Artist Profile: Nicola Dale

The Ultimate Book of Bones

Artist: Nicola Dale
Location: Manchester, UK

Websites:
Nicola Dale on Axis Web
Nothing from Nothing

Flashback XI

Nicola, how do you describe your work?
First and foremost I would say I am a conceptual artist, because the idea always comes first, rather than the medium. People get scared by the term conceptual, but there’s no need to be: it just means that I’m trying to convey something extra to formal notions of shape, colour etc. (though they obviously come into it too). I would say I am trying to make work which conveys my thoughts about the way the world is turning out. I mostly do this with books, so I say that I am a book artist or a book sculptor, or that I make work with paper.

Having said all that about being conceptual, I am also very conscious of wanting to give the audience something that makes them stop, look and keep looking. Perhaps beauty is too strong a word, but I’m aiming for something like it. There’s just too much artwork about which doesn’t grab your attention. If you can draw people in with something to look at, then you can get them to understand the concept behind the piece too. I also know that I want to make work which isn’t just for people who are really into art… because I’m trying to tell people what I think about the world, it’s got to appeal to people in general, as the world is my inspiration.

Detail from A Secret Heliotropism

What is the creative process like for someone who puts concept first?
I would be the first to admit that from the outside my creative process is deeply unappealing. Because I do everything by hand, it takes a long time. People constantly ask me why I don’t use machinery to get my cutting done more efficiently, but the truth is I really enjoy the slowness and the physicality. I like the mistakes and the paper cuts and the blisters. I like the fact that I can spend a lot of time thinking whilst working. I enjoy the looks on people’s faces when they discover it’s all done manually. I enjoy the sheer amount of patience required, I think it does me good.

When I get an idea (which usually comes from something I’ve read somewhere), I make a note of it, sketch it and let it brew for some months before I get round to doing it. I normally have quite a lot of ideas in reserve and I often have several things on the go at once – I find that pieces of work done simultaneously will often inform each other nicely. I plan carefully and I always have a pretty good idea of how things will turn out – luck doesn’t particularly come into it. I don’t sit around waiting for inspiration, because that’s just a romantic myth. Ideas don’t just come, you have to hunt them down; but it does get easier the more you do it.

I work both at home and in the studio, depending on the time of day and my mood. I like to have the radio on, even if I’m not particularly listening to it. If I do pick music, it will be my favourite kind: repetitive! Fast, repetitive music in particular can be useful, as it makes me work faster (I learned that one when I was still at school and revising). Speaking of school, I think that my pattern of working – even now after all these years – is based on the school timetable. My work rate really drops off over the summer, but once autumn/winter comes round, I’m at my peak. It must be the same for a lot of people.

Exercises

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
Well, when I originally went to university, it was to do an English degree, but there was no freedom in it. I went to do art instead (I have a BA Hons and a Masters) because I realised in some small way that words alone aren’t enough to convey what I think about things. My love of books isn’t just about what’s written in them, it’s about their shape, smell, texture and what they say about the society that both produces and destroys them.

The experiences I have had since university have undoubtedly shaped my work more than anything else. After an initial stint as a graphic designer (useful, but soul destroying) I very deliberately worked jobs which had nothing to do with art/design, whilst simultaneously pursuing a career as an artist. This meant that I met a massive range of people whose opinions and experiences of life were so different from my own that it couldn’t help but inform my work and my view of the world. It is quite surprising how jobs which are totally uncreative can lead you to really creative places. Maybe it’s the contrast.

Although I learned formal techniques at art school, it didn’t prepare me for a lot of the skills an artist also needs. I have had to discover by trial and error how to be my own publicist, manager, accountant, administrator, secretary etc.

Overall, I would say that my current level of artistry is purely down to lots of hard work and a huge stubborn streak. I don’t give up easily.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
It would have to be paper, but if all the paper in the world disappeared tomorrow, I would make myself adapt… it’s not a good idea to rely on something being there forever.

Detail from Family Tree

What inspires you to create?
I really do mean it when I say that the world inspires me to create. I am very much a why?why?why? person. I think about why we are here and why we do what we do. A lot of the thoughts I have make me quite sad, especially the thought that we are trapped in this thing we call time. Trying to escape time is an inspiring concept.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
If I stop making artwork, I get really miserable. It has taken me a long time to realise why, but it’s because when I’m working, I’m thinking and when I’m thinking, I’m trying to sort out the why? questions in my head. If I stop working, the questions mount up in there and then I become unhappy. The work itself is rarely frustrating.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
I would say that you just have to keep making work – it’s a dull answer, but the more work you make, the sharper your focus becomes.

I would also say that if the opportunity arises to make a collaborative piece of work, then jump at it. I have had both good and bad experiences of collaboration, but they have all been really valuable. When you have to answer to someone else as well as yourself, you learn a lot. Art can be a very selfish pursuit, so it’s good to mix things up a bit.

365 Volumes

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Listening to people talking.

What’s your favourite comfort food? (Or book, or colour, or other hobby…)

I haven’t been asked that for years! Good question! I prefer savoury food to sweet. Hot soup on a cold day is unbeatable and I happily drink gallons of tea.

I couldn’t possibly choose a favourite book, there are too many good ones and that includes those with lots of pictures in them and children’s books. Michael Rosen’s Sad Book is certainly my first choice if I need to have a cry. If I want to be amazed I read Guy Debord’s Panegyric Vols 1 and 2. If I want to laugh I’ll read something by David Sedaris. I have quite a few art books and I never tire of looking at Mondrian, Hannah Hoch, Eva Hesse or Thomas Demand.

My favourite colour to wear is either green or red, but my favourite colour in paintings and pictures is yellow. Purple usually wrecks things and grey is much more effective than black.
Artwork takes up most of my life, so there just isn’t much time for a hobby. I love reading and would do a lot more if I didn’t have to sleep. Come to think of it, I love being asleep, but I’m not sure you can count that as a hobby.