Disability impacts how I make, why I make, and what I make…A conversation with artist Bel Pye

Below is an excerpt from a conversation between artists Meadhbh Corrigan and Bel Pye about Bel’s work. They met a year previously when Meadhbh facilitated an online series of workshops for the ReConnect group of artists at Project Ability. They connected over their shared interest in craft and quilt-making, which are key to both of their art practices. In their conversation, Bel explains the role their identity as a disabled, queer person plays in their artwork, and the impact that community has had on their practice. 

Interview with Bel – Saturday 13th May 2023

To begin with, could you tell me a little about the history of your art practice?

I started developing an art practice when I moved to Glasgow in 2011 to study contemporary performance practice, which is less about acting and more about live art. At the end of that, the illness that I’d had for decades really got to the point where the physicality of performing became too much to manage, especially the kind of hustle of the arts industry. That kind of working involves a huge amount of free labor, having to network and push your ideas and grab opportunities. The really high paced, energetic way of working was not available to me at all. 

I did teach for a little bit and absolutely loved it, but teaching is also a very physically challenging job. The support worker I had at the time suggested I apply for Project Ability, as they knew that I was interested in arts and thought it would be a fun way to recapture some of the creativity that I had while studying but couldn’t access anymore. At first I was very nervous – it was this huge studio full of every kind of art supply you could possibly want. 

But slowly over the years, I’ve developed a practice. I think a lot of that is also due to projects with Outside In. They’re an organization based in Brighton supporting artists who consider themselves restricted from the mainstream art world – whether that’s through disability, race, class, or income. So I was involved with a course with them, and also with yourself and with Maya, who did the Glasgow School of Art project the year before. I think I thrived on that bit of structure and a little bit of community, and they gave me a trampoline into managing my own practice. 

Since then, it’s just been about taking up opportunities when they arrive, and being really indulgent: the nice thing about making work that isn’t for a commission or a job is I can really do whatever I enjoy. And that’s pretty luxurious. So rather than letting that be scary, I started to let that be fun instead. So that’s been lovely.

 

That feeling of community that you mentioned experiencing in Project Ability – is that something you want to build more of? 

I am looking to build more of it, but in a very different way to when I was at drama school. I think performance and drama is often a very extroverted community; a lot of people with a lot of energy and who really thrive on having audiences. Whereas now I’m much more introverted, so making alongside people can be different. It might be virtual, like when we were working on Zoom. It might be working towards a similar interest while we’re all in the studio, but we’re not necessarily chatting loads, we’re just kind of quietly making next to each other, which I really love. It’s an undemanding kind of community, which is something that I really benefit from and I think probably a lot of Reconnct’s participants feel similar.

 

How do you relate to disability within your art? 

I think for a long time I wanted to be an artist or a creative person who happens to have a disability. But actually, I am a disabled person who also likes to do art stuff. As much as I would love for the disability stuff to take a side seat, it impacts how I make, why I make, and what I make. I’m trying to learn to embrace and accept that. I’m making things I wouldn’t make otherwise, and that’s exciting. I’m going to be making a lot, lot slower. Time is always the thing that I grapple with most because I was definitely raised in a fast-paced hustle, get it done, high-pressure making culture. Whereas pieces like the jacket that I made – I knitted the arms over a few weeks whilst watching Father Brown on the telly and that was about their level of intensity I could manage.

 

Do you have a project on the go right now? 

A couple of bits and pieces. One is that Project Ability has been given some exhibition space at Platform, in Easterhouse, which is exciting, and it’s for paintings. Painting is not something that I really know much about. I’m much happier on the sculpture, performance, object side of life. If things feel a bit like props or costumes, then that’s more in my comfort zone. So I’m going to try and be brave and see what painting is all about, which will be fun. 

I find that a lot of things I make are gifts for other people and so recently I’ve been making tiny little jars with tiny little spoons in them. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of spoony theory? I’ve painted the little spoons in pride flag colors, so they’re like an emergency spoon that you can carry around with you. I’m thinking of putting them maybe at Pink Peacock or maybe at Category Is Books –  somewhere where people can take them for free and just have them as a nice little reminder. 

I think one of the worst things I’ve found about disability is the isolation and feeling like you’re completely on your own. So the spoons will be little things that  people can take away to remind themselves hopefully that they’re not completely doing it on their own. It’s satisfying.

Yeah, I’m excited to see them!

They’re so tiny! And they’re covered in glitter which is very good. 

Opportunities to see more of Bel’s work:

Image Description: a white hand holding a small glass jar with a cork stopper. Inside the jar there is pink glitter and a tiny spoon painted in the pride flag rainbow colours. There is a brown paper label attached to the bottle that says ‘Break in case of low spoons’.
Bel Pye, Emergency Spoon, May 2023

Image Description: A fabric face mask made from mustard yellow fabric with a white floral pattern. There is a message embroidered across the centre of the mask in red thread that says ‘We cannot afford to go back to normal’.
Bel Pye, My first homemade facemask, March 2021

 

Image Description: photo taking during Bel’s performance. They are sitting on a black couch and are totally wrapped in a sky blue and red crocheted net that they have crocheted around themself. Their hands are visible at the opening of the net over their head. There is yarn and food at their feet, including bananas, oranges and iron bru, and navy and red yarn and crochet hooks beside them on the couch.
Bel Pye, Stit Nitch, 2 July 2022 Performance as part of ‘WAIWAV – We Are Invisible, We Are Visible’, Derry, 2 July 2022

 

 

Image Description: Bel is smiling and standing next to a sky blue and red crocheted artwork hanging from the ceiling in a gallery space. It is resting on a white plinth.
Bel Pye, Stit Nitch, December 2022 Shown as part of The Travelling Gallery.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Image Description: 8 brown envelopes and 2 letters are stuck on a white wall in a grid formation. Each of the envelopes have a drawing on them in black ink of a nude body with scribbles around it. One of the letters has information addressed to the artist about their personal independence payment and the other is a form to request reconsideration and has a black ink drawing on it of a body surrounded by scribbles.
Bel Pye, This is how I feel, September 2018

 

Image Description: Close up image of a denim jacket with extra long brown hand knitted sleeves attached at the shoulders that resemble tree bark. The body of the jacket has lots of badges on it in different colours with lots of different slogans or for different groups. ‘Glasgow Artists’, ‘homo’ and ‘be brave’ are visible. There is other artwork in the background but it is out of focus.
Bel Pye, The Not-So-Straight Jacket, September 2022, Project Ability Gallery                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Image Description: There is a large tree trunk situated in a park with grass around it. Intertwined in the centre of the tree trunk in a denim jacket with extra long brown hand knitted sleeves that resemble bark. The jacket is partially obscured by the tree trunk and the sleeves wrap around it.
Bel Pye, The Not-So-Straight Jacket, August 2022

 

 

 

 

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