Q & A with Micko Westmoreland

To celebrate the announcement that Micko Westmoreland & The Mellotronics are not only playing live on 29/04/2018 at The Talking Heads, 16-22 The Polygon, Southampton.. but also on 03/05/2018 at The Roadtrip & Workhouse, 243 Old Street, London - Each member of the band has agreed to answer a few questions for The Rebel magazine. Today, last but not least, it's the turn of Micko Westmoreland

You sing and play guitar in The Mellotronics. How long have you been performing and who were your musical heroes? "I’ve been performing all my life..no, but seriously. I got my first guitar from an auction in the early 80’s, I was around 11. Very soon after that I was playing Ziggy Stardust/Get down and get with it at school assemblies, there was a great band scene in the town where I lived and the Art teacher, Malcolm Arnold organized proper gigs for us all to play at called ‘the Rockshops’, I still have recordings on cassette, there legendary, well at least for those involved. My first loves were Toni Iommi’s guitar playing and Pete Townsend’s playing and writing, he was like a lead rhythm player and his guitar parts always served the song. I’d watch the best bits of Tommy on VHS after school. I’d eagerly await Top of The Pops each week and would literally pray for ‘my bands’ to move up the charts so I could watch them on the show."

Your set features tracks from the Yours ETC Abc album as well as a few new songs. Are there any of your songs you particularly admire of feel excited about playing live? "Every once in a while you write a new song that pushes the bar a little higher. I wrote one last year called ‘Noisy Neighbors’, about certain characters I had experienced whilst living in social housing. “Is she 49? no more like 80, 1mm of extra makeup added per year”. “Apparently there’s no bed in the flat, just a spitfire on a table and boxes and boxes of model making kits”. All true! It was also the first track I worked with on with Jon Klein. When he sent me his first guitars over I listened to it ten times in row."

In what ways are you a bad person and what would you like to change about yourself? "Good question, I think too much and sometimes embroider opinions in my mind. I convince myself I’m right, maybe in part I am sometimes, but it’s not a good way to go. It can flip over to imbalance, not see and understand things for what they really are. It’s much better to behave more instinctively and to trust your intuitions. Self-awareness is key to evolving as a person. I think about my behavior a lot so it’s all work in progress. I very much apply this to the band, as I view it as more of a collective than anything else and they are such a great gang to hang out and play with."

What is the worst film you’ve ever seen and what is the best film you’ve ever seen? "Peter Greenaway has made some good films and a few turkeys. A Zed and two noughts I used to loved when I was in my teens but I re-watched recently and found it pedantic, the use of symmetry in every shot. The Draughtsman’s Contract is excellent though. My favorite of the 21st century without a doubt is Mulholland Drive, the first time I saw it I’d had a very peculiar day and ate some food from a supermarket where there had been a power cut and the fridges had been off a while, so there were signs up ‘Consume at your own risk!’. After the film I threw up at 3 in the morning, never could quite tell whether it was the movie or that burger that had made me take a turn. From the last century I love Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard."

What are your desert island discs? Do you have any singles or albums that you couldn’t live without? I think there’s 8 allowed. Here’s 4 mainstream and 4 a bit more left field. I love, Low by David Bowie, Computer World by Kraftwerk, Real Life by Magazine and Scott Walker sings Jacque Brel. I also like Iso Tomita Snowflakes are dancing, The Veritgo soundtrack by Bernard Herman, Thursday Afternoon by Brian Eno (a record some would argue is hardly there) and Spirit of Eden by Talk Talk (no, not the communications company!). I believe I’m allowed to take one object too, that would have to be a radio, so I could check the shipping forecast.

What is your idea of beauty in nature? "I meditate twice a day without fail, I couldn’t survive without it. I’ve found it has energized my life, changed my behavior, values and attitudes. It’s like cynicism in reverse and I find more and more it informs me of who I am everyday. I make no apologies for this. I believe that how your life is, is directly connected to your state of mind. I could go on, but I guess the point is that we are nature, it’s integral to our being, some of us know this but others have forgot and I find that Meditation re-informs us of this little life lesson."

Micko Westmoreland and The Mellotronics photographed by Natalie Hitchcock. Left to Right: Jon, Jenny, Nick and Micko. Top photo of Micko by Keiko Yamazo 2nd photos by Ashley Jones.

