amplifies. Great. So, from my email I sent to you. I'm basically a master's student I'm currently studying online as part of like Falmouth, uni. I've lived in Southampton basically my whole life other than when I lived in Cornwall for three years. And I previously did interior architecture. But now I'm specialising in graphic design, which is really exciting. But I'm like, within the final months of my final project, which is looking at, like the community within Southampton, and for my project has decided to look at like if Southampton was to win the city of culture bid. How can we basically bring artists and designers together to collaborate across the city, then also on the back end of that creating a cultural identity for the city, which I think could improve a lot of the, like community like creative community basically. So yeah, I'm basically at the moment, I feel like I'm in the very early stages, because I'm just trying to reach out to people and interview them get their opinions just have like conversations around basically the city of culture, but also how it feels to be like a creative living and working in the city, which I obviously you know, that you do just alive asked you for an interview. Yeah, and then I basically hoping that I can interview enough people, or like artists and designers that I can put together a workshop. So the workshop isn't today. But I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks, I can get to gather enough people that I can then basically run a workshop with the help of I've already spoken to Maya from a space. And she's like, happy to help. And I also got an interview with Mary. So yeah, there's like loads of different people that I'm speaking to that I'm hoping that, then we can push together like a workshop, which I think will be really fun. I don't know, I just thought like, maybe we could run through like a couple of questions.
Yeah, that's perfect. Well, well, well, first, thank you so much for the interview. And so happy for to be part of their collaboration with with Richard. And yeah. I'm illustrator, visual artists. I am from Spain. But I arrived to Southampton in 2016. And then I did joined to the a space art, which I'm working here since 2017. Yeah, been in and out because of the pandemic situation. variable. So, yeah, I've been developing in not just the artist studios as part of the space, different way, but ways like leading left Dorian Sasha developing reports in TurboTax. Illustration way to basically, this is the main way I'm working on basically reporting and drawing storytelling from real life you'll see in year one is cutscenes. It seems cool. You've been living with a main group. Yeah. So yeah.
Do you do you feel like you often get like the chance to like collaborate with other artists?
I'm very happy. Yeah, absolutely. We are
have you like in the past, like, have you collaborated with a lot of people you have. And you feel like you get the opportunity to do that a lot with like the a space like Archer studios.
Haha, yeah, actually, every year we have the Open Studios develop all the time workshop with a free open tivities we talked about is opening for everyone. We are general people, and basically sketching a cartoon scene from real life. So this is one of the identities, I tried to connect with people and cities, as well as, as well as long down or wherever. Yeah, any other place.
So that's where you that's where you get your mind you get your main inspiration from like the city and like the history and Exactly, yeah, that's literally what my project is. So
just to add in something, because I don't know how much information you have from my background. I started my practice on reportage restoration in 2019, just before the vendimia and I decided to go to Greece to volunteer in camp refugees. And then I started to do work in children project working with children from two to six years old. And sunshine, I was recording everything else seems by drawing and illustration. And finally, I could make a book I have myself only shame. And yeah, I actually I present the book when I came back. Yeah. How to Pay So yeah, basically this is my, my actual way as a as an illustrator reporter journalist yeah so much really with journalist.
Yeah. Oh, that's really interesting. Um, did they did a space really support you like with the project?
Yep, we are in Kota every time. Yeah. Actually, I've got different projects right now. And they are bombing every time. We were in providing every facilities I need. Yeah, promotion on everything.
Wow, that's so good. So yeah, obviously, you said that you get a lot of your inspirations, like from the city. Do you like go out and like sketch or like, illustrate a lot of like, different places that historical places?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Um, well, basically, you want to sketch this is a huge nonprofit organisation along the wall, that you know if you know, yeah, so yeah, I've listened to him too. And we, we made a difference today of months. And we may have received the having the same but different dates. Sometimes we just just organise our sketch, sketch, walk or sketch, grow meetup, or just by my own sketching, if I got the chance to have a coffee. Yes, yes. They don't the place and recording the play, they started place. The different shops stores streets with this part of recording history. Because I really into hands on there. Yes. Different buildings in different cities anymore. So it only exists in our drawings. Yeah.
Um, which would you say is like your favourite landmark within the city?
Do you mean the location?
