Interview // Lacy Barry

" Hi, my name is Lacy Barry and I'm a multi-faceted paper artist. 

Growing up in the Canadian wilderness I am inspired heavily by the natural and cultural wonders from my childhood; whether exposed to the brightly hued Northern Lights that danced in a starry sky as I skated on a frozen wintery lake below or watching the colourful ceremony dress of the local First Nations Tribe during an annual summer Powwow, these memories have always made their way into my artwork. Saturated in colour and rich in form, I create pillars sculptures that sometimes resemble that of a totem pole. Flora & Fauna embellish these hand-made sculptures or are exhibited neatly on their own against a graphic mural background, resembling that of a light rays growths & explosions.

Paper & cardboard being my main choice of mediums,  I utilize various folding and airbrush techniques to breathe life into the flat material. On occasion adding glitter, foil, miniatures, graphics and props to enhance the narratives in my work. " 





Where are you originally from?

I’m from the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where the nature is so pretty everything looks like a postcard.

 

 Where are you based and What brought you there?

I live in Berlin, where it doesn’t look like a postcard, but I made a Berlin postcard so I guess now it does. I came to Berlin by accident, ended up staying then found out my Grandma grew up in Leipzig, so I guess life works in circles… still had to apply for a visa though, guess she gave up her German passport when she became a Canadian citizen (different times), *schade*




What is your favorite flavor of your city?

It was a hearty beef stew but I’ve been meat free since last year so I guess now it’s a halloumi wrap and Ayran, yummm salty.


Best recommendations for your city; Favorite dinner/Brunch/cocktails/ secret location

Secret Location; That yummy halloumi wrap and Ayran place at Schliescheshshsh Tor.
Cocktails: Kruezberg Café, great cocktails but I dated the bartender, it was weird, can’t go back, lesson learnt :/ …
Brunch; I haven’t done that since I left New York, and
Dinner: probably any Ramen, actually Panda Noodle, it’s cute and sparkly, the ramen is exquisite.






What are your life essentials—What do you carry with you at all time?

a gun? (Haha no no I’m not ‘Merican) … really, what I have in my satchel now is: a book about remote Islands ( written by a lady who grew up in the GDR and will probably never visit these islands), my wallet because money… & ID, banana shaped lip gloss that smells like banana flavoured medicine (my sister agrees). Glitter; even if I cannot see it, a speck is always lurking somewhere, usually it’s on my face.


Tell us your daily rituals: Weekday vs weekend

Actually I am really bad at routines, after I basically wake-up, eat something, find something else to wear, my day is a frenzy of doing stuff I need to and rewarding myself with shameless art making. I get most of my steam in the afternoons/ evenings, but on a rare occasion my studio mates might find me up and working in the studio at 10am or earlier, but that is probably because I had a meeting meant for early rising people and still figuring out why and how I am up so early… Every days an adventure and that’s the way I like to live it!





What is your plan for today, this week and this year?

Today I am successfully introverting at home, we are in a pandemic so I can’t really plan past today, but what I have done so far is worked on audio for a new pet project ( hint: a podcast), tried to re-teach myself the art of watercolor and failed miserably ( tomorrow is another day) wrote some text about why we shouldn’t listen to celebrities for life advice, but rather historians & philosophers ( preferably female, not Madonna ), read a huge book for an hour on data mining and repurposed my old Karate uniform as suitable home lounge attire… tried to pet my fish.

 

Most influential person in your life?

Hmm there’s a lot of influential people in my life who have influenced me, but for now here is a list:
Mom
Dad
Sisters
My BF
My mentor
Artists in my studio
Friends in other countries
Friends in this country
Japan ( not a person but whatever)
A lady philosopher I saw on German TV 3 days ago
The author of the remote islands book
Martin Luthur King Jr.
My fish, Princess Sisi ( also not human nor a princess)






What are some inspiration things: designs, artists, music, sites that you find yourself re-visiting often?

Instagram (unfortunately) lol, mixes on NTS, podcasts about ghost stories, my mentors studio, actual museums, websites about strange history or abandoned places ( sites at random), starring a long time without blinking at textured patterns before they start looking 3D.


Tried and true methods against creative block?

Walks, but only to the grocery store. Trying to pet a fish. Pretending to live in another dimension …as a plant …and never looking at my phone.





Likes/dislikes? (just a short list, one word answers)

Likes: going outside, nature walks, riding my bike, lake swimming, making stuff, getting an envelope full of glitter, fine tea, fluffy surfaces, seitan, many colors, tailored hair styles, cats, beautiful shoes.

Dislikes: Freud, college bros, Labatt Blue & hockey (yes it is true), fear mongering conspiracies, Woody Allen, Papaya ( I’ve tried I’ve really tried) straight up misogyny and racism ( I mean if you like those, we cannot be friends)




SEE HER CREATIONS : Small Little Wing, Exploding Florals, Little Wing