Biography
Gabriella Turton is a self-proclaimed ‘coder, bleep and blooper’ from the West Country, now living in London. Alongside coding internet games, she also makes music as one half of The Femcels. For her, music and coding come from the same desire – to make immersive art.
Can you track down the first moment you felt the need to ‘break out of beige’? And what did it lead to?
It's hard to pinpoint a specific moment where I consciously thought about it. I grew up in boarding schools where I felt quite isolated from the rest of the world, without the access to the internet I wanted, while being stuck in a small, remote place.
This is what led to me studying computing, partly because I wanted to understand the structures behind things: websites, systems, games, sound, visuals, to feel connected to the now.
Was ‘being different’ something you always had in you, or do you think it developed over time?
I think I’ve always just been drawn to dressing up and experimenting, it’s not something intentional. I actually wish I could be more corporate.
As a child my mum used to tell me off for the million things tied and incorporated into my outfits. I never understood the concept of why I would be bullied for wearing something that felt inspiring to me. I think boarding school was the first time I really became aware of how “out there” I was.
As a ‘world builder’, do you feel like you’re inventing new dimensions, or uncovering something that already exists?
I think it is less about inventing something new and more about creating details of something that already exists, but is hard to put into words.
It's the visual language and translation of something that's felt in multiple mediums.
Many of your projects seem experimental, how do you decide when an idea is worth pursuing versus letting it go? What is the thought process?
I’m definitely a serial starter of projects without a set game plan, which can be detrimental when it comes to actually finishing things. But I’ve realised that when I don’t overthink and just start making, I create what I feel is most true to me.
I find that figuring out how to get to the end goal of each project is where I actually learn the most.
You’re also a part of a band, ‘Femcels’, how does that influence your overall work?
Femcels is a project that thrives on its uniqueness – there’s almost no negative space, both in the music and the visual language. It’s maximal and instinctive.
It’s the opposite of something like coding or web work, where I have to think structurally and break things down into systems. It’s less emotional, more mechanical.
If you had unlimited resources, what kind of immersive experience would you build, and what feeling would you want people to leave with?
I would create an immersive experience that allows people to step inside their own memory and reflect on it, in a joyful, playful way.
Using personal data and AI, the environment would generate a unique world for each person. The visuals would feel tactile, hand-drawn, a part of my universe, but ideally, they would come away reflecting on their own inner worlds.
What’s a failure or unexpected outcome in one of your projects that ended up influencing your creative direction the most?
I’ve always had such a fear of negative space, but looking at past work, I've reflected that I needed the confidence to let things breathe visually.
What’s a piece of advice you can give to the young, up & coming “beige outs”?
Idk… buy a sofa lol.
Living room giving employment office? Try something that works.
Watch our FREAK BEIGE OUT campaign video.
Credits
Photographer: Jasko Bobar
Stylist & Casting: Matija Max Vidovich
MUA: Loïs Zaina
Ai videos: Sally Trier
Creative direction: OMHU Inhouse Creative Agency