Valerie Grove

   

For this year's Art Trail, Valerie Grove, who created this blog in 2009, is showing her installation, Man Machine, at 26 Tennyson Road, on both weekends of the Trail, listing number 73.

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2011 E17 Art Trail. Did you respond to this year’s theme “On Your Marks”? What impact do you think the Olympics will have on E17? 

My show is called Man Machine and it examines the impact of technology on the human body. It's got paintings, sabotaged posters, a skeleton and an interactive wall. You will also get a five minute exercise routine designed for people who spend too much time sitting at their laptops. This exhibition is a result of a back injury induced by a nightmare project that involved research and writing in isolation. It does respond to the theme "On Your Marks" in the sense that the physical fluidity of the Olympic ideal is completely at odds with the sedentary and technology-dependent reality of contemporary life.

2. What challenges (if any) did you face in realising this work? 

The first challenge was being fit enough to it it. The second was transporting the skeleton from Brighton to London and the third was making sure that this wonderful blog was up and running this year. Luckily my good friend Shelagh Farrell offered to support the blog this year, so thank you, Shelagh.

3. What do you like about E17 and why? Is there anything you would change about the area? 

I love the buzz and bustle of the market on a sunny day and the neighbourly feel about Walthamstow, which is different to anywhere else I've lived in London. I love the easy access to the Lea Valley and Walthamstow Marshes. I wish there was an arts centre with music and art studios and gallery space that would be a constructive gathering place for all the borough.

4. Who and/or what inspires you? 

Reality, though I'm not sure "inspire" is the right word!

5. What advice would you give to aspiring artists? 

Don't overestimate the interest people are going to have in you.