Artist Lowri Evan’s journal of intimate, immediate drawings document the rehearsal process of our new work 12 Last Songs.
I’ve been friends with Quarantine for about fifteen years. What I like about Quarantine is it’s hard to know where they start and end; it’s never just the work, it’s the people. So it’s easy to be a friend of theirs. Like with most of my friends, we’ve worked together in different ways over the years. But this is the first time I’ve got to document their process, which I did with words and pictures over two weeks in the summer of 2021.
I keep a lot of sketchbooks, detailing everyday life or art projects. The act of writing and drawing helps me remember even if I don’t look back on them very often. It also keeps me engaged in the present and pay close attention. So diaries underpin a lot of what I do, and I like it when I get the chance to make them public as they are quite solitary and hidden. Like a rehearsal process really.
I like the impossibility of attempting to capture a moment – from who’s point of view, how to record an experience that belongs to so many people, how to draw something that’s moving, write something that’s spoken, let feelings fall onto the pages. I also liked being close to the process, but being just on the outside. It’s an exciting spot to be.
Explore the full journal of drawings by Lowri here.
12 Last Songs will premiere at Transform festival at Leeds Playhouse on Saturday 23 October from 12 midday-12 midnight.