For more info: http://landlinerecords.com

Q & A with Jon Klein

To celebrate the announcement that Micko Westmoreland & The Mellotronics are not only playing live on 29/04/2018 at The Talking Heads, 16-22 The Polygon, Southampton.. but also on 03/05/2018 at The Roadtrip & Workhouse, 243 Old Street, London - Each member of the band has agreed to answer a few questions for The Rebel magazine. Today it's the turn of Jon Klein

You play guitar in The Mellotronics. How long have you been playing the guitar and who were your musical heroes? "I started playing guitar in 1974, my 1st 3 big influences would be Duane Eddy, Jimi Hendrix and Mick Ronson."

Your set features tracks from the Yours ETC album as well as a few new songs. Are there any of Micko’s songs you particularly admire of feel excited about playing live? "When I 1st sat down to talk with Micko, we didn’t really know each other. When he mentioned a track called Noisey Neighbours, that seemed an obvious one to break the ice, as conjures up all sorts of images straight off the bat. Schmescos is always gonna be a fave, but all Micko’s songs are interesting, full of layers of ideas, attitudes, stories and processes, so it’s tricky singling one out."

In what ways are you a bad person and what would you like to change about yourself? "Usual stuff, selfish, a bit disorganised and hesitant when I should be more forceful. I am learning to be more patient, and to listen to people more! Also being a phone junky is a real challenge. I get really annoyed at people walking around like social media zombies and bumping into me on the street. I catch myself out doing the phone and walking thing, but try not to. I also don’t like being in headphones in public …I prefer the sound of the world!"

What is the worst film you’ve ever seen and what is the best film you’ve ever seen? "The worst film I’ve ever seen? Tricky as I always check before going to the cinema and don’t go to see crap films. One thing I remember though was seeing U2 in 3D as my partner had complimentary tickets. It wasn’t very 3D, mainly the credits and a few bits of footage. I generally don’t like 3D as it’s blurry in bits of the frame (in a bad way) and the picture doesn’t look as dynamic, often on account of the scratched up dirty goggles they give you, and the edits are pedestrian, as fast cuts can cause permanent eYe damage. That said I was shocked by how many U2 songs I knew (I’m not a U2 hater!) …and later found out that this film was what triggered Wim Wenders idea to investigate 3D for his movie Pina. Pina had good reason to be in that format, as it made for a new way to experience dance on the cinema screen. Best film? Not sure if it’s the best, and pretty predictable of course, but I loved the original Blade Runner. It felt like a trip to the future (via Shinjuku) and also was a high point of special FX model making pre the CGI revolution. Mind you Scott’s 1st Alien was pretty epic too."

What are your desert island discs? Do you have any singles or albums that you couldn’t live without? Normally I should say Velvet Underground or Metal Machine Music, but really Hunky Dory, Another Green World and Transformer have to be up there. I’m not even a fan of every song on Hunky Dory, but it’s got that ‘something’, and Rosnon’s arrangements are exquisite, as they were on Transformer.

What is your idea of beauty in nature? I dream of seeing the cherry blossom in Japan in the Spring, and will hopefully see it one of these days. This Spring they called it Cherry Blossom Rain!

Micko Westmoreland and The Mellotronics photographed by Natalie Hitchcock. Left to Right: Jon, Jenny, Nick and Micko. Top photo of Jon Ashley Jones.

For more info: http://landlinerecords.com

Q & A with Nick Mackay

To celebrate the announcement that Micko Westmoreland & The Mellotronics are not only playing live on 29/04/2018 at The Talking Heads, 16-22 The Polygon, Southampton.. but also on 03/05/2018 at The Roadtrip & Workhouse, 243 Old Street, London - Each member of the band has agreed to answer a few questions for The Rebel magazine. Today it's the turn of Nick Mackay

You play drums in The Mellotronics. How long have you been playing the drums and who were your musical heroes? "I have been playing the drums since I was 11, so celebrated my 20th anniversary this year, although there have been many starts and stops over the years when I've played guitar in other bands. My musical heroes are The Beatles, The Kinks, The Beach Boys (especially The Wilson Brothers) , David Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Who, Harry Nilsson, The Stones (Mick Taylor and Jimmy Miller Years) The Cure, Iggy and The Stooges, The Specials, The Clash, Supergrass, Divine Comedy, Jimi Hendrix, Kapt Kopter and his fabulous twirly birds, Nirvana, Pixies, Nick Drake, Blondie (I share a birthday with Debbie Harry), Fleetwood Mac (especially the Peter Green and Bob Welch years) Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, The Four Seasons, White Denim, early Arctic Monkeys, Zeppelin (although less as I get older) Bjorn and Benny from Abba (more as I get older). My Drumming heroes are Joe Morello (better than Buddy Rich), Keith Moon (my favourite all time drummer), Joshua Block, Ringo, Mick Avory, Clem Burke, Reni from The Stone Roses and Sheila E, Matt Helders, Animal from The Muppets.

