AUGUST HIGHLAND:
Every time I see your new work it is NEW work - like you are a hundred different people - has versatility and multifariousness always been a part of your creative personality?

MARC GARRETT:
I have always had work on the go and I have a massive backlog of ideas and experiences going back years as a resource. I found that the school I was in was not educating me and I always felt frustrated with the lessons, they lacked excitement, emotional depth and intellectual discovery. It seemed as though I was not allowed to know certain things. So I bunked school and found other resources that were more in tune with my needs of that time. My main hangout was the library, which for me was a treasure chest. I saw pictures of amazing art, read books on Greek Mythology, Physics, Psychology, Religion, Anti-Psychology, Eugenics and Politics. I will not pretend that at the age of 13 that I knew exactly what I was reading but I certainly got the gist, I certainly understood the spirit of things. It opened my eyes to the world and all its wonders. I wanted to feel those wonders in me, be a part of that wonder.

Yes versatility could be a part of my creative personality, I would say it slightly differently and put it down to being flexible at all times and being open to reevaluation at every moment in time. I feel as if I am in a flux of perpetual dialogue with life. It is right to mention also, that in no way is there a seeking of perfection in this way of being. In fact I believe that we are all dysfunctional in various degrees and this realization does in fact offer us choices in how to learn more about ourselves and the world that we exist in. And I feel that perfection is an illusion, a figment of desire.

AH: It seems like your mind is a huge building with hundreds of floors and thousands of busy people working behind their desks -do you ever sleep?

MG: 'Do I ever sleep?' I hate going to bed, I am always up to something. I could be reading, making music, writing, creating images, going out in the streets putting agit-art posters up on walls and bill boards, building web sites; sending strange art emails to the virtual world. My imagination is at its best at night when everyone else is sleeping. My head is clearer and less dominated by the world's imposing functionalities.

I have always been interested in Quantum Psychology, lateral thinking, the macro and the micro, and how humanity rests amongst this very busy web of relational shifts. The context of things, and how the social amalgamation of humanities diverse emotional sensibilities, meet structurally imposed environments like institutions, religions, laws, governments, architecture and the media.

AH: Fun and subversivness is a predominant element in your work - but so is beauty - so you impress me as a very thoughtful sensitive person with a bit of mischief in him - am I right?

MG: Yes, you are right. The playful subversiveness is a fluid spirit, enjoying the exploration of the virtual, physical, culturalized and embodied worlds that we are all mutating with. I am not here to sensationalize, I am here to explore and whilst doing so declaring some of those findings along the way to all whom are awake and wish to be a part of it.

To get back to the subversive element, I find that it is not hard to annoy people whatever one does, especially if you are advocating non-centralization or non-specialization in your work. People find emotional comfort in things staying in the same place and this is why many trust history. I do not trust history and do not trust those who are actively producing it for control, I find that most history is propaganda, much of it remade and recontextualized to fit into the framework of whoever controls information outlets of the present day. This goes for all concerned, whether it is well intentioned or consciously trying to deceive. I love to kick against the established norms, but not to hurt or maim. I leave that to those people who love to hurt, the self-haters. I wish to declare an alternative reality hopefully informed by a sense of emotional intelligence.

AH: Some m.a.g. readers are seeing your work for the first time - some of them are scrunching their brows and wrinkling their noses - help them out and tell them in simple plain language what you are doing and what you want them to get from your work.

MG: Well, the work that your readers are witnessing 'Sleazy Art Meetings'. Is a small part of my multi-relational portfolio (I hate that word).

S.A.M began as inventions, and wordy interventions born out of experiencing a kind of old Boy Network syndrome in the established academic Arts, literary and visually based fields. So I thought it would be fun to make light of the whole situation and put a cheeky slant on it all and put a smirk back on one's face via creative means. I toured the Internet and copied various texts used by sex web sites that are usually displayed next to pornographic images. Then I mixed up the sexual text with theoretical ideas on art and philosophy, cyber culture, institutional concepts, plus with some of my own playful and smutty short stories. Hence this new form of writing has occurred.