Yeah, like any location? Any thing is like the best one that shows off?
Wow. Particularly, I would say water from See, ya know, a little bit more. Yes. Because as for bigger for this kind of practice is really interesting how the environment connects you or even the people whose was walking around? Yeah. Is is part of the practice even the motion if they were there to transmit whatever you fill in into the your drawings or illustrations?
Yeah. Okay. Cool. And, you know, like, obviously, you've heard of the city of culture bed. But I know that at the moment, they've only like, invited certain artists to, like contribute. That Do you think like, you would hope that there will be more kind of funding and stuff put towards like a space and put towards like opportunities, because I know, I've spoken to people. I spoke to me about it. And she said that she's hoping that there will be a lot more collaboration between different organisations in particular, like the art gallery, and a space but also like God's house tower. She's hoping that they'd all like come together as form one, kind of, like big cultural identity. I know a lot of people have different opinions on answers.
Yeah, indeed. Well, at least from my side, are happy every time for collaboration and even just independent person recording even if in the case in the scenario to hunt on Wednesday? Maybe it Yeah. Yeah, I will present this kind of activity for everyone an event is getting about and documenting what is happening about the different places in Southampton as part of their reportage. Yeah, so
yeah, and so you don't you don't currently feel like there's because from what you've said, so far, it's been very positive about like the collaboration and stuff. Yeah, great. But do you so you don't currently feel like there's like kind of a lack of cultural scene in Southampton that actually you feel like you're very a part of it. Which
is well, yeah, this world this is super huge opportunity to have more control and activities in this city, you know, and, and obviously, I've got many works. I've worked to be a saint for display on Galleria. So by that I mean, as much as you can collaborate with people and encourage them to be part of the same secret. It is great. Ah,
yeah. Yeah, I just think it's I just think it's really interesting because like, from my perspective, like being a student that's kind of like moved back home to Southampton from like, obviously, three years away. I found it really difficult to find, like, obviously, there's courthouse Tao, and there's a space and there's like gas and like loads of other things. But I found it really difficult to like find a group of people that was like me, like I'm studying, but I'm not a part of Southampton uni. I'm not a part of Solon. I'm not a part of Winchester arts. But I'm in Southampton. And I was like, trying to find people that are like, on the same level as me, but there isn't really anyone that I found so far. Which is why it kind of like ticked my project along or like why this topic is because I wanted to, like, I want to basically just show off the artists. Because I think that's just the one other thing that Southampton's, obviously I just think is lacking. Like I see that for the summer, the city of culture bid that they've chosen, like Nathan Evans, the illustrator to do those massive, big illustrations, which is great. And I've seen that they've chosen some other people to do some nice warm memorials like on by West key, which is obviously great. But I think that something needs to be there that's going to last a lot longer than just the year of 2025.
Yeah, no, that's true. Definitely. I am I agree with you. I miss more organisations more more extensive agenda of cultural things. It is something only for me. But yeah, I feel sometimes I need to jump to another city to get more inspiration. RPC has to get bigger, you know, the big the room or meet another artist from don't from Scotland, Wales, or we've come back to Spain or Ireland or whatever.
Yeah. So it kind of feels like there needs to be like, I wanted that to create something that we could became like a talking point so that other like artists, like myself, come to the city, see something that has collaborated maybe with another artist? And then that is like, Oh, maybe I could go and collaborate with them? Or maybe I'd go and have a conversation with them about what they do. And, and like that kind of thing. And like maybe each artists that I collaborate with, maybe I could run a workshop or like something like that. And then I think that just makes the network like a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger than all the people that you're talking to obviously, like there is. So yeah,
I think I don't know exactly. What is the cycle? What is the point? To fit on all these things, but we as a society? Yeah, I mean, more venues more. More and more, as you say Winchester. Oh, yeah. And as we upgrade the super big circle of artist or Well, it's not it's not necessarily do to have artists because you can get inspiration from not from normal people. Yeah, I mean, from the other careers. So actually, I'm working as a residential support worker with autistic children. And I've got the inspiration from them for different projects. So it's not necessary to have a antithetical The only thing is just promoting great any agenda and have more options. But what I think that's a great opportunity to get wins the bid, and he can help the city to put it on the map.
