MELANIE BERESFORD IN CONVERSATION WITH NOELLA LOPEZ

This new series “When I grow up...” is quite a different project for you. How did it start and how did it unfold?

In some ways, yes this is quite a different project from previous ones. However, I have always found myself intrigued and fascinated by people and more particularly their hopes and vulnerabilities, and this theme is illustrated in this series as well.

I’m at a stage in my life, where those around me are having children and as I spend more and more time with them, I can’t help but smile and laugh at what comes out of their mouths. My own childhood was akin to an adventure and upon seeing a glimpse of this in them I knew this was something I wanted to explore further. My last major work had a participative element to it, which I loved and I was keen to pursue this again, this time asking children what they wanted to be when they grew up. Once they shared their answers with me, I knew I was onto a rather fun path.

What kind of challenges did you encounter? What discoveries did you make? What happened then?

Getting children to sit still; trying to understand their answers; figuring out the best materials to use and the best way to portray my concept. Take your pick! Though seriously, any challenges I had along the way, only helped me refine my exploration.

I discovered just how imaginative children are. Their earnest aspirations gave me hope for an interesting future where a child can dream and these dreams can come true. This led me to move towards plywood, a material I had used previously in a couple of series when I had attempted to look forward in time. Its innate dream-like quality, with its cloud-like wood grains, in and of itself inspires me. The use of scenery to tell each story, gave the work more grounding and more of a sense of reality – that these dreams might actually come true. This is something I personally believe is important, as if my own desire to be an artist had not been fostered and nurtured from an early age, I can only imagine where I might be today. And for that, I am very grateful to my family for collectively encouraging my creativity and not dismissing it as childish play.

Where do you think you are at with this exploration?

 As I hear from new children that keep being added to the project, I find that I am constantly being inspired and excited. So in some ways, this project is very much driving itself, which is not always the case! I’m working towards an exhibition next year, where I will give each child their 15 minutes of fame per se, as they get a chance to make their dreams known to a larger audience. I’m hoping this will give them the confidence to keep at it, and inspire adults to keep chasing their dreams too!

Melanie Beresford 2015

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