Open Studio with Noëmi Lakmaier
Experiment in Happiness
Noëmi Lakmaier outlines her residency at Camden Arts Centre as recipient of the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary. You can also listen to the artist in conversation with Tony Heaton.
Listen to a conversation between Noëmi Lakmaier and Tony Heaton
Noëmi Lakmaier and Tony Heaton at Camden Arts Centre
Artist Noëmi Lakmaier is the current artist in residence in the at Camden Arts Centre, an international in North London until May 2008, creating new work in sculpture and installation, and exploring ideas of control, restraint and distorted body image.
Lakmaier is the first recipient of the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary, an annual bursary for deaf and disabled artists working in the visual arts. It has been established in memory of Adam Reynolds by Shape in collaboration with friends and family.
The Austrian born artist creates work which examines the relationship between objects, people and space. In 2007 Lakmaier created Exercise in Losing Control which was based on the weeble -her body was wedged inside a bright yellow ball and roles were reversed, with the viewer in the position of power
By using her own body in the artwork, she intensifies the relationship between viewer and object and challenges her fears of relinquishing control.
Lakmaier says: "As part of the residency I am exploring the use of my body in my work, not in the context of performance art but as a sculptural material. I am also recording my body’s vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure etc.), food intake and emotional status and creating a daily chart of my findings. This is my way of documenting the residency: rather than recording the progress my work, I monitor the condition of my body as material.”
"At the moment I am working on an object/ installation, that will require up to 1000 pairs of shoes. Like in Exercise in Losing Control, my own body will be part of this piece, inviting viewers to interact with it. With this piece I am interested to further explore the relationship between self/object, viewer and space.”
Lakmaier talks about transforming the shoes by treating them with yellow road marking paint:
‘I find road making paint really fascinating. The paint I use is the same yellow used for double yellow lines, etc. It is a very generic, universal and purely functional colour, with little or no aesthetic value.’
"What inspires me? Its a mixture of everyday things - materials, architecture…Not so much beautiful Victorian buildings, but functional spaces like Airports, Supermarkets and Hospitals. I am interested in how people interact with the buildings, how it influences their behaviour and how the buildings react back. Literature also inspires me. Its not always obvious, books, buildings, something I've seen...’
For more information on Noemi, the residency or the bursary visit www.adamreynoldsbursary.org.uk and go to the blog, visit www.camdenartscentre.org or www.noemilakmaier.co.uk
During her residency Lakmaier has been opening up the Artists’ Studio highlighting her interest in human behaviour and absurdity. The last in this series of events is on Sunday 11 May (2.00-4.00pm) and is a chance to see work produced during the residency in the Artists’ Studio and meet the artist.
Another chance to see Noemi's recent piece Experiment in Happiness at Beldam Gallery at Brunel University. The show will run until the 30th of September and the Private View will be on the 24th of July.
- Beldam Gallery, Brunel University West London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH
- Exhibition open: 14th July – 30th September 2008
- Special Events: Evening preview: 24th July
- An evening of live work: 30th September
- Lunchtime viewings/ tours with refreshments: 29th July, 12th August, 15th September
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last updated: 2008-05-08 18:18:56