★ an interview with niamh dale ★

interview by celeste moses

While in quarantine, artists have been finding a happy medium between struggling with self isolation and finding the motivation to create while under lockdown. It may appear to many people that this incubation period is the perfect opportunity to sit down and create, yet it’s not so simple. Many young artists are working their way through the infamous year of 2020 while stumbling over the rocky terrain of education in quarantine, shouldering the hefty responsibility of social reform and coming to terms with the seriousness that this year has produced as it likely sets a precedent for many coming years for Gen-Z. 

For many artists and non artists alike, this year has introduced a seriously daunting task of finding ways to cope with the doozy of a year we’ve been dealt. However, Niamh Dale’s artsy dreamworld presents itself as the perfect escape if you’re looking into jumping through a portal of glitzy pop hits, sweet sparkly treats and a bubbly pink world made of decorative cakes and deadpan tweets. 

In this interview, we invite you to meet the artist behind the characteristic cakes of @niamhthewannabeartist on instagram!

Hello Niamh! Thank you so much for sitting down with us at Fever Dreams to chat! How are you doing currently? And can you introduce yourself?

Hey!! I’m actually doing really well thank you, especially now that ‘normal’ life is slowly starting to resume here in the UK. For anyone new to my work, I am a Fine Art student studying at Central Saint Martins in London. I have recently finished first year, and will be going into my second year of university this autumn.

As a magazine centered around bridging the gap between reality and dreamscape your work comes across as particularly relevant to us. Your medium is refreshingly and dauntingly non-traditional. How is it that you came across exploring the use of cakes as art?

I actually don’t really know where the initial idea came from, but cakes to me have an exciting celebratory connotation making them a fun way to express some much more dismal themes. The use of satire and irony feature heavily in my practice, I like to explore quite dystopian subjects through a contrasting utopian image. Using cakes as my canvas has allowed me to communicate my ideas in a much more ‘straight-to-the-point’ fashion. They also have an exciting nostalgic appeal, that tends to remind people of childhood birthdays and times of celebration, making them a figure most people can relate to. It is still something I am quite new to - I definitely want to carry on exploring its potential.

How has uni been for you? And how has quarantine influenced or interrupted your creative routine?

Uni has been pretty good so far, I come from a small town with little to no art scene, so moving to such a diverse city has really helped push my practice. Since moving to London I have definitely fallen in love with the city. The repercussions of the virus have meant that my first year came to a very early and abrupt end, meaning that I had to move back to my hometown and back in with my family. Initially this really hindered my practice — I lost my creativity and motivation as well as London’s tangible sources of inspiration. However, I began to use this ‘lack’ of inspo as a motive for my latest project: the ‘Sweet Satire’ series. I found that during lockdown I was seeking escapism more than ever, when doing so I noticed that many people on social media, (twitter in particular) were doing the same. There was an uproar of dark humoured, satirical tweets - it was clear that I was just one of millions resorting to the apps on our phones as an escape. People were using humour as their virtual medicine, to help shield the anxieties that came along with being quarantined away from reality. Therefore, although at the beginning I thought of the situation as a hindrance and reaper of all creativity; it actually ended up sparking a whole series of artworks.

Use this space to summarize about your art and your journey through art education.

I've been studying art-based subjects since the beginning of high school, but never really took it seriously until around halfway through my GCSEs. Although the grades I have achieved have been quite consistently high, I was only really creating art for the sake of those grades. It wasn’t until I started my Foundation year that I started to develop a true style of my own. Throughout that year I found that I had a real interest in creating artworks inspired by nostalgia and childhood, from there I slowly began to develop an aesthetic of bright neons, pastels and quite ‘utopian-esk’ imagery. At this time, I also started to experiment with Photoshop and Procreate for the first time. As for my current practice, I have in recent months been creating a lot of three-dimensional works. I found that after a while, working digitally wasn’t really allowing me to immerse my viewers into my pieces - it just lacked substance. Therefore, such works as my ‘Sweet Satire’ cake series were born! However they’re still a work in progress, and are still ever evolving.

The juxtaposition of jarring candid in the form of nihilistic text blended with your dreamy imagery of pink cakes, glitter, and bubbly text seems purposeful in its contrast? What does this particular antithetical message mean to you?

I find that it's a great way to express subjects both comedic and intrusive. You can literally write your most vulnerable confession and slap some glitter on it and all of a sudden, you don’t feel so stripped. The initial glamour, and ‘sweetness’ (excuse the pun) of the cakes in particular offer a warm welcome to entice the viewers right into a bleak reality in its most kitsch form. In short: people (generally) love pretty things and (most) people to a certain degree could do with a shock of realism. whether they take the quotes on the cakes as literal statements or as light hearted humour - both work for me.

What do your dreams look like? More importantly, what do your daydreams look like? What would you say is the difference between a REM dream and a daydream?

