6.8 The Madi Feist Interview

Transcript

All right, let’s start. Let’s start. Yeah, yeah. Welcome back to Hung Up. Today we have got Madi Feist on the floor. Now we’re all sitting floor mode. Yeah, I like the floor. Welcome. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Yeah, you’re welcome. And as ever, my gracious Co host

Aiden say hello. So excited to be here. I love the change in season. I’m enjoying this so much. That reminds me, I got to close a window. Yeah, close the window. I can close it. Probably I will do it while you introduce yourself and your practice. Oh, yeah. Hello. Yeah, I’m Madi.

I make, I make sculptures and I guess trying to make more sort of expanded things this year like videos and trying to do performances. Haven’t done them before properly, but I think that’s this year is my year too.

Expand those. Yeah, those things, yeah. Cool, do more. Different stuff. Yeah, cool. I’ll just get you to go. Like, oh closer yeah, that’s great. Okay, okay, sorry I. Figured that all the. Time, but we picked up all of that. That’s great. I’ll just say we were kind of chatting about this beforehand, but really great to have you here, Madi, because we sort of been, I want it like this is

such a crazy way to say it, but like following your career since

the grad show because yeah, we went and saw the grad show. What? What year was it again, 20? It was 20, it should have been 2021, but it it was in 2022 because of all the lockdowns. Right, That makes sense, right? Yeah, yeah. And your work just like really caught us. I mean, obviously, like everyone, like, you know, NASA is such a good school in terms

of like everyone’s going to be able to make convincing work and like good work. And no one can like throw the Kofa thing of like, they didn’t teach me how to paint. Like everyone can paint. That’s a good. Point actually I hadn’t even thought about. That but like I think the double edged sword of that across like all art schools where there is some sort of like rigour in that

sense of like you will be able to make work that someone’s parents will recognise as work. The sort of flip side to that is that and not, you know, not trying to be controversial here, but it could create work that is formally competent but uninspired. And I think your work, especially in the context of that graduate, like really stood

out. Obviously, it’s like so vibrant. There’s so many like interesting colours. There was a sense of humour. And Matt and I have long time been like, there should be more laughter in the gallery. Like, why is it this like stoic space of contemplation and like wealth and finery? Like I want to laugh. And so immediately we were like, damn, this was such interesting

work. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I love to laugh like in, you know, most acid like aspects of my life. And I think yeah, it’s funny. You know, I definitely respect people that make like serious art and like stuff that I don’t know, it can be like contemplative, but I just don’t

do that. I just, I feel like I make other like makes me happy. And hopefully, yeah, it makes other people happy or just like, think about something in like a like a abstract way, yeah. Did you have any like issues? Might be too strong of a word, but were there any like was there any contention when you were studying with that?

Like from what? Did people get it? Like their teachers? I think some of my teachers definitely did, but some would just would just kind of like walk in my shoe and be like, OK and then just kind of walk away. Like NASA’s kind of like that. Like especially in like second and third year, like people would like the lecture,

especially because I was, I did painting and you just in your little studio and the lecturers would just kind of like just do a lap. They’d just walk in like a look and like if they were good lecturers they’d stop and talk to you. But. Most of them. Didn’t really do. That interesting? Yeah. Scary. Yeah. I was there recently to get some printing done and it it was a

funny reminder of how like kind of public feeling those studios are. It’s like you’re just like this open prison cell, you know, where, like it’s, there’s no, there isn’t even like the hint of a border, like, yeah, you know, yeah, you just. Walk in and yeah, we’re all in our little pens. Yeah, it’s. Funny does that? Is that odd like to you to make

art in such a like public, you know, like it’s like an arena of like, you know, is that strange? I mean, I, I know that like, I was only on that hallway because the print shop was there. Oh, yeah. They asked me to say that like they are open to the public. Shout out to Ben. So you can go and get cheap, like fairly cheap photographic prints done that plug over. Does it, does it, does it like

feel like, were you relieved when that was over, like? I, I guess I had like I had a mixed sort of relationship with that because yeah, during the COVID periods, like yeah, second and third year were great. Yeah, very public.

Yeah, public could walk through Nas, but I think like leading up to COVID, but also like some other things were happening, like things were getting stolen. So they started to like, oh. My God. Close Nas off to the public so that kind of slowly stopped happening like just randoms walking through which was good and bad like it was nice having just like, you know just people walk through and just talk to

you like felt more community like that. But then it was like, yeah, then that just stopped. And and then also like I stayed on and did masters and my studio was in Annex, which was like across the road, OK. So really no one came through. Like it was like. Yeah, never even been there. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It’s like across, it’s like next

to the Brewer’s Tale, that cafe. Right, right. I know it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, We. It was like me, Claire Wigney. Yeah. Luca Blasinado and Nima. I don’t know if you know. No. I think so, yeah. Yeah, there was like 4 of us. Yeah, in this little box. And when you say things were

stolen like, like what was stolen, like artworks or? Yeah, pencils, people would walk in. I remember this like in second year I think people would walk into the especially to the kiln sheds like where all the ceramics gets fired and people just steal ceramics cause like people would fire them and then like it’d all get taken out and everybody put on a shelf and like my friends ceramics got

stolen so. It’s like I’m imagining A junkie coming in like this is an early. Career playing. Yeah, they’ve got a great. This is the line for. Yeah, they’re. In there like. That one will sell and like if I hold it I can get a huge score and find you. That’s hilarious. I have to think someone at least used it. Like I hope so. And that’s funny.

