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Index Page | Prior Record | Next Record |
Film ID | ACE063 |
Article | |
Title | Tom Phillips |
Series | |
Part | |
Date | 1977 |
Director | David Rowan |
Production Company | Arbor Films |
Synopsis | The British painter, print-maker and composer, Tom Phillips (b.1937) talks about his work, in particular, A Humument. |
Minutes | 50 min |
Choreographer | |
Full synopsis |
ACE063.2 (00:00:00 - 00:09:32) Peckham Rye, London. Tom Phillips’s VO talking about finding second-hand copy of W. H. Mallock’s novel, A Human Document (1892). Phillips explains how he used the book to produce short poems or groups of words that he liked, cancelling out parts of the text with drawings and patterns, using parts of the publisher’s lists as material for collage, painting, etc. The result of his work is called A Humument, and includes copies of a Cezanne landscape, a self-portrait, and so on. Phillips talks about “bill toge”, the hero of his book, who now appears throughout his book, the theme of which is unrequited love with “a glimmer of hope”. Phillips talks about the book – an inexhaustible source – which he started using in 1966 and is still working with ten years later. He’s used other copies of the book to make related works, including a series of paintings called The Quest for Irma (1973), and a poster for the National Theatre (1975). Phillips talks about being “a borrower”, using ideas and images from outside himself. Part of the book showing himself and his “unwitting collaborator” Mallock. Poems. ACE063.3 (00:09:32 - 00:19:21) ACE063.4 (00:19:21 - 00:28:24) ACE063.5 (00:28:24 - 00:37:57) ACE063.6 (00:37:57 - 00:49:48) |
Full credits | Photographed by David Rowan, Ivan Strasburg, Charles W. Smith; Sound by Eoin McCann; Dubbing Mixer Peter Rann; Title Music by Michael Nyman; Played by Campiello Band; Irma by Tom Phillips: Music by Gavin Bryars, Libretto Fred Orton, Produced by Brian Eno, Obscure Records; Script Consultant Eric Rowan. Thanks to Andrew Colls, Angela Flowers, David Lehrle, Jill Phillips, John Speirs, White Ink, Daniel Wiles, Mappin Art Gallery Sheffield, Serpentine Gallery London, Tate Gallery London, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool; Directed by David Rowan; Produced by Margaret Williams, Arbor Films. © Arts Council of Great Britain 1977. |
Watch segments |
ACE063.2 (00:00:00 - 00:09:32) ACE063.3 (00:09:32 - 00:19:21) ACE063.4 (00:19:21 - 00:28:24) ACE063.5 (00:28:24 - 00:37:57) ACE063.6 (00:37:57 - 00:49:48) |
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Created by the School of Informatics, University of Westminster Accessibility statement |
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Copyright 2007 Arts on Film Archive For all copy right enquires please contact Arts Council England |