Interview with Eve de Haan
Eve de Haan is a London-based artist who has exhibited her works across Europe and in America, creating works under the brand “Half a Roast Chicken”, @halfaroastchicken, http://www.halfaroastchicken.com/. We’re so very proud to have her among the She Bends artists, most recently in the She Bends exhibition at the Var West gallery in Milwaukee, participating with the amazing piece “Make a Decision” (see below). We’re happy to have had the opportunity for a brief chat over e-mail about the themes, methods and environments connected to her art.
How did you first get into neon as a medium? Did you have someone mentoring you, who was that?
I have always been loved neon. As I was growing up my mother had collected different types of art, and she always had a neon in her collection. When I was studying at university, a friend gifted me, as a birthday present, a course up in Bradford, to learn how to bend glass, from their my fascination grew.
Could you say something about your relationship to neon - light and glass - as a material, what does it mean to you?
I love the vibrancy and fragility of neon. It is so imposing. I am interested in how the meaning of a word or phrase can change when written out in neon.
What is your experience of working as a neon artist in London? Is there a community of other neon artists, spaces or resources that are particularily important for neon artists in the area?
All the women I have met, that work with neon have been inspirational. There is a small community of women that work with just neon, and they all seem to be so encouraging of each other. I would love to see a museum of neon in London. I met my favourite artist Romily Alice in London at a group show a few years ago, I remember meeting her and feeling really encouraged by her kindness and passion for neon, which you can see through her artwork.
In which ways have your neon works changed over the years since you first started working with the medium?
I have loved working in different ways with neon over the years, I have become more confident with marrying different mediums with neon. I have experimented with paint, tapes, boom boxes, metal, wood, perspex and water. I have come to realize that neon works with most mediums, I want to become more adventurous with the mediums I mix.
Make A Decision by Eve de Haan, Neon in perspex casting $4,545. Inquiries
You Don’t Need Google by Eve de Haan
In which ways have your neon works changed over the years since you first started working with the medium?
I have loved working in different ways with neon over the years, I have become more confident with marrying different mediums with neon. I have experimented with paint, tapes, boom boxes, metal, wood, perspex and water. I have come to realize that neon works with most mediums, I want to become more adventurous with the mediums I mix.
You have a degree in Theology, and it seems that some of your work circle around contemporary society's obsessive belief in technology, knowledge and science. Is there a connection to your ideas about religion, or systems of belief, in these works?
I think most of my work stems from my love for written word. When I studied theology, most of the work revolved around text. I have always been fascinated by the idea that one phrase can be interpreted differently from person to person. I think the definition of a word depends on the individual and their experiences and understandings. I don't think meanings of words are universal and I find so much beauty in this.
Other themes of yours seem to be desire and consumerism. Is that a correct interpretation of your works, and do you care to elaborate on what those themes mean to you?
A lot of my work revolves around commentary on how society uses 'technology' as a crutch, and the impact this is having on youth culture. The way young people are interacting with one and other and our priorities are changing, I think it is important to make art that comments on our obsession with technology and our infatuation with consumerism, as it is such a big part of our lives.
You have to let us know... Where does "half a roast chicken" come from?
I loved the idea of having a name that had no connection to the type of art I make.
Interview by Eliana Ivarsdotter Haddad, Meryl Pataky’s assistant