Stolen artworks. That’s insane, yeah.

Yeah, I really like that. What we were saying before though, about humour, and it’s funny with humour. It’s like anytime you start talking about it, you kind of break it. Like as soon as you start, it’s like, you know, immediately it’s like serious artwork versus funny artwork. But of course, like humour can be very serious in this incredibly powerful way. Totally, Yeah. So yeah, I love exploring

because I feel like I’m OK for tea. Thank you. It’s such a hard thing to like the odds on On Your side to try and make someone feel like this is funny in a gal. It’s kind of like, you know what I mean? It’s a tall order. Exactly. Yeah, I do feel like, I feel like if I’m laughing, hopefully someone else is laughing, but they might not be. They might be like, what?

That’s also OK. Like, I’m OK with that too, because yeah, yeah. Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s true that like sometimes, like you’re, you’re, I mean, a lot of the time you’re shown with stuff that isn’t interested in, in humor. Like it’s, it’s exploring, yeah. Like the, the materiality of something. But yeah, I mean, I think like, you know, your stuff does it

treads the line, you know, because like, I think it asks a lot of questions and, you know, it feels like, I mean, tell us if you think that we got this wrong. But it does feel like you’re engaging with like quite a serious thing, which is like this kind of huge river of the flow of objects in and out of people’s houses and, and businesses like that just kind of wind up, I guess, mostly on

the street or in bins. Totally, yeah, yeah, I definitely do. Yeah. That is a very serious thing, like thing I take seriously and like the like the, the shit, like scary amount of like excess things in this world and yeah, the things that you encounter

constantly. And yeah, that, that is a serious thing that I do. I’m like constantly like have nightmares about, you know, like the amount of trash and like things and this like the disposability of of everything we have now, you know. So yeah, that was very serious.

But yeah, in, in, in the way I like view things. It’s it’s almost like if if that stuff didn’t exist, I guess I wouldn’t have anything to make out of that.

I feel like you’d figured, yeah, no, I would. I would. That’s true. That’s true. I would. I would definitely figure something out, but. A big part of your. Yeah, it’s interesting, yeah. You’re sort of walking alongside this thing like 3 years. Yeah. Fascinating yeah. I’m also like obsessed with the idea of like I, you know, I have like these old sewing machines to do like repairs and alterations. And my favorite ones are the the

old cast iron ones, which like I get them for nothing because people throw them away. But they are made so beautifully well, like even just the presser foot that. Like holds the. Down I was looking at the other night. I was like, this thing has lasted 60 years without any complaint And you know, I found one from the 1940s that someone gave to me for free or 30s and

it’s like this beautiful big beast of a machine. It looks like something like Cruella Deville would own. But anyway, like the the comparing it to the modern ones that they’re like calling in airports, seeing a heavy duty. They’re just like. Not yeah. It’s like toys. Plastic. Toys. Yeah, deeply it is to me that. Like yeah, IKEA, like foam filled furniture and that whole

world of like, yeah, just cars and phones and just things that like crumble, yeah, as soon as you look at them. Yeah, it’s really, it’s really disturbing. If you if you think about it too much, you get a bit free. You do? Yeah. I imagine you saying it’s like a recurring nightmare. I imagine we all have this like collective current nightmare now of like getting like drowned under violence.

It’s funny. I think like long time listeners will know that while Matt and I have, I think a very similar perspective on like things and like waste and like longevity, we’ve kind of like commented like our solution to that problem are like completely opposite. Matt’s got this like, as you can see, there’s like we’re

surrounded by artworks and records and these beautiful things and like well made things. And and my sort of approach is just to like have no things like and and but it’s it’s in this sort of minimalist, but like that doesn’t quite get at it that like would bother me to be like walking around being like I’m a minimalist.

I have one shirt, yeah. Exactly. Yeah, I kind of do. But anyway, I’m kind of interested in yeah, what’s your like personal like relationship to because like how does your art and how do you feel about things in that way? I yeah, I feel like, I feel like I’m like maybe in the middle of you 2. Like I definitely especially like doing more like thought and

research into my own practice, like have started, I guess like the things that I need trying to, I guess like have, you know, one good thing. Like I have a good, you know, I don’t know, I can’t think of an example right now, but like trying not to like buy it. Yeah.

Like, and then, oh, it breaks. Oh, just buy a new one. Like try it, you know, buy it, buy the good thing or like have the good thing and that hopefully will last you forever. Yes. Or, or get it fixed. You know, I’m trying to be more like fixing that thing. You know. Stuff, Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that’s kind of like my personal thing. But then on the, on the outside, like I will be just picking up a

hubcap off the side of the street and I’ll be picking, I’m like seeing some broken furniture. I’m like, Oh yeah, they’re coming home with me. Like nice. So like, yeah. But I do, I do like think like sentimentality is, is also very important part of being human. And, and I do have a lot of this like random little Knick knacks and yeah, like art and stuff.

And like, yeah, so trying to like have a balance of like have it if it means something to you or if it’s like functional, it’s very, you know, but if it’s like, yeah, I think I care is the devil and I care is my hell, like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s a really tough place to

visit. Yeah. Exactly, yes, I feel yeah a bit overwhelmed and even like walked into like a like a fast fashion store the other day to just like my friend wanted to go in. There and I was just like. Overwhelmed like I might need to get out of here. I know it is, I’m the same. I don’t do any like new shopping for stuff other than like socks and like.

