Lasmin Salmon was selected as Outside In May 2014’s Artist of the Month.
Lasmin’s ‘sewn sculptures’ arise from an exploration of ideas. She will bend and twist fabric and materials until each section is meticulously constructed with absolute precision. Actionspace’s artist tutor Charlotte Hollinshead has answered some questions on Lasmin’s behalf about this unique work.
What influences your art?
Lasmin re-explores certain forms throughout her work regardless of the materials and medium she uses. From sewn sculptures to drawing and painting Lasmin recreates ordered but highly organic shapes, frequently returning to cirlces and ovals and reworking them with intense care.
Can you describe how you make your work?
With her drawing and painting Lasmin works intuitively, starting with a strong line to define a shape or series of shapes she then reworks the lines to build a solid form and builds the form often with intense mark making until she is clearly satisfied with the final piece. With her sewn sculptural work Lasmin uses a slightly different approach. She will explore several ideas until settling on a style she feels connected with and that feels right for her. She will play with materials, sometimes with support from the artist facilitators within the studio, bending and twisting fabrics and materials until the right shape is made. Once Lasmin has found the right shape she then recreates it in many varied forms and with a range of different materials from fabric, foam, wool, plastics. She chooses her materials extremely carefully, pulling them through her fingers to ensure they are the right texture, pattern or weight before embarking on a new piece. She seems to especially enjoy creating a large body of work where varied shapes have connections and are part of a whole family. She is extremely precise in her approach; becoming completely absorbed in the process. She will review each piece to make sure she has constructed it exactly how she wants it to be, often returning to pieces which need extra work. Lasmin frequently photographs her work in close up to capture the detail of the delicate fibres and sown stitches.
Do you have a favourite piece? If so, which one and why?
Lasmin does seem especially bonded with her sewn work, she smiles and laughs to herself as she creates and loves getting positive feedback about her work.
What’s been the best part of your artistic career so far?
Lasmin has had several great opportunities in the last 2 years, exhibiting her sculptural work at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Side by Side exhibition, and recently in the group show ‘In the Balance’ which showcased the work of contemporary London artists. Lasmin has also shown work in the Pump House Open Exhibition at the Pump House Gallery.
What are you working on at the moment?
Lasmin is currently developing a large sewn work built upon an old rug. She is sewing rectangular fabric shapes with foam tubing segments onto the rug in an ordered and systematic way, but still creating beautiful organic forms combining the chunky and delicate.
