Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
Documenting his entire career to date, the arrival of Daniel Lismore’s exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum marks something of a homecoming for the Coventry-born designer and artist, serving as a large part of Coventry’s City of Culture celebrations. Bringing together life-sized sculpture, soundscapes, photography and over 7,000 unique pieces, the immersive Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken presents perhaps the most comprehensive insight possible into Lismore’s life, work and activism. After a tour of the exhibition, we sat down with Daniel Lismore for a short interview to discuss his work.
Having come from Coventry, how does it feel to have such a comprehensive exhibition on display here?
I’m delighted to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m part of the City of Culture. When I saw it was happening I was like ‘wow, that’s amazing… Finally, something is happening here!’, and I was so happy when they got it… I’d rather have my show here than in London; I live there so they’ve got me already, they don’t need any more!
I thought it’d be the perfect place because although Atlanta, Miami and Reykjavik were quite big shows, the other shows were in smaller towns, and I found that more people visited, more people were inspired, more people that needed to see it that didn’t live in a capital saw it. I think that art is for everyone and art needs to be accessible, and people don’t always want to travel to London. However, they do want to travel to Coventry, because we have about 150 people coming with Avanti tonight, which is quite amazing, them being sent to Coventry.
A lot of your work almost seems like upcycling, finding and collecting these objects and using them in your art. Given your environmental activism, was that a conscious decision, or was it something that just came about naturally?
It wasn’t conscious at all! My mum has been helping me with the timeline, and a few years ago she asked “Why is this a thing now Daniel? You’ve been doing it for years and years, why has it got a name all of a sudden?”. So, I have been doing it since I was quite young.
You’ve dressed and worked with some pretty big names, is there anyone you’d like to make a costume for in the future who you haven’t yet?
Umm… Madonna! I was at a friend’s house and everyone was cutting their hair, and they were making a thing for Madonna, so we all stuffed our hair in it, so she’s actually worn me!
You spoke earlier in the show about a magpie, could you elaborate on that a bit?
It was fascinating! I would leave food out for the magpie and it would come every day in lockdown. I was feeding the birds, dressed like the Evil Queen but acting like Snow White, and this magpie, every day would leave me a stone, and it was bizarre… They were colourful stones, one of them was bright yellow… But they also stole stuff, so I think they were trading…
We spent ages looking at Drottning, with all of its amazing tiny details, we were wondering if you have a favourite object in one of your pieces that people perhaps don’t notice?
There’s a Loulou de la Falaise - Yves Saint Laurent 1979 couture hair pin in one of the sculptures… It’s merged with an old lantern which has been folded and painted, and that's kind of sacred in the world of museum fashion. I love the fact that it’s just hovering up there and no-one really knows.
There’s a 2,000 year-old necklace in there, people don’t know it’s that old, but for me it’s a special piece… I stayed with the Maasai for a long time and I worked with them and helped the women’s group years ago. When I went to revisit them and help them again it was amazing, but they said to me that Westerners weren’t buying their jewellery because they didn’t think they could wear it, which I thought was a huge shame, since that then affects their livelihood… I know what America says about wearing Maasai jewellery, but if you ask the Maasai it’s a different story.
We loved the soundscape in the Terracotta Army room, we were wondering how that came about?
That was a piece with Einar Örn from The Sugarcubes. I hear things jingling all the time, so when he asked if I needed a soundscape I said yes! We shook everything, we made everything jingle, and he put a 40-minute loop of the sounds in there.
Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken is running at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from 18th February - 26th June 2022.
