The Royal Academy magazine recently commissioned me to write a short story for their summer 2019 issue. It’s part of a series where they ask writers to pick any piece of art in the world, and write a short story inspired by it – previous writers have included Eimear McBride, Jonathan Lethem, Deborah Levy, Ali Smith, Tessa Hadley, Jane Rogers, Stella Duffy, Tracy Chevalier, Lionel Shriver and Jeanette Winterson.
Any piece of art in the world!
I chose an amazing artist whose work I discovered last year, and just love – Phil Hale.
Phil Hale began his career illustrating book and comic book covers for people like Stephen King and DC comics, and is now a world-renowned figurative painter and portrait artist – with subjects spanning from Swamp Thing to Tony Blair. The paintings in his recent series Life Wants to Live are like photographic reportage from a war zone – the characters and the violence semi-abstracted by a montage effect. Check them out – they’re astonishing.
I could have used just about anything by Phil Hale as inspiration, but I picked a painting from his series of ‘Johnny Badhair‘ paintings – he’s been making these for decades, since he was 17. I admire obsession like this! Johnny Badhair is… well, imagine Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers flying through the air in nothing but skating shorts, smashing robots with all his might.
My story is called ‘Am I to blame for the fall of driverless humans?’, and it’s told from the POV of a fictional science fiction writer in the future, looking back on the impact of his future predictions on the course of technological development – specifically an autopilot for humans called Cog-Shift.
Thanks to Sam and Imogen at the RA for commissioning this story, and to Phil Hale for granting permission for the painting to be used – I’m so grateful to have been able to use the work of someone I admire so deeply as a launchpad for a new short story.
The Royal Academy magazine is sent to members, but you can also buy individual issues from their online shop: https://shop.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-magazine-summer-2019
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