Shaun Morris: Travelling through...

still from 'Nomadland' directed by Chloe Zhao

I watched ‘Nomadland’ the other night. It was a very moving film. It depicts those in America living out of the back of their RV’s (vans to you and me), not homeless but ‘houseless’, travelling across the country, stopping at places such as a giant Amazon warehouse for seasonal work to earn some money before heading out on the road again. The ‘nomads’ would often meet other nomads in the middle of the desert forming a large community for a while to share their experiences and not be so alone, to belong somewhere, if only for a while. Many, many people live like this in modern America and elsewhere, particularly since the financial crash of 2008, eking out a precarious existence. It’s a film that really reflects the times we live in where none of the old certainties exist anymore: no secure work, no affordable place to live, no welfare safety net. The film was also accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack by Ludovico Einaudi.

'Canary Wharf, Dark Blue' painting by Jock MacFadyen

I’m very interested in these themes about the precariousness of modern life that exists for huge swathes of society, be it here in the UK or other parts of the world as we struggle to survive in the very tight grip of neoliberal, authoritarian forces. I go seeking out how it is reflected and explored in the culture I absorb too, from watching films like ‘Nomadland’ and Ken Loach’s recent ‘Sorry I Missed You’, to reading the novels of Willy Vlautin or James Kelman, and more recently the excellent ‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Stuart. Ever since my early days as an art student I found myself attracted to the idea of trying to do something about the culture, a working class, often denigrated culture, that I grew up in and surrounded me in West Bromwich that still remains. I remember my first encounters with the paintings of Jock MacFadyen having a profound impact on me as a student because they seemed so close to not only the geographical landscape of my hometown but the psychological, inner landscape too. They were affirming in that maybe my culture had some value, did actually exist, and made a deep connection with me that I struggled to find in the paintings we studied at college and with the lives of my fellow, more middle class and confident students who were so much more art aware. They still do. I often reflect that I was lucky to find a tutor on my Art Foundation Course from a similar background to mine, only from Birkenhead near Liverpool. He encouraged my early paintings of the Black Country and supported me to follow this route. I’m really not sure what would have happened to me otherwise. I felt like a fish out of water for a long time. All any of us need is a bit of encouragement but it can often be hard to find at art college.

'A New England', oil canvas, 100 x 168cms, 2021 ( a new painting by me)

Watching ‘Nomadland’ was a reminder and affirmation of how much I still want my own work in painting to reflect the world around me and have its own place within this culture of films, books, television, painting and sculpture that deals with the realities of everyday life in the mundane and the ordinary, the overlooked and neglected, often set against a landscape haunted by post-industrial ruins and history. I need reminding sometimes, because through the continual drip, drip, drip of social media, particularly my Instagram feed, I’m reminded by the painters of the English countryside and more palatable scenes of everyday life that I follow, and like and admire I must say, I could be doing things very differently and reaching a much wider audience. But that’s not what I’m doing. I don’t live in the Cotswolds, or in the hills and valleys, or by the coast. I live near the Sainsbury’s where the factory used to be and that feels more authentic to me….

Here are a few of those cultural touchstones, with some links if you want to delve deeper, that have influenced my work over the years:

‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’, album by Bruce Springsteen

https://thequietus.com/articles/29779-bruce-springsteen-shut-the-fuck-up-brixton

‘Fast Food Nation’ book by Eric Schlosser

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/apr/07/features.weekend

‘The Afterglow’ book by Anthony Cartwright

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/05/anthony-cartwright-interview-killed-thatcher

The paintings of Jock McFadyen

‘Not Not While The Giro’ book of short stories by James Kelman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igD60IYADsY

‘The Jungle’ book by Upton Sinclair

https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-jungle