Rachel Smith - Senseless ArtRachel’s urge to create has always been there since she was a kid. If she cannot express herself the world becomes an unhappy place for her. Canadian born now living in Hong Kong, Rachel picks up her inspiration from absolutely anything and anywhere - whether her beginnings in weaving or sword making to creating a wearable paper dress inspired by Queen Elisabeth’s II coronation dress. Being involved with Hong Kong Stories gave her an insight to preserve stories of people and the diversity of Hong Kong. Together we will sit down for a coffee with Rachel and explore her mesmerising energy that is fulfilled with inspiration, imagination and neverending possibilities of where art can take you. When you were a kid growing up in Canada how was the school there? Well, we didn't have any uniforms. I mean some schools did have uniforms but it was definitely not as strict as in the UK. I remember for the first time when I saw kids wearing uniforms in the kindergarten and it was adorable! I’ve always wondered about the uniforms - does it unite the classes or does it prevent them from any status? Yeah, it’s meant to “equalise” people and it only works for the first impression. Once when you start going to school the people around already know your circumstances. It’s an idea to make us feel better. How was it growing up in Canada? I grew up in a very small town - on a farm. It was a subsistence farm, so we grew our own food, meat….It’s quite funny when I hear people say “I wanna go back to nature, blah blah” - but they actually don't, it's A LOT of work. Yeah, proper labour. You can't go on any holiday when you have the responsibility to take care of animals. Was life at the farm with so much work to do, isolating? Not really, actually as everybody at school had the same background and the same things to do. It wasn't anything like if I would be “special”. I didn't find it isolating until I became a teenager - then it became one big hormonal experience. Was that maybe also the first time when you find yourself being creative as well? Oh no! I’ve been creative throughout my whole life. Since the first day when I could talk, people would say: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and I would respond: “An artist, or a belly dancer!” Even though I really did not understand that ballet and belly dancing were two different things as I didn’t know how to express it - but it was a ballet dancer at first. However, I also actually did take belly dance lessons for a while when I became an adult - that was exciting. I turned out to quite suck at it. So instead I was designing costumes for the belly dance to stay close to it. What a strategy! I like it! That was also the desire eventually to join a circus even though I had no skills whatsoever but I just at least wanted to be one of the people who help to hold the rope or something - you know, to be one of the people who stay in the background. Anything! Just be involved. That’s the beauty of the whole production - nothing would happen without it, there would be no outcome! Exactly. But my parents were always very open to many options and opportunities. They were very curious people - always interested in the world around them, always exploring, finding out. That has always been something about my life that I’m very grateful for. Were your parents also somehow creative? I guess they were creative in their own way. My father was doing a lot of woodwork and he still does. He makes the most beautiful wooden tables - the ones for special occasions or coffee tables. He kept saving the wood from 30 year old trees and now since he retired he is making most of it. They are amazing, really cool!. And also when we were kids, we didn't have a lot of money so for example, for Christmas or birthday presents all of our gifts were hand made. And we were always encouraged to make something you wished for by yourself. The act of making has been strongly heavily there - the process of it not just the finished product. And my mum was at home with us - you can imagine with 5 children. And the things that you can do at home with children were cheap. - but with a lot of effort. We always baked together - bread, cakes, cooking food, harvesting crops…It was very much of a community activity. It was the communal activities that encouraged us to be creative and take pride and joy in our daily lives. Sounds very nutritious! Yeah, I don't think I would have said that at the beginning to be honest but now, looking back at it I was very fortunate to have this kind of experience for sure. It was amazing. And then you stepped out of Canada! You mentioned when we met that you made your way to Liverpool in the UK? Or was there any other adventure in between? Oh yeah! So when I was a mid-teen I actually decided that my parents were actually “evil”. I left home when I was 16, moved to the next bigger city which confusingly is also called London - but then one in Canada of course. That’s incredible the world is getting smaller! I know, amazing! So anyway, when I turned 16 I went to a specialist art school in London. There is this high school in Ontario where you train up to do basically a foundation