The Thousands

Lisa King. You probably know her, or know her name at the very least. (In no particular order) Curator, artist, designer, photographer, lover of hospitality and lover of art, she sits high in a list of doers in this city. After 2 years or so of creating, running, and curating Paperhorse Studios it’s time for the finale. It’s called ‘Pipe Up – Just another skateboard show’, but let’s hope she really does go all John Farnham on us and just keeps on finaleing, over and over.

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(mic goes on)

Daniel Gladys - Just pretend it’s not there, I can’t.

Lisa King – It’s almost like it’s an extra little man in the room. Not interacting. It’d be cool if you could get an application, put like a little face on it.

DG – Yeah that ad was weird huh. Then they wanted people to send in photos of their favourite places in South Australia and it came across pretty awkward. There was this guy, and I’m pretty sure he was making a joke, but they used it anyway and they totally lost the joke.

LK - Yeah yeah, it was lost.

DG – Some dude got a picture of himself holding a frog cake, staring at the camera looking really despondent, and depressed going “it’s just a fucking frog cake”.

LK - I didn’t understand the idea behind it either. Just to promote that South Australia’s cool.

DG – Yeah, I think it was sanctioned by SA Great, or the Government, or something.

LK – Oh, you having starving artists there that are really talented and amazing but no no no here have a million dollars. They give away so much money.

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DG – So it’s all looking good for the show?

LK - I think if I stayed here and kept drinking, blew off the day, I might be pushing it. I’d probably still get away with it though. It’s good having Nick Thompson, he’s like the first person that has worked with me in doing the show because he’s so into the whole skating side of things. It’s been really nicely balanced from both sides. So everything that I’m not really adapted to he’s got my back.

DG – So your interest in skating has come through him or it’s common to you both and he’s brought more of that side of it?

LK – Yeah, basically for the first time I wanted to work with someone for this show because I wanted it to be a bit bigger than the other shows. So I put it out there and Nick came forward and it was as a good opportunity to have someone that in-tune with the skating community and what’s going on, finger on the pulse kind of thing, along with wanting it to be bigger. I think with skating, the whole general perspective and cultural aspect, and passion behind skating, I think has very much the same kind of mentality, and politics, as art. Especially with the art we have in the community at the moment has that kind of street-derived, protest, cultural direction. You’ve got people that are putting you down everyday, you’ve got laws, so you’ve got this and that being depicted by the artists.

DG – They’re complimentary in a way aren’t they? So many skaters are artists. So many artists are skaters, musicians, it seems to be just different parts of a similar life.

LK – Yeah, and even if it is just because it’s cool, I think thats OK because we have so many different people and different scenes that have their opinions. Like, are you a skater, or are you just an amateur skater? What type of skater are you? What type of artist are you? Are you a street artist? I don’t think you are but he is. Skating is cool, and it has a cool feel about it and so does art. Even if it is just cool and people get together because it is cool and it puts you in a good mood then it’s good enough right.

DG – Like a sense of community? The skate community is pretty tight in a way too. Everyone uses the same spots, people recognise each other, familiar faces. Kinda like going to an art show, sharing common ground.

LK – It’s a CBD thing too. Of course there’s other things outside the CBD too but a lot of people come in to the CBD to get a little ‘groupness’.

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DG – So, Paperhorse, you started it right?

LK – Basically, it just started as me going through graphic design, I wanted to build a studio and work basically in the music industry doing the promotion/distribution side of that. I found the space and was going to have a two person design studio in the city and that kind of fell through. He moved to Melbourne, and then I thought alright I’ll look for another space, found Paperhorse and thought why the hell not. Rather than just have a space on my own, I could work with other creative people and then I just went into that, getting other artists in and then from there the exhibtions just kinda happened.

DG – There haven’t been so many exhibitions lately, is it now being used purely as a studio?

LK – It started off as a studio and then we decided to have exhibitions every three months and transform the studio into a gallery. The primary purpose is a studio. There hasn’t been one for a while because we were having them every three months. It’s really hard to maintain a creative energy in Adelaide. There are certain aspects that I really appreciate about this city which is juxtapositioned and contradicting what I’m saying but..

DG – Does a scene or a pivot point grow too quick, peak, then fall away or..?

LK – I don’t know. I think people attach themselves to things sometimes out of it being cool or through a novelty factor, because it’s cool and interesting. And Adelaide, at least it hasn’t in the past, had a constant flow of really cool things, so people automatically want to be adapted to that and work with it. It takes a lot to keep a really big group of collaborative people together because all artists want to end up going off and doing their own thing.