Your set features tracks from the Yours ETC album as well as a few new songs. Are there any of Micko’s songs you particularly admire or feel excited about playing live? As the longest surviving member of The Mellotronics, I always enjoy playing the older tracks like 'Schmeschos'. Although I didn't play on 'Yours ETC album', I try and replicate what the drummer did and put my own stamp/stomp on it at the same time. I am enjoying playing the new songs (there's a new crazy one called 'Imelda') and I really like Micko's chord sequences, some really nice changes. I also like locking in with Jenny on 'The Finger' too, thats our little spotlight.

In what ways are you a bad person and what would you like to change about yourself? Interesting question! I have lied or exaggerated sometimes in incidents in the past I'm not too proud of which shows an insecurity but I am trying to do that less as I grow up, honesty is the best policy and all that. I also find it hard to say 'no' to things which can cause problems although that is changing. I also think I sometimes have a short fuse and can be impatient. I can be quite competitive depending on the situation and have learned to relax more. I would like to be generally healthier and less fat so probably need to get to a gym soon, you would think drumming would solve that, but sadly not!

What is the worst film you’ve ever seen and what is the best film you’ve ever seen? I remember watching a really bad film when I was a kid in America with my brother called Al-Haddin, some parody on Aladdin, I was 8 at the time but that has stuck in my head as being the worst. It's probably not that bad now. Now I would say 'Synecdoche, New York', pretentious crap, waste of a cinema ticket, sorry hipsters! I'm a big comedy fan so 'Life of Brian' is my favourite, 'One Flew over the cuckoos nest' would be my textbook answer or 'The White Ribbon'.

What are your desert island discs? Do you have any singles or albums that you couldn’t live without? How many can I have? This is all dependent on my mood and subject to change. Alright -Supergrass (first song I think I discovered independently on my own, best pop song ever, could write a whole essay on why) 'Rhapsody in Blue' or Piano Concerto in F by George Gershwin (token classical choice), The Velvet Underground & Nico, 'Two Sisters/3rd' by Big Star, Sunflower or Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys, Nilsson Sings Newman- Harry Nilsson Hunky Dory- David Bowie D- White Denim The Beat by The Beat (the American new wave band although love the UK ska band too) Rubber Soul- The Beatles (hard to choose really) Sticky Fingers- The Rolling Stones Raw Power- Iggy and The Stooges Nevermind- Nirvana Kapt Kopter and his fabulous twirly birds- Randy California Pink Moon- Nick Drake Muswell Hillbillies, Lola vs The Powerman (Part 1), Arthur or Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks Sandinista- The Clash. Whatever People Say I am, That's what I'm not (I was in Sheffield, gigging at the time of this release, so reminds me of my 20 year old self and that period).

What is your idea of beauty in nature? I think it's mainly family/relationship associations you have with things in nature so snowdrops, red robins, the wind in the trees, Dartmoor and The South Downs. The sea, its the one thing I miss about living in London as I was born in Portsmouth. There is a beauty in decay as well, a sense of renewal.

Micko Westmoreland and The Mellotronics photographed by Natalie Hitchcock. Left to Right: Jon, Jenny, Nick and Micko. Both photos of Nick by Ashley Jones.

For more info: http://landlinerecords.com

Q & A with Jenny Lane

To celebrate the announcement that Micko Westmoreland & The Mellotronics are not only playing live on 29/04/2018 at The Talking Heads, 16-22 The Polygon, Southampton.. but also on 03/05/2018 at The Roadtrip & Workhouse, 243 Old Street, London - Each member of the band has agreed to answer a few questions for The Rebel magazine. First up is Jenny Lane...

You play bass in The Mellotronics. How long have you been playing the bass and who were your musical heroes? "I've been playing for about thirteen years now - think I've just about got the hang of it! My bass playing heroes are Carlos D (from Interpol), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Kim Deal (Pixies)...musical heroes in general, Oasis were the band that made me want to be in bands so I have to give Noel & Liam a nod! At the moment I'm going through a serious Neil Hannon phase (Divine Comedy, Duckworth Lewis Method). He's awesome and I would like to be him."

