TAPED-UP
SARAH LUCAS in conversation with LOUISA BUCK
Filmed in the run-up to the 56th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale 2015.
Direction / Camera / Editor : JULIAN SIMMONS
Filmed on location : London Art Workshop, February 2015
Produced by : JULIAN SIMMONS 2019
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I’d been filming extensively around this time, 10’s of hours of footage and talking to the BBC in dark London taverns.
Part of this footage became the 60 minute EGG film – which was shot over the Christmas New-Year period of 2014-15 in Suffolk. Then London in January 2015… judicious filming of Vaseline’d, freshly leg-shaved women being wrapped in plaster bandage, making the molds for sculptures that would hopefully head out to Venice in just a couple of months.
Into February, the location of TAPED-UP was alongside a workshop where Sarah was making the casts from those very molds. Mixing-up large quantities of dusty casting-plaster in buckets, knocking the air out and ensuring that the rough seams of the molds didn’t leak – which they did – they always do.
Anyway, still in an anti-plaster suit, an interview was looming. Sarah didn’t want Louisa to see the new in-progress sculptures, in fact it was imperative not to. The British Council (who run ‘our shop’ in Venice – the GB pavilion there) are totally strict and expert about such matters, surely an unsuspecting hotbed for recruiting spies. The Venice Biennale as you know is where all the countries of the world show-off their cutting-edge creative endeavours. Utmost top secrecy is demanded, I’m sure we had to sign something to that affect. We had an idea of tying Louisa to a chair, to prevent curiosity and an intellectual leak. As you’ll see, Sarah switched this around. She was in this case, a muse of her own making.
As a point of interest, the molds (which you don’t see) are destroyed in the process of extricating the casts. There’s only one chance, and for sure the muses – our nine naked friends, would not gladly pose again, numbingly motionless for a second attempt. In fact there wouldn’t have been enough time. No, if the casts in some way failed, there would only be half a show going to Venice, shipping was imminent.
Sarah could use a drink.
She’s never keen on being filmed, but doesn’t mind me knocking about on rare occasion – this was such an occasion.
Julian Simmons 2020
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