Liza Campbell - Studio 30

1. Describe your work.

The montages are lavish & wistful. The dioramas are sardonic.

2. How did you come to be doing the work that you do?

Having worked in stone for 6 years, I was drawn paper & scissors while recovering from RSI & never went back - God knows from what sociopathic crevice the dioramas sprang

3. Where do you look for inspiration?

Joseph Cornell, Saul Steinberg, Edward Gorey, John Nash, Billy Collins, a steady need to laugh at my depressive tendencies & absolutely nothing functions without music. I have recently entered a mournful folk patch but my tastes straddle all styles except 'wandering' jazz & reggae which bore me

4. What is your favourite place?

Outdoors: the banks of the Findhorn river at home in Scotland, Barafundle beach in Pembrokeshire, where I played as a child

Indoors: nothing has yet surpassed the Taj Mahal. There is an inscription inside its marble dome that reads 'if there is a heaven on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this', which is not an idle boast.

5. If you could own one piece of art what would it be?

One, what d'you mean one? That's so unreasonable Adam.

I would like The Valpincon Bather by Ingres, an empty room in fading twilight by Hammershoi and a small sketch by Holbein but really, you can't beat a white laundry on a washing line drying in the breeze: a global occurrence & free

6. What is your favourite website?

Youfail.org is curiously cheering

stlyrics.com/songs for exploding mondegreens...it puts you right when you think Hendricks is singing 'scuse me while I kiss this guy' or Creedance Clearwater Revival are pointing out ' a bathroom on the right'
'dance properly: advanced seminar' on zefrank.com taught me everything I know.

Liza Campbell