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

Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Among my projects, Decline holds the most profound significance. It marks a turning point, steering me toward film and video art and inspired by a deeply personal exploration of memory loss. Showcased at the Rebirth art show and The Other Art Fair, Decline visually meditates on the gradual fading of memories, inviting viewers to confront existential fears and the inevitability of death and ultimately being forgotten.

The piece consists of three layers of fabric which the projection passes through, degrading in quality each layer and symbolizing the decay of memory over time. Decline prompts viewers on a thought-provoking journey, compelling them to engage with the precious nature of memories. Being such a deeply personal piece, I genuinely hope that folks can walk away from this reflecting on their lives with a positive and grateful perspective.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a neurodivergent creative all rounder, meaning that I pick up new hobbies and dive into new crafts constantly. This can be both a blessing and a curse because it means that I might not stick to something for very long but it also means I’m constantly experimenting and building my skill set. I started my career as a graphic designer with a huge interest in digital illustration but as the years went on I picked up a bit of coding, was really obsessed with making mosaic art and recently wanted to devote my time to 3D art. The thing that has stuck for me though always involves cameras. I started shooting photography way back in high school where I’d take trips with my friend on bush walks in Emu Plains, I’d experiment heavily in post production and even played around with video, filming short comedy sketches/mockumentaries.

My journey in a nutshell started when I was studying music way back in the day. I was super inspired by the environment and the people but unfortunately the premise of showing up for 4 years, paying tonnes in student loans and not knowing what the future holds for a drummer that can’t read sheet music was too much of a risk. After this I signed up for a Diploma of Graphic Design at CATC where I studied for a year, got a job in London and started my career where I’d pick up various skills along the way including rekindling my love for cameras.

These days I work as a video creative full time and in my free time I shoot film photography, selling fine art prints and shoot short form video content at seanalves.com @seanvalves and run an art reproduction photography studio (art scanning) over at seanalves.com/limited-edition @ltd.ed.studio which offers artists high resolution images of their artworks for print.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The biggest resource by far are other creatives and even your critics. Connecting with fellow creatives is a game-changer. It’s like unlocking a vault of wisdom and experiences. Although the critics can sting a bit, they play a crucial role in pushing us to polish our skills and see things from fresh angles. Embracing both collaboration and constructive criticism is all part of the thrilling adventure of creativity

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey is fueled by a huge goal of stepping into the world of filmmaking. Starting with short films, my ultimate aspiration is to tackle the monumental task of creating a feature film. This ambitious pursuit is a significant motivator, and I’m confident that, with dedicated practice, I’ll navigate my way to that lofty destination. In the meantime, and likely for the foreseeable future, I’ll continue crafting installation pieces that delve into deeply personal themes and taking what I’ve learnt into my filmmaking journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.seanalves.com
• Instagram: @seanvalves

Image Credits
For the image of me with the blue artwork behind me. The artwork belong to Kasia Frankowicz over at @kasia.artist