Your set features tracks from the Yours ETC album as well as a few new songs. Are there any of Micko’s songs you particularly admire or feel excited about playing live? "In his song, 'The Finger', the bass line was written by Horace Panter from the Specials - it's probably the most challenging thing I've ever had to learn but the most fun to play and such a nice feeling when you get to the end of it without completely cocking it up! The middle 8 in 'The Now' is one of the loveliest bits of music ever, playing it feels like riding a motorbike over the Grand Canyon in slow-mo. He's just written one called 'Imelda' which involves me & him doing increasingly unsettling, shouty vocals as the song builds, that's been quite fun to do!"

In what ways are you a bad person and what would you like to change about yourself? "I wouldn't change anything now, to be honest. I enjoy being me. I've been doing it long enough now, I think I'm quite good at it."

What is the worst film you’ve ever seen and what is the best film you’ve ever seen? "It wasn't badly made, but 'Anthropod' really, really messed me up - for weeks afterwards I'd get upset if I thought about it. Special mentions also have to go to the horror film 'Granny' but in the so-bad-its-good kind of way. I love sci-fi space horror movies, so the Alien series and have a particular fondness for Event Horizon, but my all time favourite would always be Muppet Treasure Island - me and my Dad know all the words to all the songs and periodically still break into them whenever I visit home."

What are your desert island discs? Do you have any singles or albums that you couldn’t live without? 'Turn On The Bright Lights' and 'Antics', by Interpol. 'Doolittle' by Pixies. 'Definitely Maybe' by Oasis. 'Rust In Peace' by Megadeth. 'Who Plays Wins' by Richard Stilgoe and Peter Skellern. And 'Aquarius' which was the debut album from prog band Haken and is a concept album about a doomed mermaid, and one of the most insanely beautiful works I've ever listened to.

What is your idea of beauty in nature? "When it's grown back over manmade things that have been left to decay - ruined buildings covered in creepers and weeds up through roads and railway tracks are particular favourites. Oh, and also: rock pools. I do like a good rock pool."

Micko Westmoreland and The Mellotronics photographed by Natalie Hitchcock. Left to Right: Jon, Jenny, Nick and Micko. Both photos of Jenny by Ashley Jones.

For more info: http://landlinerecords.com

Introducing Jackie Kerr

135 artists featured in "Inside Job" which took place on the 7th and 8th of April on Level 6 of Tate Modern and was visited by over 3,000 people. The Rebel Magazine has been chatting to some of the Tate staff who showed their artwork. Today it's the turn of Jackie Kerr

Q) Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born in Falkirk, Scotland and had a normal comprehensive school education before I then studied at Edinburgh Art College for a B.A (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, specialising in Printmaking. I then moved to Gorgeous Liverpool to study at John Moores University for my P.G.C.E Course in Secondary Art and Design Education."

Q) How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "After I studied at John Moores University I then left Liverpool to teach in Leeds for 8 years as a Secondary Art and Design Teacher. I returned to the city I love, Liverpool, in 2004, and worked in various creative jobs as a Freelance Artist/Teacher, till I started working for Tate Liverpool as a Casual Visitor Experience Assistant in 2008 during their amazing Gustav Klimt Summer Exhibition. Therefore I am delighted to say it's now my TATE 10th Anniversary this Summer, so to speak!"

Q) What can you tell me about the work that you exhibited in the Tate Modern show? "First of all, can I just say I, and my wee family, were very delighted and excited to be included in your Staff Exhibition at Tate Modern. So thank you to all involved who organised, contributed and who we, from Tate Liverpool, met during your special weekend. For your great exhibition I was proud to exhibit a new acrylic painting and collage on paper entitled 'Grid Reference' which represents a journey taken and / or imagined through many of the cities I have lived in over many years."

Q) How can people find out more about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? At Tate Liverpool we are a group of Independent, Freelance Artists who get together on occasions to exhibit Locally, Nationally and Internationally and therefore we are collectively known as 'SCI' or 'Soup Collective International'. "We have a website which is Art in Liverpool under the Artists' Section: http://www.artinliverpool.com/kerr-jacqueline-f/

Q) Is there anything you have to declare / do you have a favourite quote, thought or joke you'd care to share? From 'Nature Boy' by David Bowie......'the greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return...!' ('Moulin Rouge' Film Soundtrack version by Baz Luhrman is Magic!) Q) What's the best thing about working for the Tate? "I absolutely love our camaraderie here in Liverpool as I feel very lucky and priviledged to be surrounded and supported by my great colleagues who I regard as friends. After 10 years as a 'Casual' I am now delighted to be, from this January 2018 onwards, a Permanent Member of Staff as a Retail Assistant within our Tate Enterprises Shop so I'm even more happier to be employed by Tate.."

