Tristan Stowards chats to artist/writer Amy Spiers

T.S.
You recently held a writing workshop in Federation Square. What was that like?

A.S.
I was invited to lead a workshop at ArtPlay on letter writing. ArtPlay is a space near Fed Square that runs a program of creative workshops for children. The kids in my workshop, aged 8-12, had been briefed that they had to write a letter about Melbourne - describing why they loved the city - to commemorate Melbourne Day on 30 August. Although I didn't choose the theme, I was excited by the opportunity to run a workshop based on letters.

What I love about letter writing is that it's so accessible. No one feels intimidated about writing a letter, not even an eight year old. I like that when writing letters you tend to get people expressing themselves with an immediate, vernacular, uninhibited voice. I like the unadorned, everyday use of language. People can say the most extraordinary and profound things when they don't even mean to!

T.S.
Do you see yourself as a visual artist, or a writer? Or am I simply being stubborn in wishing to categorize you?

A.S.
In my experience I've found the distinction between the two can be fairly fluid. Or at least I find it interesting when writers make art and artists write. Perhaps it’s because you come fresh to the other discipline without the baggage and perceived constraints that a trained artist or writer does.

When I moved to Melbourne from Hobart in 2003 I lived with a couple of writers who also enjoyed making art and performing. Living in that environment was infectious I guess. I realised that you didn't have to specialise in something; that sometimes it was useful, and ideal, to use all the creative skills at your disposal.

T.S.
You've recently received funding from the Australia Council’s Literature Board. How did this come about?

A.S.
Last year Victoria Stead and I were developing "Agents of Proximity" for the 2008 Next Wave Festival and received the Write In Your Face grant for emerging writers funded by Ozco Literature Board. "Agents of Proximity" was a project that used photography, writing and performance to explore our home suburb, Brunswick, through the mindset and rituals of travel. As part of the project we developed a travel guide to Brunswick, which the Write in Your Face grant helped us print.

We were chuffed to get the funding from the Literature Board. Although neither of us would be considered creative writers - I have studied fine arts and Victoria has a background in non-fiction writing, particularly in politics, history, and journalism - I guess our project interested the Literature Board because it explored suburban space through the stories of the people who share it in a way that was innovative and unexpected. I believe it goes back to that thing I was saying about artists who write and writers who make art. You can do interesting things because you approach an unfamiliar discipline with alternative influences and perspectives.

I've always enjoyed writing and my written skills complement my art practice. For instance in 2006 I participated in an emerging writer's program with Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces. The program not only helped me to hone my critical writing skills and reflect on the work of other artists but also exposed me to other writers, curators and galleries that I had not had the opportunity to encounter through my art practice.

The agents of proximity: Amy Spiers & Victoria Stead

T.S.
In Agents of Proximity you and Victoria Stead set yourselves up as an artist-run travel agency. Tell me more about this.

A.S.
Victoria and I became interested in how we shared our suburb with a myriad of different people but rarely moved beyond our usual circuit of friends. We understood that Brunswick, a Melbourne suburb well-known for being "culturally diverse", must contain many layers of stories and personal histories and we decided to devise a way to uncover them. As "Agents of Proximity" Victoria and I used the concept of travel to encourage residents to talk about "their" Brunswick.

The artist-run travel agency operated by matching two residents up, where one participant would lead the other on a tour of the suburb through their sites of personal significance. At the end of the tours we asked participants to reflect on their journey by writing on the back of a postcard, as you would if you were writing home from a real travel experience. A compilation of eight journeys, their photographic documentation and the postcards became the content for our publication, Brunswick: A Travel Guide.

T.S.
The project has a private, playful vibe that you then turn inside-out for a wider audience to enjoy, both on the internet and in your newly printed book. Tell us about how you found people agreeable to be part of this process. Any surprises?

A.S.
Sigh. Projects that rely on the participation of the public can be disheartening and exhausting. From our perspective - as creative types - we consider it fun to be approached by complete strangers and be invited to talk about our lives and lead tours of our neighbourhood, but in actual fact most people don't share this interest. Most people just don't have the time, the trust or the desire to participate in art projects about their community.

The surprise occurs when you find people who are. It's the people who answer a random flyer, an annoying email or an urgent phonecall and express a willingness to give up their time, an enthusiasm to engage with the ideas, and a desire to spend time with strangers that make such projects inspiring, curious, intriguing and unpredictable. I guess this goes some way towards explaining why I keep doing community engaged, participatory projects. Working with randomly sourced people is just so fascinating, they contribute the most unexpected things.

T.S.
There are several themes in Agents of Proximity that are shared with previous works of yours such as The Melbourne Photo-booth Project in the 2006 Melbourne Fringe Festival, and your most recent work Cubby at Six A in Hobart; (I'm thinking themes of discovery, journey, revelation, and play. ) Foremost is the role of the public as an integral element of the work. What do you think are the significance of these themes in contemporary Australia?

A.S.
Recently I read this statement by the artist Stuart Ringholt: "I am interested in finding out if art can be super practical beyond the immediate visual or sensory experience. Can art literally improve my life on an inter-personal level?". I like this statement as it goes some way towards explaining what I've been trying to do with the recent projects.

I'm interested in social art. All my projects since 2006 have experimented with ways of engaging community, and have aimed to create exchanges and acts of communication between people. Either by inviting strangers to measure their closeness in a photo booth, or encouraging neighbours to swap favourite spots in their neighbourhood, or forcing gallery goers to indulge in the intimacy of cubbies I am endeavouring to provide playful solutions to feelings of isolation and disconnect. The impetus is a desire for more meaningful encounters with people, in spite of all that facebook has to offer.

T.S.
What are you doing next?

A.S.
I'm mulling over this idea based on carpooling and how increased petrol prices are making people in the outer suburbs band together with their neighbours and organise communal lifts to work. I think it’s interesting that people who are used to making their journeys individually are now forced to share them.

Amy Spiers is a artist and writer. Before trudging the well worn path to Melbourne in 2005, Amy was a student at Hobart's School of Art. Most recently her projects have included Agents of Proximity, part of the 2008 Next Wave Festival, and cubby, which appeared at 6a in July. As an emerging arts writer, Amy has written for Artlink Magazine, RMIT gallery and Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces.

Tristan Stowards is a performer and visual artist who lives in Hobart.