GRACE ATKINSON
@grrraceatkinson
Introducing Volume 11 of Cou Cou Talks: Grace Atkinson on identity, power, and The Hour of the Star
Q&A
WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
Aotearoa (New Zealand) and I live in Paris
I AM…
A designer and artist working predominantly with textiles
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’VE DONE THAT YOU’RE REALLY PROUD OF?
Building meaningful relationships with artisans in a way that supports their livelihood and preserves their craft.
Q&A continued
WHAT DO YOU DREAM OF?
A world without genocide and violence.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I’m making sketches for new pieces, experimenting, researching.
A RECENT MEMORY I TREASURE IS….
Seeing an old friend, walking and talking for hours in the moonlight along the Seine.
WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
Traveling, experiencing different cultures and environments.
“Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule & life was born.”
– Clarice Lispector
Q&A continued
HAPPINESS IS…
Moments of deep focus and weird, free tangents. A balance between routine and disruption.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL VULNERABLE?
Being deeply invested in the creation of something and letting go of attachment to how it will be received.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE?
Dancing, reading in the sun, kissing.
READ
MY CHOSEN COU COU TALKS PIECE IS…
The Hour Of The Star by Clarice Lispector
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS PIECE THAT HAD SUCH A PROFOUND IMPACT ON YOU?
Its ability to hold contradictions, to reveal truths that feel both inescapable and incommunicable. The way it exposes and dismantles storytelling itself.
WHY DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD ALL READ THIS BOOK?
It’s unsettling in the best way. It forces you to sit with discomfort - comfortably.
WATCH & LISTEN
WHAT ARE THREE FILMS THAT YOU HOLD CLOSE TO YOUR HEART?
Angel’s Egg – Mamoru Oshii;
Dogville – Lars von Trier;
Streetwise – Martin Bell
FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME?
There are too many, but Autumn Sonata by Ingmar Bergman is one of them
WHAT’S YOUR KARAOKE GO TO?
Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before – The Smiths
SEE
WHO’S AN ARTIST THAT REALLY INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
Eva Hesse—for the raw, tactile sensitivity of her work and how she pushed materials to their limits.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS FOR ME IS...
Instinctive.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC FORMS THAT YOU HAVE GROWN TO APPRECIATE WORKING WITH THAT YOU DIDN’T INITIALLY EXPECT?
Traditional craft—its patience, precision, and the way it carries history through hand and material.
