Phil Waterworth Studio

ARTIST
STATEMENT

‘The human organism is an atrocity exhibition at which he is an unwilling spectator…’
JG Ballard (The Atrocity Exhibition)

I am interested in exploring notions of transience and atrophy in my work. I think that a large part of this comes from living with a debilitating health condition that has profound impact on my day to day life. Very often I feel as if I am silently watching the demyelination chart its destructive path around my nervous system. Bodily movements such as walking, standing up, cutting food, begin to lapse. Predominantly in a seated position I value upper body movement and its relationship to space, how time values slow down as perimeters close in on me.

Music is very important to me as by its very nature it enlarges interior space, suggesting new landscapes. In particular, looking through the prism of post-punk and the follow on movement of acid house, I am drawn to the DIY aesthetic of these genres and the transgression that unfolds with relentless questioning of upheld tradition and belief.

Throughout my work, I am very conscious of the political implications of using media that could be considered to be ‘non art’ ‘anti art’ or in a word, ‘cheap’. Marker pens, spray paint, biro pens, duct tape, all materials that are easy to access and assert themselves through their tendency to be temporary and brief. It is far removed from oil painting. Detritus is important to my work as a means of using this as an objective correlative to show the temporary nature of existence.

Spending, as I do, large amounts of time housebound, the subject of boredom comes up in my work and its close relation, emptiness. In my sound work, I am as much influenced by music as I am contemporary sound art. The textured soundscapes of Aphex Twin and Bicep are recent examples of work where I have found inspiration.