Self-Portrait Made From 1,000 Kisses.

I travelled to Berlin to create a giant self-portrait made from 1,000 kisses in 24 hours...before destroying it.

My new film, released online this week covers the full project. It's a story about confronting my feelings about love, intimacy and mental health in a unique, public way, set against the backdrop of the history of performance art in Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate

What inspired this project?

I've been making performance art projects for a number of years now, especially in my hometown of Wrexham. I wanted to really push myself by heading out to (what I consider) the performance art capital of the world to make something special.

I had the initial idea during a low period. I wanted to make something really difficult, in an intimate way, then destroy it. I was feeling jaded about a number of things in my life and wondered if it would feel satisfying to have that control, or sad knowing the art would ultimately all be for nothing. As we're dealing with themes of love and intimacy, I next wondered if it would be possible to paint with lipstick kisses on canvas. Then finally, to take that idea further I began asking questions. Could it be done on a large scale, the size of a mattress? Could it be done overnight with no sleep? Could it be done in public, with everyone watching? Every time the difficulty was upped, I actually felt more excited.

What did you hope to achieve through this project?

I wanted to push myself further as an artist and my team (through my production company 73 Degree Films) further as filmmakers in terms of capturing it and getting that story out into the world.

I suppose on a personal level, I was hoping to express my feelings in a unique way, to learn more about myself. My performance art heroes, such as Joseph Beuys (who we reference a lot in the film) often used elements of their personal lives inside their work. I wanted to try and do the same, to open up in a vulnerable, but unexpected way.

Berghain