CRAFT – Somerset Portraits and Voices
A collaboration with artist Kate Lynch and South West Heritage Trust to create a series of short films featuring local artisans. The films accompanied Kate’s exhibition CRAFT, at Somerset Rural Life Museum.
CRAFT
The films depict the practice of six artisans and explore a range of themes including: sustainability, keeping traditional crafts alive, uniqueness and the profound difference between the hand crafted and the mass produced.
Alex Pole
Blacksmith, The Forge, Over Stratton
Alex Pole spent 17 years working on the forge in Australia and the UK. He made gates, railings, furniture and curtain poles. Looking for a new, more meaningful, direction he turned to food and cooking utensils. Alex enjoys the connectivity between his work, the people who produce local food and those who cook it. He and his team now make high-end kitchenware including knives, pans, skillets and ladles.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Diana Robertson
Beekeeper and skepmaker, East Pennard
Diana Robertson has been keeping bees for over 20 years and learnt how to make a skep because she needed one. Her mother had a smallholding in the war years and her grandmother kept bees. Bee skeps are straw bee baskets, once used by villagers as homes for their bees, now just needed by beekeepers to collect swarms. The beekeeper knocks the swarm off its perch and catches it in the bee skep before taking it to a new hive.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Kevin Toal
Dry stone waller and instructor, Street
Many of the walls on the Mendip Hills were built at least 150 years ago, when there were lots of farm labourers. They would have been made with stone cleared from the fields but some stone would have been quarried on the spot. To maintain and build these landscape features Kevin Toal needs just a few tools. He uses a mattock and a pick to dig out the buried stone and foundation trench, string lines, a wooden batter frame or metal pins with a bar to give a profile for the new wall, a bucket for the hearting and a hammer to shape the Stone.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Two Rivers Paper Company
Jim Patterson, business owner, Watchet
Two Rivers is the only hand-made paper being made in a water-powered mill in the country. Jim Patterson followed his ancestors into the paper mills in the north of England and spent years running paper machines and managing paper mills. He bought Pitt Mill, near Watchet, in 1986. Jim restored the 400-year-old derelict mill and re-instated a waterwheel to create power. He and his team make watercolour paper by hand using a Victorian rag beater and old knowledge and skills.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Jonny Tapp
Brushmaker, tool restoration and handmade woodwork, Bruton
Johnny Tapp makes functional items that are as pleasing to use and as to look at. His father worked as a carpenter and builder. As a child he spent time working with his dad and loved all the old tools. Johnny uses some of his grandfather’s tools now. He also collects tools, that aren’t being made any more, and brings them back to life. Johnny taught himself to make brushes from old manuals and by taking brushes apart. He makes the handles using a rich variety of woods; from old, repurposed oak beer barrels to pear and ash. Coconut husk, or locally-sourced horsehair, is used for the bristles.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
A selection of films commissioned by South West Heritage Trust to accompany gallery exhibitions at The Museum of Somerset and Somerset Rural Life Museum.
These films were produced for: interpretative material to accompany exhibitions at The Museum of Somerset, video installations at the Museum of Somerset and as educational resources.
Faces of Conflict
Students from West Somerset College worked with The Museum of Somerset on an exhibition to mark one hundred years since the end of the First World War.
With local film maker Richard Tomlinson the history students helped to create an audio-visual installation exploring how the conflict affected Somerset people. The installation was part of the Museum’s exhibition ‘Faces of Conflict: Somerset and the First World War.’
Video installation commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Ways with Wood
‘Ways with Wood’, is a major exhibition celebrating the life and work of renowned Glastonbury-based artist Harry Brockway (1958–2024). Featuring an exceptional selection of his wood engravings, woodcuts and wooden sculpture, the exhibition offers a rich insight into the creativity, skill and craftsmanship that defined his distinguished artistic career.
Harry Brockway was an exceptionally accomplished printmaker, sculptor, illustrator and stone carver. Alongside creating independent prints, he produced wood-engraved illustrations for a wide range of publishers—from major houses such as Penguin to specialist presses like The Folio Society.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Alfred Leete: The Man Behind the Icon
Alfred Leete was a graphic artist who produced advertising campaigns for companies including the London Underground and Younger’s Ale.
His most famous image was of Lord Kitchener depicted for the First World War recruiting poster ‘Your Country Needs You’.
The original artwork, generously loaned by the Imperial War Museum in London, was the exhibition’s centrepiece.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Alexander Hollweg – Journeys in Art
For almost fifty years Alexander Hollweg lived and worked at Nettlecombe on the edge of Somerset’s Brendon Hills. During the 1970s this remote and beautiful place became a magnet for creative people of many kinds, and it was there that Hollweg, together with his wife Geraldine, built a life centred around family, community, music and art.
