My Space - Graeme Base

The Age

Saturday June 23, 2007

Interview: Lindy Percival

It's a long way from the imaginary worlds of Animalia and Uno's Garden to the no-nonsense work space at the top of Graeme Base's stairs. Inside a soundproof room built as a music studio, the former drummer now famous for his children's books speaks of his dual passions of books and music, which come together in the stage production of My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch, touring Victoria next month.

Tell me about the space. It's kind of a room within a room. The end of the world could come and I wouldn't know it. Once I close the door, no sound gets through. Everyone assumes that I'll have a very neat studio, because the work is very precise and very neat. But it's as if all the neatness and precision goes onto that tiny square and outside that is chaos.

Do you have a set working routine?

No. All I do is work. My work is my passion. It's too easy to walk up the stairs and suddenly I'm at work. I've often toyed with the idea of getting a space outside of the home, but the advantages of being at home are too strong. I love it. I don't go off to work as a separate part of my life and then come home to family. Work and non-work is an incredibly blurred line. If I'm working on a piece, I'll bring it down at dinner time and ask Robyn and the kids what they think. Robyn is a huge critic of my work; she's an artist and her view is very well-informed. Nothing leaves the studio without having a serious argument about it, inasmuch as I don't take criticism well. I always ask for it, but then I'll say, "No, you don't know what you're talking about." Robyn is eternally patient and doesn't fall into the trap of just saying, "Oh, yes, that's nice dear," because then I'll say, "No, it's not, there's something wrong with it. What is it?" If I didn't work at home I wouldn't be able to do that.

Would your work be different if you were working in a different space?

No, I could do this anywhere. It is actually good having a room that is soundproof, especially with a house full of teenagers. Two of them are drummers, God help me. I often write verse, which has a rhythm to it. I can't have any other rhythm going on. When you go downstairs, at least four of the rooms will have different music playing in them. When I'm working on verse, I've got to block that out.

What's special about the place is the fact that it's part of our house, our lives. It's integral and as natural a part of my relationship with my kids and my wife as any other aspect of my life, more so. The kids know exactly what I'm doing, they see the pictures as they develop, they come up here sometimes to do their homework, they use my paints and pencils. That's what's special about the space, not that it has any spiritual essence or anything like that - I'm not that kind of guy - it's just a very practical work space.

Has there been one creative moment here that outshines the others?

It's not as though I'm the sort of artist who has these huge moments of inspiration. I'm more of a journeyman. I come up with a concept, I add the layers, it could be a year later before I start work on it and another couple of years before it's finished. It tends to be very labour-intensive and meticulous. It's not like there aren't moments of creative joy, it's just that you wouldn't see them - it's a fairly restrained work process. That's why I'm attracted to the stage at the moment, because it's so spontaneous.

Tell me about the musical. It's a sweet project. I had the idea for making Gooligulch into a piece of musical theatre for a long, long time. It allowed me to give my passion for music a bit of an airing. For a long, long time I've been trying to blend my love for music with my books, and working for the stage, specifically for kids, suits me perfectly. I want to do more of it.

So you're ready for a new phase?

I am. More music and less colouring in (he laughs). James was asked one day at school what his dad did. He said, slightly wistfully, "Oh, Dad stays home and colours in." I think he thought, "Maybe I'll be able to do that when I'm older."

If you could inhabit one of your imaginary landscapes, which would you choose? It would be Uno's Garden, but not at the beginning, because the book is not a tirade against progress, it's a plea for balance. The gatefold of Uno's Garden - that's where everything is in balance. That's where I'd like to be.

My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch is at the Clocktower Centre, Moonee Ponds on July 3, 9243 9191; Frankston Arts Centre, July 4-5, 9784 1060; Whitehorse Centre, July 7, 9262 6555; and the National Theatre in St Kilda, July 17-19, 9525 4611. -- INTERVIEW: LINDY PERCIVAL