LM WOMAN / ALANA WILSON
Alana Wilson is a multidisciplinary artist based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Creating intimate and instinctual forms across different mediums, her mindful works remind us of the very nature and fabric of life. As a traverser of not only places, but also artistic processes and ways of seeing, she spoke to us about embracing the inevitable, her appetite for travel and untethering oneself.
Alana wears the Oakley Maxi Dress.
An integral part of your process is to let the materials act, react and guide the end result. This shows a huge sense of trust in the inevitable, how did you learn to embrace the unknown? And would you say this reflects your approach to life as well as art?
Working with ceramics requires this kind of approach as there can be many variables within the process that may or may not occur as you imagine. I have learned through my practice (and other facets of life) that unmet expectations generally result in disappointment or unhappiness. In Buddhist thinking this is referred to as dukkah and relates the root of all suffering to our attachments. It took a while to come to this understanding, mostly through personal situations that I was trying to make sense of. However, it is just as applicable in the studio as it is with people or emotions.
Given your approach to let these things take their course and embrace both the motion and decay within, how do you know when something is complete?
It’s difficult to say. Ceramics are technically complete when they have been glaze-fired, but a drawing can always be refined. It’s ultimately about the flow of ideas that interconnect; the works themselves just represent iterations of the ideas - ongoing, cyclical, connected. If something is not working out the way I imagine it to, I’ll try a different approach, or accept the way it is in reality.
Your habitual life has led you to many places, from the suburbs of your birthplace in Canberra, to growing up in the mountains of New Zealand and now to the beaches of Sydney and in-between…are you a nomad by nature or by design? How has this inspired you?
I’ve learned to be more nomadic over time. Recent travels got me thinking again about abandoning the idea of ownership. Many of us feel like we belong to a place, or a place belongs to us (or people, or things, or ways of thinking too). Abandoning this notion feels almost like a relief or an untethering.
In terms of the bigger picture I think this should be an imperative concept for us to consider globally - why do we feel the need to own or be owned by places, people, ideas or possessions? How can we abandon the idea of ownership? It is these kinds of observations of culture and related questions that inspire me.
This year, you completed a residency at Potters House in Mallorca, as well as went to Japan for your second show at Gallery Crossing, could you share more about why and how these international exposures matter and how they inspire you further?
The greatest aspect of visiting Spain and Japan this year was meeting and working with the incredible people that helped bring the work to life. Spending time and having conversations with other artists, craftsmen, or exhibition visitors is an equally vital part of the process of bringing ideas into reality.
For example, in Japan I found it insightful to discuss with visitors their thoughts and perceptions of the work; intersections or disparities of ideas between Eastern and Western art can be quite evident at times. I was fortunate to spend a long period of time at Potter’s House in Mallorca, to settle and adapt to daily life there, to meet and work with locals whilst exploring and absorbing the energy of the island. Another virtue of any travel is the mindset it allows you, almost a beginners mind; again - an untethering. I think of my travels more so as cultural exposure to different values or ways of thinking; second to that is the international exposure of your work and practice.
Alana wears the Oakley Top and Stella skirt.
We love that a huge source of inspiration for you is the ocean, it ties so deeply (pardon the pun!) with your process – immense, unpredictable but also with a sense of calm. You’ve also taught (teach?) swimming. What is it about the nature of water that draws you to it?
I grew up with water and swimming being a very valuable part of my life. I’m still drawn to it as a way to pay reciprocity for something that was so significant to my family and childhood. Teaching allows respite from the studio and to connect with others. Also, I can pay the rent without feeling any financial pressure in the studio; it’s clarifying not to have to make this commercial compromise.
Tactility is also a key element within your designs, how important is it to focus on the tangible when creating? And how do you balance this with the less overt?
Working with form and sculpture ultimately means the works have to abide by the laws of gravity and balance - they have to exist in reality. Additionally, all clay works inherit a kind of tactility due to the use of the human body in the process. This appreciation of tactility tends to work its way into other mediums such as soft-ground etchings. I’m not sure if I consciously balance this; the conceptual premise and the tactility or physicality of work tends to co-evolve.
Your destiny seems to have been set from the beginning and we’d love to know what drew you to artistic pursuits and what led you there – do you feel you chose your work, or did it choose you?
During my childhood I always loved creating, imagining, and constructing. I was fortunate to have been supported to follow my intuition and do what I enjoyed.
Alana wears the Oakley Tunic and Floyd Pant.
Your studio feels very much like an oasis, how do you go about setting up your space and what do you do to allow the process and practice of making to take its natural course?
The studio I am currently in has been rearranged several times as my processes develop. It’s mostly set up to allow easy work flow and, particularly with ceramics, it’s critical to consider material safety. For example, I have seperate areas for working with clay (messy), glazing (dust & vapour), or working on prints and drawings. I tend not to have any work visible (unless in progress) as I find this can distract from the progression of fresh thinking.
The process of making tends to be focused for the day; whether that’s working with clay, methodically glazing, taking photographs, or writing and sketching.
Your pieces are naturally collectable, are you yourself a collector of anything?
I collect shells and have a large collection of tiny shells from places I visit. Similarly stones and geological items interest me and I have some pieces from various landscapes, most recently from Greece and the Balearic Islands.
Collaboration is often a curator of creativity, what drew you to working with Lee Mathews and why?
Lee and I have worked together several times over the past decade. She is always so supportive and encouraging of new ideas and is really a dream collaborative partner for our projects! I admire the longevity, timelessness and consideration she applies to her designs and the LM company - something that we simultaneously think about when creating.
What’s next for you?
Over the summer, I will be working on pieces for a solo exhibition at Reading Room in April 2023. A research trip and possibly some further studies are in my plans for next year.
