A World of One's Own with Tai Snaith

How can we make traces of suffering into visual poetry? How do we map emotional data?

Tai and Stan talk about the different ways we can make our art practice meaningful to our lives, and the lives of others. They discuss how Stan has managed to include travel, meeting people, tattooing and even beekeeping as integral parts of her practice. She explains her deeply thoughtful process of ‘data mapping’ and how it relates to her tattooing practice via shared modes of intimacy, trust, intensity and visual economy or minimalist language. We discuss the long-practiced traditions of making and wearing decorative motifs on the body and the utopian idea of exchanging honey and art and ideas in place of money.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

How might an artwork be part of the language of interiors or functional design? How important is understanding scale and process?

Tai and Esther go deep into process during this conversation. They discuss Esther’s studio process and what it means to adopt a more design-based practice and apply it to painting. Esther outlines the different stages of making a body of work from the ‘suitcase of patterns’ and ideas phase through to experimenting, ‘jiggled out thinking’, trialling, planning, making models and finally the labour or making stage. They unpack the notion of thresholds, taste, perspective and the uncomfortable but interesting problem of what happens when a visual artist’s work becomes part of the decor.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

How important is it to make yourself and others visible? What can a photograph achieve, and what is the power of the photographer?

Tai and Atong discuss all the different aspects of Atong’s identity and how making sense of them informs her artwork. Atong explains what it is like to grow up ‘between cultures’ as a South Sudanese person in Australia and the liminality that exists as part of that. Atong openly addresses the complex nature of racism and the very real issue of ‘everyday racism’, often by ‘good’ people. With a practice that has always leaned towards portraiture and self-portraiture, this conversation with Atong very much revolves around ideas of the self, the power of the photographer, and power of accessing and owning your family history.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

Can we maintain a lightness of being using heavy materials? What is the role of a public artist and how is this changing?

In this spirited conversation, Tai and Sanné discuss what it means to be a self-made woman interested in the relationship between the lived world and the perceived world. They talk about depicting women with ‘gravity’ and a new way of how the female form might fit into the landscape. They discuss embarking on motherhood as an early to mid-career artist and being okay with breastfeeding in the foundry, amongst many other things.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

What is Conceptual Art? How can we do away with Visual Litter?

Tai and Agatha talk about the practice of deep thinking and the process of taking ideas apart. They discuss the fine balance of keeping all the parts of the ‘plait’ of one’s life even and neatly braided, and what it means to follow a series of decisions to consciously take away anything extraneous to create strong, clear work. Agatha talks about her ongoing desire to ‘cut through the conceptual fog with a sharp knife’ and even her lifelong goal to be a mascot for Puzzling World.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

How can mockery and humour be used as a tool for survival? How do you write yourself into a history that has always favoured men?

In this conversation Tai and Paola go on a raucous storytelling romp through Paola’s vibrant past, recounting her ‘triple-whammy of Otherness’ as a young Wemba Wemba/Gunditjmara woman, with an Italian dad and a Chinese surname in Echuca/Moama in the '80s. Paola talks about the strong influence of indigenous women’s voices like Aunty Marge Tucker, and the links to the incredibly powerful artwork she continues to make around this to this day.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

Is a painting like a poem? How do we make our own rules when we are painting?

In this conversation, Tai and Laura discuss their migrant roots in Australia and how this affects the ethics of how they live and work. Laura shares her secret practice of writing ‘tragic poems’ and how these are slowly creeping into her paintings. They share their love of double meanings and layering of possibilities in our palettes alongside other women painters they admire.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

How can we share an experience without using words? What is it like to feel the push and pull of presence and hiding?

Tai and Archie chat honestly about what role identity plays in Archie’s practice and how they are interested in expressing that identity in a non-visual way. They discuss the beautiful and sometimes frustrating ‘slipperiness’ of language and how cultivating the agency and capacity to connect with an audience can be a truly energising and grounding experience.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com

In this episode, we also heard an untitled piece of music by Archie Barry, with audio production by Sean Lowry. Thanks to Archie for supplying the audio.

How can we make Culture rather than Art? Is the sky a black velvet blanket?

Tai and Lucreccia discuss how having a punk attitude, and not necessarily wanting to fit in, can be a good thing. Lucreccia talks about a process of finding ‘her people’ and then simply asking ‘what do we wanna do?’ as a way to begin making work. Together they share their love of the power of the dance floor and the mystery of the conch.

Links, more episodes, and information about A World of One’s Own, at taisnaith.com/podcast

Audio production: Bec Fary

Theme music: ‘End of the Day’ by Phia www.listentophia.com