Sound and Vision: Nicola Probert
BackSaturday 13 March 2010 Photographer: Caption: Billy Childish interviews himself for Sound and Vision
Sound and Vision: Nicola Probert
by Richard Davis
“Art is good if you’re very pure about it.” So says Mark E Smith, who describes himself as “Mark E Smith from The Fall”. He’s being interviewed by Nicola Probert, a visual artist who has worked with musicians for quite some time. She designed the cover of Hatcham Social's album, You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soil. She’s made videos for bands. And when a documentary she was making on The Charlatans stumbled, she developed the idea into something else: a project looking at the wider subject of musicians and their relationship with art. In particular, she looked at musicians who have used, or have an interest in, visual or performance art.
Probert interviewed six alternative rock luminaries, in what ended up as six short films, posted on Tate’s website as part of Tate’s series
Sound and Vision, which in turn is part of a series called Tateshots. All six films were screened together at Tate Modern’s cinema on 15th January this year (where Billy Childish could be seen watching himself, interviewing himself on screen).
Throbbing Gristle's Cosey Fanni Tutti gives a potted history of her entire art-informed career. And Lydia Lunch snarls and snipes, as much as you'd expect and hope her to.
But back to Mr Smith. “My sister’s a very good artist,” he explains, going on to point out that “everyone is an artist. Everyone from the business man to the cocaine-dealer down the road.” Some of the best moments here are where Smith’s sentence leads into a gaping, empty chasm, and he just resigns himself to the fact, smiling at Probert whimsically.
David Byrne speaks! About art! Which would be a revelatory experience, if we hadn’t heard him doing so time and time again before. Still, it was nice of him to get involved, and what he says is still relevant and worthwhile. And, of course, he is David Byrne after all.
Billy childish, as stated, interviews himself – which turns out to be a masterful stroke, both funny and illuminating. Here again, in his studio, he proves himself to be a skilled painter as well as a great conversationalist (and let’s not forget the music, of course). “Does visual art have an influence on your music?” asks a overalled, paint-spattered Childish to the camera. Cut to a militaristically-garbed Childish. “Erm... no,” he says to himself. A superb series.
www.tate.org.uk/tateshots
Events details
Mar 13, 2010 - Jan 1, 1970 Tate
Free
Gallery
Billy Childish interviews himself |
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