university course but in high school. They taught us everything - from weaving, to wool dying, spinning to 3D sculptures. It was just the most incredible thing. In my final year of high school I spent a considerable time making a sword! Ridiculous things. Oh my! So that was London! Yes! Then I moved across the country to Vancouver and then from there I decided that I will move to China. So I got a one way ticket to China, not knowing anything about the country. Was it just yourself doing this on your own? I was travelling with my boyfriend during that time. But honestly it was more symbolic and assuring rather than serious. But it was great to go with somebody at first. I lived in China for 2 years and then I was trying to go to Taiwan but I accidentally washed my passport in the washing machine so it looked very dodgy. Taiwan is super sticky about this kind of stuff. So I came to Hong Kong and inquired about going to Taiwan via Hong Kong as they just about opened up to visitors. I put the official enquiry at the unofficial embassy equivalent and the idea behind it was to come back later in 3 days to get the visa. I called this guy who was my ex-roommate’s boyfriend who was from Hong Kong and home visiting from Uni in the UK and we spent 5 days together in Hong Kong. It was also my first experience with a typhoon (all I knew from extreme weather was Canadian snow storms) and he’s like: “We can't go out there if there is a typhoon let’s get a drink”. After 5 days I got back to the office to get my visa and they said “no”. I was standing in the office asking myself “what am I going to do now”?! I had no plans. I had a job lined up in Taiwan but that was not going to happen. Was it because of the way the passport looked? Yes - it went through the whole washing machine cycle to its very end. It looked seriously dodgy. O Thought - I guess I'm not going to Taiwan, and this guy said: “Come to England instead, they are both islands so it’s basically the same”. So I said “why not, sure” and ended up going to the UK and then we ended up getting married shortly afterward and we have been together for about 23 years. Wow what a destiny! It’s a whole saga! I still have the passport! It should be framed and put into a precious archive, haha! Yeah! I mean sort of it is - verbally, since I started telling with the Hong Kong Stories these adventures have been told on the stage and the podcast so yeah - it kind of already works as an actual archive I suppose. Fantastic. So, in the UK did you have a chance to tap into being creative again? When I moved to the UK I actually had a great chance to get my European citizenship thanks to my mother (my life has been a jam sandwich). That gave me a chance to go to university in the UK as well. Oh right - but before we jump into this, I was wondering how easy was it for you to readapt yourself from so many instant culture shocks? How was it in Liverpool after a long time staying in China? Liverpool was quite difficult, not going to lie. Because anywhere else I lived before I was clearly a foreigner. But as a Canadian living in the UK from having some vaguely historical roots in England, it was nothing like it! The social categories, structures, the hierarchy! The moment you open your mouth you're instantly being judged by where you are from. They have no idea what my paradigm is whilst they think they do. They have TV shows about North America, but life at home does not resemble a strange suburban sitcom. It is not how we live! It was an interesting concept of adapting myself to the UK. How was understanding the accent? The Liverpool accent for me is incredibly hard not going to lie…. Oh yes! I am ashamedly a monolinguist - I couldn’t understand what people were saying in Liverpool. I had no clue. One day, I was in the apartment and the electricity goes out, lights off. I’m a Canadian so I thought there was a storm somewhere and there was a power cut! I went and knocked on my neighbours door, because I am a Canadian and I am allowed to do that (laughs). I asked: “Hi my electricity went out, is yours okay? DO you know what's going on?” and this is my bad Liverpool accent when my neighbour responded: “You gotta get down to the shop to get some ‘lecky with yer ‘lecky cad”! I was so confused. I knew that we were speaking the same language – There was an absolutely disconnect from what she said and what I could comprehend. So I was trying to analyse what she was telling me - that I have to go to a store and I have to bring a card that allows me to buy electricity? How??? Do I need a jar or tupperware or…? I had no idea. And how did you buy it with a card? My husband wasn’t at home, so me being a naive girl, with no idea what to do went down to the store all nervous asking this random guy if I could buy some electricity. And then my light went back on - it was amazing! I had no idea where to put the card! And then it turned out that you have to insert the topped up card into a box that is in your flat with the magnetic strip on it and you would prepay the electricity. In which part of Liverpool did you live? In a very dodgy part, actually. There were various places that shaped the whole neighbourhood that surprised me how