Interview with Simon Crosbie

+Melbourne Art Review: Thanks for having a chat with us Simon. Can you tell us a bit about your practice? Simon Crosbie: ​“My practice involves works using fabric, principally knitted fabric. All of the subject matter is autobiographical so the intention is to create work that is symbolic and/or emotive. My other practice in is sound art. In the past my work has involved site-specific – projects created around the intrinsic sound characteristics of buildings and spaces like the State Library Dome, St Stephen’s Church in Sydney, the NGV, and the Old Melbourne Gaol. Some of these works were major undertakings and required a lot of time – the Gaol Piece used 104 performers (the same amount of people that were hung in the jail). I started off with a degree in Art History (Fine Arts) from the University of Melbourne. The passion for old and new art has never left, even though I have been out of the scene for many years. My first steps into the art world came through working in the State Library of Victoria. Jennifer Phipps, who used to be the curator of Australian Art at the NGV, was working there at the same time. She staged a night of sound and music in the dome created by artists who worked in the building. I performed a piece using the book trolleys that travelled the full circuit of the dome on the steel corridors. I also had performers on every balcony. Jennifer ran with the idea and using several other domes in the CBD turned it into a major event in the Melbourne festival. After that I did several other sound events. I went into a hiatus for a long time. We moved away from the city and started a family. Last year I came back to the city to undertake an MFA. While I am still interested in sound my focus has shifted to knitted work.” +mar: Can you tell me a bit about your process in creating a work? SC: ”The fabric works begin with sketches. I take the sketches to Pat, the lady who machine knits the pieces. We discuss measurements, colours and textures, Usually there is a 6 to 8 week waiting time from the initial discussions through to the item being completed. The items are never ‘finished’ as such. They change when they hang in different gallery situations i.e. the lighting and shadows are rarely the same, and the shape of the pieces changes over time. In a sense the pieces are like clothing that changes through wear and exposure to the elements. The sound works are always site-specific and involve sitting and listening to the sounds that exist in the space. Just about every sound work I have performed has focussed on the space itself. My sound works usually involve many participants, and the process of composing and rehearsing is very rapid.” I recently completed a huge knitted piece using the institution of the Catholic Church as the subject. The current project is another autobiographical knitted piece based on the shared experiences of my brother and I at the Catholic boarding school. It is almost finished. After that I am working on a large piece based on my family. It is sketched out and ready to go. I am also experimenting with making a work using calico that relates to images from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. I am currently in a group show called Reveal and Conceal at Kings ARI with Paul Candy and Mandy Laming. I see clothing as a metaphor for human actions and wool as a tactile and familiar medium that evokes memory. This is a biographical piece based on experiences at a Catholic boarding school. Each sleeve represents one of the five teachers at the school who were convicted of child abuse. Abuse often exists behind the pretense of nurture. The exaggerated length of the sleeves point to growth impeded by the past, and to the present where the effects of trauma can never be fully exorcised. I have attempted to play with notions of the unheimlich, as well as reflecting on Catholicism as an institution that is replete with images that aestheticize pain and suffering.” +mar: Who (or what) is your biggest inspiration at the moment? Do you have a favourite local artist? SC: “There is a swirl of images in my head all the time. Goya is always there. Louise Bourgeois is a huge influence, as is Eva Hesse and Annette Messager. Drapery is a component of art that goes right back to the beginnings of human expression. For me the folds, shadows and visual drama of garments in a Raphael painting are as relevant to my practice as anything I see in contemporary art. I like a lot of local artists but I don’t have any favourites.” +mar: Do you have any advice for other emerging creatives? SC: “Persist with ideas and see them through to the end even if they don’t meet with your expectations. Fresh ideas are more likely to spring from the practice of doing things rather than doing nothing. With me it is the challenges of being an old creative and I think all age groups have the same problems. Sustaining a consistent practice means continually working and networking, and making considered decisions.” +mar: What’s your favourite Melbourne cafe? SC: “Pellegrinis” +mar: Fantastic! Thanks so much Simon.