For this month’s artist profile Art Avenue has interviewed local success story Clare Lane. We discussed her work, how she got involved in art, her thoughts on Leeds and the current state of the visual arts scene in the north. She shared with us her ideas about urban decay, the main emphasis in her work, why she thinks Leeds art scene is more stifled than other cities’ and how she would suggest expanding on its existence and influence within the local community.
Clare Lane, born in 1970, began her career in architecture and surveying. She taught architectural history and conservation for a few years at Leeds Met University before taking a career break to focus on family and her two children. It was during this time that she considered taking the focus of her work in a new direction. She went to study Printed textiles and Surface patterns at Leeds College of Art and Design with the initial intention “to go in a completely different direction – I thought ‘That’s it, no more buildings, no more built environment and architecture.” During her third year she met up with an architectural artist in Scotland who was working on the idea of ruins and urban decay.
’Leeds Canal’
It was at this point that she found herself returning to the built environment as the main focus. The question of “when is a ruin a romantic notion of our historic past, and when is it just urban decay that people want to hide?” became the central theme of discussion within her work.
“The long held fascination with our built habitat constantly informs what I do.”
It doesn’t take more than a few glances at Clare’s work to determine that there is more to it than simply depicting buildings and structures. Whilst she represents physical structures via the medium of photograph, drawing and paint, there is always the underlying question of its presence and meaning. This is demonstrated by the four-tiered element of her work. Once she has captured the actual building, the pictures are then digitally manipulated. In her own words this involves: “Blocks of colour are “painted” into the piece, detail is emphasized and sometimes perspective is drawn out or elements repeated, playing with depth and pattern.” From here there is a third layer where the viewer may recognise the object in view and draw familiarity from it but the perception is challenged by the distortion of the image. The viewer is then forced to reconsider what they are seeing in a new light, and take a fresh and transformed opinion of what they see before them: how they saw it before and how they now review it. The question of urban decay is challenged in the viewer’s eye – is it simply an eyesore, or is it an element in our society that is exciting, ever changing and organic even? Clare explains; “My work is about perception of our everyday urban habitat and how we see it. My visual interest is in the portrayal of the built environment, as the landscape of a modern urban society, its changing spaces and places, and it’s cyclical regeneration. All aspects of our modern environment inspire me, but I particularly like to work on specific sites where a knowledge and understanding of its history and the context of its current state can inform my art. Our urban environment is a dynamic, vibrant place in a constant state of flux and yet buildings are seen as static things – solid and immovable. This dichotomy fascinates me, and reflects my working life. Initially I was concerned with this physicality, structure and fabric. Now it has me questioning how we see this environment, and the meanings we attribute it.” The final element to her work lies in the physicality of the actual piece, which harks back to the physicality of the subject matter, “an echo of the source. The completed montage is printed onto a textile surface, which is itself a pliant material,” and whilst this “counters the hard structure of an architectural edifice, the final process of stitching texture and line back into a piece brings out a three dimensional quality,” redirecting the viewer to consider the original structure. Indeed the whole process involved in her art is reminiscent of the constant transformation our urban environment is subject to.
It seems that Clare’s interest in the history of the built environment effects more than just her art and it’s representations.
’Blackmans’
When we asked her what she thought of the Leeds art scene she explained that the history of the city’s built environment not only has an impact on our physical surroundings but also our cultural ones. “I have found it really hard [in the Leeds art scene] which is why I have been around and about in a lot of other cities showing my work and collecting images.” She offered this theory: “Leeds is a funny place. It’s one of those cities that has always been quite diverse. Bradford is known for its textiles, Liverpool has been completely decimated, Bradford the same, and Newcastle. All of the other major northern cities have been decimated at some point in time by a dip in their particular industry - Leeds hasn’t and I feel part of that has meant that it’s not been forced to have to look at itself and try to reinvent itself if you like - it hasn’t suffered enough. From the late nineteenth century onwards [Leeds] moved into engineering, then chemicals, and all sorts of different areas - so it has never really hit a big dip as a city. It has always pottered along.” In turn this development has had a knock on effect to the wider issues surrounding art. Clare argued that the city’s general attitude towards art and expression, having not been
challenged, has set in stone certain difficulties that are hard to overcome. Funding, rent and the lack of a buying public seem to have all come about through Leeds’ never having to struggle and express. “I find Liverpool fascinating because as a city it has been skint for so long and yet they have a massive art buying public. I think it’s because it is a port city.
