exploring landscape through film

my films are inspired by local landscapes; nothing grand or romantic, only what’s outside, anywhere.

the methods I use to make my films are inspired by the production processes of electronic music; sampling, repetition, layering, remixing, & hypnotic effects.

I go for a walk. I put my headphones on. & turn up the bass.

my experience of landscape is profound. the movement of the trees, the flight of birds, the full spectrum of light effects created by the sun & artificial lighting, inhabit & infuse the urban, suburban & industrial landscape, as humankind crafts the landscapes of nature & creates our ideas of wilderness & derelictiion

i made this film entitled ‘racing pigeons’ in response to ‘Birds in Flight’, c1953-55, by Georges Braque, held in the Collections at The New Art Gallery Walsall, during my remote digital residency in partnership with Outside In.

fireworks exploding in the sky are a beautiful phenomenon and i wanted to capture the splendour of this historic tradition, performed within the landscape (often taking place in large parks or fields) in simple black and white tones.

this is a clip from a non-verbal film i made capturing aspects of a clay workshop led by local artist chris manley, to facilitate shared experiences and a sense of belonging. 

i filmed this robin performing it’s expressive territorial dance on the tallest branch of my magnificent apple tree in my garden last summer.

I enjoy filming a wide variety of garden birds, such as goldfinch, as well as a number of different species of wild birds.

i get alot of pleasure from the natural world, wildlife & gardening.  last year i discovered an old rockery beneath some overgrown bushes in my garden, so I excavated it & bought new flowers, fell in love with my transformed rockery-discovery & my new blooms then i made a film about it… 

this year ive been researching my family history & the links to glasgow, ulster and dublin traced through my dad. i had my dna tested via ancestry.com. my dad’s ancestors migrated to ulster from scotland as planters in 1600s then back to glasgow fleeing starvation during the great famine in 1850s, then back to dublin…