“I think of my works as episodes in a continuing, fluid and dynamic process.”
Name
Amba Sayal-Bennett
Profession
Artist
Website
Who are you? What do you do?
I am an artist/researcher. My studio practice manifests in sculptural installation and light projections, both of which I think of forms of expanded drawing. I have also just completed my PhD at Goldsmiths which focuses on the agency of materiality within artistic learning processes.
Where are you from?
I am from London where I currently live and work.
Your style in 3 words?
Defunct-utopic and retro-futuristic.. sorry that’s four.
Your weakness? Your strength?
Time management and nomadic working.
What makes you different?
I took a bit of an unconventional route after my BFA. I decided to undertake an Art History Masters at The Courtauld Institute. This was motivated by a desire to explore interests inherent in my studio practice within a more rigorous theoretical framework. This resulted in a tension between my experiences of making and the art historical conventions I was being exposed to, specifically the way in which pre-existing theories were applied to artworks to consider their function and effects. This was at odds with my experiences of making within the studio where my material practice pushed, tested and disrupted concepts I had been grappling with. This tension motivated me to pursue a practice-based PhD in the Education department at Goldsmiths to explore the epistemological potential of the arts, namely its ability to produce rather than just illustrate theory.
When did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t think it was ever a decision, more the result of an iterative working process.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
Definitely the agency of materials in my working process – I am interested in how the work is never an expression or execution of a pre-existing ideas that I might have, but how it emerges through the constantly changing relationship between the materials and myself. I think of this process as a cybernetic system that evolves through an on-going process of human-material engagement and feedback, and the creative/ making process as an assemblage of human and non-human/ material parts.
A few words about your favourite creation?
I don’t have a favourite creation. I think of my works as episodes in a continuing, fluid and dynamic process.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
I love the architectural drawings of James Stirling. I lived in his Florey Building when I was at university. It was fascinating to live in a space that has been designed for a specific social function.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
Something I am about to experiment with is virtual reality technology to create immersive landscapes and environments.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
Continually developing my practice.
Your city’s favourite spots?
The Barbican for its brutalist architecture.
Tell us about your future plans…
Next year I will have a solo show at Lundgren Gallery in Spain.
Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?
Its too hard to choose a favourite, but at the moment I am listening to ‘Nankoo on Keys’ by Al Dobson Jr. released by Rhythm Section, a Peckham-based record label from London.
