Since training at art school, Martin Creed has won a Turner prize for his piece featuring a light being turned on and off in an empty room and choreographed a ballet for Sadlers Wells. Now he talks to Nick Clark about his latest challenge a month-long run of his live show Words and Music at the Edinburgh International Festival.

As a Turner prize-winning artist, why take a stage show to Edinburgh as part of the international festival?

Ive felt, in live shows, theres a chance to mix things up, which feels more true to me and true to life. In a live show, theres a chance to mix up words, pictures and music. What I do is not art and its not performance art.

How would you describe Words and Music?

Its probably a mixture of theatre, cabaret, music gig, all sorts of things. I would think of it like inviting a load of people around to your house to show them what youve been thinkingabout.

You say no two shows are the same. Isthatdaunting, trying to constantly evolvethe work live?

Aye, its really scary. But you can respond to fear in different ways. When I think it hasnt gone well, its because I feel I havent been willing to fail. When you dont give a shit youreprobably at your best.

Youve never done a month in Edinburgh, why now?

Its a chance to work. Ive been working more and more on mixing words and music. Partly through films. Doing this isaway of working onideas that may end up in other works.

How did you construct thisshow?

I didnt really need anything. Theres a big screen and I could have done it without it. AndIcould have done it without amplification.

Were there themes you wanted to tackle?

The main point was to think out loud and work without prejudice and do it freshly. Iwork a lot on the day, writing ideas. The main themes are to try to talk about communicating. The other theme is borders: country borders, whats going on in the world, refugees. But also the personal borders between you and everyone else. Its all about being there in theroom.

Around the first major survey of your work at the Hayward Gallery in 2014, you talked of being influenced by Samuel Beckett. Inwhat way?

I got into Beckett at art school. I loved it. He always goes back to basics Its about the difficulty of living and trying to get along. Life is hard. Beckett inspired me to look at things inadifferent way. His work is very involved inthe process of living and working.

Is that reflected in your work?

If my work is about anything its about trying and showing the trying. The reason I do live work is because when I did sculpture or painting at art school, I thought the finished product was just the tip of the iceberg. The bit on the wall was the leftovers, the sediment at the bottom of the glass. I prefer the process ofdrinking the wine.

Did you do performance while studying atthe Slade School of Fine Art?

I dont like the word performance todescribe it, though thats the word they used. Its live action with people. Maybe thats not a good way to talk about it either. Everything is live action. A painting is live action because the people who see it are alive. Seeing it is a live theatrical experience as much as anything else.

So is it all art?

I wouldnt call any of it art just because its toodifficult a word.

What is your relationship with theatre?

In dramatic plays for the first five minutes its often weird because they speak in an odd way, then people suspend their disbelief and theyre in it. I cant do that. To me its about trying to keep it real. Theres always great danger in that, not believing in it enough, the fantasy.

So do you not go to the theatre?

I do go, depending whats on. Shakespeares about the best. I get bored with a lot of theatre but I dont tend to with Shakespeare. When I was growing up in a suburb of Glasgow, I used to go to the Citizens Theatre and it was free to get in, or at least very cheap. I used to see alot of George Bernard Shaw as well. I felt I saw alot of theatre growing up, as well as weird artstuff. It must have had an effect.

What about the Edinburgh festivals?

I never came to the Edinburgh festivals growing up. The first time I enjoyed Edinburgh was when I came here to do the ballet at the Traverse Theatre in 2010. We did nine performances. I loved doing multiple performances and going to see things. Nothing is ever finished, its working towards somethingelse.

Do you get asked to do set design, like fellow Turner prize-winner Anish Kapoor did last year for English National Opera?

I have been asked. I was asked by Sadlers Wells to do something like that but it led to the work in which I choreographed the ballet. It began by them contacting me as a visual artist. I wanted to work with the dancers.

Your Work No 227, the light turning on and off in an empty room, which won the Turner Prize, feels theatrical. Is it?

Aye. Ive always thought all that is, is a really stupid experiment with a theatrical device. The lights going on and off, wherever you look in the room you see the work. Its also like music as its all around you. It was an experiment. After I did it, I just liked it.

Part of the Edinburgh International Festival, Words and Music is at the Studio until August 27

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Martin Creed: 'When you don't give a shit, you're at your best' - The Stage