With only 8 days left until the
Inkygoodness Character Walk opens along side
Pictoplasma in Berlin, now seemed a good time to interview the lovely people behind it all; Lisa Hassell and Michelle Turton.
Hello Lisa and Michelle!
First things first, for readers who may not have heard about Inkygoodness, tell us a little more about yourselves.
Inkygoodness was founded on our passion for illustration and character design, developed during our degree courses and lots of trips to exhibitions and creative events over the last few years. The initiative started off as a small exhibition showing just our own work back in 2008, and quickly evolved into group shows with our friends and other like-minded creatives. Our aim is to showcase new and emerging talent in this discipline alongside more established artists working in the field, offering a unique oppotunity for networking and collaboration.
I've recently been following the work you have been doing on the Character Totem project, which is heading to Berlin this month. Where did the idea for character totems come from?
Having organised several group exhibitions which have been presented as 'gallery' shows, we were itching to do something a little bit different for the next Inkygoodness project. Pitching to Pictoplasma was our sole aim, but we knew we had to think outside the box to secure a spot on the Character Walk!
We had been talking about doing an installation for a while, but we weren't sure what form it would take, other than customising objects, or cut-outs. We also wanted to create a show that would be fun to do, and of course incorporating character design, which is central to the Pictoplasma event. Uniting these elements gave birth to the Character Totem concept!
Who is exhibiting in the exhibition? From what I have seen so far you have some serious talent on your hands!
We are very fortunate to have met and befriended a wealth of talented artists and illustrators, many of whom have been involved with Inkygoodness at past events. Our background in illustration has really shaped the creative output of Inkygoodness and our understanding of the type of artists we want to work with. This year we are happy to be reunited with Mc Bess, Felt Mistress and Good Wives & Warriors, in addition to selection of up and coming artists such as Hannah Baber, Neil Keating and Liam Barrett, who is still studying in Bristol.
Do you have any favourite totems? There must be a couple you wouldn't mind keeping!
Oooh that's a hard one as they are all so great! Liam Barrett's piece is absolutely stunning, he's a remarkable talent given his age. We love the plush Totem by Felt Mistress too. We can't wait to unpack the Totems in Berlin and put the show together - it's going to be fantastic to see them all together as one big family.
Our Colour Me Totem project has also attracted a wonderful selection of entries. We weren't sure if it was really going to take off, but we're been very impressed with the standard of work so far. We're still calling for entries until 31 March, so there's still time for artists to get involved.
Did you ever think that your projects would go international? It must be very exciting exhibiting in Berlin!
Absolutely, and incredibly exciting to be in this position. Hosting an international event has always been on our agenda - although, after just two years, it has come along alot sooner than we could have hoped for! We're thrilled to be exhibiting in Berlin, particularly as part of Pictoplasma - an event we've attended for the last 4 years. It's an honor and a priviledge to be rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry.
Berlin is such a cool and vibrant city especially from a creative perspective, we always have a good time and come back feeling inspired, now it's our turn to inspire others.
In the future, would you like to see the Totem project get bigger than it currently is and reach an expanded audience? Would the opportunity to do something along the lines of the 'London Cow parade', that is exhibiting the totems in numerous cities, be something you'd be interested in?
Definitely. We are currently looking into funding to support a touring Totem exhibition across the U.K, so if anyone would like to support us - get in touch!
What is the next big plan after the Totem project?
That's an interesting question! We're open to new opportunities and collaborations that may present themselves after Pictoplasma - anything is possible. The last few years have been a lot of fun, we feel we have achieved a lot in a very short space of time, and our goal is to continue to work hard, build our reputation and eventually concentrate on Inkygoodness full time. We're keen to diversify and try other avenues to showcase new talent, be it publishing, apparel or more events. We're excited to see where the future takes us.
How can budding creative types find out more and get involved in your projects?
Our
blog is a good place to start for the latest inkygoodness news, as we love blogging about projects we're working on! We also feature artists from time to time, so its always worth sending in examples of work. Plus, we're always happy receive submissions from interested artists & illustrators - we keep every e-mail submission on file and always make that our first point of call when we start a new project.
Finally, where do you see Inkygoodness in the next 5 years?
Travelling the world, organising bigger projects, maybe even hosting our own mini-illustration festival in the U.K! We're very keen to move into publishing later this year too - an Inkygoodness book would be very special indeed!
Thank you for your time and good luck in Berlin!
