The Living Tomb | An Interview and musical interlude
-An Interview with Dr Simon Woolham.
Featuring L.A.S.H and The Frog Performer
The following interview was conducted on the last day of ‘The Living Tomb: In Life and Death We Are Intertwined’ exhibition.
This month-long exhibition was something of an impromptu residency with Simon bringing along his friend ‘The Frog’ who spent literal days yomping around the neighbourhood, across the city centre and over as far as Armley, attending as they did an opening at Assembly House one evening.
The video below is only half of what we recorded, unfortunately the microphone batteries malfunctioned halfway through so we lost the audio during the second-half of the recording. But, the half we got is an incredibly insightful view as to how Simon’s work operates. We have also included a couple of songs from his bands opening day performance, so enjoy…
Fear of The Unknown
Whilst ‘The Living Tomb’ looked at ideas around memorialisation and the central premise that in the midst of life we are in death, The Frog brought in a much different angle, if you will a form of exposure therapy. Whilst the gallery can often be an uncomfortable setting for people to visit art in, so to can the domestic setting of a family home. It is not so much the space in which the art is presented that makes it an uncomfortable premise, but the notion that one may be confronted with something that they cannot understand or explain. The Frog takes these feelings of imposter syndrome that many of us have, including us as artists, and holds up a mirror. In doing this a new doorway is opened onto the world, the light gets in and illuminates the corners once shrouded in darkness.
Froggy Went A Courtin’ - South Leeds Version
Froggy Went A Courtin’ - Assembly House Version
(feat. Meg Erridge | Drift exhibition)
(Azure) Froggy Went A Courtin’ - Leeds City Centre Version
(feat. Corn Exchange, The Sculpture Gallery, Henry Moore Institute & Leeds Art Gallery & Various New Friends)
Lunchtime Conversation
Guests begin to arrive for the Lunchtime Conversation. A brief visit from ‘The Frog’ before Simon arrives to talk about his work with the visitors.
About Simon Woolham
Simon Woolham studied Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University followed by an MA at Chelsea College of Art in London (2000).
Simon’s practice as an artist, curator and academic is centred around expanded drawing research and methodology and this was the focus of his practice-led PhD from 2012 and awarded in 2016 at Manchester Metropolitan University. The PhD explored walking (in the broadest sense) and narrative in physical, virtual, and psychological space, expanding on the notion of an artists’ residency of the mind.
Between 2000 and 2012 Simon has exhibited widely as a solo artist including at The Lowry in Salford and Chapter Gallery in Cardiff, as well as numerous national and international group exhibitions including the first Tatton Park Biennial. In 2006 he was Artist-in-Residence at Baltic – Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, he won the Mostyn Open 11 at Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno in 2001.
Simon was based at Wysing Art Centre between 2008 and 2012 and is currently based at Rogue Artists Studio. Since 2012 Simon has developed and initiated projects with Super Slow Way, Drawing Projects UK and Cultures of Place amongst others. Between 2012 and 2022 he was curator and artistic programmer of the artist-led gallery PAPER in Manchester.
As The Frog they have performed at HOME, The White Hotel, Chetham’s Library, The Whitaker and other galleries, towns and cities across the UK.
Simon is also currently co-writing/editing a book for Bloomsbury Publishing called ‘Drawing as Placemaking: Environment, History and Identity’ which unites his deep interest in expanded drawing practice, alongside a current collaborative residency project at Gorton Monastery, funded by the University of Huddersfield.