the trailer, my father 05/11/11

_ The global recession hit the UK hard in 2008. Still in 2011 the effects on small business and independent trades people are distinctive and destructive.

David Hirst, a successful ships carpenter, was forced to close his joinery business at the beginning of the year after twenty-five years in the industry. Building contractors went underground to wait out the storm. Work dried up. He soon slipped into depression: his marriage broke apart and he lost his home. David now lives off-grid in South Gloucestershire, on the edge of a field in a mobile home, which was donated to him by a local farmer. The recent arrival of his teenage son, Joseph, is the only light David has as he begins to rebuild his family. Joseph had just moved in when I came to visit, and with economic experts forecasting another five years of economic depression, I spent a night and a day with them at their new home.

the trailer →

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dark hands 01/12/11

_ Mr. Mead is a kind and gentle artist. He is opinionated and impractical, trusting and occasionally dour. He is a skilled and dedicated draftsman. He aspires to affluence and distinction but prays for the quiet life with a cottage and long walks with a dog.
Tortured by his childhood fear of anthropomorphic animals and his fascination with bio-mechanics, he spends his time musing with his nightmares, dreaming of surreal creatures that fuel his desires for the macabre.
Mr. Mead is rapidly establishing himself as a successful British artist. His dark arts have a global following, with an avid fan base both in the USA and Germany. I find him with a smile on his face, where he is happiest at work in his studio.

dark hands →

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