Wendynichol McGuinness-Keys

Good morning

It is (checks calendar) Sunday! And time for another INTERVIEW WITH A VAULTER.

This morning we remotely chat with WendyNichol.

How’s it going?

Not too bad under the circumstances, I have been living with a diagnosis of Neuroendecrine Cancer for 2 years now, it’s a rare, incurable cancer, but manageable. So I have spent the past 24 months adjusting to a New Normal, learning my new limits and in a way it has prepared me for this situation. Happily I am also pregnant with our first, in many ways a miracle, so I have been in Lock-down, a lot longer than most people. I have been trying to get to a point where my practice provides my income, but I am not there yet and in a bizarre way it’s been a blessing, luckily my managers in my retail job immediately decided that I should shield and my wages are guaranteed to the 12 week period.

What is your living situation?

We rent and are fortunate to have a small garden space, which is really needed as I can’t go out for the hour of exercise, due to the high risk. Plus we have two mad Spaniels who love the outdoors and are missing out on our long walks and park visits. Admittedly this isn’t really enough for either me or the doggos, but it’s more than some have.

How has the Pandemic affected your arts practice?

There’s no chance of workshops at present, plus there’s a big question mark on the Stendhal Festival, which is a major part of my calendar. I love to work outdoors and in the community, however this has slowly been scaled back since my surgery for my cancer, so it’s a change I am kind of used to by now. The biggest issue at the moment isn’t directly related to the pandemic, I have to deal with major fatigue and this can mean although the mind is willing, the body may not be. The fatigue does seem to be harder due to fitness levels being affected by spending all my time at home, so I am trying to gradually introduce some exercise. I was beginning to work on some pieces directly responding to my health issues before it all took over everyone’s lives, and this has had to be put on hold for a while.

How are you coping with the temporary closing of the Vault?

2019 was a really difficult year for me personally and saw me having to come to terms with life dealing with an incurable cancer and other health problems, so I didn’t get to spend as much time at the studio as I had longed to. I was slowly beginning to get more time in our space, when I found myself in a place where the risks of going out were too high. I unfortunately couldn’t really chance going to retrieve materials and tools, but I enjoy the challenge of finding alternatives. Some of us are trying to create a collective piece about the Covid19 isolation, so that has been a really nice way to focus and the lovely Gemma did a ninja drop of materials from a safe social distance. I share my space with my husband, who is a musician, although he also has some equipment there, he always has plenty at home, so I enjoy regular private gigs, which is rather great.

What do you appreciate during lockdown?

I am grateful for housing security, income security for now and internet access, which allows us to stay in touch with our family, which is very important. I mostly appreciate being able to spend this time with my Hubby and pups, they are how I stay grounded and give me the support I need.

How do you imagine the future after lockdown? For yourself and the wider art world in general?

I am a pragmatist. I wish I could say that we will come out stronger and more equal, however I can’t ignore that even through this, there are those who are more equal than others. I don’t see arts and music venues being allowed to fully reopen for quite some time, I fear that we will have another isolation period in the winter. I hope that some lessons will be learned as to how to implement it better and provide better responses, especially in providing PPE and caring for the vulnerable. My world is going to change no matter what, when our new arrival lands, so I am trying to be optimistic. I know that many things will be different, but it will be in the context of worldwide financial depression, which will cut arts even harder than before, so we will have to dig deep because we will be needed more than ever. My number one hope is that people will begin to see through the lies peddled by those driven by profit over humanity, that the blindfold will be lifted. Right wing, twisted capitalism has had too much sway, stoking xenophobia and preying on peoples’ worries about globalism, whilst simultaneously profiting from these things has led to a politics which needs to be swept away. I don’t believe there will be a complete revolution, as we all struggle to adjust and make bread, but I do think the seeds will be sown.