Myths Not for Sale, your last movie, is very intriguing. Tells us about the concept and ideas you wanted to approach?
It’s on the eve of the millennium, the last days of 90’s London. The film is a snapshot of the lives of a young single-mother and a middle-aged aspiring actress. As the year 2000 and “Y2K fever” comes and goes with little of the expected drama, the characters remain firmly rooted in a mundane but dream-like world, set in South London. I wanted the film to challenge the myth of beauty and fame – exposing a harsher truth of loneliness and longing. The days before the Internet when people called people up and felt a naive sense of belonging.
Your favourite poem is…
Lovesong by Ted Hughes
Being a first time mother is always a tumultuous change. Did your creative side and written words help you cope with this emotional experience?
I found going through motherhood a freeing experience, because you explore a whole new array of emotions, memories, heartache. I felt much more connected with strangers, other women, my body. Your days suddenly become a new clock of time and you leave any room feeling like you belong somewhere. There are still so many taboo subjects which don’t often get spoken about until you go through the process, such as IVF, post natal depression, abortion, and so on. I found it interesting how much morality is still attached to pregnancy and motherhood, how people change when you tell them you’re a mother, it’s disconcerting.
What is your day to day life like, being a mother and an artist?
I don’t really have a regular structure; it’s more about harmonizing with what I’m making. Each day you realize that the most radical thing you can do is just be happy and stay alive, enjoying every minute.