Never As It Seems: an interview with Jasmine Poole in three parts

Part I: Discovery

“I’ve never run so fast out of somewhere before!” is Jasmine Poole’s reaction when telling me about coming across a pool of fresh blood in the subbasement of an abandoned children’s hospital. Urban exploration and discovery play key roles in the artistic practice of Sydney-based Poole, however looking at her carefully considered, reverent photographs of abandoned spaces in Antarctica, Berlin, China and Australia, you would perhaps not guess the arduous process required in documenting them. Discovering her first abandoned location around thirteen years ago whilst on a photography excursion, Jasmine’s oeuvre consistently addresses notions of space, memory and history.

What draws you to these deserted locations across the globe? 

Jasmine Poole: There is a certain thrill of discovery I get when entering these desolate places and they are so visually rich that I can spend hours walking around them. Often you are met with visual nuances left by forces of nature, such as cascading wallpaper creating new forms, peeling and cracking paint that breathes an ethereal quality of its very own. These inevitable changes inherent to abandoned buildings already begin to allude to new realities and disrupt our belief in the solidity and permanence of man-made space.

Your series ‘Creeping Seeking’ (2010-) is an ongoing collection of photographs of abandoned spaces from across the world. Do you specifically look for these sites when travelling?

JP: I do. If I go to a place, I’ll do googling and geomaps and try and find out where places are. But a lot of the time I just stumble upon them just by coincidence. When I was in Germany, we stayed in a bed and breakfast and the first thing the owner asked us was ‘do you like abandoned places?’ – and we were like, “Yes! We love them” – and he took us to a massive, old Russian military airbase.

Have you had many unintended instances or unfortunate mishaps when you’ve gone to these abandoned places? 

JP: I have had quite a few misadventures in my explorations, including almost falling through roofs and floors, talking my way out of fines, encountering unsavoury characters who tell me I will be shot and finding a pool of fresh blood in a basement. And also your nerves can play tricks on your mind when you’re in those places. But I guess that is part of the adventure and process.

A lot of your urban exploration is actually illegal trespassing. How do you feel about this?

I guess it actually makes it a little bit more fun. But because I never damage property, I don’t tamper with the places as such, I don’t feel like I’m doing anything wrong - there is a motto of ‘take only photographs, leave only footprints.’ And if I fall through a roof, it’s my fault – I’m not going to sue anyone. My intentions are good, I’m not there to steal or damage anything.

Part II: Storytelling

Poole’s practice of discovery extends not only into the investigation of abandoned spaces. In 2010 she travelled to China to look into her family history, in particular her grandfather’s life story. Once discovering new spaces and narratives, Poole’s work focused on representation and storytelling.

What motivated you to travel and make work in China?

JP: I translated my grandfather’s [life] story from Cantonese to English and started to make work about it but there were so many missing pieces and I felt the only way I could really piece it together was to go back and be where he was from to get a better idea of what I was trying to illustrate. So for me it was to meet the people his stories were about and fill in the blanks. And also because I work with a lot of abandoned houses, and I knew his old house was abandoned back in the village in China.

How did these experiences pique your interest in storytelling?

JP: When I was there, we sat and I just listened to stories. They all had stories to tell me, they had old photographs and I think, on a universal level, that’s how you get to know people. For me that further enforced the importance of storytelling.

Your work ‘Goodbye Gon Gon (Grandfather)’ (2004-2011) is particularly poignant. What is the significance of narratives in your practice, particularly in relation to representing your own personal history?

JP: I have always felt that being an artist allows you the amazing opportunity to share stories with an audience. I am a firm believer in the importance of stories in conveying truths, and in educating and inspiring. That whole series resonates for me on a very personal level but I felt at it’s very core were universal elements of birth, death, loss and life which others could relate to. I believe everybody has a story worth telling, but they don’t always get told. So after hearing my family’s stories I guess I almost felt an obligation to share it.

Part III: Up Next

Symptomatic of her interests in discovery and storytelling, Poole’s current series ‘Breeding Ground’ features images of abandoned locations occupied by ambiguous luminescent forms. As well as documenting these desolate locations, Poole interacts with them to suggest alternate realities that exist in these forgotten places. Like with her work in China, Poole reacts to the locations she works with, attempting to reinterpret the nature of the spaces.

Can you describe how you go about executing the photographs in ‘Breeding Ground’? What kind of planning is involved when shooting in an abandoned location?

JP: For ‘Breeding Ground’ it’s quite a lengthy process. First I need to find the location, which can often be quite tricky as once places are discovered they can end up quite trashed and the walls strewn with graffiti. I feel this means it is already quite a charged image by itself so I prefer to find sites that act as more of a blank canvas to work against. I always go beforehand to scope out a place – accessibility, security presence, dangers, et cetera are all things that need to be taken into consideration. Once I have an idea of the space, then I can go away and start to formulate ideas for the installation. Depending on the space, I then either build it onsite or build and take it along.

Why have you chosen to feature objects such as balloons, lights, and cardboard structures in your installations?

JP: When I first started, I wanted to use materials that had a sense of impermanence to them, like paper and lights that will eventually die. These tie in with the impermanence of the manmade structures, whether it be nature taking over or it getting demolished. I started using these materials that would be easily dismantled and could eventually decay. In terms of the actual structures I build, they’re influenced by the space itself and what ideas I get whilst I’m there.

In what direction do you hope to take your art in the future?

JP: Currently, I am finishing off the series ‘Breeding Ground,’ so I have a couple of installations I am working on at the moment. There is also another piece I have spent the last 6 months trying to get my head around, it will be an interactive installation and photo work called ‘Breathing Room.’ For this piece I will be tackling the very serious issue of anxiety and mental illness. I will be doing interviews and portraits of 101 people that have suffered or currently still suffer from anxiety. The installation component will consist of a room that literally breathes, but the logistics of this project are still in the works.