Artist, performer, actor and comedian David Hoyle speaks to the M.E.N about his extraordinary life and his current residency at Aviva Studios
If you’ve been to Aviva Studios at any time throughout the last few weeks, you will have undoubtedly seen and felt the presence of David Hoyle.. His face and art is, quite literally, plastered on nearly every single wall, whilst his voice can even be heard in the toilets as he reminds people to wash their hands.
“I suppose I’m the running theme, in a way,” the 61-year-old explains of the decision to bring live works, performances, art displays, social gatherings and themed nights together for the Please Feel Free To Ignore My Work exhibition. “There’s a brightness and a sense of over-the-top that I’ve always had.
“I moved to London and I lived there for three years but it was at the time of the AIDS epidemic. So many people had come down from these little towns to live their life and you just saw so many of them going back because it was just so devastating. As he delves into some of his own experiences growing up, David adds: “I think any of us who feel isolated or alienated all want to find a sense of belonging and to feel they are part of something or some kind of people. And if you don’t find that, then it becomes a very lonely place to be and that’s when you can become more vulnerable to mental illness and depression. This has happened to me.
“I think younger people are amazing. They're determined to be themselves. I think what we need to understand is that all of us are only here for a limited amount of time in the context of the ever-unfolding infinite universe. There’s been thousands of generations before us, and I’m sure they’ll be one or two more after us, but I think we’ve got to remember our own mortality and to understand that all of us, within that brief period, have the right to be who we believe we are.
Keen to remain ‘hands on’ with the residency, David has had a lot of input in the three-week exhibition at Aviva Studios, which is home to Factory International. Throughout the week he will occasionally be found browsing the displays to check they are being shown properly, or choosing visitors to draw impromptu portraits of.
But David says he still cannot get over the fact that his face is plastered across billboards and posters throughout the city, as well as his work being featured so prominently in such a huge venue. “I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, I still can’t believe it’s happening,” he explains. “It’s very surreal, I don’t take anything for granted.”
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