I wish I could spill like 10 different accounts of super cool dreams I’ve had, but I rarely remember what I’ve dreamt about. I am however a massive daydreamer, just as my art suggests, I am pretty fond of escaping reality - particularly in times like this. Living in London allows for a lot of daydreaming. There are many times in the day when all of a sudden the rush of the big city will calm and you’re suddenly alone with your thoughts. The tube is just one example. Although I may be surrounded by crowds of strangers, once my headphones are in, I am well and truly in another world. It's strange actually, I love the buzz of living in such a fast paced location yet at the same time, I love zoning out of it - perhaps the crowds are a comfort. I’d love to sit here and say that when not blasting music, my daydreams are made up of a pink sparkly utopia of Y2K realness, where everyone wears juicy couture; but actually i’m usually sat deeping the fact that this could all be a simulation, or some other weird sim-like existence. The sentence “omg that gives me simulation vibes” comes out of my mouth most days.

What does your art process look like? As your art enters the cycle of creation what incites creation of a project and what brings death?

My art process is a bit of a mess, I'm not going to lie. Prior to uni, my thoughts and ideas were very configured and organised, but now, all of a sudden I’ve got about 10 different mental tabs open and I don’t even know where to start. I do think, however this is because I’m extremely focused on the research and influences that go into my work. Now I’m away from the constraints of high school, I feel as though my brain finally has time to breathe, I’m constantly thinking about what exactly I want my art to say and more importantly, why. Right now I’m actually going through a major art block, which I’ve never actually really had before. The momentary death of my creativity is actually really frustrating, (if anyone has any book or artist recommendations you think i’d like please hmu) although I know this is something that every artist encounters, it is frustrating to have such a huge passion of mine put on hold.  

Would you say art has always been a presence in your life? How have you come to embrace it? How have others come to embrace you?

Not to sound dramatic or anything but genuinely I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t creative. I remember being super young and analysing the aesthetics of cartoons instead of enjoying the storylines themselves. I always spent my weekends drawing. Essentially I’ve never really had to come and embrace it, it just feels like my norm (that sounds super dramatic lol, probably my inner Leo coming out). My family likewise have always had to put up with my bazaar ideas, I mean I literally whipped up 9 faux cake sculptures and they genuinely didn’t bat an eyelid haha.

 Spending time alone can be daunting, during the age of quarantine it’s this isolation that means often you are your own company. Being alone with your thoughts can make some uncomfortable. What makes you uncomfortable?

Honestly, you really hit the nail on the head there, being alone with my own thoughts for too long makes me majorly uncomfortable. In the past, I've tried to make quite personal (almost biographical) artwork which has driven me crazy. It taught me that instead, I have to find the perfect balance of letting my emotions influence my art, but also to know when to reel it in and let other influences make their impact. Alongside that, not knowing when I could return to London made me feel pretty miserable. However I now have a set date :) (not like I’m counting down or anything) so i’m super excited about that.

 I see you’re a fan of Britney! Would you say she’s had an influence on you as a person? You as an artist?

oh absolutely. Honestly what an icon. Not only has she produced sooo many good tunes (toxic, slave for u, womanizer and gimme more are some notable faves) which are great to blast when creating work, but I also really love her character and the aesthetics the come along with not only her, but many other figures from the 2000s. I love the whole low-rise jeans and overly plucked eyebrows and all that comes along with the fashion from the era. I’m also super happy that all of this is coming back in fashion (although you will never catch me in low-waisted jeans). There is however, a much darker past behind her pop princess facade, this hidden reality is also something I can empathise with, with regards to the artwork I make.

 You’ve built quite the online character through a charismatic color palette, an exposed form of storytelling through bright frothy imagery. What would you say was the key to developing an artistic persona that is so brandable?

I think you just really have to evaluate what exactly you want to create, but also WHO exactly you are (or who you want to be). For me, I have a very sarcastic, ironic and at times dry humour; thus I aim to create a tangible reflection of this, which will allow me to express whatever it is I want to talk about. When it comes to aesthetics, I try and create a reflection of my own personal tastes and the further connections they have. I love the aesthetic visuals that come with such themes as childhood and nostalgia (90s and Y2K in particular), therefore my colour pallet for example, is heavily influenced by this. Motifs such as kids stickers, glitter etc stem from this also. Essentially, take a look at yourself - where does your heart lie? What do you think about most often? The rest will naturally follow.

 How can we support you?

My instagram @niamhthewannabeartist is where it's at for regular updates and stories of Britney Spears memes. I also got so bored in lockdown that I made a TikTok (@niamhthewannabeartist also) - it's a new slight addiction of mine!    

Any last words?

It's not mercury, it's you (if you know, you KNOW hahaha) ! :)

No on a real note, thank you again for having me! it has been a pleasure.

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