I am absolutely delighted that my Shadow Buddy Photographic Print Series submitted to the 2017 Golden Panda Design Awards was selected and exhibited as part of their annual international Design Awards Exhibition there earlier this month in Chengdu! It is an honour and a joy to have the work selected by this international design exhibition and I want to thank everyone involved.
The print series is a selection of images taken from my short fantasy film Shadow Buddy (2003).
Shadow Buddy, is a tribute to my childhood imaginary friend (much missed!). It was my first dramatic narrative film, shot in Bamburgh, the incomparable filmic scenic wonder on the Northumberland coast, the actual summer holiday location of my childhood adventures with my imaginary 'twin spirit'.
The film is a love letter to childhood and a celebration of the inner child within us. The story follows a woman who revisits the location of her summer family holidays as a girl and by chance meets the grown up version of her childhood imaginary friend and embarks on an adventure .. back to herself.
The ten minute short was shot on DVCam and stars actor and singer/songwriter, and now front woman (and founder) of the British band Madam, Sukie Smith and actor Mark Allan. We were a small crew, who spent a few happy days on the sand dunes with a dressing up box, a 'throne' and an idea in the spirit of early filmmaking and childhood adventure. Thank you to everyone who helped me make the film! A very happy memory and I am still grateful (and amazed) that we had three glorious sunny (and unseasonable) days to shoot it and see Bamburgh at its most magnificent - the weather didn't authentically reflect the weather I remembered on childhood British summertime holidays! But this was a film in the fantasy genre after all...
The film had festival screenings which included Chichester and Sitges and was also showcased at galleries and film events.
The original Shadow Buddy limited edition screenprint series, was printed using the traditional 4 colour photographic process and handprinted at the London Print Studio in 2003 from images from the film. Some of the remaining signed prints from the series will soon be available on Etsy! - news will be available on this website soon. The screenprints were exhibited widely at galleries and art fairs including Beverley Knowles Fine Art, The Lowood Gallery in Cumbria and RG Fine Art. They are also in private collections and feature in recent commercial interior-designed hotel projects.
