Getting to know the IMAGO team week! First up: Liam (Patience) O'Neill
If there’s anything I want to be doing in this life, it’s playing, with imagination
an interview with Liam (Patience) O’Neil
I interviewed Liam (Patience) O’Neill, Technical Director for IMAGO, on the phone last week. Patience, a good friend and long-time collaborator of mine, will work with me in the weeks leading up to the show on elements like building the set, hanging the lights, and perfecting the technical components of the piece. In this interview, we ended up talking about some of my favorite subjects: art, identity, and future dreams. Read on to hear their thoughts about these topics and more!
On names
Nicola Bullock (NB): You recently began going by the name “Patience” sometimes. Why?
Liam Patience O’Neill (P): I’ve been desiring a non-gendered name, and Patience is non-gendered. It’s also a virtue, and it is a value of mine that I find within a lot of the things that I like about myself.
On making art
NB: When it comes to art, what kind of projects do you like to do?
P: Anything that I think might be rather beautiful, weird/different than what’s expected, made by someone who I’m already a fan of, or important to do on a social level, I will say yes to.
NB: What’s the best part of making art?
P: In some branches of the arts the word “play” is used to describe what the artist is doing, like a musician plays music or people in theater perform “plays.” There’s a playfulness that is the main focus of these types of art. I try to incorporate that mentality in all the art I do and hope to invite any audience to play along with me. It requires a fair amount of imagination, and if there’s anything I want to be doing in this life, it’s playing, with imagination.
On IMAGO
NB: What is your connection with IMAGO?
P: I am very interested in the subject matter of the piece; I have a lot of connection with it. We’re all kind of creatures trying to figure out how to be embodied in this world. Being gender queer, there’s always a big question in my mind as far as: who am I, what is this body, and what is the relationship between these things? And what is society asking of me, in this body, or as someone with a mind, personality, and how are they separate?
On future dreams
NB: What else are you passionate about in your life right now?
P: I’m excited about film school (Patience will move to Denver to attend Colorado Film School next year). It will be a whole new exciting adventure in my life. I’ve never really moved away from home as an adult, so moving to a completely new city and doing a completely new thing is really exciting! Furthermore, I’ll be diving into learning how to utilize yet another form of art!