Exclusive interview: Sculptor Lydia Smith on her amazing journey in art, film, and fashion

Finito World sits down with artist Lydia Smith who is making a name for herself for her original and daring sculpture

FW: How did your journey into sculpture and digital art begin?

LS: I have always been an observer, drawn to the spaces between people, and how form, balance and connection can reveal something more profound about who we are. Thinking in three dimensions has always felt natural to me, and sculpture became the medium through which I could translate this fascination into something tangible.

What began in childhood with playdough soon grew into a language of its own. By sixteen, I had decided to pursue sculpture seriously, working weekends as a lifeguard and in a pharmacy to fund my summer tuition in figurative sculpture. This training led me into the film industry, where I sculpted for large-scale productions and refined my ability to bring imagined forms into physical reality.

The film world also introduced me to digital tools. I first encountered photogrammetry, and later began experimenting with distorted scans using gaming consoles. These technologies made me think about how we bend and reshape matter and experience, extending my practice beyond the physical.

Alongside sculpture, I have always been fascinated by the intersection between technology and human behaviour. As a teenager, I explored these ideas through games like The Sims, testing out experiences I had not yet lived. That same technological curiosity now drives my interest in blockchain, augmented reality and other digital mediums where art, technology and human connection converge.

For me, sculpture, whether physical or digital, is not only about form but about exploring the structures of experience, perception and the ways we relate to one another.

Be More Like a Horse, Lydia Smith

Your work spans traditional materials and new technologies — how do you decide which medium or method to use for a particular idea or project?

I begin my creative process with clay. It is a grounding and connecting experience, a way to tune out of the world and enter a flow state. I don’t have a preconceived design in mind; I let the sculpture guide me. The process is instinctive, but it is shaped by the themes I research in my practice, with human connection at the centre, and ancient history, science, technology, and spirituality as interlinking topics.

Once the clay piece is complete, I scan it using a gaming console. This process creates a warped and distorted digital interpretation of the work; the technology itself is responding to my sculpture. This dialogue reflects my view of the way our physical and digital identities are increasingly intertwined. One influences the other, a reminder for us to be mindful of how we exist within both spaces.

I can also utilise scanning technologies to scale my work to monumental proportions for public spaces. With the help of 3D printing and robotics, these large pieces can be made in materials such as bronze and carved into marble. Although technology enables me to work at scale more effectively, each piece is constantly refined and completed by hand.

Clay remains my favourite medium because it is tactile, immediate and endlessly adaptable. I work quickly and intuitively, and while I would not have the patience to carve directly into marble, technology allows me to bring those works into being.

In my practice, technology and human touch are not opposites but partners, working together to make sculpture across material and scale more accessible.

Leftovers Always Taste Better the Next Day, Lydia Smith

You’ve worked across the fine art world, the luxury industry & film — how do these different contexts shape your creative process?

Working across these industries has given me a broad education in creative production, with each context shaping a different aspect of my practice.

In film, I learned how to deliver sculpture at the highest standard under considerable pressure. The scale of production, the collaboration with large teams and the demands of tight deadlines pushed me to refine both my technical precision and my ability to adapt quickly. It showed me that creativity can flourish within constraints, and that discipline is just as essential as imagination when bringing a vision to life.

Fashion offered me an entirely different perspective. It opened up an understanding of design that is directly connected to the human body. Working in that environment helped me explore how art interacts with movement, material and presence, and how it can be at once expressive and functional. It also encouraged me to consider detail, surface and form in a way that is intimate and immediate, where the person wearing the garment becomes an extension of art.

Collaborating with the luxury brand E P O K Woman over the last four years, and serving as their resident artist in their flagship Mayfair store, has been instrumental in developing the experiential side of my practice. Hosting events with them expanded my skills in production, curation and the creation of immersive experiences. Together, we have regularly produced exhibitions over International Women’s Day and Frieze Week, presenting both sculpture and digital art. These collaborations taught me the importance of context, storytelling and community.

