Oliver Guy-Watkins

Oliver Guy-Watkins (born 6 October 1979) is a British film director, writer and artist.

Background

Guy-Watkins was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England. He attended Beaudesert Park School and St. Edwards School in Cheltenham, before moving onto Gloscat to study English and Drama.[1] He would move to London in 2000, where he would attempt a career in the music industry, before following his love of art and film.

In 2007 Guy-Watkins curated the Ruhe Bewahren exhibition in Tacheles, Berlin. The exhibition was attended by actresses Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci.[2]

In March 2008, Guy-Watkins was enlisted by American artist Marc Horowitz to assist in the writing and guest booking of 'The Me And You Show', an interactive exhibition, broadcast live on the internet from The Hayward Gallery in London.

In 2010 Guy-Watkins studied a Masters in Fine Art at Central St Martins School Of Art in London, he graduated in 2011,[3] following on from this he began to direct films.

Guy-Watkins has also written for a number of magazines and held the post of UK Editor for Big Shot Magazine from June 2007 until 2009.[1]

Artist

Guy-Watkins began work on a 'quest' in 2007 entitled 'Postcard To Brooke',[4] a project based around the poem Doubts by English poet Rupert Brooke.[5] The work involves Guy-Watkins filming individuals reading the verse to camera, those who have contributed include Nobel Prize–winning poet Seamus Heaney, artists Patrick Brill (Bob And Roberta Smith), Adham Faramawy, Marc Horowitz and Jessica Voorsanger, Mary Archer, actors Ryan Sampson and Glen Conroy, celebrity DJ Jodie Harsh, comedians Mark Thomas, Tony Allen, Dylan Moran, John Seagrave, Media:Chris Neill, Angus Lindsay and Tony Green, authors Patrick McCabe, Victoria Mary Clarke, Damain Barr and Ciarán Carson, as well as the poet laureate of Vancouver George McWhirter. During the period of March to September 2008, Guy-Watkins filmed these and over one hundred and fifty other individuals for the quest.[6]

Postcard To Brooke was exhibited in 2008 at The Art Car Boot Fair,[7] on Brick Lane, London; Miss Micks in Berlin, The Old Lodge, Minchinhampton Common, Gloucestershire; and The Flat Lake Festival, Clones, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. Guy-Watkins has also documented visits to Dymock, the University of Gloucestershire archives and Grantchester in order to research the life of Rupert Brooke.

In October 2008, Guy-Watkins began to use Postcard To Brooke as a means to document groups and individuals that exist within the social fabric of the early 21st Century, by visiting GEAR Projects, a homeless shelter in the English city of Gloucester. During this visit, Guy Watkins filmed a number of individuals who utilize the facilities offered by GEAR Projects, some of these people would also ask to read their own poetry to camera alongside the Rupert Brooke verse Doubts. During November 2008, Guy-Watkins visited the British Humanist Association, to document the organizations staff.

After Postcard To Brooke, Guy-Watkins began to build installations and made the choice in 2010 to study art further. He enrolled on a master's degree at Central St Martins. During the year-long course he continued to exhibit and developed his practice around large scale installations.[8]

Film director

After graduating in 2011, Guy-Watkins returned to work in special effects in order to fund his artwork. However once he saw the workings of film again, he decided to attempt to direct.

During 2012, Guy-Watkins wrote and shot three films. One of which, The End Of Lois Lane was released in November of the same year, while the other two Salient and If We Just Meet, were completed at the start of February 2013.

References

  1. 1 2
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
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