Twitter with David Hockney

TateShots: Would you pick a card and see? You don’t have to answer it.

DH: ‘Is the current world crisis a distraction or a boon to inspiration?’ Inspiration – she never visits the lazy. Did you know that? Crises, of course, don’t have any effect. They stimulate sometimes, crises, stimulate. And there’s always a world crisis, if you notice. That’s what I would think. There’s always one. There’s never been a time there wasn’t, has there? [Laughs] Pick another? [Reading] ‘Will you again embrace technology and geekery in your work?’ I’ve always embraced technology. I mean, I’m interested… especially technology that’s about picture-making, yes. Yeah, always. I’ll pick another. [Reading] ‘How did you shoot your mosaic series? From a fixed position, or moving around, changing focal lengths?’ I’m assuming they are talking about Pear Blossom Highway, which was – it looks as though it’s a view from one point, but not one of the photographs was taken from that viewpoint. I moved everywhere, and in every direction, but I had to start piecing it together while I was out there, otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to take next, how difficult it was. That was how the… TateShots: I want you to take that one…. You want me to take that one. ‘Who jumped into the pool?’ [laughs] The Bigger Splash, I suppose. I don’t know, actually. It was done from a photograph of a splash that I hadn’t taken, but that’s what it’s commenting on – the stillness of an image – meaning I spent about – most of the painting was spent on the splash, and the splash lasts two seconds, and the building would be permanent there. But that’s what it’s about, actually. You have to look in at the detail. I painted that in Berkeley, California, 41 years ago. TateShots: One more? ‘Is there a painting or series of works that you wish you hadn’t made or exhibited?’ I never hold inquests, much. Not much, really. So that’s… I don’t hold inquests. I don’t exhibit lots of work. Lots of work of mine hasn’t been exhibited, I’ve still got it, lots of it. But I don’t brood about past work too much. I’m much too keen on what I’m going to do next week, actually. TateShots: Shall we leave it there? Okay, yeah. TateShots: Thanks very much. Very good.