These experiences directly contributed to the founding of Fé Collective, an initiative I co-created alongside Lydia Higton to provide time and space for artists whose work we believe has the potential to shift the balance within the art world. Through Fé, I am bringing together the skills I developed in fine art, film and fashion, including precision, the sensibility of design and the ability to produce and host, into a community. It is about fostering change, collaboration and inclusivity through creativity.

How do ancient history, science, and spirituality intersect in your work?

I have always been fascinated by human behaviour and the ways we perceive reality. When I became academically aware of these subjects, I found myself drawn to them as sources of wisdom and guidance in my search to understand people better.

For me, these subjects act as forms of research. They are different lenses through which I explore the same central questions: why we are the way we are, how we connect, and what shapes our shared experience. My sculptures become a way of processing this exploration. They act as portals, holding and sharing information, stories, and perspectives that may not be widely discussed.

Although technology may seem disconnected from these subjects, it is an integral part of modern life that must also be included in the conversation. I am interested in how technology can be used in conjunction with ancient history, science and spirituality, rather than in isolation. Together, these areas all feed back into my core theme of human connection, how we can better understand one another, and ultimately create a world in which we can thrive.

Through art, I can present these complex ideas in a form that is more accessible and tangible. Sculpture becomes not only an expression of my search, but also a way of inviting others to engage with knowledge and narratives that might otherwise remain hidden.

Ambition and Perseverance by Lydia Smith

Can you share a project that has been especially meaningful or transformative for you?

Recently, I had the opportunity to be the Artist in Residence at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Hertfordshire, an experience that was both rewarding and transformative. During my time there, I worked one-to-one with A-Level students, teaching sculpture and helping them develop creative ideas. At the same time, I was commissioned to create four monumental sculptures for the school grounds.

The sculptures were designed to reflect the school’s motto, “Every pupil thrives and is prepared to shape their future,” as well as its values of courage and kindness, ambition and perseverance, inclusivity and integrity. The making of these works also became a community project within the school. Year 7 and Year 9 students joined me during their art lessons to assist in the creation process, giving them the chance to be part of something larger than the classroom.

Each sculpture was hand-carved by me using repurposed materials and then coated in an eco-friendly, non-toxic medium. This process was the stage where the students became most involved, helping to apply the material and witness the transformation. I then hand-patinated each piece with lacquer and bronze powders to complete the work.

This project was meaningful to me both as a sculptor and as a mentor. It was inspiring to see the students connect with sculpture in such a direct way, and it was an honour to place four monumental works in the school’s three-thousand-acre parkland.

Internal Universe by Lydia Smith

What are you currently working on, or what’s next for you?

At the moment, I am entirely focused on creating new work in the studio. Being an artist often means moving between moments of public visibility and periods of focused solitude.

After producing my exhibitions over the past few years and working across different creative industries, this time feels like an essential period of hibernation and reflection. When an artist goes quiet publicly, it is often a sign that new work is taking shape and something significant is on the horizon.

The work I am developing is substantial, and I am allowing myself the space to nurture these ideas until the right moment to share them. It is a stage of growth and experimentation, and I look forward to seeing how the work evolves and emerges when the time is right.

Finally, what do you hope viewers feel or take away when they experience your work?

It is important to me that each viewer has their own experience and relationship with the work. Art can be interpreted in countless ways, and the beauty of it is that there is never a right or wrong response. While I have my intentions and reasons for creating, it is not for me to decide how someone should experience my art.

That said, I do hope that on a foundational level, my work offers a sense of calm and reflection. From that starting point, viewers are invited to explore the forms and ideas more deeply, allowing their thoughts, feelings and interpretations to unfold naturally.

To hear individuals’ analysis and experience of my creations is one of the things I value and enjoy about presenting my art to the world.

Website: www.lydiasmith.gallery Instagram: @lydiasmithartist 

Fé Collective www.fe-collective.net
E P O K woman https://www.epokwoman.com/