Getting To Know: Seapunch

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with brands and friends of Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Seapunch – a local up and coming multimedia artist based in Leeds.

Please introduce yourself and your work, what mediums do you create your work in?

My name is Antoine, also known as Seapunch. I would consider myself a multimedia artist, but I have a particular interest in zine-making and screenprinting. 

Where are you currently in the world?

I am currently living in Leeds, northern England – where I work and study.

How are you coping creatively right now, any new projects in the works?

Although I can do a lot of work from my computer, I find it particularly difficult to get in a proactive mindset while at home. However, I’m slowly adapting to the changes going on in the world and have made my desk more “work-friendly”. I am currently working on a large-format, newsprint zine which will be available in the next month or so. The zine aims to explore the themes of ephemerality and eternity through personal experiences. I am also continuing my submission-based project Atomic, which allows makers from around the world to submit work to be featured in a non-profit zine.

Current media diet?

I’m currently reading a book called: How to Get Great Ideas: A system for smart, extraordinary thinking. 

Music-wise I’m listening to a lot of: Burial, Deb Never, Shlohmo, Ratking, Mayhem, Bon Iver, 03 Greedo.

Movies I’ve recently watched: Jarhead, Wild, Parasite.

TV shows: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos, Master of None.

What things in life have you come to appreciate more during these times?

I miss having a workplace that is separate from my house. I am always more productive when I go into studio to work, or when I sit down at a coffeeshop or library. I also really miss having access to a screenprinting workshop, as I’ve realised that this is where I do a lot of thinking.

Having been in self-isolation for three weeks has also made me realise how nice it is to be able to enjoy being outside with your friends, whether it’s sunbathing in the park or going out for a nice meal. 

If the world went back to normal tomorrow what is the first thing you’d do?

I’m going straight to Temple to get some coffee and donuts.

Outside of creating artwork, what else is keeping you sane?

These past few months I’ve developed a very spontaneous and unexpected interest in video games, so I’ve been playing a whole lot of PlayStation 4, hahaha. I would have liked to get more into cooking, but unfortunately it’s been quite a struggle to acquire many ingredients lately.

How would you describe the creative scene in Leeds?

I think Leeds has an excellent creative scene – and I think this is firstly thanks to the art and music universities, but also because of places that keep creative scenes alive such as Village Books, Brudenell Social Club, Temple of Boom, Aire Street Studios and East Street Arts (to name a few). To me it seems like Leeds is very community driven rather than competitive, which is the vibe I sometimes get from some other cities. I feel very lucky to live in a place with such a wide range of thriving creative circles that are able to inspire and uplift each other.

Are there any other upcoming Artists you suggest people checking out for?

Of course! Some artists I’m digging at the moment are: Victor Morales (@badluck777), Carole Gautier (rankochan__), Flosskees (@flosskees), Sob Story (@sobstoryy), Rob Engvall (@rob.engvall) and Yulissa Benitez (yu.lez).

Stay up to to date with Seapunch here and  keep an eye out for more in this series over the next few weeks.