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So we’re going to like an an actual new clothes type shop. Like I went into a Zara and I was like. What’s cool? Yeah, I went to like a Kmart in Vietnam. That was pretty cool. Yeah. Like we went to like a mall. No, I mean, it was called something else. It was called like DIY World, but you know, it was a Kmart and

that was quite funny. That was really funny. Did you get anything? I didn’t get anything. I was a little overwhelmed but we got to like it was like the fifth floor of a mall in like the area with all the fancy hotels. We tried to go see a movie but me and my friend have like completely oppositional film taste. He was trying to watch like screen 7 and I was trying to watch like the Vietnamese ROM

com. That’s also. Would have been called. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like Speaking of objects, you I used the phrase impractical objects somewhere like in, in, in the along the line like yeah, I I forget which show that was.

Lady, bag lady, Yeah. Bag. Lady Yeah, please, can we just, like, talk? About, yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah. I’m looking at a picture of the like, so funny, the beautiful, like snazzy. It almost looks like a Prada handbag, but it’s the grifter can handbag. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, that one, yeah, I think I can’t remember.

Yeah, I went to the brewery. My friend Harry works there and he was like, yeah, I’ve got, he kept like, because he, he came up to me like, yeah, you need to make grifter handbags. I came back cool, cool. And then he gave some cans so. Amazing. Yeah. Were they clean cans or were they? They I think they were like damaged or something or like

they were faulty. They couldn’t use them. So interesting. They didn’t have like tops on them, so they had the bottoms. Went on the top. That’s interesting. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, but I did. There’s like on the side there’s like all these like the tabs. Yes. And for like weeks I was like, guys pull them off like at any event, like give me those tabs.

Yeah, everyone, everyone’s like all right, all of these beers. That’s very good. Yeah, exactly. That’s awesome. But yeah, no bag lady was. I think I just, I borrowed my mom’s sewing machine and was like, I just want to make, like a little bag for myself. Like, and I like, made one out of some old jeans. And it was ugly and bad and I didn’t like it.

But then the fact that it was so ugly. And I was like, oh, like, I started like, wait a second. Yeah. Wait a second. Yeah. I was like, can I make a bag out of anything? And then, yeah, I kind of started doing that. And I was making them for years just, like, not even a idea to, like, do it like have a show.

It was just kind of this little like, oh, this thing could with this thing connected. Oh, that’s, that’s a bag. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Yeah. And then, yeah, I started being like, oh, I have like 15 of these now. Maybe I should just make a show. So I think, yeah, I was making them like 2 years or something. And then, yeah, I pitched it to

like Puzzle Gallery in Chippendale and they said yes and had that show and that was really, really good, really successful, which was awesome. But yeah. And then I put it into Gosford Regional Galleries. Yes. Emerging prize, yes. And I won, and you won. Yeah.

Congratulations. Yeah. Thank you. Such a cool. Yeah. I love that work so much. I wish we could have come and seen it in person. Yeah, hopefully we can see some. Somewhere, yeah. In Gosford. Yeah, wow. They they’re actually all in the house right now. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, that would be amazing. Private showing, Yeah, yeah, no, it’s so cool and I love that story.

That’s a good, I feel like it’s a good lesson for artists. Say yeah, make the work first. Spend 2 years making it just for your own. Pleasure. Exactly. Yeah. And start thinking about how to pitch it. Yeah, you got it all backwards. Yeah, exactly. I know. I feel like that is, I mean, I don’t really, I don’t usually do that. I usually actually that’s a lie. I will make work and then like

eventually it’ll. But like usually, I mean, lately this year slash last year, I’ve been making works for shows. Yeah, that, yeah, that was a really good lesson in like, yeah, if you’re just plodding away at something, like you never know when it’s going to turn into something huge or there you go, like successful or, or just something you really like. It’s such good advice you’re.

Pushing, you know? Yeah. It’s such good advice. I’ve loved having like to like the like the, the benefit of being able to go through like a little body of work of something to be able to like throw away a bunch of stuff and then like that sort of refreshed look at whatever it is I love. You know, it doesn’t always

happen with me, but it’s such a privilege when you can, like, move through something on your own and then show what’s left from that rather than like, just scrambling to get it all together for the finish line. It’s it’s quite a like, it’s quite a funny way that I’ve never been able to feel satisfied doing. Like I’m thinking about music, you know, in particular. But yeah, it’s, it’s, yeah.

It doesn’t really sort of jive with me. Yeah. But in in the flip side, it takes me five years to make a record, so it’s. Yeah. Yeah, it’s worth the wait, mate. Yeah, sometimes it is to. Just. Yeah, sometimes it’s good to just like, get it out there as well. I think so, yeah. I think that’s the advice. That I needed as a younger artist, which it took me a long time to figure out how to even

do that. But yeah, yeah, we get there in the end. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. I think it’s contextual and. So some of those bags like, yeah, because do you still make jewelry as well or you made jewelry for a while? Yeah, yeah, that was definitely a lockdown thing. I yeah, I started like making like silver jewelry, like

custom. It was mainly words, like words on a ring. Yeah, I really like them those. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was like a a little blip for a little grind during lockdown when I yeah, I couldn’t be in my studio, yes, because I was at NASA and they were like, don’t come here so. I was like do not come. Yeah, I was like. Wow, that’s so funny.

