Studio Lenca

Ollie Briggs (0:12)

So, a somatic therapist gave me this tool, I guess. She said, in a new space, like, take a minute to orientate yourself in the space.

So kind of scanning the room and looking at things, and it eases that kind of anxious curiosity about what's in the physical space.

Jose Campos (0:32)

Yeah.

Ollie Briggs (0:33)

So, kind of sort of try and do that, and I want to invite you maybe to sort of describe your space.

Jose Campos (0:39)

Oh, yeah.

Ollie Briggs (0:39)

In whatever terms you kind of you want to.

Jose Campos (0:43)

Is it recording?

Ollie Briggs (0:46)

Yeah.

Jose Campos (0:46)

Okay.

Ollie Briggs (0:47)

It says it is.

Jose Campos (0:48)

Great. So, welcome to my studio.

Ollie Briggs (0:52)

Thank you.

Jose Campos (0:53)

You've been here before, and yeah, I'm based at Tracy Edmonds TKE Studios in Margate.

I applied for the space, and now I have this sort of what I think is a really beautiful space. It's a very sort of, in a way, it's a neutral space. It's designed to be very sort of white with light floors. We also have like the sort of vaulted glass ceiling where light comes through, and actually the light is like incredibly dramatic.

So it starts on the right hand side and then throughout the day it moves to the left, which is really nice. But it means that I have to sort of work in collaboration with the light.

I also have this wooden table that I started off with. So when I was a teacher working full time, I had this table in my house and this was kind of the space that I gave myself to make work. And then now that I'm here, it's really nice that this sort of wooden school table is still in this space. And it's kind of like the opposite of the room because the room is very sort of white and slick. But this table is like, it's a vintage school table, like a lunch table, and it's all scuffed. And it just reminds me of like how I started working when I was a teacher, and then now it's here in this space. So there's like a sort of contrast there. I also have all my paintings sort of hung in the space. I like to give them space so that I can look at them properly. I have some sculptures that I've made out of paper mache and wood. I have stretcher bars, some plants, a sofa to sit down, because for me, painting can take a lot out of me. So I always try and sit down after I feel that my energy has been sucked out in a way. I try and sit down and sort of like recuperate so that I can go back to the painting or even just look at a painting.

And yeah, and the studio is like surrounded by other artists as well. So to get to my studio, you have to walk down a corridor with other artists in the space as well.

Ollie Briggs (3:31)

That's a beautiful description. Which does lean into where I wanted to go, which is that the space is important.

Jose Campos (3:39)

Yes.

Ollie Briggs (3:40)

So I'm just wondering about what makes a creative space for you? I mean, you've described some of those elements, but what is the important things to be creative?

Jose Campos (3:55)

I think I have to remove distractions. Like I think about sort of, you know, whatever that may be, like bits of everyday life. I try to sort of like remove that because this space, I still think about it like a cloud. So for me, it's kind of this like very white sort of stark space where I can really look at things.

And I guess, in a way, it's a dreaming space as well.

But I also try and make it an inviting space as well, like part of me being here, part of the work that I've been doing is inviting people into the space as well. So I've invited schools into the space. I've invited people to help me work. I've had studio visits. And I think that my work seeks to engage people in that way. And that's part of the creative space.

Ollie Briggs (5:01)

There's so many layers to that. And there's something really interesting about the kind of removing of distractions and objects so that the physical space is a way of relating to the mental space in that way, or creating the conditions for the mental space for creativity, does that sound right?

Jose Campos (5:22)

Yes, that's right. Yeah, so it's, I guess sometimes like painting is about slowing down, you know, so I guess I'm trying to slow down myself and really sort of pay attention to how green looks next to red and just considering that, you know, so I need to remove those elements from everyday life just to really focus on that.