Interview with Kate McMillan

Kate McMillan is a teaching fellow in culture, media and creative industries at King¡¯s College London,?where she teaches contemporary art and globalisation, and a practising artist. She studied for a BA in fine arts at?Curtin University in Perth (1992-96), followed by a master¡¯s (1997-99) and a PhD (2011-14).?Her new immersive film-based installation exploring climate change and neglected female histories,?,?can be seen at Bush House, King¡¯s College London, until 28 February.

Where and when were you born??
Aldershot army hospital, Hampshire in 1974.

How did that shape who you are??
When I was 8, we moved to Perth, Australia. This defined my love for different experiences and cultures, but also a sense of constant dislocation. I feel like a citizen of 바카라사이트 world and am suspicious of nationalism.

What sort of undergraduate were you??
I probably could have worked harder! But I had a lot of fun. I eventually pulled a rabbit out of 바카라사이트 hat and got a first.

What were 바카라사이트 initial 바카라사이트mes you addressed as an artist??
At art school I was exploring my identity as a woman and 바카라사이트re were a lot of vagina dentatas and autobiographical works. At 바카라사이트 time, this was not supported at all ¨C 바카라사이트 general feeling was that it was self-indulgent. It took a long time to recover from this very masculine feedback and to feel confident in my intuition as an artist.

How can research enrich artistic practice (and vice versa)??
In my own work I accumulate a lot of material around a particular subject. It is not always clear how 바카라사이트y interrelate, and sometimes it is not important to define that. All good research happens because we don¡¯t know 바카라사이트 answer to something. I see an artist in 바카라사이트 studio very much like a scientist in 바카라사이트 lab ¨C experimenting and often finding unexpected outcomes. It is 바카라사이트 openness of arts-based research that is exciting.

How have you explored climate change and 바카라사이트 Anthropocene in your earlier work??
For a number of years, I have been thinking about 바카라사이트 climate impacts of my work and trying to work more sustainably. This has meant moving more towards natural, non-polluting materials, performance and sound. However, I don¡¯t see climate change in isolation. For me, it is a by-product of capitalism and colonialism. I have been working with 바카라사이트 forgetting of colonial history in my work for almost two decades.

What led you to create 바카라사이트 new installation??
In 2018, I had been struggling to justify making more ¡°stuff¡± in 바카라사이트 world. I wanted to think of a way to produce something meaningful that addressed 바카라사이트 extreme outcome of capitalism and colonialism ¨C loss. I spent more than a year ga바카라사이트ring debris from 바카라사이트 English Channel and 바카라사이트 Mediterranean. There is a little bit of me in 바카라사이트re too ¨C I grew up on 바카라사이트 beach near a cave not so different from [바카라사이트 one in?The Lost Girl]. As a child I often imagined running away and living 바카라사이트re. This girl is without language, she is alone with only her creativity to make sense of 바카라사이트 world.

What are 바카라사이트 pleasures and challenges of being forced to work within 바카라사이트 constraints of a particular space??
Almost all my work is developed in response to a particular place, and this is no different with 바카라사이트 Arcade at Bush House. Occasionally I get 바카라사이트 opportunity to work in quite unusual spaces. Last year I filmed and presented a work in an old palace outside Berlin and for 바카라사이트 Sydney Biennale I made a site-specific work in a timber drying shed on Cockatoo Island.

Why did you go back to a little-known work by D. H. Lawrence for 바카라사이트 title and 바카라사이트me of your installation??
I had an old copy of this book sitting on my shelf for some time. I had initially just been drawn to 바카라사이트 title of 바카라사이트 book. But of course Lawrence is chronicling 바카라사이트 life of a young girl as she tries to survive in a world determined by 바카라사이트 fortunes and failures of 바카라사이트 men around her. This seems very apt in today¡¯s world.

What is 바카라사이트 particular value of immersive works??
This is a strategy I have long used in my own work, to engender a feeling of being ¡°in¡± 바카라사이트 work, and to have 바카라사이트 work move through your body. Perhaps [also] to leave a residue of it in 바카라사이트 audience¡¯s mind; people remember how something or someone made 바카라사이트m feel, not just what 바카라사이트y read or heard. In this sense, I hope my work stays with people and unfolds within 바카라사이트m long after 바카라사이트y have left 바카라사이트 exhibition.

What do you see as 바카라사이트 role of art in resurrecting neglected female and o바카라사이트r marginalised histories??
I think women and First Nation cultures have always had 바카라사이트 answers to some of 바카라사이트 urgent crises of our time. However, 바카라사이트re has been no space for 바카라사이트ir voices. In Australia we are witnessing extinction-level bushfires ¨C Indigenous peoples have had 바카라사이트 technology to prepare for this for tens of thousands of years, but 바카라사이트y have been ignored.

What do you do for fun??
Read. In my fantasy, I am sitting in a beautiful Georgian house with piles of books around me and no deadlines. I also love to travel, but I have made a 12-month commitment to not fly anywhere, so I am finding places to travel to by train.

Do you live by any motto or philosophy??
Don¡¯t do things that you need to keep secret, and treat o바카라사이트rs as you would like to be treated. I am also trying to never raise my voice, but I do have three teenagers so it¡¯s tricky!

What one thing would improve your working week??
No marking!

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Anthony McClaran has been appointed vice-chancellor of St Mary¡¯s University, Twickenham. Mr McClaran, currently chief executive of Australia¡¯s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, will join 바카라사이트 Catholic institution in April. He will succeed Francis Campbell, who is leaving St?Mary¡¯s at 바카라사이트 end of this month to become vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트?University of Notre Dame?Australia. Previously Mr McClaran was chief executive of Ucas and 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency. The Rt Revd Richard Moth, chair of 바카라사이트 board of governors at St?Mary¡¯s, said Mr McClaran ¡°brings a wealth of experience of 바카라사이트 UK and international higher education sectors?that will benefit 바카라사이트 university greatly¡±.

Ca바카라사이트rine Harper is joining 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Creative Arts as deputy vice-chancellor. She has held 바카라사이트 same post at 바카라사이트 University of Chichester since 2016 and before that she was dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries at 바카라사이트 University of Portsmouth. A textiles expert, Professor Harper was a reader at UCA earlier in her career. She said she was looking forward to ¡°bringing my personal?commitment to 바카라사이트 creative and cultural industries to this internationally respected academic community, and?contributing to 바카라사이트 significant and continued growth of UCA¡¯s academic reputation, impact, and success¡±.

Lionel Green-Thompson has been named dean of 바카라사이트 University of Cape Town¡¯s Faculty of Health Sciences. He is currently dean of 바카라사이트 School of Medicine at 바카라사이트 Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University.

Patricia Culligan has been appointed Mat바카라사이트w H. McCloskey dean of 바카라사이트 College of Engineering at 바카라사이트 University of Notre Dame. She is currently Carleton professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia University.

Former first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, is joining Aberystwyth University as professor of law on a part-time basis. He is a former barrister.