting, sculpture and collage. Interview by Helen Sumpter, November 2004.

Keith Tyson was interviewed at London's launch of Venison Gallery at the end ot 2004 during his exhibition titled 'Geno/ Pheno Paintings'; his first solo show of new work in the UK since winning the Turner Prize in 2002. Among the subjects he discusses are the philosophy and ideas behind this series of paintings, how chance and faith relate to his work and the strategies he uses to try and remove the influence of the ego and the autonomy of the artist. He also talks about his own relationship with gambling and how he places value on his work. Interview by Helen Sumpter, November 2004.

Richard Billingham discusses his photographic practice in his studio in Brighton. Although he is best known for his powerful portraits of his family, recently he has been concentrating on landscape images. The conversation reveals the selection process, the scale and size of his prints his visual methodology and the practicalities of his medium format camera. He talks about his travels in Ethiopia, Pakistan and Norfolk and the different energies that each site reveals. Billingham's images of the Black Country which have resulted in a book*, his sequel to the influential Rays a Laugh are also discussed in terms of scale and process. Billingham reveals the changes that his work has gone through, his engagements with the scale, colour and resonance of in his prints - and his interest in photographing by night. Interview by Jean Wainwright, November 2004.

Tina Barney's reputation was founded in the 1980s in America with her series of photographs of her family and friends. During her first solo show at the Barbican Gallery, The Europeans, Barney discusses her photographic practice, the relationship with her family and her methodology. Capturing the essence of different nationalities across Europe and the subtleties of gesture, expression, class and stereotype within selected families - Barney talks about the way that she physically makes the work with her large format camera 'using it like a snapshot 35mm'. Discussing how she connects with both the subjects whose portraits she takes and her obsession with compositional elements - she explains the shifts between the boundaries of what is believed to be real and spontaneous in contrast to the 'artificial and staged'. Her conversation ranges from both her influences and how she is self taught to her rigorous editing process. Having already photographed Americans traditions and social interactions she discusses the difference it made to photograph people she did not intimately know - the planning of such a large project and importance of communication tools such as the internet. The interview concludes with her musing on the sheer strength it takes to move her equipment around in the way she does and her passion for large format cameras to the way that she creates a web of associations with the different European families that she portrays. Interview by Jean Wainwright, February 2005.

In this interview Catherine Yass discusses the video installation Wall (2004) on the occasion of its showing at the Alison Jacques Gallery, London. Wall features approximately 30 minutes of footage shot on the lsraeli side of the West Bank 'security barrier'. Yass describes the piece's main formal and technical aspects, then goes on to discuss their importance for its generation of meaning and affect. Speaking as a UK citizen from a Jewish background, she reflects on the impact of her own encounter with the wall and considers the spectrum of reactions the piece has generated. She defends her decision to make it the focus of an artwork, and connects the piece's reflection on the intersection of politics and representation to her practice's core concerns. Interview by Rachel Withers, November 2004.