"Inside Job": An exhibition of art by Tate Staff will took place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG Click here to see You Tube footage of Jackie's work at the opening night of Inside Job.

Introducing Chloe Louise Lawrence

135 artists featured in "Inside Job" which took place on the 7th and 8th of April on Level 6 of Tate Modern and was visited by over 3,000 people. The Rebel Magazine has been chatting to some of the Tate staff who showed their artwork. Today it's the turn of Chloe Louise Lawrence

Q) Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born and grew up in Woolwich, which is right on the River Thames in South East London. I grew up drawing and always making things, and despite not having university or ‘creative’ backgrounds, I was definitely encouraged and influenced by both my parents. My Mum always had a hand at sewing, fabric construction and repairing… and she’d also take pride in the interior of our home, crafting surfaces and different wall hangings- making our modular council flat an individual home. I remember one time she covered our white boxed kitchen cupboards with this bright ultramarine textured vinyl- it kind of made the kitchen look like a space ship! My late Dad also, he was a lorry driver and I have many memories as a child of going to work with him when I wasn’t at school, and just being surrounded by tools and construction. He also had a knack for drawing, which perhaps inspired me to do so as well. I attended my local all girls secondary school, where I completed a BTEC National Diploma in Art & Design instead of the GCSE; and I went on to do A Levels in Art and English Literature in Sixth Form college. However, it wasn’t until my Sixth Form college tutor suggested that I did an art foundation [after frantically scrambling over UCAS and wondering how the heck I was going to get into university with only two A Levels and what else I was going to do with my life] that I made the decision or realisation that I could go to art school. He pointed me in the direction of Camberwell College of Arts, which was where I discovered that I could embed myself in this world of art and really make it a thing. I stayed at Camberwell to complete my Bachelors in Painting, graduating in 2014. After all this, I am now still in arts education and still in South London, studying at the Royal College of Arts for my Masters in Print."

Q) How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? I started working within the Tate shops for the Alexander Calder show in 2015, and now just over two and a half years later, I’m a permanent member of staff working every weekend in that crazy structure that is the River Shop as you walk in on the front of the Tate Modern building. The best show I’ve seen? I think my most memorable has to be the Rachel Whiteread Turbine Hall installation EMBANKMENT back in 2005. I was 14 and even though I grew up in South East London, it was the first time I’d ever gone to Tate Modern before. I remember walking into the building and just being confronted with these towering glowing boxes, filling up the vast space of the Turbine Hall, and really taking it over. I was in absolute awe. I went with my Mum, Step Dad and sister, and we just ran around the polyethylene structures of cardboard boxes, hiding, getting lost and exploring. It was an exciting day for me. My Mum was already aware of my growing interest in art, and kept asking me what I thought it meant.

Q) What can you tell me about the work that you exhibited in the Tate Modern show? "My practice has involved using the methods and processes of printmaking as a way of recording time within everyday spaces, of domestic labour and of the workplace. The work I exhibited ‘Portrait of a Floor (Ann's Linoleum Parcay)’, is a framed relief print onto paper, depicting a section of linoleum imitation parquet flooring taken from my Grandmas old kitchen, which I ripped out for her. It captures marks embedded and created through use and time, such as the hole where the door stop used to screw in and a spot where the floor has had something melted into its surface. Personified as a portrait, the work draws attention to and gives significance to the subtle marks that are traces of repeated moments. The work also plays on class and a hierarchy of materials. Linoleum, used as an affordable and accessible material for home interiors, is also alternatively used as a fine art printmaking process adopted by the likes of Erich Heckel, Picasso and even Matisse. Having the opportunity to show this piece within the Tate Modern, adds an extra layer, or actually dissolves it perhaps… bringing this everyday used floor from a home in South London imprinted with age and labour, into an institution- and to share space with the likes of Picasso and even Matisse."

Q) How can people find out more about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? I do have a website www.chloelouiselawrence.co.uk I also have instagram and twitter, which I regularly post about things I am making in the studio and future shows —> @chloelouisse.