Yeah. So yeah, not, not really making jewelry anymore. I was doing it and I was making, you know, all right, money and like, I was pretty like people were definitely like hitting me up for it. But a few people, this is, it’s a mix between like like lockdown ended and like I could go back to my studio, I could make my

art again. And also I was like, some people like hit me up, like ordered a ring. I made it for them and then they ghost me. So that happened a few times. So I was like, you know what? I don’t. Fuck that. Yeah, exactly. That’s crazy. That’s insane, yeah. Yeah. It’s really that that kind of like made me really jaded

towards like custom making. Things yeah yeah yeah so yeah I guess like in terms of like making something that’s wearable like yeah I guess I don’t know, it’s maybe spectrum’s the wrong word but you have like your art on the wall yeah and then jewelry, which is to be worn and yes they’re both artful and. And then bags, how do they like Yeah, cuz yeah, I think you say

in the description like. Wearable. Some of these bags are wearable quote UN quote for the listener. I don’t know, it’s just an interesting. Tension when? We start to like, you know, make something that is primarily practical and put it in a gallery where it becomes. Yeah, I think, yeah, I think that that was kind of like the irony of me making them like

they would definitely like made to be bags, like, or to look at least like them. And. But if you ever wore one of those out, it would break, it would it would shatter it would, you know, it was not practical. That’s what I meant, like impractical. Like it’s made to look like this functional object, but actually

in reality it’s made of something that literally could you know it. Will break off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, actually. Some were kind of kind of sturdy. I think some could be. The bike tyre looks pretty. Yeah, bike tyre that would, that would probably be sturdy. Yeah, Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And like I think that’s kind of like a richer sort of subtext anyway, like that, like if they were actual purely like, well, not purely, but like if they

actually were functional bags, it kind of pushes it in a other. Direction, yeah, doesn’t. Quite get at what I think you’re going to say. Yeah, for sure. Like, yeah, it’s kind of almost like poo pooing that sort of like, oh, handbag, like being seen wearing this. Like, you know this like highly monetized sort of thing, the

bag. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And I was kind of anti that in a way you. Don’t like the like, you know the bag thing you don’t go in for? No, like I, I, I like, I love. That’s the thing. I love bags. Like wearing a bag. I think, you know anyone, I

think I think they’re a good thing. Yeah. But I think when they get caught up in like any sort of fashion item, I think when it gets caught up in like, how expensive is this thing? How much like like prestige or like class class sort of like symbol is this thing, then I get a bit like, whoa, come on now. Like, you know, cool. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, we, I, I love bags as well, but I, I kind of do that thing where it’s just like, I like looking at this as an object. Like I’m never going to carry a purse, but I love like, you know, women’s bags in like luxury fashion. But it’s like, it’s such a shame that, you know, the, you know, in the 70s and 80s, like they

were never that much higher in terms of like cost. And like there was like a sort of nice gradient up to the Omes and Prada bags. But now it’s like, oh, it’s a $50,000 bag. And like, you can’t really take it anywhere. You can like hold it like pinched between your fingers on the red carpet. And then it goes back in. It’s like box the rest of the

year, which is like, it’s like this weird rich people playing dress UPS as as themselves thing, which I don’t give a fuck about. But it’s just so funny that like, you know, about a brand like Prada is still like one of the, you know, the most, like one of the biggest employers of

like artisans and like actual. Like. People who make like who craft things with their hands with these ancient traditions, but using modern like aesthetic sensibility. So it’s amazing. But it’s like unfortunately that that’s you don’t see that stuff so much. And a lot of what comes through is, yeah, this like sort of value thing that like, who gives

a fuck? Yeah. It’s stupid. Yeah, no one. That’s actually cool and worth hanging out with. Is gonna really not that. I don’t know, but yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ll cut that out. We’ll cut that out. No hate on anyone who really. If that’s what you value then that’s cool. It becomes bigger than any one person though, doesn’t it?

Like when you start feeling like, oh, this is this whole fashion thing’s, buddy, It’s not like you’re like, I’m really angry at this one person. It’s like this whole cultural force of marketing that feels oppressive. Yeah, yeah. And that’s that’s not even like the designer’s fault really. It’s just like capitalism. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Oh, thank you. I did find for I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but there’s like a there’s one that’s shaped like

a dog. One of my bags. It’s like yeah. So that I, yeah, I, I found this fake Gucci bag on the side of the on the side of the road. And I instead of like is is like a she. Black lamb for some. Reason yeah, no well, it’s like it’s called the the work is like it’s like it’s it’s meant to be

like the she wolf like Romulus and Remus and the she wolf so cool I I modelled it off that like famous sculpture yeah and the 2 Monkeys hearings that’s Romulus and Remus yeah, I love the. Ancient Roman back. Yeah, yeah, I, yeah, I like looking at like mythology is

interesting and inspiration behind some of my. Ways cool say some more about that. That’s that’s. Fascinating. I mean, yeah, so my background is I’m half Filipino, half Italian and I think a lot of a lot of my a lot of my influence definitely comes from my like Filipino side.

But I think it it’s funny. I’m like, I kind of went to the most like obvious thing like ancient Roman, oh, Italian, ancient Roman mythology. Yes, that’s what I’ll. But then like it’s so interesting. It’s so like and, and having like the crossovers of like Greek and Roman, like so the same law, but like different

names and stuff. Like yeah, see, I was like with this one in particular, yeah, like, oh, I found the monkey key rings 1st and I was like, I need these monkeys to be something. And yeah, through my I mean, I always like, I feel like Romulus and Remus and the wolf is always kind of like a it’s kind of like a main, main character storyline people no look like.