rough it was. Very physically rough. People were really aggressive. Did you feel unsafe? Yes. Even though I lived in London, Ontario and then in downtown Vancouver in the area where there is a lot of addicts around and street crime and yet I haven't felt so unsafe as in Liverpool. People were very verbally and physically aggressive. Like for example if you stood on the street in front of them they would be like “why are you in my face”?! And a lot of the time I also could not understand the people properly as well and I asked them “sorry what were you trying to say”? They would be like: “Are you taking a piss”?! (laughs). So it was an interesting time. I remember an incident that happened on the street as there were a lot of street kids with no supervision whatsoever. This about 8 year old boy came to my husband who is a Hong Kong local Chinese, and asked him: “Hey mate! Are you a Paki”?! And my husband took him on one side to sit him down on the steps to explain to him: “No no, Paki is a slang and a bad word for a Pakistani person, you gotta get this geographically right otherwise you look like an idiot! The slur for me is Chink!” I couldn't believe that this was a real conversation that I witnessed! My husband is very confident talking to people about race and can be very patient and kind. That kid is hopefully part of some anti-racist committee or charity by now! Could be! But it was an interesting place and time. After university we stayed in Liverpool for some time. I worked for HSBC because I thought that it would be a good life to be a banker and then worked for a marketing firm for a while and then decided to move back to Hong Kong. But in the meantime I never stopped doing creative things - especially going to the museums and galleries there. Liverpool has a phenomenal art scene - the music, the art is incredible. There was always the ability to get involved with art - life drawings, bits and pieces here and there. What triggered you to come back to Hong Kong? I was really tired of the weather. Rain all the time! There was something about the North of England - how privileged everybody was. And how they felt the sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Like “we can't do anything about how terrible our lives are '' mindset. I just wanted to shake with them and tell them how lucky they are, that they are not hungry, they have all they need. And it still wasn't good enough. The indifference about taking control. You don't like it because you're bored? You don't like it because it’s not enough? You still have options out there and be able to do something about it. People felt they had no hope, while living in a place with amazing resources. They seemed too afraid to try. Because they were simply judged? Yeah! Whereas me, coming along as a farm kid I couldn't care less. There is nothing I can do to change who I am and your judgement of me which is out of my control so might as well do my own thing. Was your husband pleased to get back home to Hong Kong? He really loved England. He still loves it. I think if I told him let’s move back to England after Hong Kong, he would be really happy. He really didn't want to come back to Hong Kong as much as I did. But he was pleased to see his parents again as they were getting older. So we were back for about 17 years now. What a journey that lets you open up your own space - your own atelier…. Yes! Back in Hong Kong I went into being in a teaching and tutoring for several years, teaching kids with learning disabilities to develop the skills that will helped them to get the balance they needed. It was really fun. Must’ve been really rewarding! Yeah, that was about 7 years of my life. I’ve learned so much from these kids. During this time I was into painting with oil but it takes ages for it to dry. So I started using watercolours! Ideal! Do you know what was your main source of inspiration? Mostly everything. I always worked hard on portraiture and the human body. I have moved slightly away from that. I always feel this urge to create it keeps my mental health stable. I can feel it if I haven't made or created anything for about 5 days - I would not be in a happy place. It can be something even very small. But it still has to be something. I really enjoy daily challenges too. Like painting a miniature Hong Kong wildlife picture every day. There is this creative side of you that when it’s not being released properly it's almost destructive. So it needs to come out. All the time. Even without any intention of selling - without necessarily having the desire or the urge to be commercial. I understand - and then especially in heavily finance focused Hong Kong, right? Yeh! Especially when you live in a place where you cannot offer to hang your pictures on the wall. There is no middle priced art market! But that's okay, it is what it is. So I’m working on all of these things daily - making sure that I have a little bit of something to do everyday. That's what I do with storytelling as well. I don't write but writing for oral performance is different then writing for a publication. That’s part of my inability not being able to do any paperwork. Yeah, it takes time for people to realise