In creating these works I have realized that my own personality has poured into them, some of it positive, some of it negative, some of it not resolved, some of it still lingering in the shadows; much of it reflects real characters and real situations in life and from the Internet.

AH: What about your background - is it literary or visual?

MG: It is neither, yet it is both and more. I am one those people who did not go to college. When I left school I immediately got a job and set myself up with a studio at 16. I never believed that to be an artist that you had to go to college. And I have been fortunate enough to attract like-minded friends who have been priceless in respect of questioning lazy ideologies, academic autism, emotional insecurities and socially constructed fear. This kind of thinking fuelled my art making. I have over twenty years of work, consisting of such explorations. Whether it is sound based, written, urban diversions or visual art, it all seems to relate to the world and people's inner psyche in some way.

AH: We've got to put a name to your work - what is it - is it new media? - what would YOU call it?

MG: The 'Sleazy Art Meetings' work can be seen as 'Relational Net Text'.

AH: You live in the UK - what's the reception your works gets in the U.K. - are you considered a threat or do people take you seriously - what about in the USA - is there a difference between the SU and U.K. audience?

MG: In the past certain institutionalized individuals who were too caught up in their hierarchical ways have treated me with much snobbishness and disrespect. But recently, things are changing. This is mainly due to my work being recognized in Europe, America and by underground creative, independent groups in the UK. These days, it is not a problem at all. I still receive grudging contempt by the same types but they do not have as much power as they used to. Although there are political shifts happening in the Net Art world, in re-inventing history by various academics trying to put themselves on the historical map, including institutional 'gatekeepers' of Internet Art, but they will be questioned by many (hopefully) of why they just promote a small section of the ever growing creative net community, and why is it always the same people?

AH: Sometimes you work solo - but you also collaborate a lot too - do you present your solo work and collaborative work in one spot on the net or do you divide your projects into different sites - and why don't you use this opportunity to tell the readers where your sites can be found.

MG: A recent collaboration is called SkinStrip/Online. Ruth Catlow and I, Co founders/directors of http://www.furtherfield.org & Neil Jenkins from http://www.deviod.co.uk have joined forces to collaborate with http://www.completelynaked.co.uk for this pretty amazing venture. The general public are invited to create expressive images of their own naked identities and display them next others in context live artwork on web -http://www.skinstrip.net

Currently working with a group in the UK in creating an open access server with a 'GUI' interface that acts as an independent portal which networks creative net communities on their own terms. Therefore challenging content will not be extricated so readily as commercial servers have felt forced to do in recent times because of political pressure. Members of this server will have a flat out payment each year which will be cheap & they will be able to buy their domain names for as little as $10. It will be an online live community, with much going on and will be part of a project called 'Net Bahaviour'. The people that I am working with on this project so far are Ivan Pope, Ruth Catlow, Kate Southworth, Neil Jenkins, Jess Loseby and Chris Webb. We are receiving much interest from many net related artists who are wishing for a more community-based environment that offers the spirit of collaborative adventure beyond centralized 'gate-keeping'. It is an experiment that promises to be a mutual experience for all concerned.

Here are some links to some of my own sites as asked.

[Turmoil] http://www.furtherfield.org/mgarrett/turmoil

[Hardware] http://www.furtherfield.org/mgarrett/hardware/index.htm

[Marc's Email Art] http://www.furtherfield.org/mgarrett/email_art/index.htm

[Ouch Those Monkeys] http://www.furtherfield.org/otmonkeys/index.htm

[No Flesh Guaranteed] http://www.furtherfield.org/eyeopener/index.html

[Marc Garrett's Writings] http://www.furtherfield.org/mgarrett/mgw/index.htm

[Mediation] http://www.dido.uk.net/mediation/index.html

AH: You are based in London - do you work out of your home - or do you and your crew of collaborators have a studio or something where you meet.

MG: My home is a warehouse that Ruth and I are struggling to pay for which is actually the base for furtherfield and we have built 3 sections in the space. We have our living space here and a garden for our 2 cats, both male - Bella and Bobby. A computer space where people visit regularly, to either do their own projects or work with us individually, collaboratively or with furtherfield. We also have a presentation space at the entrance of the building for the showing of Net Art and similar works and furtherfield meetings, such as our 'Networking Parties'. We also work in other environments, such as the streets and meet people in their own spaces to collaborate.