An exhibition celebrating his life and work took place at The Museum of Somerset in 2024. It was the largest exhibition of Hollweg’s work that has ever been staged.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
‘Colours of Exile: The art of Hans Schwarz’ in The Museum of Somerset
Hans Schwarz (1922–2003) was a child of Jewish heritage in pre-war Vienna and was sent to safety in England where he worked at the Cadbury factory in Bournville near Birmingham. In Birmingham he trained as an artist and became a successful illustrator.
But his first love was painting and after a period working in London, he and his family moved to Stogursey in Somerset where he worked full-time on painting, sculpture and writing.
Film commissioned by South West Heritage Trust.
Dancing the Way – Finding Flow
A film created in collaboration with Dance 4 Parkinsons Wells, Lerato Stanley-Dunn and Richard Tomlinson. It was produced by Kevin Redpath for Somerset Film. Dance 4 Parkinson’s Wells, are a unique group established and run by individuals living with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions such as MS.
Over the last 3 years dance has brought us together to keep active, have fun, and support each other in living well with Parkinson’s. We firmly believe that we are more than our diagnosis. We made this film to inspire others to Live Well and Dance to their full potential.
Film commissioned by Dance 4 Parkinsons.
Friendship
The Friendship film provided an opportunity for primary school children in South Somerset to talk about the importance of friendship. The real joy in the film is watching children respond to the camera in a totally spontaneous and natural way, whilst also sharing profound thoughts on friendship.
The film was launched at Chard Together, an annual event celebrating diverse communities. It has since been shown in local GP surgeries to uplift those who enter through the door.
Film commissioned by Chard Community Hub.
Making & Believing
From 2021 – 2024 this cross-artform Early Years programme brought together artists, educators, arts organisations, researchers and cultural centres in Somerset, Derby and Surrey.
It was motivated by the belief that the arts have a special educational role due to their capacity to develop imagination, curiosity and possibility thinking.
A programme of early years creative participation residencies and performance tours were led by Take Art in partnership with Derby Theatre and Surrey Arts with funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Film commissioned by Take Art.
Street in the Park
A project managed by Activate Performing Arts, featuring professional dancers working with Remix and Premix (an inclusive youth performance company open to young people age 12 -19 both disabled and non-disabled from across Dorset) and other non professional dancers.
Filmed at locations across: Dorchester, Bournemouth, Bridport and Weymouth. There’s some amazing footage that demonstrates what can happen when you combine talented dancers with interesting locations.
The film accompanied a live online DJ event in the Summer of 2022.
Film commissioned by Activate Performing Arts.
Circus Around & About
A film commissioned by Crying Out Loud and Take Art in 2022.
Circus Around & About was a pilot rural touring project aimed at bringing high quality, small-scale, family friendly circus to 27 village communities in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset from July–September 2021.
Funded by Arts Council England, the project was delivered by a partnership between Take Art and London-based Crying Out Loud.
Film commissioned by Take Art.
Question Time
Earlier this year I was thrilled to be asked to produce a music-video to accompany ‘Question Time’, a song from the new album ‘While You Still Can’ by Vinny Peculiar.
Question Time is a story song of sorts, a missing politician, the songs narrator under suspicion.
Glastonbury performer Katherine Ashworth played the part of a politician appearing on Question Time with impressive red finger nails.
Film commissioned by Vinny Peculiar.
SPACERAFT
An animation made by young people from Street YMCA youth club.
This animation was developed through a series of creative workshops with Richard Tomlinson and Jasmine Otley.
During the course of the project participants storyboarded their film, wrote a poetic script, recorded their voices and learnt how to use digital animation software.
A Somerset Art Works project with Somerset Film and YMCA Brunel, funded by the Mendip Community Fund and Arts Council England
LANDANCE
Landance animates outdoor spaces with engaging and atmospheric live dance performances. Professional artists in dance, music and design develop the performances on site. This film features excerpts of Landance films made at a number of outdoor locations across the South West.
GLASS
A short film about a young woman called Jenna who visited Actiontrack Performance Company and recorded an amazing song called ‘Glass’.
Film commissioned by Actiontrack and Take Art in 2021
Still / Sparkling
Still / Sparkling is a short film produced by: Grace and Growl Dance Company, choreographer Anna Golding and filmmaker Richard Tomlinson.
The film was shot and edited during the summer of 2017 and won Silver in the Pavilion Dance South West Joie De Vivre film competition!
Film commissioned by Grace and Growl Dance Company.
Alice in Wonderland (excerpt)
An excerpt short film produced in collaboration with South Somerset Home Education Group. The film accompanied a live performance of Alice in Wonderland. The piece was shot on-location at Dillington House in South Somerset.
The Journey
Commissioned by Art for Life (Taunton and Somerset NHS). This project provided an opportunity for patients on the Children’s Ward of Musgrave Hospital to get creative with stop-frame-animation. Children used a simple stop frame application loaded onto an iPad. The portable nature of the project made it more accessible, the activity could literally take place at the patient’s bedside.
The journey is the story of two young children who are parted because one has to go on a long train journey. The traveller encounters all sorts of strange and wonderful worlds through their train window.