Q) What's the best thing about working for the Tate? "The colleagues, the team, the mates! Everyone who I work with. I think there’s such a solid ground-workforce here at Tate, of people who are all doing so many interesting things no matter what they’re field is, and I guess we’re all trying to navigate that. There’s so much support in this place and that’s why it’s been great to finally have this show pulled together."

"Inside Job": An exhibition of art by Tate Staff will took place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

Introducing Cath von Isenburg

135 artists featured in "Inside Job" which took place on the 7th and 8th of April on Level 6 of Tate Modern and was visited by over 3,000 people. The Rebel Magazine has been chatting to some of the Tate staff who showed their artwork. Today it's the turn of Cath von Isenburg

Q) Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I was born in Nairobi. Within eighteen months of me being born we were posted to Bahrain, a few years after that to Kolkata then again to Malaysia, then Singapore, HongKong and finally back to Nairobi again. For the formative years of all this traveling my education was in these other countries, well up until Singapore that is.I have very fond memories of Tanglin Infant school in Singapore. Those early years were full of wonder and inspiration from the variety of cultures I absorbed as I grew. It’s when I look back, I realise we lived without a television in Kolkata but I enjoyed so many other things, being creative, reading and playing. Something devastating came though and swept away some of that playfulness of childhood forcing me to grow up and learn the harsh realities of life early. This was to take the form of Cancer, one which my mum battled against but tragically lost her life to when I was eight years old. I hold on to the memories, the fact that my mum, like my dad was creative but I think that creativity in her was contagious and we all got a part of it. From the age of eight I started boarding school here in the UK. I ended up going through school a year ahead of myself, the intake age being eleven. I would be lying if I say this wasn’t tough but I got on and made some friends and yes we had the occasional midnight feasts in the dormitories, built fantastical dens in the woods and ate meals at very long wooden tables.After sixth form spent boarding, I went on to do a foundation diploma in art and design at Central Saint Martins and a BA (Hons) in textiles from Winchester School of Art. A while later I undertook a part time MA in Illustration at the Anglia Ruskin in Cambridge, just as I started working at the Tate."

Q) How long have you been working at Tate and what’s the best show you've seen there? "I can’t believe that this year, this summer I have actually been working at the Tate part time for ten years! I did take a year out for maternity leave when my daughter was born but I do have to confess that is now over five years ago. It’s difficult to pin point one best show but I think that the Calder show had the edge for me. I love the ‘Cirque Calder’ and it was wonderful to see parts of this, the beautifully made kinetic sculptures and the moving mobiles. The gallery came to life in a magical way. I also have a very good memory of the Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain. It was a moment where both my dad and myself felt truly inspired to sit in the show and draw together. It’s moments like these that you cherish."

Q) What can you tell me about the work you exhibited in the Tate Modern show? My work ‘Objects From Life’ was one that I undertook at the start of my MA with regards to the drawings themselves. The first module was focused on observational drawing. I went out and about and had a great time drawing lots in sketchbooks in various museums and galleries including the Horniman, the British Museum, Sir John Soane’s, to name a few. I also began to focus on objects I have at home, the meanings behind them. The objects feel significant in different ways, of memorable moments, of times gone by and loved ones that are lost. Theres a gold plated teaspoon with our family crest on handed down to me by my gran, an acorn necklace which my mum wore most of the time. Some now dried flowers hold a little note behind them identifying them as ‘lucky’ as they landed on my head when I was a child at a festival in Kathmandu. There is an exquisitely painted wooden egg from our house boat holiday in Kashmir. As part of my artistic practice I also enjoy experimenting in three dimensions and make three dimensional characters. I made the doll with the big hair and then decided to draw her. All these objects exist in three dimensions. I like to lose myself in the detail when drawing and funnily enough this is the same in most of my more imaginative work.

Q) How can people find out more about your work - do you have a website or Instagram? I have a website www.thiscuriousworld.com. I am also busy making work for a group exhibition which will be on at the Hoxton Arches gallery from the 30th of May until the 10th of June this year.

Q) Is there anything you would like to declare / do you have a favourite quote, thought or joke you’d care to share? "Two things really, I think it’s important to show people you care about that you do and one can’t do that too often in my books. I was also recently inspired by a writer, Liz Petrone. I follow her blog. Theres a great piece ‘What if we danced?’. It made me chuckle, as a fellow mother, but was also wholly thought provoking, a great piece of writing. Staying positive against all odds is probably key."

"Inside Job": An exhibition of art by Tate Staff will took place on Level 6 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG