HELLO SEB AND A WARM WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER COLLABORATION WITH 4BYSIX. THANK YOU FOR  TAKING THE TIME TO WORK ON YOUR NEW PIECE AND TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT YOUR ARTISTIC PRACTICE AND  CONNECTION TO THE PROJECT.  

TO BEGIN, FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE SEEING YOUR WORK FOR THE FIRST TIME, PLEASE CAN YOU BRIEFLY  INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR CREATIVE PRACTICE?  

I’m a UK based multi disciplinary artist who works primarily in paint and ceramics. Since  graduating from Chelsea UAL I’ve exhibited internationally with Whitestone Gallery in Tokyo,  Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei as well as locally across London with shows at Maddox and  elsewhere. My practice has evolved from merging memes with art history to the theatre of  the everyday. Creating from a place of humour and play I often up-cycle and transform  objects into art.  

FOR THIS PROJECT, YOU WORKED WITH A ROLLS ROYCE ROCKER BOX AND TRANSFORMED IT INTO A  SCULPTURE. WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL REACTION WHEN ASKED TO WORK WITH THIS PARTICULAR OBJECT? IS  THIS SOMETHING YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OR A COMPLETELY NEW WAY OF WORKING?  

The rocker box, although for a Rolls Royce, reminded me of my dad who is a big grease  head when it comes to motorbikes. I often worked around countless bike parts when growing  up so the shape was oddly familiar. I approached the artwork with a kit bashing style, often  seen in the hobbyist miniature figure scene. This is something I’ve done before, that is  transforming scraps into robots, so I enjoyed the challenge of blending parts into one  coherent shape. I used old skateboard trucks, metal trestle legs as well as Little Tike car  parts to make the cricket.  

CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU FOUND THE PROCESS, DID THE SHAPE OF THE BOX INSPIRE THE DIRECTION OF  THE FINAL PIECE OR WAS THIS PRE-PLANNED?  

The shape of the rocker box heavily influenced my cricket design. As soon as I received it to  my studio I could see the form in my minds eye. It didn’t give itself to a painted work with the  lack of surface area so I decided to build the form into something new. Considering the  exhibition context of the car garage, I liked the idea of a cricket looking at all the other  artworks. As I made it I realised it somewhat resembled those Boston Dynamics robot dogs  we’ve become somewhat accustomed to in the backdrop of an ever digitally layered, Ai  filtered world. The sculpture is a contrast of a hand crafted mechanical body incasing a  digital consciousness.  

WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ARTWORK? AS YOUR PAINTINGS ARE PRIMARILY CHARACTER FOCUSED, DID THIS FEED INTO THE SCULPTURE?  

In essence this is another character. Although not in the realm of my portraits, centred  around people and the everyday it does reflect my recent feelings around how the digital  world is becoming more autonomous in the real world. The cricket has been used as a  symbol of consciousness in pop culture. The “Jimmy Cricket Effect” In psychology, refers to  leveraging cognitive dissonance. When an individual makes a verbal or public commitment, their "inner cricket" nags at them if they try to back out, creating psychological discomfort to  keep their behaviour aligned with their self-image. The sculpture reflects these concepts with  it’s terminator esc glowing red eye. Observing the viewer as it is seen.  

LASTLY, HOW HAS LIFE IN THE STUDIO BEEN TREATING YOU? DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW IDEAS AND/OR  PROJECTS COMING UP?  

Studio life has been exciting. I have been creating a new body of work that is very close to  my heart but I’m waiting for the right time to reveal it! I’ve also been very active in the public  mural scene. Creating interactive murals at such festivals as “We Out Here” as well as  paintings grounded in social spaces such as Hootananny’s in Brixton for D4100.