Evan Bond in conversation with co-founder Jennifer Gilbert

Jennifer: Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself Evan? And how long have you been attending the ActionSpace studio in London?

Evan: Well, where to start? I've been going to ActionSpace since 2016. I was in a bit of a bad place before that, but I'm out of there now. I've always had a bit of an interest in art. I mean, I've got lots of interests, and that's one of them.

Jennifer: Great. So, you've been going there since 2016 - what sort of things do you do? Are you a painter? Do you make sculptures?

Evan: Mostly drawing. Occasionally, I branch into other things, but mostly drawing with pencils and pens. Sometimes I do portraits of people, sometimes I do sort of fictional scenes. Or current affairs, that kind of thing.

Jennifer: That's interesting to hear. So, what was it like to be asked to be part of the SEN program at Camden Art Centre? And how did it make you feel to be selected?

Evan: It was good. It was quite something I mean, I don’t want to sound too narcissistic, but it did boost my ego. You know, getting something like that, it was a weird ego boost. It was very nice.

Jennifer: Well, that's really positive.

Evan: I went through the whole interview process with them as well. So, it was an application form, and an interview that involved a studio visit. And there were two other applicants that also applied but I was selected. All the people there are quite nice and it’s quite a nice place Camden Arts Centre.

Jennifer: Wow, I didn’t realise there was a whole application process, so that makes it even more important right! So, for anyone that doesn't know, can you tell us a little bit more about what this program is that you were helping on?

Evan: Well, I think it's for special educational needs. But everybody agrees on which terms should be used, so you’ve got to be careful there. It was nice working with all the different school children. They all seem to like me. I try to be nice because I've had a lot of experiences myself in the special educational needs system and some of those have been a bit negative. So, I try to bring a sort of nice, but not too corny, sort of light to it.

Jennifer: Great, so what sort of age are the students you have been working with?

Evan: They're not young, they are six formers, and some are secondary school age. So maybe 14-17 age range. It’s a nice age to be with.

Jennifer: And with the groups you’ve been working with two other artists - one was called Lydia and one was called Natalie. Did you all have different roles that you were doing, or did you all have the same role?

Evan: Natalie and Lydia, well they do quite good with the technical side. They do have different natural strengths to me, and some that are the same.

Jennifer: So, you all bring in your different skill sets together to run these sessions?

Evan: Yes, it is a combined effort. And for a long period of time, it happened over zoom because of Covid. But the project was then extended because of Covid. For the first year we just made a publication, and then an exhibition the second year called ‘I can only dream of living things being made out of letters.’

Jennifer: Sounds great. So, with each school how many people have you been working with?

Evan: Quite a few. There was one I was a bit worried about, but I gave it a go. The groups were usually about 8-10 people at a time.

Jennifer: Did you work with Natalie and Lydia to plan the sessions that you were running?

Evan: Ah, yeah, I did. I did planning. I came up with a few of the ideas. As a criticism of myself, I think I could have been a bit more on top of things, but I did come up with a lot of the ideas.

Jennifer:  I think it's good to recognise if you think you could have done things differently. It's always good to reflect on how it went, so that you can change things if you do them again in the future.

Evan: Yeah, that's a good point.

Jennifer: So, what sort of activities did you do over zoom? Can you talk me through a few of the things that you're doing with the students?

Evan: The zoom sessions were good, and it was quite a good experience. We sent some arts materials into the schools. When it was online, we did one on flags. We suggested all different types of flags, and alternative flags, like from alternative realities. Like we did the kingdom of America, the Scottish Empire, so forth. We also did make some sort of objects and stuff you know. There were other things, but I can’t remember.

Jennifer: So, were you showing them examples of things that you'd made to inspire them?

Evan: Yes, like we made examples of flags. They were quite constructive sessions.

Jennifer: Was each session about an hour long?

Evan: Yes, each session was about an hour long, sometimes two. I also had to work the project around my college studies. With the exhibition the title came from me, and it was just something I said. You know, it just sort of came to me. It meant something at the time.

Jennifer: It is a great title. What sort of things featured in the exhibition then, what sort of things could people see if they went look at it in Camden Art Centre?

Evan: Well, they could see this thing I made called the flapper walk. It was my take on something else I had seen, so it was a bit different too. The ‘Flapper Walker’ was a giant fabric piece and the print that was on the fabric was based on the actual work of one of the schools. It was all a combined effort I would say. It was a perfect positive storm of stuff.

Jennifer: I like that description. Would you say that overall, did you enjoy the experience?

Evan: Oh, yeah, it was enjoyable. It became part of my routine. I have OCD, so I like routine, so it was nice. Yeah.

Jennifer: And what would you say is your favourite thing that you did across the whole of the time that you spent on the project?

Evan: Oh, that's tough, but probably the ‘Flapper Walker’, but I also liked the flags. I'm quite into flags. I like different symbols.

Jennifer: And is this work something that you'd like to do more of in the future? Would you like to run more workshops with other people?

Evan: Yeah, I mean, I've got a lot of ambitions. I’d always like to have a foot in the art world. So yeah, I probably will continue doing this sort of thing. Yeah. And I'll continue doing art. But I don’t want everyone knowing who I am still quite yet, I would like to stay behind the scenes a bit more still. One day maybe when I am older, but not now.

Jennifer: Well, I think that's it it's okay to say that you don't want to be out there and your face to be everywhere at the moment, and it's okay to say no. Is there anything else that you'd like to tell me about this project that you've been involved in? Or do you think that you've said everything?

Evan: You know I’d like to shed a light on the learning disabilities world. I've had my time through that. Maybe do some art about it, or write about it, or make a film, I’m not too sure yet. Just a select few details.

Jennifer: Sounds great to share it with others Evan, and I am sure lots of other people will relate to what you’ll be saying too.

–

A little more on the Camden Art Centre SEN programme, taken from their website: The project addresses the lack of access for people with learning disabilities to creative experiences and careers in the visual arts. It aims to increase creative opportunities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and to encourage confidence and independence through collaborative activities that champion all forms of communication and self-expression. It is our vision, along with the support of ActionSpace as a partner, to improve access and opportunities to the arts for artists and young people with learning disabilities, and to increase participation, education and training provision.

Banner detail: Camden Art Centre SEN School Exhibition 2021, Installation view of ‘I can only dream of living things being made out of letters’, 2021. Photo credit Rob Harris