French artist Laure Prouvost moved to London aged 18. After graduating from Central St Martin’s in 2002, she worked as an artist’s assistant to John Latham before studying at Goldsmiths College. Her work often comprises films and installations and in 2013 she won the Turner prize for her video installation Wantee, about her grandfather, a conceptual artist who may or may not be fictional. Her work can currently be seen in two group shows: Mirrorcity at the Hayward gallery, London SE1 and The Influence of Furniture on Love at the Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridgeshire.

Place: Hampstead Ponds

I first swam here a long time ago – 10 years at least. I just love it: being submerged; going under and feeling fresh in the dirty water. I enjoy swimming outside a lot more than in a pool. London is great but it’s good to be able to retreat from it and experience the elements.

Museum: Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City

I visited this amazing museum when I was in Mexico. The art was quite cartoonish, different from what we were doing in Europe at that time. There were a lot of sculptures that used clay, as well as big stones. It’s very expressive and inspired me – but everything sort of inspires me. I went to this museum with my little daughter; she enjoyed it. I also visited the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, which was wonderful.

Book: The Spiritual in Art by Maurice Tuchman

It’s about art and religion, and how the two almost blend. I’m interested in the spiritual and the idea of truth: how religion can use visual images to prove something. Art is often in museums nowadays, and museums are almost seen as the new churches in Europe. This book includes a lot of images of artists’ work that are concerned with the spiritual – it’s much more visual than what generally interests me but I like the concept.

Composer: Robert Ashley

Robert Ashley was a musician and a poet, but he often worked across the arts. I really like a piece called Pillars for David Moodey, where he describes different objects in a room. He says there is one pillar on your left, a second one pillar on your right – it’s about using the imagination. I like how he uses words to create an image and a space for the listener. My friend, the artist and designer Will Holder, first told me about Ashley. I would have loved to have worked with him [Ashley died in March 2014]. He is pretty special.

Poem: I Remember by Joe Brainard

I Remember is a poem, but it’s sort of a new way of writing a biography. Brainard’s work is in the same vein as the New York School, people like Frank O’Hara. They’re all quite amazing. I like how they use everyday life: it’s not about romanticising, or it’s romanticising a fried egg or something! There’s also a lot of humour in Joe’s work – he makes the very basic and simple quite funny, but also very important. I’m not a great reader; I enjoy playing with words but I’m very much from the visual side of things. I always feel I am terrible with words, but they can create the most incredible sculptures in your mind, and I think poets do that.

Film: Peter Kubelka

Kubelka makes experimental films. I’ve met him a few times and I love how he brings food to talks about art. Often he will bring some raspberries or he might cook a few things for everybody. With raspberries, for example, he talks about memory and how, as a child, we might go and pick raspberries or blackberries with our parents. You learn, slowly, that the green ones are not good and that the red ones are good. Memories stick and you compare the best raspberry you had when you were 10 years old with all the other raspberries [you have] during your life.