Photographer: Anne Peeters
LM WOMAN / ALana wilson
Alana Wilson is a multidisciplinary artist based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Creating intimate and instinctual forms across different mediums, her mindful works remind us of the very nature and fabric of life. As a traverser of not only places, but also artistic processes and ways of seeing, she spoke to us about embracing the inevitable, her appetite for travel and untethering oneself.
Alana wears the Oakley Maxi Dress.
An integral part of your process is to let the materials act, react and guide the end result. This shows a huge sense of trust in the inevitable, how did you learn to embrace the unknown? And would you say this reflects your approach to life as well as art?
Working with ceramics requires this kind of approach as there can be many variables within the process that may or may not occur as you imagine. I have learned through my practice (and other facets of life) that unmet expectations generally result in disappointment or unhappiness. In Buddhist thinking this is referred to as dukkah and relates the root of all suffering to our attachments. It took a while to come to this understanding, mostly through personal situations that I was trying to make sense of. However, it is just as applicable in the studio as it is with people or emotions.
Given your approach to let these things take their course and embrace both the motion and decay within, how do you know when something is complete?
It’s difficult to say. Ceramics are technically complete when they have been glaze-fired, but a drawing can always be refined. It’s ultimately about the flow of ideas that interconnect; the works themselves just represent iterations of the ideas - ongoing, cyclical, connected. If something is not working out the way I imagine it to, I’ll try a different approach, or accept the way it is in reality.
Your habitual life has led you to many places, from the suburbs of your birthplace in Canberra, to growing up in the mountains of New Zealand and now to the beaches of Sydney and in-between…are you a nomad by nature or by design? How has this inspired you?
I’ve learned to be more nomadic over time. Recent travels got me thinking again about abandoning the idea of ownership. Many of us feel like we belong to a place, or a place belongs to us (or people, or things, or ways of thinking too). Abandoning this notion feels almost like a relief or an untethering.
In terms of the bigger picture I think this should be an imperative concept for us to consider globally - why do we feel the need to own or be owned by places, people, ideas or possessions? How can we abandon the idea of ownership? It is these kinds of observations of culture and related questions that inspire me.
This year, you completed a residency at Potters House in Mallorca, as well as went to Japan for your second show at Gallery Crossing, could you share more about why and how these international exposures matter and how they inspire you further?
The greatest aspect of visiting Spain and Japan this year was meeting and working with the incredible people that helped bring the work to life. Spending time and having conversations with other artists, craftsmen, or exhibition visitors is an equally vital part of the process of bringing ideas into reality.
For example, in Japan I found it insightful to discuss with visitors their thoughts and perceptions of the work; intersections or disparities of ideas between Eastern and Western art can be quite evident at times. I was fortunate to spend a long period of time at Potter’s House in Mallorca, to settle and adapt to daily life there, to meet and work with locals whilst exploring and absorbing the energy of the island. Another virtue of any travel is the mindset it allows you, almost a beginners mind; again - an untethering. I think of my travels more so as cultural exposure to different values or ways of thinking; second to that is the international exposure of your work and practice.
Alana wears the Oakley Top and Stella skirt.
We love that a huge source of inspiration for you is the ocean, it ties so deeply (pardon the pun!) with your process – immense, unpredictable but also with a sense of calm. You’ve also taught (teach?) swimming. What is it about the nature of water that draws you to it?
I grew up with water and swimming being a very valuable part of my life. I’m still drawn to it as a way to pay reciprocity for something that was so significant to my family and childhood. Teaching allows respite from the studio and to connect with others. Also, I can pay the rent without feeling any financial pressure in the studio; it’s clarifying not to have to make this commercial compromise.
Tactility is also a key element within your designs, how important is it to focus on the tangible when creating? And how do you balance this with the less overt?
Working with form and sculpture ultimately means the works have to abide by the laws of gravity and balance - they have to exist in reality. Additionally, all clay works inherit a kind of tactility due to the use of the human body in the process. This appreciation of tactility tends to work its way into other mediums such as soft-ground etchings. I’m not sure if I consciously balance this; the conceptual premise and the tactility or physicality of work tends to co-evolve.
Your destiny seems to have been set from the beginning and we’d love to know what drew you to artistic pursuits and what led you there – do you feel you chose your work, or did it choose you?
During my childhood I always loved creating, imagining, and constructing. I was fortunate to have been supported to follow my intuition and do what I enjoyed.
Alana wears the Oakley Tunic and Floyd Pant.
Your studio feels very much like an oasis, how do you go about setting up your space and what do you do to allow the process and practice of making to take its natural course?
The studio I am currently in has been rearranged several times as my processes develop. It’s mostly set up to allow easy work flow and, particularly with ceramics, it’s critical to consider material safety. For example, I have seperate areas for working with clay (messy), glazing (dust & vapour), or working on prints and drawings. I tend not to have any work visible (unless in progress) as I find this can distract from the progression of fresh thinking.
The process of making tends to be focused for the day; whether that’s working with clay, methodically glazing, taking photographs, or writing and sketching.
Your pieces are naturally collectable, are you yourself a collector of anything?
I collect shells and have a large collection of tiny shells from places I visit. Similarly stones and geological items interest me and I have some pieces from various landscapes, most recently from Greece and the Balearic Islands.
Collaboration is often a curator of creativity, what drew you to working with Lee Mathews and why?
Lee and I have worked together several times over the past decade. She is always so supportive and encouraging of new ideas and is really a dream collaborative partner for our projects! I admire the longevity, timelessness and consideration she applies to her designs and the LM company - something that we simultaneously think about when creating.
What’s next for you?
Over the summer, I will be working on pieces for a solo exhibition at Reading Room in April 2023. A research trip and possibly some further studies are in my plans for next year.
Photographer: Anne Peeters