Interview with Vivienne Griffin
A series of interviews with SPACE Art + Technology artists in residence
What were you doing in the year leading up to the residency?
In January 2017, I was midway through an MPhil at the Royal College of Art. I had a show in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Romania with Cian McConn. The show was titled I AS IN US and looked at digitally mediated communication, the performance ended with a sexualized improvised break dance to a laptop screen with Cian and a Romania performance artist, Paul Dunca. The performance was in a blacked-out space except for the torches from the performers iPhones.
In June 2017, I was offered a six-week residency at a space in NYC called GAC, through my gallery in New York, Bureau. When I returned to London I started making work for CONDO at a group show in Southard Reid. I was doing two performances a week for the duration of CONDO in the run up to the SPACE residency. It was good to have a studio space and a stipend to go after CONDO.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a number of things at the moment but mostly on a podcast called THE AGONY. The idea came out of my interest in talk, self-help and biohacking podcasts. They have introduced me to people and research I would never have come into contact with ordinarily. The filter bubble algorithms of internet search engines narrow the content we come across; podcasts are different they can be more random.
On one hand, I didn’t want to do anything formulaic with THE AGONY and I thought about not having a conversational approach. I was going to invite people who work with audio to contribute some works but now I think I’m going to try out a few different approaches. I will include a space in each episode for aural based art works that sit outside (but sometimes alongside) music, radio, sound art, theater, poetry etc.
I’m also working on some machine embroidery, which is new for me. I made some merchandise for THE AGONY and I worked with a fashion student who hand embroidered the logo on sweaters and caps. I liked her process so I’ve been trying out. At the same time, I’m working with resin in a separate series of sculptures.
How have you found the residency so far?
The residency has been great, always nice to meet a new people. I also found the technical support really helpful.
What’s coming next?
I’m applying for funding, residencies and continuing to pursue my practice-led PhD. I have a sound piece in a festival in Italy and a release on a record label in Romania.
Anything you’d like to add?
I would like if there were more opportunities like the SPACE residency in London and I highly recommend applying.