Artist Hope London

Hope is a well-known and much-loved artist and resident of Dumfries and Galloway. She describes herself as an artist in the broadest sense of the word, which is true given her talent for painting, dancing, singing, animation, mentoring, teaching, and community engagement -

“Art is how I make sense of the world. I draw, paint, photograph, write, perform, make murals, graphic novels, animation, videos, songs, soundscapes... whatever media an idea or project seems to demand. This is sometimes risky, but risk leads to discovery and growth. I often work in collaboration with communities and groups, researching, documenting, and re-inventing the stories of people and places. I have studios in Wigtown and Newmilns, for easy access to Glasgow.

Last October, my husband of 16 years was rushed to hospital with inoperable, terminal cancer and died suddenly at home, one month later. Overwhelmed by postdeath responsibilities, I became numb, barely experiencing the grief. I’d recently been accepted as an artist on the Upland Arts ROAM (West) project, exploring contemporary rural art practice in West Dumfries & Galloway. Working with curator|artist Jack Tan, I’m investigating ways to integrate the range of media used in my practice, including drawing, painting, hand-made cut-out animation, installation, writing, graphic storytelling, video, sound, music, performance. Our group were to create a pop-up exhibition at The Print Room in Wigtown and I had no idea what to do. One night, scrolling through photos, I found a video where he and I said, ‘I love you’. It became the basis of ‘In Passing’, a one-minute film presented as an audiovisual installation on a continuous loop, surrounded by dead flowers and photographs. People responded emotionally, and it helped me process the unbearable sadness. The power to touch people and sometimes to transform lives is, for me, one of the most beautiful reasons for being an artist.

2021-22 was a year of intensive work on Creative Scotland|Culture Collective’s ‘What We Do Now’ project, for which I was commissioned, by The Stove Network in Dumfries, as Established Artist for Stranraer. Colleague Rory Laycock and I worked with people in the community, looking at key buildings and sites to re-imagine the development of the town. We created The Stranraer Colouring Book, printed 1000 copies for people to contribute more ideas. Based on responses, I wrote ‘What Could Happen Here

- a song for Stranraer’, made an initial recording with producer Dean Munch of Queer Theory, Glasgow, a frequent collaborator who introduced me to performing in the Glasgow cabaret scene. Dean and I added vocals, drums and guitar with local musicians and singers in Stranraer. I then worked with filmmaker Daniel Hughes to create a ‘What Could Happen Here’ music video. Dumfries & Galloway Council used the book and film in a community consultation to support the bid for Levelling Up funds and secured £8 million for re-development of the derelict George Hotel which is featured in the film. The George’s transformation will help re-vitalise the community. It was a huge thrill to see the video on the big screen recently as part of the selection for this year’s Alchemy Film Festival in Hawick.

In 2016 I made a mural, ‘If These Walls Could Talk’, for an artist residency at the Carlton Arms Hotel in Manhattan, telling the tale of a man who lived in a hotel room for twenty-five years painted on the walls, cupboard, and furniture in that very room. It was an absolute joy to return as an artist to New York, the hometown I left in 1979. I later wrote a song of the same name about the experience, performed, and filmed in 2021 at Mono Cafe in Glasgow for ‘Transcendence’, an online lockdown cabaret for Queer Theory (Glasgow) supported by Creative Scotland. I’ve just recorded the song with Ben Please and Beth Porter of The Bookshop Band and hope to release it by the end of 2023.

I have collaborated with so many organisations and individuals - The Stove, musician / producer Dean Cargill, filmmaker Daniel Hughes, The Bookshop Band, curator Jack Tan. Too many to mention.

Collaborations with communities and organisations have been equally profound, for example The Stranraer Millennium Centre and local people of Stranraer (What Could Happen Here); Upland Arts Development and LGBT Youth Scotland and the participating young people for Life Stories graphic novel projects. NHS D&G CAMHS and the young people for ‘Be Kind’, a mental health awareness animation project completed during lockdown.” https://hopelondon.com/

Top left image: Hope recently did portraits for NHS staff and patients in DGRI as part of the launch of the DG Creative Wellbeing being led by Outpost Arts.