DG – Just, progression really.

LK – Yeah, and we don’t have a big enough community yet to have the rollover of people that want to be in there all the time so it’s kind of like it got to the point where you get sick of chasing people. Being like ‘hheeeyyy’. It’s good when you get that energy back but if you’re not constantly getting it back it just builds up to be a chore especially when you have your own creative stuff you could be putting your energy into.

DG – I guess it gets hard, like a curator vs. artist situation?

LK – It’s tough, but really, both are really good. I love the feeling you get after 6 months of curating and getting to be there on the night, and learning about different artists and giving them a timeline and seeing the pressure they go through. But, it does take a lot of energy to do it, and sometimes you put a lot in but when there is no one there by your side to do it with, when you don’t have anyone to pick you up.

DG – Most Paperhorse shows have been your solo curations haven’t they?

LK – Yep, so it’s been like 2 years, it’s been good and I feel like I’ve given myself the experience I’ve needed and I’ve got lots out of it but I think it’s time to be a little selfish.

DG – Well, you’ve done a lot.

LK – And it’s been really good. I have worked with lot’s of artists and every single resident that has come through Paperhorse has been really supportive and been there on the day to help hang and stuff like that, and getting people to the shows. But it has hard to lead for so long, what is that line in The Hangover? “I’m alone in mah wolf pack, and then there was two”. You need like at least three.

DG – It’s good having someone to bounce off, to plan ideas

LK – I think it’s more successful, like with this show working with Nick has been really good. We had a meeting with Daniel Browning, director of Artlink Magazine, and we thought let’s get four people and do ‘Pipe Up’ again next year but not just art on skateboards. Something looking at the culture and history of skateboarding. We’ll get four of us to work together all at the same level and blow it up.

DG – That would be amazing. Is that a definite plan? At Paperhorse?

LK – Nope, I don’t know what’s happening with Paperhorse. It’s kinda weird I feel like John Farnham or something because it’s like I’m resigning and this the last show and I’ve moved everything out and it’s weird because I painted it and it’s so pretty and it’s really hard because this show has been my biggest and so much fun so it’s really hard to walk away when you are having so much fun, but I’ve had a lot of people interested in the space to do something creative in there so hopefully.

DG – It’s such a good space it’d be shame to waste it.

LK – Yeah, so the show next year will be a pop up space, maybe Queens Theatre or something.

DG – Wow, so looking really big?

LK - Yep, huge.

DG – You should have a mini ramp in there.

LK – I went and saw Shep at DaKlinic and we used to have a half pipe at Stormy’s where I used to live but we don’t know where it’s gone. So close, because we were going to break it down but since it’s only 90sq/m in the studio it probably wouldn’t have made it.

DG – Even something really tiny would be nice.

LK – It would be awesome, last minute possibilities are always there. There’s this awesome film clip in Monster Children and they built this amazing skate ramp. It’s what dreams are made of.

DG – So how did you go about putting the show together? There’s quite a few international artists involved.

LK – There is. Actually, a couple of international artists didn’t end up coming through, like Chris Brett due to Australia Post, it’s pretty shit. I had a few decks sent back, just a few, in Australia as well and there’d be a missing number or something so a lot have been sent back and had to be sent again. So yeah, Australia Post is shit basically, you need insurance. So we’ve lost about two or three. Chris Brett in Canada was one of them because he was moving at the time to the other side of the country, it got delivered to his old place and then I think in transition of getting it moved to his new place got lost over there. Luckily enough Argentina, Mattias Vigliano from Buenos Aires, his was sent in two weeks which is amazing since usually coming from there it takes months and months. But yeah, Chris Brett and Drew Millward from the UK. Snik Ellis from the UK also had huge troubles with his, getting it back and costings and stuff, which is a real shame. Apparently it was quite expensive like $150 to send from the UK and Snik Ellis had to actually pay to receive it even though I’d paid postage. A ‘receival’ cost or something like that. Apparently you’re supposed to write it is a gift or something like that. Anyway, what was the question again?

DG – How did you go about getting all these artists involved?

