nomadic studios: London, France, Venice, Morocco…elsewhere

"What does your studio look like today?

—Sparse . . . clear . . . peonies, foxgloves and blowsy overblown roses . . . I’ve been photographing these over weeks at different times of the day into the evening light. There’s also bags of plaster for casting objects . . . cameras . . . layers of photographic prints . . . Polaroids . . . collections of 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century gilded frames and a rail of vintage dresses and lace ready for shoots.

What are you most excited by right now?

-The next photo shoot …. Vienna 2024

What are the first steps you take when starting a new piece of work?

-Clearing spaces. I work from my London space and my French one, both indoors and outdoors. I need it to be clean and clear, then throw myself in . . . process is everything . . . it’s always about a fresh start that brings me back round to the beginning.

What is the best thing someone has ever said about your work?

-It was said very early on when I was at the RCA by the late art critic, Stuart Morgan –

he said my work was always about the layer beneath the layer I was working on . . . he totally nailed it., 40 years later its all about the transparent vellum trace layers and the blurred lines

-What is your dream commission?

Art throughout a chateau – or one of the great English country houses – or palazzo . . . with total control over all the elements of styling and entire art direction from start to finish (this is how I usually work).

-Where would you like to be this time next year?

… in a new space . . . in a new country . . . a new studio space somewhere like Palermo would be extraordinary . . . or back in Japan , I miss it so much . . .