Nicola Rae

Remote Sensing Sonification: Jupiter Aurora,
2019,
Projections, acrylic screens, Genelec speakers,  
1.5 metres x 4 metres approx.

How long have you had a studio at APT?
We joined APT in 1995 when the Trust was first created on Deptford Creek. Initially the artist members only had leases for three years and we thought that the Trust’s financial position might mean that we might then all have to leave. However, Paul and I decided to spend many months creating a flexible space with a mezzanine level in the space that I currently work in now beside the yard. The experience of working in this studio, where it is sited and its increased risk of flooding have all become part of my wider practice over the years. 

Which female artists inspired you growing up?
My interpretation of ‘growing up’ as an artist was when attending the BA Fine Art course at Canterbury College of Art. Before this I hardly ever went to galleries unless on a very occasional school trip although I drew all of the time. I often took books out of the library at Canterbury, knowing that I had a lot of catching up to do. One artist that I found particularly interesting was Eva Hesse, in the book written by Lucy Lippard, even though my work did not resemble hers. Reading Hesse’s notes, letters and observations as well as her correspondence with Sol Le Witt stayed in my mind. In many ways her struggle to become an artist was a feminist action - striving to make new work sustained through communication with her critical but supportive fellow artists.

What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
After considering various options, I have decided to share some practical advice instead:

Apply for opportunities, exhibit work as much as possible as each exhibition will be a learning experience, if no opportunities emerge then create them, work collaboratively with others to achieve this.

Why did you choose this piece of work today?
Remote Sensing Sonification: Jupiter Aurorae, 2019 was the first time that I collaborated more directly with astrophysicists and led me to want to explore possibilities in more depth. March 2022 marks the start of the year-long project SPACE Lab [co-creative art-astronomy experiments], which I will co-lead with astronomer/artist Ulrike Kuchner. Artists will co-create work with astronomers as well as young people from the Borough of Lewisham over an extended length of time. We have received funding from the Science & Technology Facilities Council Spark Award for Public Engagement and will work with aspects of ESA’s EUCLID telescope project launching in 2023.