AH: Do you prefer to work with a group of people or one-on-one with different individuals

MG: I love both. I find collaborating inspiring and it informs me how other things work. It opens up my eyes and challenges my assumptions, clearing out those silly mannerist 'in built' rules and roles that can make one lazy. Collaboration is the future and singular artistry can get stuck in ego-central insecurities every now and then.

AH: How about family life - got any time for this?

MG: Well, I am lucky enough to have met another individual who aspires to similar needs, Ruth Catlow. We do not want to have children, although many of our friends have them and we mix in pretty well with the kids, usually getting in trouble with various antics, which is fun.

Ruth and I both enjoy life as an exploration and adventure together. We are not naturally elitists, which is why we decided to start furtherfield. We are totally in love and have been married for 7 years and our intimate mutualism is growing stronger each day. We liberate each other, realize each other, see each other, collaborate and have a constant explorative and questioning discourse relating to many things in art and life.

AH: Are you all work and no play or do you take time out to lay down on the grass and look up at the sky.

MG: It can sometimes seem like 'all work and no play' to other people. But to be honest we take the view that having the chance to create art most of the time - is play. I find London such an ugly environment to live in, psychologically and emotionally it is like a vampire sucking people's energy out of them. We have managed to bypass this habitual trap by only working in colleges for a couple days a week. So we can enjoy creative time and dealing with collaborative projects and doing our own work. When furtherfield is asked to meet people or is doing projects either abroad or outside London, we usually book a few extra days to just enjoy the environment that we have been flung to.

AH: What's the sky like right now in London - (it's sunny here in San
Diego)

MG: It has been wonderful weather here in the UK. We have just got back this weekend after working on the Skinstrip project and its launch in Sheffield. And it has been quite warm. The sky in London now 7.29 PM - it is much lighter because the clocks have gone forward this morning in line with 'British Standard Summertime'. So we've lost an hour. But if I rushed to your home via Concorde at the max speed of 'Mach 2.01' I would be able to claim that hour back plus another one for safe keeping; going West you land several hours before you took off. Anyway, the sky looks clear with a wash of light blue but it will get dark soon.

AH: Let's get back to your productivity - what currently is a source of the most excitement for you - anything new you are working on that has you filled with enthusiasm?

MG: Well, I am starting a new piece that incorporates all my junk mail. I have been collecting loads of Spam and junk mail for a while now and have been meaning to use it soon, and now is a good time. It will be a networked piece that will have many deep links to various sites that promote junk mail but on my terms on how it is presented. I have already used some junk mail in my work, 'Marc's Email Art' for example, but this one promises to be purely about the context of junk mail alone.

Also, the SkinStrip Online project regarding people's interest from allover the world has been an excellent experience. And the collaboration itself has been one of the best yet and it will carry on.

AH: I really have this thing for your work and I want others to get it too - is there a good way you recommend for people to walk through your work - or do you want your audience to go the self-guided route?

MG: For me, art or rather creativity, is an intuitive strategy that involves constant learning, questioning, progressive thought and putting playful explorations into action. I kind of hope that people without too much hassling from me will get the point. For much of the work is self-explanatory. I think the more awkward thing for people will be how to label me and the work as a whole, for it does not rest with any singular creative allegiance alone that easily, the branding is not there.

AH: Okay, twenty years from now - you are looking back over your body of work -what do hope you see.

MG: A genuine collection of work that was true in its intention.

AH: And finally what's the contribution you want to make to the arts and humanities.

MG: We can make our own world, do not let anyone stop you from realizing your true potential. Open your mind and do not fall into the trap of fearing people in higher places - they are only human and only possess strength because of the platform that supports them, not because of their own qualities. Question your actions and ideas all of the time and be brave enough to really see what other people are. And be genuine enough to see, realize other people on their own terms. Do not believe the hype! A message of hope via imaginative means...