Mark Lasky–Davison<br/>
Doll 2015<br/>
colour video transferred to smart phone, sound, headphones, viewing headset, 8 min 11 sec (looped)<br/>
Templestowe College, Lower Templestowe<br/>

Interview with StArt Up: Top Arts 2016 artist Mark Lasky-Davison

Mark Lasky–Davison
Doll 2015

What has the highlight been of Top Arts 2016?
I have really been thrilled to have the opportunity to share my work and my ideas with a wider community and spread a new perspective amongst people who otherwise might not see my work.

Do you plan to pursue a career in creative industries?
Definitely! I couldn’t live without art and music so why not live off them instead? I plan to either study fine arts or film next year once I complete VCE. I would like to either be a full time artist or a freelancer in the film industry.

Who are your favourite artists at the moment?
I’m quite a fan of Basquiat and Peter Booth and I do also find Banksy’s art quite amusing and thought provoking.

What have you learnt from the process of Top Arts 2016?
It’s been interesting to see how the gallery has gone about displaying my artwork as it is quite unconventional in the way I intended it to be displayed.

What would you do differently if you were to do your VCE folio again?
I don’t think I would do anything dramatically different, I spent 9-14 hours a week working on my folio and my art and I feel I did about as much as I possibly could.

Have you been working on any creative projects since your work was accepted into Top Arts?
Yes! I am still at school and studying Media this year and I have begun work on my final film, it is going to be a modern interpretation of the play Medea by Euripides. I also created a couple of short video art pieces over the holiday break, one of which I was lucky enough to film at MONA.

What advice would you give students going into Year 12, in how to prepare for Art or Studio Art?
Give it heaps of your time, the more the better, if it’s something you truly love it should be a fun experience. Try not to view it as a bunch of requirements but as getting to develop as an artist and still be achieving academically at the same time.

Do you have any reflections on your work from Year 12?
I’m excited both by the subject matter and the technology used to create the artwork. It’s amazing looking back through my folio at how the artwork developed from something almost completely different. I look forward to where my art takes me in the future as both my art and myself continue to develop.

Mark Lasky–Davison Doll 2015 Templestowe College, Lower Templestowe