LP: How has your daily routine changed?

LG: I’m a naturally very anxious person and as with most people my levels of anxiety have risen lately. Being distant from my elderly father is difficult at the moment. In the last few days I’ve realised that I am building virtual coping mechanisms in my dreams. My latest nocturnal excursions are lucid dreams in which I am able to lift people telepathically and move them around. Perhaps I am trying to develop the skill to gently carry my father from Rome to London with the sole use of my imagination.

LP: Many artists work in solitude ordinarily. How has isolation or social distancing affected you in these times?

LG: I’m working from home at the moment. I brought my sewing machine from studio just before the lockdown, together with a box of textiles. I’m working on small fabric assemblages and on a publication, which requires only my laptop. I miss spending time with other artists and going into the magical world of my studio. However, it is a real privilege to be an artist and have the flexibility to work in a variety of different ways. It is possible to make work anywhere and with anything.

LP: If there is any silver lining, what is it?

LG: Many silver linings: I get to spend more time with my lovely boyfriend Neill and with my dear cat Arturo. I have been collaborating with Arturo since December, so spending lots more time together is really useful. It’s been wonderful to see him enjoy the garden more than ever – the slowing down of life and less traffic means clearer air and less background noise. We can really hear the birds now. I wish this could be the beginning of an entirely new lifestyle for all of us, one that allows Gaia to reclaim its elements and spaces from us.

LP: Make up your own question and answer it:

LG: It seems only fair to include Arturo in this conversation. I therefore held his paw in my hand – a routine we have when we wish to enhance our communication – and asked him how he was feeling today. His replies generally come as firework-like jolts of electricity, and vivid colours appear in my mind. Today it was a feast of zingy yellows, blood oranges and dots of intense magenta.