For you or for people in in general? I just felt like a lot of people knew it, right? Is it? Is it kind of it’s? One of the greatest, it sounds. Great. Yeah, it’s one of the greatest. Mystery podcast stuff? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that that I was just that kind of like when I saw the monkeys, I was like. Oh, I love that I. Love that. So did the did Romulus and Ramos come first or the she wolf? The Monk yeah, the all the

monkeys. I found the monkeys first. Yeah, I found the monkeys 1st. And then I was like, what can these monkeys? Romulus and. Rumors. They could found Rome. Yeah, they could found a thing that would end up stretching 1/4 of the Earth’s surface. Let’s get them started on the art. History. I’ve got art history of tutor about to be violently after this party. Yeah, history vodka.

Are they all podcasting like forces me to learn my cuneiform?

All the words I listen to start with this like sort of vast expensive cinematic music and then like the desert sort of wind blowing. Maybe some like Ting Ting, yeah. Exactly. Yeah, shit. And they’ve gotten very like narrative. They used to just be like, we’re interviewing the facts and now they’re like the sun rises on the cold dawn and that.

Makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. Oh, that’s funny. Yeah. One thing I want to say about your materials, I think like using found materials is so difficult. Like, not just from like finding. Thank you for saying that it is really. Hard to me like I feel like one of the hardest things. I think a lot of like artists like the idea of it or they like

the conceptual sort of ramifications of using found objects because it’s so interesting versus like I walked into the store and I bought my nice like oils. But I think it’s really hard to reach any level of like abstract. Like it’s so hard to make the object not look like that ugly thing on the like.

Even Matt and I have a joke like when we’re shooting or I guess not really a joke, but it’s my law is like I’m like no more like photos of rubbish for the day, like enough photos of junk. I’ve ruled it out entirely, yeah. It’s gone because it’s so alluring. Like there is that allure of like this junk, but I think it’s so hard to abstract the junk away in the way that you do

where it’s sufficiently becomes like, you know. Art, and not just. A painted broken chair. Yeah, yeah. You know what? I have done that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I agree. Like it. It takes a lot of like sitting with it, like I’ve got, as I said before, like heaps of like

random bits and things in my studio and, and, and usually, yeah, it takes a lot of time before what it I like to say what it wants to be will come out. And yeah, I’ve had some of these things for like years and years. Wow. And yeah.

Like what is it in this one? I have this bag. This is in Gosford. Emerging. Yeah, This is in the Gosford Emerging Prize. I have this bag. It’s made. It’s made entirely of bread clips. That and if you zoom in you can see the dates on them.

I was collecting them from because. 13. Yeah, I was collecting them for like maybe four or five years, right Yeah. And I’ve I stopped collecting I think in 2013 or 14 and I just have had them since then in a bag. Amazing. And like, yeah, it like the I had the I had so many of them as

well and I was like, what am I going to do with all these bread clips? So yeah, but it just, yeah, I feel like it it takes, yeah, it does take a while. For us to like. And the bag says like hot bread. Yeah. Oh, no, it’s, oh, it’s been clean. I I. Love bread? On the on the other side, it says Yum. I don’t know if I put that, it says Yum. Yeah, there it is. Yum. Yeah.

So I guess like, I don’t know. Yeah, the, the, the thing that eventually I guess speaks to me and like becomes the thing. But it does also take a lot of like, like dismantling or cutting to something up or, you know, yeah, really like abstracting it in that way. Like just for that for the dog

bag. Yeah, I had pulling that, that bag was disgusting when I found it. So yeah, it’s quite like a, it’s kind of like clean everything I have to kind of clean, especially find off the street. Like definitely takes more than just like cutting it up. Like yes, wash it. Yeah, That’s interesting. Yeah. And are you making missions to

go and find things specifically? It’s Monday. It’s my. Yeah, after work. Bindle. Yeah, I guess yes and no. Like things do come to me. Like, yeah, I picked up a hubcap off the side of the road the other day just because I was walking home and I saw it. But if it’s for a specific

thing, like I usually, yeah, like do some laps around the street. Or if I, if I’ll go on like Facebook Marketplace and see if people are posting stuff like on for free or like or like street bounty. Or, or if I’m like really desperate, I’ll go to like the Bauer and or like reverse garbage.

I feel like there’s a few different places I hit if I if I’m like searching for it, but usually it comes to me, which is like, I feel this weird sort of like, yeah, it’s like I had to use the the universe is like giving this stuff to me, but it’s like it kind of it. Is it? Is. It is certainly a Mac, 100%.

Yeah. Yeah. I’m like that. Sort of like looking 1940s sewing machine. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, once. You start looking, Yeah, it’s I’m big in that right now. Like I bought this painting in Vietnam, just this little. I think it’s like a pastel, like crayon. It’s just like the artist in their room playing like PlayStation or whatever. Like it’s pretty small, like a 5 or something.

And I slipped it in my like sketchbook, like to come home and then like, you know, just to keep it safe like in between the pages. And then when I so and like the main thing about this artwork, I guess like the big thing is like this game pad, like this PlayStation controller. And then when I opened up my book when I got home, like, the page that I had slipped it in was like, all of these, like, sketches that I had done of game pads.

