After a long lockdown, Clay Arrington lives a Zen life in London, amidst the rambunctious heat of EURO 2020. We asked Clay, who continues to produce multi-faceted and passionate works, about his daily life and creation.


─London seems to have been rambunctious for almost a month. How have you been doing?

Mr. Clay Arlington (hereinafter referred to as “ CA ”) lived a very quiet life. In the past year, there have been no major changes, and the usual daily life is calm.


─ I believe that many people around the world have undergone major changes due to the impact of the new coronavirus.

CA The British government's response is the worst, but I haven't noticed any major changes in myself. I think corona is part of nature's providence. Of course, I was a little confused, but basically I still feel the same. Although my behavior changed due to social upsurges and changes in how I live and work using IT, such as remote working, my core did not change. I think everyone should not worry too much about it. Even if you care about it, sometimes you can't do anything about it.


──That's a pretty philosophical point of view, isn't it? Does anyone have a teacher or something like that?

CA Arthur from The Larry Sanders Show is my hero. Because he knows how to fight when the time is right.


─ Nostalgic! Let's see it after a long time.


dancer, Japanese culture, outdoor kimono


-Why did you decide to become an artist in the first place ?

CA I don't consider myself an artist. I'm just a person who likes making things and creating images, not an artist. "Artist" is a word that applies only when very rare conditions are met, and I think it's a bit of an overused word. I think it's arrogant to apply the term "artist" to yourself, and I feel that the time has come to redefine the term itself.


──I see. What was the concept behind the work you provided for 〈loosejoin s〉's 22 SS "Come Toge her"?

CAActually , you did the design together with a dancer friend . Somehow, it felt like they were creating joy with their own bodies. Perhaps it was because he had been forced to shut himself indoors for such a long time that he wanted to open up his body.


─It certainly felt quite physical. Come to think of it, you used to make a work based on the Japanese anime "Akira" .

CAI really like Japanese culture. It's weird and graceful, violent and gentlemanly, it has a unique tone. I don't know if it's influenced me more strongly than other cultural systems, but it certainly exists in my work as an element. Because I make works by destroying and reconstructing various cultural elements as necessary. I also like Yukio Mishima's "Masked Confession," Hiromix's "Hikari," and Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Other Faces."


─ That's a pretty tough choice. . From the perspective of reconstructing elements, I think that as a creative director, I often form teams in projects to create works.

Lucas Dupuis from CA London. The method is quite maniac, but I can feel a sense of familiarity and discomfort at the same time.


-I didn't know about it, so I'm going to check it out. Mr. Clay himself is involved in a wide range of activities, such as design, drawing, direction, and production, using quite maniac methods.

CAThat 's right. I love the feel of editing. But I also like to draw simply.


─By the way, is there anything you're into lately?

CA snake and mask. Oh, and maybe I'm addicted to outdoor kimonos. It's the Japanese camping brand <Snow Peak>, and I found it when I went to a sample sale at a shop in London. I don't particularly like camping, but I thought it might bring about a new change in myself, such as the tea ceremony open-air tea ceremony.


─The conversation with Mr. Clay was like a Zen question and answer, and it was very interesting. We are also trying to improve ourselves so that we can reach such a state.


Published: almanacs Vol.01 (2022SS)