Leena Chauhan is one of the artists that recently
undertook an estate-based residency as part of the LiveElse[W]here project led
by local arts organisation the drawing shed, with a LiveLunch event as part of
the E17 Art Trail at the drawing shed’s project base LockUpNo11 on The Drive
E17.
Could you tell us about the work you
will be showing during this year's E17 Art Trail?
As
an artist in residence and part of the
drawing shed’s LiveElse[W]here I am
showing a series of enlarged screen-prints of clothing labels that are placed
around the The Drive and Attlee Terrace, covering some of the pre-existing
council signage. These labels are from
the inside tag in (nearly) every garment stating where it’s from and what it’s
made from. My prints have been made from my photographs of the residents’
labels on what garment they happened to be wearing at the time. I enlarged the labels to increase their
visibility, especially of where the garment was made, to bring to attention its
origin and the trajectory of its arrival here.
I screen-printed upon these photographs, layering the details of the tags found
inside the differing garments.
A
finale for our project and a place to show the works' development was the LiveLunch – an event open to residents
and Trail goers alike; I made food on site, Cooking
with my Mama. We cooked
Kenyan-Indian food and served it to the locals whilst sharing my mothers short
stories of her time growing up in Kenya moving to England. Essentially, through using clothing as a
focus of this project, I am engaging with sense of identity and belonging and
where we (or things) are coming from.
How have you been preparing for this
year's trail?
I have been commissioned by the drawing shed to make work for the LiveElse[W]here
Project which was being actualised over the last few months. My work has acted as an instigator for
developing interaction, thought and discussion.
I have been working in and around the Estates getting familiar with the
area and the locals; for me, the essence of the work was with the engagement of
residents by having a real dialogue as an inspiration for the beginnings of the
project itself. The work provoked
conversations of “quality versus affordability; high-end clothing labels versus
cheap labour; identity formation and clothing becoming a cultural identity;
human value versus clothes carrying ‘identity’.”
Being a recent graduate from Central
Saint Martins, a self-contained environment with the latest gadgets and gizmos, was
very different to working in-situ on Attlee Estate and The Drive. I have been learning to improvise and adapt
with what we have and how we can use what that is. During the Print Screening workshops I
organised, along with sterling guidance from artist Joseph Kopiel, ( http://www.josephkopiel.co.uk/workshops.html
) I had support from the locals: a person offered a gallon of water to aid the
cleaning of the mesh screens; another resident offered home-made food to help
keep our stomachs full, whilst other parents encourage their children to
partake in the process - it was moments like these that were charged with
awareness and positive energy.
Nevertheless, this residency has been a short period which has involved
a process of gaining some trust and connections between residents and myself. 
Could you tell us about an artist/
artwork that particularly inspires you?
Can
I say this I wonder…? I’ve been so very
fortunate to work by Sally Labern and Bobby Lloyd who’ve both made vast amount
of works both collaboratively and individually.
On this journey, they’ve both helped me facilitate my project, ground my
ideas and help me develop my thinking with intensive talks and
contributions. I got talking to them
about the some things they’ve both achieved and details of past projects that
have been sensitive in approach. Watching
them work, being around them, for me personally has been inspiring. Two women:
genuine, real, compassionate who both mean what they say and say what they
mean.
How does inhabiting a community like
Walthamstow help your practice?
When I started university, I lived near Walthamstow market, a
place that reminded me of my home. It was the place I strolled when I had to
adjust myself to the privileged others from university; what I
understood here was how I wanted to be a positive part of this cohesion. Undeniably, the differences that occur due to
class systems set an obvious bearing to our daily choices.
This was the reason for which I could imagine myself working
creatively amongst the crowds, not disrupting what already is, but in my small
way helping to strengthen the identity of The Drive and Attlee Estates, and
developing myself and my practice as
an artist through this process.
What are you most looking forward to
during the E17 Art Trail this year?
I
am interested to see the works of my fellow resident artists too, who have been
working alongside my project. Most of all, I looked forward to the LiveLunch on
Saturday 31st May. It was the
first time for me to work with my mother, Minaxi, too. This is a project my mother and I have been
talking about for some years! My Mum and
I cooked on site, delivering the food, welcoming people whose families come
from all over the world – those who both live on the estates and also visitors
like us, all of which was very exciting! I guess, she was the centre of my
show, as she raised me the best way she knew how, which of course has been a
crucial part to the early formation of my own identity and something I wish to
cherish, considering family cohesion an important part of social cohesion.
Leena Chauhan:
http://leenachauhan.weebly.com/
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