1.) SHEEP (1970-73), silent, colour, 3 mins

The remains of a ‘cut roll of rushes’; images of sheep, splices, grease pencil marks, flash frames, images of marker boards and man talking to camera without sound.

The series of films collectively titled Sheepman & the Sheared were initiated in summer 1968 at the Drury Lane Arts Lab, London. At an 'open screening' enabling filmmakers and other artists to bring 16mm film material along to be projected in the basement cinema; anything was acceptable! I had been gathering selectively, film material 'junked' in the various cutting / film editing rooms in which I worked during the day, I selected a roll of takes (scenes) depicting a novel method of shearing sheep of their wool[1]. The cinema curator, David Curtis, asked for a title and after a few moments I suggested Sheepman & the Sheared, as several of the takes were of a man-with-clipboard, talking to camera, that ubiquitous television trope; there was of course no sound on the working material.

In the course of my employment in the television industry[1] I had accumulated rolls of film from the 'junk bins' of various cutting (film editing) rooms. 'Found footage'[2] formed the basis of much of my work at this time.Raw unexposed camera stock was expensive to buy and process;pursuing the investigative and experimental work undertaken in the Co-op Workshop, previously exposed footage selected for its innate qualities was an economic approach taken. The material would be worked with in performance and in the editing room and the LFMC laboratory.

[1] Rolls Royce Bristol SiddeleyAero Engines: 1966-8; BBC 1968-1970

[2] Found footage is 16mm or 35mm film material discarded by editing rooms or print distributors

Citation. Read here.
Citation. Read here.