A sculptural artist whose work draws on her experience of OCD and autism has secured funding to develop her creative skills and interact with new processes and materials.
Paige Le Geyt creates interactive and tactile sculptures that invite people to touch and explore them. She makes amorphous forms and textures to communicate neurodivergence.
She will be manufacturing a large-scale, inflatable sculpture by working with a UK based company.
The quarterly funding initiative of development grants from ArtHouse Jersey offers financial assistance to support the creation of new work or to support the development of an artist’s creative process.
Paige caught up with Express and shared more details of her upcoming sculpture project…
What can you share about your upcoming sculpture and creative works?
“The sculpture itself will be a white, amorphous ‘blob’ form, adorned in black spikes.
“Following my joint win of the CCA Summer Prize in 2024, I was offered an exhibition at the CCA Gallery, which I am currently in the process of making works for. I wanted to create something really exciting and ambitious as the central piece of work, and so the idea of an inflatable sculpture grew and I then had to seek out how to bring an idea like that into fruition.”
What inspired this idea in your creative practice?
“The exhibition I’m working towards is my biggest yet, and so I was really aware of needing to showcase and create some interesting works that not only pushed my own creativity, but that also encapsulated my themes well.
“I’m fortunate to be friends with some other creatives, and through discussion with them and being inspired by some artworks I had seen on a recent trip to London, the idea of an inflatable sculpture developed. I’m inspired by a lot of different artists, in particular Yayoi Kusama. Kusama has created some large-scale sculptures in her career, including some inflatables such as her iconic pumpkin and tentacle forms.
“I love the versatility and scale that an inflatable sculpture allows, so was inspired to create my own.”
How does this project fit into your overall artistic journey?
“The idea of a large-scale inflatable fits quite well into my artistic journey so far. The sculpture will be covered in soft spikes, and like all my works, will be able to be touched and physically interacted with.
“My works are all inspired by own personal journey with mental health and neurodivergence, specifically OCD and autism. I use a combination of abstract amorphous shapes and orderly geometric shapes to convey the idea of order versus chaos, which reflects how I feel living in the world as a neurodivergent; that constant seeking of comfort and order in a world of chaos.
“This inflatable will be the central ‘amorphous’ work and the tactile nature will unify it with all of my other textural sculptures. This really symbolises my next step in my artistic journey, as I am creating something far more ambitious than I previously have, and ArtHouse Jersey’s funding initiative has made it a reality.”
What stage is your project at right now, and have there been any key moments or
milestones so far?
“My exhibition where this project is first planned to be displayed is in May 2026, so in some ways the project as a whole is still in its infancy. I have corresponded with the company I have chosen to manufacture this sculpture, discussed designs and am just at the point now where I will be giving the go ahead to start the creation, which is really exciting.
“A milestone moment will definitely be when I have the sculpture and see it inflated for the first time; seeing my idea in reality will be surreal!”
What impact do you hope your work will have on audiences?
“Through my works, I hope to invite people into my world and to see from my perspective as a creative with OCD and Autism. I want to show mental health and neurodivergence in a new way, breaking away from previously held stereotypes and preconceived notions of what OCD and autism is, and how they affect me on a personal level.
“I want to use my art as conduit for my own self expression, as talking about these things doesn’t come easily to me. Art is so universal, and using it as a tool can be very beneficial.
“I think there needs to be more representation across the full scope of the spectrum, and for there to be more opportunities for neurodivergent creatives to communicate their experiences.”
How has this grant helped you in ways which may not have been otherwise posssible?
“This grant has been instrumental in allowing me to bring this project into realisation, as without it I wouldn’t have been able to fund it at all. Whilst I would have been able to create a similar sculpture using familiar materials, the grant has allowed me to explore new techniques and materials on a larger scale, which I think makes the project so much more exciting.
“As an artist [the grant] allows for an incredible opportunity to develop my works in a way which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”