Today we talk to Verity, when she was furloughed from her job last year she decided to take the opportunity to do something special, unique and creative in the form of a Youtube channel. Art Laughs is a Youtube series in which Verity interviews the UK’s rising stand-up stars about a piece of fine art of their choice. I couldn’t wait to find out more about it.

Hello there tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m Verity – I work in the ‘art world’ and did my BA in History of Art at Oxford. While I was there I trained with the Oxford Imps improv troupe and did stand up with the Oxford Revue. I’m an aspiring art critic, comic, and broadcaster.

Tell us all about the project that you are bringing to the online world at the moment?

Art Laughs is a Youtube series in which I interview the UK’s rising stand-up stars about a piece of fine art of their choice. The conversations kick off with a discussion about the artwork (whether that be a painting, sculpture, poster, etc.) but quickly veer off into wider topics and debate. They are fun and light-hearted, lasting just under 20 minutes on average.

My aim with the series is to talk about the arts in an accessible, funny, no-nonsense manner. Fine Art can be intimidating, and many feel like they can’t have an opinion on it without having a PhD. I want to remind people that there are no right answers.

What times does it run throughout the day?

There are currently 25 videos in the series, and I upload a new one every week or so. You can find all of them on my YouTube channel, or on my Instagram @veritybabbsart.

How was the project formed?

When I was furloughed from my job in April 2020 I thought it’d be a good opportunity to start creating content and getting it out there in order to help with my future aspirations of working in arts media. 

How has it been going so far?

I love filming the interviews. It’s pretty self-indulgent – I get to speak to people I find interesting about something I find interesting. It’s been brilliant to speak to so many performers I respect so much.

Tell us about some of your past guests on the show?

Previous guests have included:

• Rosie Jones (Live at the Apollo, The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown)
• Ania Magliano (Writer: Newsjack, The Now Show, Have I Got News for You)
• Heidi Regan (BBC New Comedy Award Winner 2017, So You Think You’re Funny Winner 2016)
• Fatiha El Ghorri (Comedy Central UK)
• Bella Hull (BBC’s Stand Up for Live Comedy, Russell Howard Tour Support, Yellow Comedy’s Young Comedian of the Year
• Pierre Novellie (Spitting Image, The Mash Report)
•  Chris Turner (25m+ YouTube views, Comedy Cellar SF, Sketchfest, Edinburgh Festival Sellout)

What have been some of your favourite pieces of art to appear so far?

I’ve found every episode really interesting, especially when the selected artwork was something I knew nothing about. I really enjoyed my discussion with Jack Chisnall about crucifixion scenes. It got quite deep.

With everything happening in the world at the moment, why is it so important to have activities like yours available?

I hope that my videos offer some light relief.

What can people expect over the next few weeks from your project?

Expect new videos, brilliant guests, and silly chat.

If people want to find out more about you on social media where shall they visit?

I’m most active on Instagram (@veritybabbsart), you can watch the videos on my Youtube, and you can read my writing on my website (www.veritybabbs.com)

Finally why should people get involved?

If comedians want to get involved, they can ping an email to me (verityb@gmail.com) along with a showreel or reviews or something