Leosaysays talks us through his belting second LeftLion cover, featuring a watery post-apocalyptic Nottingham…
Tell us about this cover…
Well, we are imagining Nottingham 200 years in the future! Much of the city is now underwater and because of that us Nottinghamians have all adapted to the new way of life. We pretty much dance most of the day (because we can!) since machines do our labour for us now and money is no longer an issue! 2019 marks ten years since the Nottingham Contemporary opened, so I’ve made that the focal point of this futuristic rave - except their party marks ten years since the future Contemporary went underwater, so that settles any timeline inconsistencies.
Talk us through the process of creating this cover…
I wanted to keep the design similar to my October 2018 issue cover. In that one, Nottingham had been overgrown by trees, so the theme is somewhat similar. As much as I hate to admit it, I am quite obsessive so the uniformity of design works for me – the poster in the centre is more in keeping with my current style though.
How do you reckon the Notts populace would cope if we were all forced to live underwater?
I think we’d embrace it! Sure, there’d be some teething problems at first, but we’re a robust lot and we’d be giving birth to children with gills in no time! On a serious note though, I do not intend to downplay the climate emergency. I once read years ago that at the peak of the crisis, Nottingham could well become a nearby coastal city. I hope that doesn’t happen.
How have you developed as an artist in the time between your two LeftLion covers?
I’ve been exploring a new style in the past year. I did a series of new pieces of artwork, which sort of look Tarot-ish in their themes I suppose, which can be seen on my website. But they show where my work is heading. I’ve always been so detailed and precise with my work, which is great but incredibly labour intensive – I’ve really embraced letting a more fluid, abstract style form. I find different ideas emerge in that process and it does change the way my brain seems to function!
Do you have any upcoming plans?
I’ve always got too many plans! I am working on building a videogame, which is quite a mammoth task. I just need to find somebody who can create ambient sounds and music for some of the background stuff now, but the world is coming together nicely and I’m going to reveal the project to the world officially in the near future.
Anything else you’d like to add?
If you’re interested in making any music for my videogame, feel free to get in touch to have a chat. In fact, feel free to drop me an email and say hi if you like my work in general. I always enjoy talking to new and interesting people.
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