this. Especially when you get to know yourself on such a high level as you do, along with knowing that you need to express yourself and let it out. Especially in Hong Kong - once when people maybe suppress it, it can come out through a completely different emotion, right? Yes, that's exactly what I’ve noticed. Especially in my studio. I do a lot of things that include inviting people over to create their own things. They are always so confused - asking what am I going to do, what is the “syllabus”? There is no syllabus! Of course I can help to guide and do some teaching. But for example teaching painting takes a lot of practice and dedication. Whereas we can do some more abstract painting where you make a mess is much more fluent, instant, and less technically difficult. It is amazing what you can create when you have someone to guide you through the process. It’s the same with making clothes. People are so scared to make their own clothes when they have never done any sewing before. And I always say: “Don’t’ worry not many people have perfectly straight line bodies anyway”! Kids can do it too and I love it when kids come over as they have literally no fear! The pride and joy people get from creating something themselves is very rewarding. And it’s very sustainable as well! Yes! The part of this is the process of making the clothing and how it affects your life. So instead of reaching out and buying a product from a cheap company there are actually so many things you can do by yourself at home. And there are many fancy ways you can shape up your own dress. This week I am working on a project which will be sent to an art competition in Australia. Wow! Tell us more about it! It’s very complicated. It’s taking me a long time. It’s meant to be done by the end of April and I am starting to freak out with the deadline looming. The competition is called “Paper on Skin”. It’s about paper clothing. I’ve decided to recreate Queen Elisabeth’s II coronation dress in paper. The other day I left some partially completed pieces lying out in my studio my resident gecko pooped on it. I really don't need this, haha! The dress is made to be worn so I will have to ship it in pieces. How are you going to pack it? Everything gets wrapped in a bubble wrap. So it’s somehow flexible. Should be manageable. It’s a competition so I had to apply and already passed the first hurdle which is amazing. And the original dress is symbolic of how much something is worth, as an icon and as a garment….just like the crown jewels. They are worth everything - priceless! But they also have a value of the gemstones and components. But if the Queen would try to sell it out, technically she owns it and yet she doesn't. And the same is this idea of the dress - the value and the symbolism that is all connected together. What is the worth? What does it mean for example to me and you if I would physically pick up the crown jewels and put them into my pocket - what would they be worth to me? Absolutely nothing – I couldn’t sell them. This project is about wealth and worth, value and cost. The dress is very Disney princess looking. And to put this cherry on the top and wrap this up in a nice cosy blanket…what are your plans for the future? I’ll be going back to workshops once HK opens again - I will try to run them as efficiently as I can. Life drawing classes are going to start again. I offer tailor made classes as well – I usually ask - what are you interested in learning? I will make a class for you. I would like to start Artist Talks again and Artist MeetUp just for working artists in Hong Kong. And there is another project I'd like to get started: a quilting project. Bringing a lot of people together and everyone quilting blocks at home and then bringing it over to make it and stitch it into one as a community. This was a family tradition in Canada that I would like to bring to Hong Kong – I will need to go about finding the right charity to donate it to, or auction it off and donate the proceeds. I have many projects but I have lost a little bit of the juice and motivation in my engine recently. How do you keep yourself motivated and keep the hope high? Well the inner engine the need to create will always be there. And wanting to build the community and get back to people to get involved….at the moment the tank is running very low but I know that it will fill up! Visit Rachel’s Website here: https://www.senselessart.net
Follow Rachel on Instagram: @rachel_smith_studio and @senselessart Visit Hong Kong Stories Website here: http://www.hongkongstories.com
1 Comment
Rachael, I have always loved your work and your general approach to art, stories and life. But reading so much about your adventures and your story, makes it all come together so beautifully! Loved reading every bit of it!. Thanks Alexis for such a wonderful forum to get so many talented people and their stories out.
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AuthorAlex Edwards is a founder of Creative Womxn in Hong Kong who has media and journalism background but also experience in art community development and social media management. Archives
November 2022
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