Interview with David Rusbatch
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Born in Leeds in 1979, David Rusbatch's work is drawn from popular culture, focusing on themes of celebrity and genius. In 2008 Rusbatch became one of the youngest ever exhibitors at the National Design Museum. The nature of creation and the act of destruction is a constant theme in the artist's work. Rusbatch has been known to abandon or completely destroy paintings in the pursuit of artistic enlightenment and 'perfection'.
Hi David, today you selected for MoW some of your artworks inspired by music. Those artworks are part of the exhibition "Lost and Found" currently at RedHouse Originals.
Can you tell MoW what was the music behind the artworks ? What inspired you to create them ? How music inspired them ?
The music that inspired the paintings were electronic / dance music. I'd become friends with Emma Borley, who is a DJ based in London. She helps reignite a love of dance music that has laid dormant since my early twenties. I began treasuring the free CD with mixmag, and realized there was a distinct lack of visual identity with this music genre.
Why is music important to you and your art?
Painting is a long solitary business. Music for me has helped keep my company into the early hours of the night when most people are asleep. Dance music especially appropriate due to its connortations with the night. Its usually the only music still playing when most people are sleeping too. Its repetitive nature, almost puts me in a trance like state, the overstimulating nature almost helping to numb the mind , dampen down other senses so I can focus out of my eyes. Also the people I've met in the dance music world have been amazing and accomodating, especially Fatboy Slim / Norman Cook who said " Rusbatch is like a visual mash-up, put through a TB-303. I like them A LOT" (2014)
If you had to choose between the artworks presented today, which of your artwork would be your favorite ? And why ?
D.A.N.C.E painting is probably my favourite. Captures the subterranean feeling of the night and the frantic hyper-stimulation verve of dance music.
Can you tell MoW more about the techniques you used. How old is your technique? How did it start? How long does it take you to make an artwork?
It's fashionable to say paintings take months and years to make, but it really depends on the size and playing out of ideas. I rarely sketch out idea's instead preferring spontaneity, so I have to make a few mistake before the final paintings gets born. The technique is new to me. My mother recently retired from teaching, and left a box of teaching resources for me to pillage and use - by way of collage, combined with painting. Some have sparkles of Swarovski crystals or glitter beneath the surface.
Watch David painting live here:
Do you have plans on creating new artworks insipired by music ?
Yeah, I've really enjoyed the symbiotic relationship between the music and the art, it's been a easy natural progression for me. Other music genre's have a more established visual identity. Electronic music seems to be the most pioneering, due to the scope of the options available by way of synthesizers, sampling, and software, - i hope this spirit will instruct the next series of paintings too.
Do you listen to music when you’re working ? If so, what kind of music ?
I'm a big fan of Bonobo, who treads the line between jazz and electronic music. Also a fan of Above&Beyond trance music which is great to focus and invigorate the mind.
Listen to this soundcloud playlist shows the tracks that have directly influenced the exhibition Lost & Found currently going at RedHouse Originals :
What is the song you liked the most lately? The album ? What was the last gig you went to ?
My guilty pleasure is a song by Sub Focus - Out of the Blue.
A recent album I liked, but equally impressed by the back story was an album by Pretty Lights called "A Color Map Of The Sun". Over a 2 year period he reverted back to analogue equipment, to collaborate with a wide range of musicians to create his own "samples" (rather than simply cut and pasting from dusty old vinyl) then expertly stitch them altogether to create a cohesive whole. He was nominated for an Grammy for his efforts.
Are you a musician yourself ?
No, can't play anything. I tried learning the guitar, but it frazzled my brains, so have nothing but admiration for musicians. My sister, Anna Rusbatch, is a music genius who writes and composes musicals. Her latest work is called "Albatross" to premiere in London this summer.
Lost & Found by David Rusbatch
Date: 4th April - 3rd May 2014
15 Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate, HG1 1DW
Find out more about David Rusbatch here :