And I was like, so beautiful. And that’s so funny. I feel like the more time you have to, like, make art and be artful, just these crazy. Yeah. Like, universe synchronicity, like, every, almost everything becomes annoyingly. And then you become impossible to hang out with because now everything is just dripping in, like, beauty and symbolism. And we’re just like, weeping

together. Was crying in Matt’s lap about all the beautiful synchronicities of the 445. I know, but yeah, big. I’m going through my like Synchronicity universe moment at the moment. It’s a nice feeling. Yeah, it’s hard not to be annoying to other people when you’re like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. I just yesterday I just kept, I

was like with my family and I was just like the light. Everyone look at the light, look at the quality of the light. But like everyone’s like, where’s the hidden going? I’m like to look at the light, like I swear I’m not trying to be annoying but. Yeah, that’s why it’s so fun being a photographer. Like, you don’t need that many. That’s all you need. Well, like we’re sitting in this room which has got a lot of equipment cases, but you really

don’t need that many materials. And it’s all like literally weightless if you don’t. Yeah, it’s kind of fun. Yeah, I’m jealous of, like, people who draw and yeah, yeah, even like, like, it’s one thing collecting all the objects within. It’s like, once the sculpture’s made, I’m like, oh, I have. Now I have. Now I have more. Objects. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah.

And then I’ve got like, transport this 300 kilograms, you know, fucking concrete sculpt to the minute. Yeah. The, the transport and the handling. Yeah. I’m the, the artist I’m most envious of in that regard is the poet. Because you can literally just be an ancient Greek poet. It’s all up here to memorize. Yeah. I just walk from town to town and that’s my art. Yeah.

Yeah. My feet and my mouth. I. Mean it’s more practical. It’s just like the whole like choosing your medium based on like, practicality. I’m like, yeah, true. Like, yeah, that’s actually pretty real. Like, you do have to keep that in mind. Yeah. You know what? I. Mean. Yeah, that’s funny, especially. Yeah, especially the space like like you know, if if I’m I’m fortunate, I have like a shed

out the back that I can just. Dump on. My that’s. Great. Yeah. But you know, I didn’t always have that and I might not have that if I, you know, one day. So it’s like you go, yeah, it’s, yeah. It’s the annoying part about like, living in Sydney and having to pay rent and like, yeah. Like. Yeah, you can. You can only make to to how much space you have or how much space

you can afford. Yeah, no, I was thinking about that this morning. I was like, damn, wouldn’t it be nice to have a fucking property out somewhere stupid where no one cares and you can just, you know, Yeah. But do you think about, like, the market in a different way or like, sellability? Because obviously like, it’s not ever going to be as slick as like a nice neat oil, you know,

that’s so big and just fits on the wall. Yeah, I, I mean, I probably, I probably like look at look to down on myself like usually because I’m like, no one want to buy this, Like no one because to be honest, like not many people do buy my works. I often don’t put them for sale because I’m like, oh, what the hell is someone going to do with this? But like, I think some, I mean,

some people have in the past, but some things. But yeah, no, I don’t really think about that. I think because of the nature of it, it’s like, yeah, I’ve probably picked this thing out of a bin and I don’t really want it like to, you know, if someone wants it, I’ll probably just

give it to them. You know, I’m I’m more like the money doesn’t doesn’t really like phase me. It would be nice. But yeah, no, I’m not really like thinking about like the the commercial sense of what my what my work. Yeah, could be worth or. Whatever. Yeah. And like so freeing. Like yeah, exactly.

Yeah. And, and yeah, I guess like in talking about like the space stuff, like if, you know, I have a work and no one wants it or, or I’m done with it, like I can just take it apart and use it for something else. It’s gone now. Yeah, Yeah, exactly. Yeah. There’s a little bit of like, there are some works I’ve like held onto cuz I’m like I spent a

lot of time making, but a lot of my works are very quite like ephemeral in that way. Like they’re cool. They won’t last long. Like this one, the snail we’re looking at. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Like, I don’t think you have that in your shed. But I still have the bike. The bike Yeah. Love the. Bike. I guess I can explain what the

snail, the snail, the snail was a 5 metre long bicycle structure that I made for Burj galleries like Welcome Fest show. It’s called How to dismantle the World and Still feel good about Yourself in the morning. The show was about kind of like,

yeah, uncertain futures and how us this this group of artists like can deal with that and like, you know, how to yeah, how to navigate what is to come and like how the world is kind of falling apart and how to deal with that in like kind of a light hearted way, I guess. Yeah.

So I made this. It’s like a it’s a tricycle, like an adult tricycle with like a little home built off the back of it with like, yeah, lots of little. I used a lot of wood and there’s like bamboo and, yeah, a lot of stuff I found around my house or around the streets.

And yeah, I just built this. Yeah. It’s called the snail because it’s. It’s kind of this it’s me imagining this kind of fictional character who lives off their bike and yeah, but in a sort of a in a hopeful sort of future, like a like a hopeful post apocalyptic theory. Yeah, It’s it’s not like it’s

jolly. It’s jolly exactly like you could I the. Toilet paper is like, yeah, it’s. Very sweet and like. Yeah, the light is on like someone’s home. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I guess from the other there’s an. I don’t know if there’s another view I’ve yeah. But yeah, on the inside there’s like a yeah, like a little table, a little like a reading nook.