LK - Well it’s taken a while but basically what I do everyday is be in love with the art work of my heroes so it was basically just a matter of looking at all the artists I really like and think would be really influential and good for the show and contacted them. I just put my story forward and told them what I was doing and a lot of them were really down and really cool. We had certain artists like Angelique Houtkamp who is a tattoo artist in the US, I think she’s actually in Canada now, but she is represented by the Outré Gallery in Sydney and Melbourne so she couldn’t participate. But for this show it was all a matter of sending out loads of invites to all the people I love and just asked. I think what people forget is that even though they are on the other side of the world we are the same people. The world seems so big but it’s not so. Jeremyville was straight onto it which was wicked and he didn’t actually paint the decks since he was setting up a gallery in New York but he painted one anyway and sent one through. We got sponsored on the decks by Elan, and then the whole concept of the show, and a really nice gesture would be to send the deck across the world , the artist receives it, and then do what they want and sent it back. So it’s done specifically for the exhibition.

LK – I think with this show has been all about getting one good artist and showing how you can structure the show, and what you want to do, and showing how you can do it internationally and then send it to the artist so they can do it. If you already look like you’ve gone to an international scale they’ll just jump on it.

DG – So you just get one name and it goes on?

LK – Yeah and build it up. I think from this show now, with the networking I’ve done it’s really good as soon as you’ve got an artist like Jeremyville, Drew Millward, or Chris Brett say yes you’ve got it happening. Once you have contact with them, you have contact with other artists and it kinda snowballs. So from this show hopefully, with someone like Mattias Vigliano from Argentina, or Gavin Strange from the Jam Factory in the UK. You know those names. Then for the next show next year people will see we’ve worked internationally and it’s successful. Hopefully, I’d really like to do the whole pop up thing, do it in Tokyo or somewhere , find crazy environments and keep bringing artists from all over the world and different locations.

DG – So what are your plans? Staying in Adelaide or going somewhere?

LK - Umm, I’m confused at the moment. See my plan was to get completely involved in hospitality because it is a huge passion of mine but I’ve just realised that people in hospitality are often wankers and assholes and they just quickly reassure me and make me realise that I don’t want to be like them and I should use what I’ve got and take that forward which is art. So hospitality is like over there now.

DG – But it was once in the middle?

LK – Yeah, three months ago I was really keen to open a restaurant in Melbourne with my mates over there down the track.

DG – What kind of place were you going to do?

LK – I was thinking a small bistro. Roasting your own beans, tapas, double bass players. I didn’t really know what I wanted but I love food and wine. It’s a nice lifestyle. It’s fun. But I’m thinking I might go international and study, Japan or the US, study illustration. I’m kind of one of those.. I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie Love Actually and there’s that girl that changes. I kind of feel like that. Graphic design, photography, hospitality. But I just don’t know where to ground my feet.

DG – I’m always amazed by someone who can find one thing, and it’s all they want to do. I find it scary.

LK – It’s beautiful because it means your inspiration levels are huge. But yeah, graphic design doesn’t really work for me. It’s nice to do freelance stuff and having the opportunity to do design stuff for my shows has been really good but as a freelancer it’s hard. To work under someone else you dont get the creative freedom that you want.

DG – Did you ever think about doing a graphic design business?

LK - I haven’t found the right people to do that with. Which is one of the things I hoped would be stirred up in the pot from Paperhorse. Artists would come in and we’d build a relationship and maybe in two years, which is the point we are at now, Paperhorse would be a business and a graphic design studio working together.

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DG – Well, I hope that worked.

LK – That’s like my crazy psychotic life. My bipolar career.

DG – I’m the same I’ve never really found one thing. I’ve just dabbled.

LK – You’re probably on of those people that are good at lots of things.

DG - I think I could do almost anything. I’d be like, ‘yeah I can do that’ and it could be anything if I put my mind to it but that’s exactly the thing that pulls you in all these different directions.

LK - I guess it’s just having that discipline, and instead of reaching out and moving towards all these other things you just focus your brain on one thing.

DG – Yeah, it’s like a dreamer thing. If you know that you can do something you’re pretty much half way there. So in your head, you’ve already done it.

LK – You accomplish your first steps and get bored.

DG – ‘That was kinda easy’

DG – I don’t know if I had any other questions.

LK – I don’t remember. I’m sick and been on codral taking these tablets, sleeping in and taking day tablets. Its like, I probably should sleep, alright, Codral tablet, go back to sleep. Too much stuff to do.

DG – It’s almost like a routine.

LK – Of codral.

DG – Some people do the 9 to 5. You do the codral.

LK – I have full control of when I want to sleep. When I want to work, I work.