Interview with Studio Winner Babs Smith

We’re pleased to welcome Babs Smith to Paradise Works, who joined us through our annual partnership with The University of Salford Art Collection Scholarship. The scholarship, in its fourth-year running, includes a studio for twelve months in addition to mentoring, previous winners include Bridget Coderc, Katie Mcguire and Elliott Flanaghan.

We caught up with Babs, to discuss her work and find out how she’s managed to stay creative in lockdown. Babs will be also taking over the Paradise Works Instagram from the 29th- 31st of March. Make sure you’re following us on social media so you can have an in-depth look into her practice

What drives your work?

My practice is process-led, research-driven and experimental. I often work collaboratively and explore scientific evidence within subjects using facts as a starting point to develop visual metaphors as I investigate and resolve my work. I work with many different mediums as I feel the choice of these mediums is crucial to the final piece. My recent project with tears explored the crystallisation of tears and the human visceral response of crying. This used resin, metal, plaster, print and film to create an installation:

‘On the Verge of Tears’ a place many of us found ourselves in during lockdown.

I believe the physical manifestation into tactile objects brings a subconscious connection through which I can communicate with the viewer. This work has been exhibited in Connections, an online exhibition with the Hanover Project, the group exhibition Flat Instance with Softspot at Mirabel Studios Manchester, and Made it, a graduate exhibition with Short Supply.

Installation created with laser cut Perspex, masonry and light by Babs Smith for ‘Flat Instance’, 2020.

2020 must have been a difficult year to graduate! How did you manage to stay creative after leaving university during lockdown?

I began lockdown by creating an online version of my degree show work, which had reached maquette stage, it was challenging but enjoyable and gave me the opportunity to develop new skills. This led to my working in Virtual Reality, painting and sculpting in a virtual studio from my home using Tilt Brush and Adobe Medium. The process has presented new possibilities to explore visual metaphors in an immersive environment not only in VR and Augmented Reality, but also within my process enabling me to take the work designed in VR off-line. 

‘Verge of Tears’, by Babs Smith, virtual exhibition, 2021.

Name one artist you’re interested in at the moment and why

I am particularly interested in artists making work in Virtual Reality. Tomas Saraceno for example who’s work combines science and art and has recently been tackling arachnophobia with Virtual Reality scenes. I am more interested in the artists' process, research and reasoning behind the work and really don’t like spiders.

‘14 billion’ by Tomas Saraceno. [image: sculpturemagazine.com]

What has winning the studio at Paradise Works meant to you? 

Being part of a community of artists is important to me. Collaboration is key to my process as I work in different media. Having people that you can trust around you from many different disciplines and curation, means that help and support is at hand. I studied at the University of Salford and was familiar with Paradise Works so the transfer from University to Studio wasn’t too difficult and I was lucky enough to have a studio with lots of space and light.

I like to walk and think in the community garden in front of the studios. I believe that community involvement in the work of the studio is important and would like to be involved in some way in the future. 

‘Abstract 2209’, by Babs Smith, created in Tilt Brush, 2020.

What are you looking forward to the most once lockdown is over?

Being back in the studio regularly and discussing work with other artists. The Graduate Scholarship scheme has so far been on-line, so I am looking forward to seeing art exhibitions with the other Graduates and the benefits of spontaneous chatter and a cup of tea that artists do so well!

I am also looking forward to change and new communities emerging, I feel although this time has been unprecedented, I hope to be a part of the change we need to see in the art world, transparency, opportunity and care and consideration of the importance of creative people to affect change.