Yeah. You can kind of see that through the little windows, like, you know, a little kitchen. Yeah, yeah, the reading, the books are stacked up. Yeah, yeah. So it’s just me sort of imagining I was this, I think initially I was like, I want it. I want to be like, imagine if I was a snail that turned into a

human and the world I have to, you know, live in this world. What the hell am I bringing with me to the end of the world? And yeah, it kind of, yes, turned into this like very this very sort of like sentimental sort of character I had like,

yeah, we got the washing line with the like the freaky toe socks and everything. Very like, yeah. Yes, it’s such a good like expression of what you are sort of getting out with, like, you know, the bags and stuff because it’s like, I mean, it’s got all these kind of layers because like the whole thing is a snail. But then like, there’s obviously the like the little snail toothbrush.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s lots of little snail merch in there. I think more so than a lot of your other stuff, it like really gets you into that world of yours like where there’s there’s this whole sort of like fictional semi fictional reality going on.

Yeah, shell on the like a oh. Yeah, yeah, the big carry shell on a bike. It’s like overwhelmingly a, you know, a positive like view on things. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think like I was I was initially going to go way more like post apocalyptic, like Mad

Max Mad Max vibe. But I don’t know, the more I was collecting these objects, I was just like, what if, what if it’s going to be OK, You know, what if and and what if, what if this future, this this character lives in like it is semi harmonious with like it was kind of like I wanted this this

creature to this person, whatever to be like harmonious with nature. Like it was, it could have been a snail turned into a human. So it just, it’s still really like obsessed with nature and like wanting to be a part of nature and like constantly, I guess like because it living in this, you know, you, I guess you’re living outside. Yeah. In this in this reality.

Yeah, but also there there’s a few things in the work that like semi allude to like maybe like some perilous aspects, like there’s a baseball bat that I have propped up in there and there’s some of the books are like I don’t know if.

I’m kind of thinking of sort of it the the one like most visible is like like a guide to dealing with agoraphobia and like a few, it’s kind of like the books are kind of maybe a little like view into the Oh yeah, sorry, there’s nothing I should have more better. Oh yeah, a simple guide to

dealing with agoraphobia or living with agoraphobia. It’s very narrative, I suppose. Yeah, it’s. Got quite a serious like narrative. Yeah. I wanted like every element to kind of be like, like, I guess, Yeah. Like why is that there? Like it’s there for a reason.

Kind of, yeah. I like. That simple, effective treatment of agoraphobia. Yeah, and the lady the the. She’s. Calm looking, Yeah, I trust her that would. Be Doctor Claire Weeks, Yeah. Yeah, it’s kind of. Yeah. So there’s like a book about

NASA and like aliens and. Search for Alien. Search for and synthesis of Alien. Yeah. Yeah, the complete Dream Dictionary. Yeah, I like that one. Yeah, that’s like a. Fun book. I feel like you might actually. Have that would be great for like. Yeah. No, that’s definitely on the on the shelf now.

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know. I kind of wanted like, little hints of like, like, yeah, it’s positive. But also like, is this, is this person OK? Like, like, they are lonely. You know there are these like maybe? Yeah, yeah. Such a cool fictional, yeah. Exploration and like, yeah, the fiction in that sense where

there’s like all these beats of like character learning, like it’s quite hard to do in, you know, a painting, but you’re exploring someone’s face. It’s all there. Exactly. And I think like the the positivity that you’re like showing here is like actually quite a it’s quite a strong like, I don’t know, like sort of

view on like the the politics of this stuff, right? Because like, I think there is, there is definitely a sense in a lot of like young people where it’s like, you know, we, we all need to agree that like there’s this certain like fuckedness, which like I agree that like things are ugly, you know, right now. But I will never go and say that

like super publicly as the full limit of my political like thing ‘cause I’m like, like sure, like we can all see that. That’s pretty plainly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very cool of you to say like I’m smiling in the face of this. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, it’s definitely I do feel I guess some sort of like guilt maybe of like making

like, oh, silly, odd or. But I think yeah, ultimately like it’s it’s what I’ve kind of always made. So yeah, I agree. Like yeah. And I do think like, yeah, there is. There is like ways in which I do, Yeah. I speak on, you know, the harshness of the world in, like,

my little ways. And yeah, yeah. But it is, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that’s like a great place to do it. Like, yeah, yeah, for sure. I don’t, yeah. I mean, we don’t, we definitely don’t subscribe to the notion that like, you know, the movie has to have good guys in it exclusively, you know, like, like how could you know, how

could that work as like an entertainment thing, let alone like as an interesting artwork like. Yeah, and I mean in the like contemporary art adjacent stuff, like there’s so much bullshit like and like boring just like to be into contemporary art, like it’s a lot of work like. So I wanted to pay off sometimes with like in the sense of like,

you know, we don’t we get to like not play by some of the rules that other media have, like, you know, people go see movies, people go see music, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then there has to be some pay off. And I love like contemporary art or whatever we want to call this just that like world building aspect where it has like ideally

like less quote UN quote rules than other media. Like I mean, rules in like a broad sense, I suppose. But yeah, I think also just anytime I can come and see work. And I think I said this on the last episode, walk into a gallery and feel like I’m seeing something just like, yeah, almost like otherworldly. Like, not that it has to be so

weird, but just like, it could be something like, it could be a painting, but just that feeling of like, just that exciting. There’s some, some word for some like bot word for it that I can’t remember, but yeah. Your work. Yeah. Yeah. Roland. Bart Simpson. Yeah. Either or. I’m going to leave it ambiguous. Yeah, I don’t.

