I create and produce works in text, sound and moving image, primarily in poetry and moving image, often collaborating with composers and other practitioners.
I have recently created my first film, ‘YOU LOOK FINE’, and am working on a new artist film project called ‘THE STYX’ with composer Athanasia Kontou. My debut poetry pamphlet, ‘he said I was a peach’, is out now with ignitionpress. I’m currently exploring themes of trauma, sexual violence and recovery in my work across these different media.
I produce artist films and shorts, including numerous BFI Network shorts. I am Production Officer at Film and Video Umbrella, a leading commissioner and producer of artist moving image in the UK.
In 2015 I founded Thorn, a grassroots cross-arts platform based in Durham which creates space for young people to create and perform/exhibit work in any medium.
Projects
- Jerwood/FVU Awards 2020 // Guy Oliver, YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY WORKA pop opera satirical meditation on disgraced public figures. Can you separate art from the artist? Exhibition from 29 October to 21 November at Jerwood Arts in London and online. Written, directed by and starring Guy Oliver Produced by Katie Byford Songs composed by Suzy Davies Commissioned for the Jerwood/FVU Awards 2020: Hindsight, a collaboration between Jerwood Arts and Film and Video Umbrella. 2020
Work history
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Producer and 1st Assistant Director - artist film, short film & music videoN/A
London, United KingdomFull Time
I most recently produced the artist film You Know Nothing Of My Work, directed by Guy Oliver for the Jerwood/FVU Awards, 2020. I have assistant directed artist films and shorts for the Film and Video Umbrella, BBC Arts and Screen South, and have worked with BAFTA-winning directors and cinematographers. A short I produced in 2018, Tea with Lemon, screened at the Oscar-qualifying festival Flickerfest in Sydney and I was awarded a grant by the British Council to attend the screening.
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Founder / Managing DirectorThorn Durham
Durham, United KingdomFull Time
During the course of my first year at Durham, I sensed an absence and need for a platform which brought together different art forms, independent from the Student Union. This idea led to my setting up Thorn that summer, which has since grown in strength and whose team consists of over twenty volunteers.
Thorn is both an events platform and an online journal. I constructed the website, the logo and the graphics on my own to begin with, and have built up significant experience in graphic design and web design as a result. I was keen to establish a strong brand for Thorn which would chime with the students of Durham, and which bespoke the quality of the content we offer.
Each Thorn event is distinct: our aim is to combine different media in surprising ways in order to create an experience as well as a platform for the arts. I have project managed almost all of Thorn's events, from their conception in abstract to the coordination of artists and materials, to their marketing and, finally, their successful completion. I tried to keep the relationship personal with the performers we were hosting, for example in organising impromptu performance workshops to ground newer artists, or solidifying the relationship by publishing their work or interviews with them in the online journal.
We have successfully run two arts festivals in successive years, with events spanning theatre, exhibitions, live music, film screenings and workshops. These required absolute discipline in scheduling and delegation, and an ability to curate a wide range of events in coordination with every part of the team.
We have so far released two issues of our online journal, a section of our website which invited entries from young people working in any artistic or creative medium. The most recent issue explored the theme of ‘Wilderness’; we received a great number of responses, and were therefore able to publish a truly outstanding selection of young creative talent.
Skills
- Leadership
- Team Management
- Event Management
- Event Curator
- Team Leadership
- Assistant Directing
- Producing
- Film Producing
Education
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Classics BAUniversity of Durham
- Durham DH1, UK
First Class Honours