Variation of a Stickman, Squarehead Productions
Who
or what are your biggest influences as an artist?
These days I don’t find one genre more interesting than another. Instead, I’m drawn to people with interesting processes. Lately, I’ve found the thought processes of (mostly independent) game designers the most thought provoking. I think it’s because they are often less focused on self-expression, as many artists are, and more concerned with creating experiences. I believe art should always be experiential.
These days I don’t find one genre more interesting than another. Instead, I’m drawn to people with interesting processes. Lately, I’ve found the thought processes of (mostly independent) game designers the most thought provoking. I think it’s because they are often less focused on self-expression, as many artists are, and more concerned with creating experiences. I believe art should always be experiential.
How
do you approach collaboration in your practice?
I see collaboration happening on two essential levels. The first is in the process of making a work. I have a few trusted people I regularly invite to see my work and discuss it with me. I also actively collaborate with artists who are part of projects I’m creating. On the other hand, I often support other artists as a dramaturg or outside eye. I never perform in other people’s work.
I see collaboration happening on two essential levels. The first is in the process of making a work. I have a few trusted people I regularly invite to see my work and discuss it with me. I also actively collaborate with artists who are part of projects I’m creating. On the other hand, I often support other artists as a dramaturg or outside eye. I never perform in other people’s work.
The second level is broader: I see performance, and art in general, as a fundamentally collaborative act. For an artwork to speak, it needs someone to speak to. Recently, I’ve been fixated on art as an expression of “us” rather than “I.” If someone is moved by something I’ve made, then in a sense it also represents their expression too.
What’s a place or moment that has shaped who you are today?
The deaths of loved ones. These moments grounded me in the reality of life quite early on. I will always try and make the most of this beautiful tragedy we are all a part of.
Can you describe what you’re working on during your time in the studio?
Since I would define myself as a conceptual artist these days, I tend to work loosely on several projects at once. When I'm not on tour performing, I spend my time following what interests me, allowing ideas to emerge in their own time. After a decade and a half of training for around six hours a day, I’m now more focused on making work and following what excites me. You’ll often find me in the studio playing music, drawing, reading, or studying chess....that is when I’m not bogged down with production work.
For more information on Variations of a Stickman at Uillinn Dance Season 2025
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