Know, but yeah, your work. I really love that. My son is also named Bort. Gosh dude, maybe we need to watch The Simpsons today. Yeah. We watched like we put on like season 3, which I haven’t watched like properly and we were just fucking like, it’s like a laugh a minute. Like are you like watching or reading anything at the moment? I’ve been very watching, Yeah, I

just watched Interstellar last week and I’ve been not really on a big space movie. We refer to that movie all the time because we have a lot of days where we’re doing errands and I’m like, you’ve got your, you’ve got your passport at home. Like that little manoeuvre is going to cost us 100,000. Like that’s from the manoeuvre. Oh my God, I don’t even think I’ve seen it.

Interstellar. I just know the, I just know the inside joke. I thought that was our joke.

No Matthew McConaughey. Oh, I need to. No, I haven’t seen it. OK, it’s really. Good yeah I I love it. Space movies, yeah, it’s. Doing movie and it’s like it also doesn’t like it doesn’t rely on the like hard science fiction thing of like it’s gotta all resolve in this like nice, like, you know, war way or like

yeah, yeah, it’s really cool. Like I won’t spoil the ending for you. Please don’t. Fucking cool movie all the. Science talk. I’m like, yeah, that sounds legit. It sounds good enough. Yeah, this, this is real. Yeah, to me. To me this. Is really cool, yeah. But also, yeah, reading Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, yes.

So slowly though don’t don’t get me wrong, I’m still in like chapter 6. Yeah, he’s still in the 1st 30 seconds of The Big Bang. Yeah, literally.

I’m like, Oh yeah, what is he up to in in chapter 6? I think he’s at like fossils. Maybe. Cool, yeah. It’s it, it started off really strong for me and I’m like, yes, I love ‘cause I love space stuff. But yeah, I’m into fossils now. I’m like, OK, can we go back to the space stuff? But yeah, kind of like I guess, yeah, using my entertainment in

taking as semi educational as in I mean Interstellar is not that educational. But I love that stuff. Too big for my leisure time. I watch people teaching me stuff. On YouTube for some reason that’s. Good thing. Fuck, what was I going to say while you were saying?

Well, we just talked about Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson? Yeah, the site, the space stuff. Did you watch the whole like we just had like our first? Oh yes. People out in space since. Then no, I I didn’t. I should have been watching it. Too busy watching fiction. This. As well. I didn’t even know. Who did space stuff? We did.

A space thing? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You heard about it? I heard about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My friend was keeping me very much up to date, just pulling out of him.

Yeah, I heard about it. That’s crazy. Why God? Why? Why do we do it? What I do? Nothing America right they. Say. On you ‘cause I only just found. Go to the moon again, they got. So from my understanding, it’s like 4 people, yes, Americans. They’re going around the Earth, Yeah. And then around then, like around the Earth once.

And then they’re shooting and they’re going around the moon. Yeah. And then coming back. Yeah. And they just landed. Just for fun. They landed. On Saturday, yeah, they landed the crash down back to earth. I’m actually gonna have to pull it up because they. Oh. They’re back. They’re. Back. They made it. Made it back, yeah. And they survived, yeah. Fuck, if this was the 60s, we’d all be like celebrating, you know, look at the ingenuity of

humankind. I’ve watched so many like bits of TV shows or movies where they like play that, you know, in front of. I think they do it in Mad Men. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was cool. I mean, I’m probably not going to get into the Wikipedia page because it’s it’s. Pretty dense. That’s for the Patreon. We’ll do that after you leave. So many. That’s all that’s serious.

The real heads. The real heads. Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Well, I think that’s all we’ve got time for today. We just said, like, 50 minutes here. Is there anything you would like to? I mean, I know you just finished a show. We were just joking about, like, we only interview artists who have just finished showing stuff. Yeah. But is there anything you want to plug or any spaces or

restaurants or friends or whatever that you want to point us in the direction? Shout out to my mom.

Yeah, no, I’m not. I just I became a finalist in Burwood Uprise, which is cool with a bag with a bag work and also the Hornsby reimagine uprise. So I mean to uprise is coming up, but in terms of my own stuff, kind of just enjoying a little break, enjoying because

last year was quite crazy for me. But I think I will yeah, I’ll be back with AI have a performance idea that I’m trying to like flesh out at the moment sick. Yeah, it it involves A puppet that I very cool I have made already. Interesting. We’ll have to get you back on to.

Talk about his performance. Yeah, yeah, it’s, it’s, it also involves stilts. So there we go. That’s a little bit of training involved with that, but yeah, yeah, hopefully I, I was meaning to do it last year, but with everything else it got a bit crazy and and stilt training

fell to the wayside. Your stilt teacher must have been so, yeah. My YouTube I was.

Imagining. Like self torch clown. Yeah, kind of. Yeah, yeah, I’m going to clown school. Well, that’s the the guy that teaches stilts on the side. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Cool. Daddy, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for coming by. Thank you so much. OK, Say goodbye to the audience. My audience. The audience.

Show notes

We sat down with Madi Feist to chat, Romulus and Remus, how to stay tasteful with found-object art, Hermes artisans, A snail that turned into a human… and Aiden finally learns where that one Matthew McConaughey quote is from  Madi's ig: @feistfeist