INTERVIEW WITH THE LOVELY KEARA STEWART!

Posted by admin on Thursday, April 30, 2015 · Leave a Comment

In the run up to this year’s Takeover: AP’s Dimitri Pieri in conversation with Keara Stewart – all round lovely lady and awesome small presser.

Hey Keara, how’s it going?

Cool, thanks. I’ve booked a day of annual leave to work on some drawing projects. My work space today is my mum’s garden, with Mr Basil for company!

Sweet! “Bonus day”! What drawings you doing? What other stuff you working on right now?

Yep, I’ve made the most of it! For the last few months I’ve been putting together a zine anthology and today the final files were sent to the printers, joy! Today I spent most of my time finishing my one page comic for DUMP #3. I’m also working on a visual response to one of the books shortlisted for The Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing. The drawing will be in an exhibition as part of Alternative Press Takeover in May, where I’ll also be selling my zines, alongside Wallis Eates and Elizabeth Querstret.

I have lots of other zine ideas which are slowly coming together…

Can we get a sneak peek of any of that sweetness you speak of?! 🙂 Also, what book did you get and did you read it? If so, what do you think of it?

Here’s a peek at a drawing I’m working on related to the book I was given IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE : Angola’s Forgotten Massacre, by Lara Pawson. I’m drawing and making notes as I read…it’s a fascinating, engaging book about a country whose history I knew so little about.

Wow, yeah I don’t even know where Angola is… A massacre, that must be a harsh subject to handle…

Yes! I’m still not sure exactly how I’ll approach this… the brief said you can take inspiration from the whole book, a paragraph, the title, or even a summary/review found on the London Radical Bookfair website. As I said, I am drawing as I read, but these drawings may or may not end up being part of the final piece of work. So far, I have been particularly struck by Lara Pawson’s descriptions of her meeting with Maria Reis, whose husband disappeared on 27 May 1997, the vinte e sete. There is an element of loss in much of my work. I’m interested in small moments and things that may be insignificant to others, but have deep meaning for an individual. This may work its way in to my drawing for the the Bread and Roses exhibition…

Sounds like handling it that way would make it more human, personal… I’m excited to see what you come up with! So, looking forward to Takeover this year then! Will you be launching your new book there?

Thanks Dimitri! Yes, my anthology will be launching at Alternative Press Takeover, where I’ll be sharing a table with two of the contributors, Wallis Eates and Elizabeth Questret. Come and visit us and check out our stuff! There will be preview of the anthology by Andy Oliver over at brokenfrontier.com, but I can give you a peek at part of my page for the anthology right now if you like…