This is a interview with Laura Marie Doore who appeared in our exhibition and publication “Contrast, Issue 2“.
You have mentioned that the contrast in your painting is not in what is visually represented but rather in the changes the world has undergone. Can you explain how this idea influenced the creation of the artwork?
Having lived on the outskirts of London, for the last few years. I’ve become aware of how it’s almost indistinguishable parameters have been expanded over time, from just a small town, by having numerous other towns and villages build up around it. It made me curious about how it would’ve looked like before, and what could have caused people to settle there.
How do you hope that the viewers of your work will interpret contrast between the past (villages & trees) and the present (cities & buildings) as explored in your work?
If I told you this is an abstract picture of the River Thames, you may disagree and say no its not, due to the lack of buildings. But, If I say this the River Lea, then you may be more likely to agree because it just depicts waterways. Now, if suddenly they decided to build shops, sky scrapers, schools along the River Lea. The picture becomes obsolete, because now there is a town or city in its place. It shows how adding a few minor details can change the whole aesthetic of a place.
Villages of the Riverside focuses on the land at “its beginnings”, how did you approach the concept of depicting the landscape before modern development?
I wanted to draw a basic, almost primal picture to depict the landscape, because the cityscapes we know of these days are many centuries old, and there are often no pictures to portray how they once were. So, I took the basic shape of The River Thames as reference, how it is seen in the ariel photographs, and drew upon that.
Are there any environmental or social themes you are exploring with the depiction of settlements turning into cities? Is there a message in your work about development and its affects on the environment?
Yes. As a child, I grew up on a farm. I can remember playing in my nans garden, and not being able to see another house for miles. Now, that area is unrecognisable due to having been built upon. I think we see cities as a fact of life because they were built before documentation. I like to think if people realised what came before, people may respect the land more. Instead of looking down at those that perhaps live more “primitive” lives.
How do you see these ideas explored in “Villages of the Riverside” evolving in your future work?
These ideas are present in my current series “Earth, Land and sky” currently consisting of 16 artworks. I have had an idea to finish the current series to a tribute to the mad disorder in which cities are built, in a way that affects my OCD when I look upon them – such as glass offices next to wooden Victorian shops. It’s as though child has tipped out a toybox into the garden.
Furthermore, what future artistic projects are you working on? How do you see your practice evolving in the future?
I am finishing off the Earth Land and Sky series by the end of this year. Next year will be working on more illustrative works. Still dotted, and using paint pouring techniques, however they shall be more about representation of personal feelings rather than those of the outside world.