“Wood, stone and gold all have their uses. But, only art can speak.”

Name

Jack P A Farrell

Profession

Artist

Website

jackpafarrell.com

Who are you? What do you do?

I am a maker who creates objects and images with the sole purpose of inciting a process of questioning. I often use photography, sometimes drawing, occasionally sculpture and always ideas.

Where are you from?

Hackney, East London.

Your style in 3 words?

Repetitive repetitions repeating.

Your weakness? Your strength?

My weakness: I am extremely nervous about how my work will be read, sometimes to the point where I strip away meaning in an act of self preservation. My strength: I am fiercely perfectionistic.

What makes you different?

I have reliance on systems and a tendency toward habitual behaviour which comes through in my work as a study of repetitious actions and order. But, have a look at the mess in my bedroom and you’d never guess.

When did you decide to become an artist?

With an artist for a mother, I wanted to do what she did for as long as I can remember. She was never too keen on the idea.

What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?

I am fascinated by the false conviction that one’s aim for a project will remain consistent. However hard I try, I never create what I set out to at the beginning. It is both exciting and unnerving to step into the unknown again and again.

A few words about your favourite creation?

As is often the case, my favourite work is also one of my most recent. ‘Artefacts from the Uncanny Valley’ is large Giclée print from a digital drawing made in photoshop. I was interested to see what would happen if I used photographic retouching techniques minus the presence of an existing image to work on. I feel the result sings of a future where the human hand and the technologies that enhance it, have become one and the same.

Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…

I have always been very inspired by Rachel Whiteread. To me, her works are the sculptural equivalent to the processes we see in analogue photography, three dimensional negatives of previously traversable space. What a wonderful way to showcase emptiness.

Who would you like to work with someday and why?

Martin Creed is a firm hero of mine and the one person I would most like to work with. I feel we both use conceptual systems to dictate our process of making. The art is the end goal of a game played by the artist, a game with it’s own set of rules and guidelines that change with every piece.

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?

I desperately want to work with text more in my art – possibly in the form of wall drawings.

Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“

My daughter.

2019: Where are we going?

We are going to the studio to forget about Brexit, Donald Trump and the gender pay gap or to make work about Brexit, Donald Trump and the gender pay gap.

When the going gets tough…

Try and put things in the context of the larger picture. Also, look aimlessly out of the window for abit.

Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?

The problem is not one of outlook, our generation has woken up to so much. There is no doubt that the world in 50 years will be filled with new ideas, the question is whether they will be good enough to combat the exponential tangents of climate change, war and division of people.

What would you do if you could change the World?

I believe that It is only by putting our heads together that we can truly stand a chance of dealing with the threats that face us as a species – I would make the world a more collaborative place.

If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?

‘The Big Chill’ is my favourite term that physicists use to describe this final destination – a full entropic break down of all matter. The thought fills me with excitement to be part of this current energetic, complex moment.

Tell us about your future plans…

To put effort into finding a better balance between life and work.

Your city’s favourite spots?

Nestled in amongst the bustle of London are places of strange natural calm. Places like the Hackney Marshes or the ponds at Hampstead Heath where in the early morning you can forget the constant wakefulness of the city.

Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?

‘Wicked Game’ by Chris Isaak.

One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“

Wood, stone and gold all have their uses. But, only art can speak.

Your #…?

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