It’s got people coming and going, it’s very
’Park Bench’
cosmopolitan, but historically (with the dockworkers and seamen) it’s very outward looking - people there are much more open-minded and have a much broader outlook on life. Leeds is very inward looking as a city and as a general culture, and I think that makes people almost a little superficial. They buy their interior design stuff but they can’t really cope with the challenge of art. [Also] Leeds doesn’t qualify for a lot of funding. In terms of the city centre rent has always been high, so [artists] who want to get in and perhaps look at alternative incomes, galleries and things like that, can’t afford the rent.
People who have tried [like] North Street Arts and Whitehall Gallery in Chapel Allerton, for instance just can’t survive. I think this is because the rent is too high and there isn’t a buying public.” Given that these were established problems, we asked Clare what she thought Leeds needed to get people more interested in the art scene. “I think one thing I would look at would be the city council subsidising art space in the centre of the city, where people can go in, and they can take risks to explore new ways of either showing art or developing art. But just to have some space in the city centre where people are coming and going and will see it and get used to seeing that sort of thing.” Indeed, it is difficult to maintain a visual arts scene when it is not culturally or even physically at the centre of the city. Whilst occasionally photography displays are put up along Briggate, this hardly goes towards creating or even maintaining a visual arts scene. We asked Clare what she thought of the existing faculties that went towards the local arts scene; “Leeds are gallery is dire! It’s dire! I don’t know what’s happening there [at the moment] but if you go to Manchester Art Gallery, Liverpool or any of the galleries there, there’s just such a completely different flavour and atmosphere. [They have] things going on constantly and Leeds just seems to be a bit stayed. I think it’s getting better [now] - there has been, in the last eighteen months, little changes. This Northern art prize for example. They’ve opened up a big cafe and that just brings people through the doors, even if it’s just to get a coffee [people] are there and might just decide to meander around.” Did she think the Northern Art Prize was a good incentive to get peoples’ interests back into visual arts? “I think the northern art prize is a good idea, it’s getting people through the doors of the gallery so on the whole I’m a supporter. I’m not sure that having a northern flavour is the way round - perhaps open it up nationally to bring people in, because it could be accused of being a little bit exclusive.” Could it be argued that the Northern art prize is too inward looking, echoing the same issue that Leeds as a city suffers from in relation to its’ culture?
Overall it seems that despite being a native to the arts scene in Leeds Clare’s work has flourished by the help of many external influences. Her work on urban decay and the questions it poses to us may be highly important in the coming years to the culture of this city.
’City Scene (Leeds)’
The high-speed development that has become endemic throughout the city means that the sacred old spaces in Leeds are quickly being replaced. Previous cultural icon the Corn Exchange has finally lost the battle against development and soon will become the city’s new gourmet food emporium. The influx of new people, attitudes, businesses may further expand and deplete the city of its’ nostalgia. Whilst progress is good it is only good when opportunities for learning and expansion are offered. In short, new ideas and people should be welcomed, but not as a replacement. The palm oil tree may be welcome to flourish in the rainforest, but not to replace the whole biodiversity of it. From this it seems that areas we might normally shun as dead, untidy eyesores may in turn be somewhere we look to for comfort, inspiration and memories. Perhaps this is the struggle, the conflict that this city has required for so long, to finally cause a surge in local culture and expression? And where does Clare suggest we go to find such inspiration? “Leeds around the canal, Holbeck, I find that the city has a nice flavour in that area.”
