Sue Webster on Punk, The Mole House & The Art of Non-Conformity

Artist Sue Webster built a career and a home by refusing to fit in — it’s why she identifies with the Mole Man so much. She found fame alongside her husband Tim Noble, as part of the post-YBA generation — their anarchic self-portraits, made from found objects and discarded rubbish, made them the “rock stars” of British art. Together they built the Dirty House in Shoreditch, which helped define the area as the epicentre of London's art scene. More recently, Sue has created an equally radical home for herself: the Mole House in Hackney, built on top of the tunnels where the so-called Mole Man spent forty years digging underground. Where some saw an oddity, Sue saw something worth preserving. The house is a love letter to eccentricity, and a rare pocket of creative chaos in an increasingly polished city. From growing up in a caravan in Leicester to carving out a place in the art world and becoming a mother at 52, Sue’s story is one of fierce independence and how to live a life that is truly authentic to yourself. Sue's first solo exhibition, Birth of an Icon, is on show at Firstsite in Colchester. A full tour of The Mole House is available to members on Patreon: To hear more from us: YouTube:

You can listen to Sue Webster on Punk, The Mole House & The Art of Non-Conformity online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Sue Webster on Punk, The Mole House & The Art of Non-Conformity is an episode from The Modern House Podcast by Matt Gibberd.

This episode is 83:11 long.

This episode was published on Apr 23, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Modern House Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.