We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Neil Goss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Neil, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is “Biocentric Interconnectedness.” I’ve done a couple different versions of the participatory-based, performative art installation. The project is the result of the idea that no matter how large or small, we all have an impact upon the larger workings of the world and those around us. Every action and decision that we make will fissure out beyond the self.

Think about getting on a busy train in NYC. You enter the train in neutral place of being. While on the train, something happens. Either very good/uplifting or very bad/disturbing. You leave the train, and bring that energy with you wherever you go in the city. The same goes for the other riders who get off at their stops. That one moment of energetic exchange in the train impacts the rest of day for many individuals who did not experience it.

This project aimed to capture that mentality while placing importance upon the impact of our actions and output. For this project, I would create an installation to serve as a set for the performance. The installation was created using various weavings (at times, participants would help create the weavings) and line drawings on the wall made with yarn. During the performance, I wore a handwoven outfit made of. hemp and wool to cover most of my skin to emphasize the human/Earth nexus. I sat on the ground and occupied a backstrap loom. A backstrap loom cannot stay in tension/be used without a human body creating the tension. I strategically attached individual bundles of yarn to the installation and gallergy goers were encouraged to take the yarn and tie it to the loom that I occupied. After sitting for two hours, I got out of the loom but it stayed in suspension. This was only possible because of those individuals who tied yarn to the loom. The project results in a visual portrayal of the collective energy we create regardless of intention.

Neil, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into my craft at a young age. I always had a fascination for sewing and textiles. I have fond memories of when my mom get out her 80′ Singer sewing machine. The case that it was in made it seem special and the smell still lingers in my senses today. I really got into painting and sewing in high school and it sustained my art creation as a way of life. I was taught weaving in college and fell in love. It exposed the fiber art world to me and I never looked back. University was where I started natural dyeing as well. I create large scale fiber art works and installations. I generally create one-of-a-kind objects that are then for sale but I do take on commissions as well. I believe that work itself is what sets me apart from others. It is unique because of my materials, processes and personal experiences in life. I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve never quit creating. I believe that is one of the most important parts of being an artist, to never lose that child-like fascination, wonder and creation.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are so many rewarding aspects to being an artist and creative but I will limit to a two-fold answer. First of all, selfishly, the most rewarding aspect of creating is the sense of therapy that results from working on and finishing a work. That feeling that I made has helped me through a current situation or state of being and that I created what was important and satisfying to me, not to appeal to or satisfy some other entity. That makes the work pure and authentic. Second, selflessly, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is when you know what you created out of honesty and authenticity touches someone so deeply that it impacts them and leads to a new way of thinking or experiencing life. When the work brings people together through a shared experience.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I’d say the one thing non-creatives (and creatives alike) struggle to understand about my journey is my lack of interest or hunger for money. I create my best work when I am not hindered by the though of attaining money for said creation. When money influences my decisions in the creative process, it destroys the purity of the work for me. For instance, if I’m weaving something and have the thought, “if I use red it will be more likely to sell,” the work has lost its authenticity and integrity. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, I take on commissions and am more than happy to do so. That being said, commissions are very challenging for me because the initial reason for the creation of the piece, is a trade for money. I am very slow at working on commissions because of this. For me, the ideal, is creating a work of art that is pure, authentic and void of the thought or concern of money but after its creation, it sells to someone who is deeply touched by the work and what it embodies.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.neilgoss.com
• Instagram: @_neilgoss_
• Other: TikTok – @_neilgoss_

Image Credits
All images are courtesy of the artist other than the once where I am sitting in the loom and the woman is tying yarn to it. That photo was taken by Gigi Bio.