I did on the map. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's what one of the differences is because I was also analysing, like, you mentioned Winchester, and also analysing Winchester as a city and I feel like a lot more like designer, kind of like graphic design studios. They kind of base themselves in Winchester because obviously that's where the Winchester School of Art is. And that's where a lot of like the lectures happen and a lot of the school is because I feel like a lot more people base themselves there compared to like basing themselves in like, Southampton. I'm not entirely sure why. But yeah, one second Sorry. Yeah. oh sorry sorry Bozeman? Sorry about that working from home always gets an interruption yeah so is there anything that you'd like to see in Southampton that you think obviously what we've spoken about but is there anything else that you think that's like really needs as like a city or as like from the artist community
well I know that there's because I know different organisations i know i space artists studios different plays and I'll keep their collective artist the keepers but I really miss more engagement I don't know from from who are from where I'm from? No sadly so you run scattered I'm when we have every meet in we at the end if you ever been in any any meetup you run catches,
no I haven't I haven't been part of many of them.
Okay, because at the end what we do is throw down we put all this gets together creating a super huge mural and we support each other is part of our manifesto. So we don't criticise we don't do that because we join professional beginners from different careers professionals. So
that's cool sketches that you run. Yeah sketches
Exactly. What sketches sketches illustrations basically we have we set up two hours basically and then after all we meet have a coffee we meet people we sort of engage the community and the people who is beginners can ask any anything about medium how the way how you come in to learn self learning to thoughts. But yeah, so we have so basically we used to create community and using that concept I think we then use it with the rest of the city because we all draw we can draw everyone with no exception
and the mural so you say that you put you put all the artwork together at the end do you post that on Instagram or does it go anywhere?
Yeah, we promote we share the works on Instagram Facebook and any other yeah basically Facebook on Instagram
oh that sounds really good. I didn't see all these things I don't know exists that sounds amazing and maybe I'll have to come to one and then I can meet all these
please join us yes in the US I don't know in informal for close to corner if there is any group I because I haven't been to yet and I had to go and explore sometimes just when it's like we came very close I just send a message on Facebook if the prices any group around the area where they want to be so yes, we have a meeting Okay, perfect. I can come from so handsome. So yeah, happy or this is another way to meet people get their community spending.
So you think more engagement with those types of things would be like the only thing that really is? No, I
think he's not the only way but he's the way we know
where we know. Yeah. It's like the only like the only like, option almost like I feel like if we had more community engagement also like artist and designer engagement,
and also because I think I live from my experience when I organise, I've been organising activities in the city or gallery or new different places or locations. Normally people reacts beats from distance. And it's how we phrase. But once you have been drawing doodle with someone else, it's more natural if more human this because of the connection. And it's so easy. It's so easy to navigate and well, people. It's because yeah, how little we feel we are part of the human being.
Yeah, obviously, it's completely natural to like start a conversation or something over like something mutual that you both are doing
is the same concept as the documentation idea. Comparing the photography and you can take a camera, but the people is not not used to be natural. When someone is looking at a camera they used to pose in some ways, no, not at all. By withdrawing, everyone is natural. And they doesn't Yeah, even if I'm just getting the tool or the train, or they just okay. Look at this AI. Here's this kitchen as well. Okay, that's fine, but they still act unnatural.
Yeah. That's really interesting. I never really thought about creating something that would allow for, like, interaction almost like, with, like, the surrounding people. But yeah, that makes I think that's a really good point.
Yeah. And then at the end, as you say, the interaction is I'm just sketching or someone is just getting and then the person is coming to me. And oh, wow, how can I know? And great another relationship? Yeah, yes.
Yeah, well, I just never thought about that. So yeah. Interesting. Yeah, I really think that's like, that's all of my questions really. Like a really quick initial interview. But yeah, so over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be like interviewing more people. And then hopefully, I'll just, I'll shoot you another email. And then we can like put together a group of people, which I think will mainly just involve like a creative response. So mainly just involve like sketching, like painting or brewing ticket or like put together like loads of supplies for people. And then, yeah, we'll kind of go from there. So I think quite excited to put together some people.
I think it'll be a social meeting, and as much as you can get more people involved will be
more. Yeah, which is what I'm trying to do so. Yeah, perfect. Thank you so much, again for taking the time. Yep.
