Our second talk in the On […] series: On [Motivation] took place last night at Red Bull Studios, featuring talks by Mr Bingo, Morag Myerscough and Sam Bompas (of Bompas & Parr) exploring what inspires and motivates them.
Illustrator, Mr Bingo set the tone for the evening with a witty and wonderfully candid talk, providing an insight into how his family and memorable childhood /work experiences shaped his career choices. A short stint working as a post boy at HSBC (before being fired for doodling on the boss’ post), working in PR selling lipsticks, his parents far too “normal” lives, and admiration for his Aunty Penny’s freelance lifestyle as a textile designer, all contributed to Bingo becoming increasingly opposed to taking a “boring office job”. Fueled by a desire “to make people laugh” and a self-confessed attention-seeking streak, he decided to pursue illustration as it allowed him to combine his two skills: telling jokes and drawing.
The eccentric and vivacious, multidisciplinary designer Morag Myerscough (who confessed she was in a “pattern phase”) brightened up an otherwise rainy evening with wildly colourful slides of her work demonstrating her obsession with colour. Morag cited a wide array of influences, which all inform her work; from living in Hoxton – where new, exciting things are happening all the time – to traveling, her dog, and her home, which is filled with her numerous collections (she has over 300 chairs and is creating projects around them). Despite her vast portfolio of work and wealth of experience, Morag confided that she is still learning, striving to develop, embrace diversity and constantly push herself to do new work and not get bored.
Sam Bompas, dressed in a lab type coat and bright yellow socks, fitted the image of a brilliant and eccentric inventor / mad scientist. He took us on a journey tracing Bompas & Parr’s career to date, from humble beginnings and their aspirations to run a stall in Borough market (which they were refused), to their latest large-scale, high-profile projects. Sam stressed that their achievements and creative endeavours were sparked by wanting to push boundaries, pull off the “seemingly impossible”, by not being scared to ask for help and a willingness to make mistakes. He described their passion for storytelling; they are constantly trying to find ways to tease out and tell stories through manipulating food and environments in an engaging, unexpected way. We were treated to some culinary and alcoholic delights courtesy of Mr Bompas, which got our taste buds tingling, and heads spinning. To all those present, WOW wasn’t that Ether potent?
All three speakers enthusiasm for their respective crafts was palpable, and inspiring. No doubt the energy each of them displayed explains why they make such great work, motivating them to keep creating things anew, and continuing to surprise their audiences.
It was really nice to see some familiar faces, as well as new ones in the audience. Once again a huge thank you to the generous folk at Red Bull for supporting our event.
For those of you who didn’t manage to get tickets for On [Motivation] before it sold-out, we’re releasing tickets for On [Innovation & Ownership] with Troika, Holly Wales and George Hardie shortly…
Images: Steve Stills for Red Bull Co. Ltd.