Filmmakers Webb-Ellis awarded Jerwood/FVU award to develop their film For The First Baby Born in Space
A filmmaking duo who met during their time at Arts University Bournemouth are one of two filmmakers who have been awarded a Jerwood/FVU award of £20,000 to further develop their film For The First Baby Born in Space.
The British/Canadian duo Caitlin and Andrew Webb-Ellis both studied BA (Hons) Photography at AUB, graduating in 2012.
The prize was awarded for their film For The First Baby Born in Space, a twin-screen projection presenting a despatch from the immediate present that is directly addressed to an indeterminate point in the future, it gives voice to some of the emotions and experiences of a generation of young people who have had little say in dramatic political events unfolding around them or in the mounting ecological threats that the planet is facing.
Featuring a group of teenagers from the artists’ home base in Whitby, Yorkshire and elsewhere, and filmed over the course of the long, hot summer of 2018, the piece highlights some of the golden moments of childhood; fairground hangouts, late-night raves, conversations under stars. But it also evokes the darkening mood of the time that is rapidly coming to an end.
Noting how the teenagers’ coming of age coincides with the phenomenon of a country in chaos and in flux, the piece captures a wider feeling of turbulence and upheaval, rippling through fidgety bodies and anxious minds, while reminding us also that youth is so often a source and a mainstay of hope.
Lilli Geissendorfer, Director of Jerwood Arts said: “We are delighted to have selected such exceptional artists for this edition.
“The works they are creating are urgent, free and fearless, and we look forward to sharing them with people in galleries at Jerwood Space very soon”.
Caitlin and Andrew speak of their time at AUB very highly, detailing how their lecturers gave them confidence and opportunities to take creative risks, something they have continued to do since, saying:
“We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our practice than the BA Photography course at AUB.
“We didn’t always take the straightforward route; working in collaboration, using the moving image to make a 40-minute documentary, travelling to Norway and Slovenia to film – and we always felt fully supported and encouraged to take creative risks.
“Our tutors went above and beyond, always, and we are really thankful for the great start that gave us.
“We still often remind ourselves of Dave Hazel’s mantra ‘you’d be amazed what you can do in a week!’, and so many influences remain from tutorials and lectures.
Speaking of their award win the pair said: “It is amazing to have been selected for the Jerwood/FVU Awards and be supported to carry on taking creative risks.
“Each of our projects are so different, and yet our practice is centred on ways of working which we established at AUB. We just wished we lived closer and could keep taking advantage of the incredible arts library… another gem of the AUB”.
For The First Baby Born in Space will be exhibited at Jerwood Space in London as part of Going, Gone, a collaborative project between Jerwood and Film and Video Umbrella, which takes Britain’s declared exit from the European Union as a starting point of reflection on other collective experiences of transition and loss.
To find out more about BA (Hons) Photography at AUB click here.
