Felicity Hammond

What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently finishing a big piece of writing that forms a part of my practice-based PhD. This marks the end of a long research period that has focused on computer generated architectural images and their relationship with the built environment.

Which part of your work do you enjoy the most, which the least?
I always enjoy the physical production process, making material experiments and tests. I never feel like I am able to spend as much time making things as I would like to. And the least, I don’t know… Transporting work can be stressful—I always worry that it won’t make the journey in one piece. 

Who or what has influenced you in your work?
I have been lucky to have a number of very supportive tutors and supervisors throughout my education who have pushed my practice. Having an extra critical voice and an ongoing conversation about how the work is developing has been essential.

Which artwork do you return to again and again?
I really loved the collaborative work of Thomas Demand, Alexander Kluge and Anna Viebrock, ›The Boat is Leaking. The Captain Lied‹ which was on view at Fondazione Prada in 2017. The artists brought together photographs, films and theatre sceneries in a way that both reflected on and questioned the function of exhibition making. I always return to the catalogue that was produced as a part of the exhibition that continues this constellation and free-associative way of reading artworks.

What would you do if you weren’t an artist?
I always enjoyed playing music and I played in bands on and off for a long time. Maybe in an alternative world I might have made this the focus!

How does your workspace look like?
Very messy. Lots of boxes, cables, books, crates, equipment…

Where do you like spending time most of all?
It is all about balance. I’m always desperate to be in the studio if I have had time away from my practice. But when I am busy preparing for lots of exhibitions or work, I can’t wait to get away into nature.

What space would you like to enter at some point?
There are lots of countries that I would love to travel to. I have a new public work that will launch in Melbourne next year, and I am really hoping that travel restrictions will be eased so that I can go.

What do you like doing most when you’re alone?
Watching films.

What thing enriches your everyday life?
It seems obvious to say, but seeing my daughter develop and experience things for the first time is amazing. I love taking her to new places when I am invited to work somewhere, and she always seems to enjoy the trip!

What are you reading at the moment?
I have been reading Laura Grace Ford’s ›Savage Messiah‹ (2011) for a while. It is a collection of zines that she produced over a number of years that maps the rapid gentrification of London. It collages handwritten notes, monologues, drawings and photographs that explore the city through the lens of post-Fordism. The themes are in line with a lot of my own thoughts about urban spaces.

What was your last trip before the lockdown? Your first after the lockdown?
I installed my solo show, ›Remains in Development‹ at Kunsthal Extra City in Antwerp which is co-commissioned by C/O Berlin, at the start of the year, before lockdown happened. The first trip that I am taking since lockdown has been eased is a small trip to the seaside in the UK with my family.