As we settled into a new reality and adjusted once again in January to another national lockdown, we wanted to produce something for the Artwalk Film Night that connects and challenges us. Most importantly, we wanted to bring our amazing audience together to do something fun! 

Through an open call we've received and compiled short 1-5 second videos from people all across Wakefield District, all inspired in various ways by our theme 'Light in Dark Times'.

We hope it sends a message of positivity and togetherness to all of us when we need it - particularly at a time in the year, and our history, which can feel a little too dark sometimes.

A film by Mafwa Theatre, 2020. 

A picnic, together was created with the support of Arts Council England, Language Hub (Leeds City Council), Near Neighbours and Leeds Community Foundation.

Join Mafwa Theatre and Hope Strickland for a picnic, together. This short film follows members of Mafwa Theatre as they prepare to meet for the first time since lockdown. As part of their Cooking with Parveen project, A Picnic, Together explores the power of food to bring us together in the face of adversity.

Mafwa Theatre is a community theatre company which brings refugees, asylum seekers and settled communities together. They use drama and the arts to create work that celebrates our similarities and differences, brings people together and speaks truth to power. They use their platform to highlight and enable development opportunities for artists and theatre makers from migrant backgrounds, advocate for migrant rights and celebrate diverse communities.

A film by Dave Hanvey, 2020.  
Song  “The Trees Don’t Care” was written and performed by Dave Hanvey and accompanied by Pete Rosser on piano.

Photographer, Videographer and Musician Dave Hanvey produced The Tree's Don't Care after being inspired by his local environment. 

"I was taking photos and videos around Walton country park (which used to be Walton colliery) and it struck me that nature will reclaim if we allow it to.

I started to think about our ex mining community and the dichotomy of work and global warming. People need work and financial security but at what cost? What are we prepared to give up for a clean planet? It’s very much down to us." - Dave Hanvey.

Dave Hanvey is also part of the Red Shed Players, a Wakefield based theatre group, who have many other films which you can enjoy here. 

A film and soundscape by Charlie Wells, 2020. 
Additional photography by Ash Scott. 

Funded by Creative Challenge for Wakefield Council and recorded during October 2020.

This is a video and soundscape created by Charlie Wells, for Wakefield Libraries celebrating WordFest 2020. 

Charlie Wells is a composer and creative producer based in Wakefield, working across the Yorkshire region. She writes in a variety of genres, from film soundscapes, to music for early years adventures.

Charlie thrives on exploring the world around her using sound, and is particularly interested in oral history, non traditional notation, animated scores and choral improvisation.

She was recently successful with an Arts Council DYCP grant to explore making her work more accessible for Deaf audiences.

A film by Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Bateson, 2020.
All music composition and audio production by Daniel Hayes. 

Mark Ratcliffe and Paul Bateson created this film as part of their Phoetry collaboration - a combination of Paul's words and Mark's images. Paul wrote and performed the narrative which Mark set to a film made using black and white analogue photography stills. Mark took the photographs at a rhubarb farm based within the famous Rhubarb Triangle to celebrate the 2020 Rhubarb Festival. 

Mark Ratcliffe is a teacher and photographer and has recently completed several arts commissions based in and around the local area. Paul Bateson is also a teacher, a drama practitioner and a writer. He engages in a variety of creative arts projects and has published works.

Funded by Wakefield Council in partnership with Creative Wakefield for the Rhubarb Festival in 2020.

A film by Bev Adams, 2020.

Funded by Wakefield Council and Creative Wakefield as part of Creative Challenge and Arts Council England.

Conceived, performed, directed and produced by Bev Adams, Covid Conversations is a series of 5 short films using table-top puppetry to animate the verbatim experiences of Wakefield people during the first UK lockdown of the Covid pandemic 2020.

Emotionally engaging sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always poignant, the films create a fascinating document of this unique moment in in our collective recent histories.

Based at The Art House in Wakefield, Bev Adams is a freelance Artistic Director and Creative Producer making work for the outdoors and with communities with an emphasis on social purpose, diversity and community participation. Bev uses visual theatre techniques of mask and puppetry to tell stories without words to audiences of all languages, abilities and cultures. 

A film by David Lindsay for The Art House, 2020. 

A Gift from The Art House is a collaborative project that celebrates creativity and brings us together through art!

In December 2020 one thousand Gift Boxes were created by artists and distributed to children throughout Wakefield.

The Art House had the pleasure of working with photographer David Lindsay to capture some of their favourite moments as they designed, packed and delivered their Gift boxes around Wakefield District, thanks to key partners and community groups. 

A film by One to One Development Trust, 2020. 

Local Story The Poem is a snap shot of the bigger project. 

Since Lockdown in March 2020 One to One Development Trust have been creating an online archive of stories of community action during the Pandemic whilst also encouraging people to think about addressing environmental change for a greener, healthier future.

They invited poet Matt Abbott to help them to create a poem inspired by Local Story, and members of Old Quarry Adventure Playground recorded the lines. 

One to One Development Trust is an award-winning arts organisation that uses digital media to work with communities, organisations and partners to produce innovative, immersive creative projects. 

Filmed and produced by Studio Bokehgo for Wakefield Litfest, 2020.

A short film that brings together the best bits from Wakefield Litfest's Music and Mirth Open Mic Night that took place in October 2020.

This was just part of their programme of events for Wakefield LitFest which includes performances by stand up comedian Sian Docksey and musician Oliver Asadi. 

Wakefield Litfest is an event for 14-25 year olds who love words. Co-produced by young people and Wakefield LCEP Funded by Arts Council England and IVE. 

Follow them on Twitter @WakeyLitFest or on Instagram @wakefieldlitfest

Filmed and edited by Ash Scott Film, 2020.
Produced by Dean Freeman. 

Funded by Wakefield Cultural Consortium.

In January 2020, Long Division started planning events and films around what would have been it's tenth festival.

This began with filming at the Artwalk 1 year ago, gathering people's memories and reflections. However, due to Covid, the project fell apart, with no Long Division live events taking place in 2020.

The final edit of the film, now released one year later, has become both a look back at what Long Division achieved over ten years but also a reminder of what we are all so desperate to return to; social events, a sense of community and the vibrancy of Wakefield at it's best.

Join Long Division's mailing list to be kept up to date with all the latest news here.

A film by Wakefield College/Mechanics HND Musical Theatre students, 2020. 

In 2020 HND Musical Theatre students from Wakefield College/Mechanics Theatre had to find and come up with socially distanced staging ideas in order to continue studying and producing performance material of a high standard during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This short film Prologue is an extract from Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, performed by the students.

The Mechanics’ Theatre offers performing arts students at Wakefield College unique theatre facilities in the heart of Wakefield City Centre. 

A film by dee parker, 2020.
Directed by mungo shoddy, starring Bonnie Parker.

Dream Sequence is a new performance based trilogy of original songs with a dream theme, with post production reflecting dee parker's journey through transition.

The piece was originally conceived to be a multi-media performance piece for a physical Artwalk. Unfortunately the pandemic altered dee's plans of performing the piece live with a projection and light show on stage, but was reformatted as a standalone piece which we're sure you'll enjoy. 

"Finally transitioning in my fifties feels like a wonderful return to the source code. I knew who I was at a very young age but there were no Mermaids in the 70s, just conversion therapy and 'man up' conversations. Living (at least) a double life left me only a filtered connection with consensus reality, pouring my energies instead into worlds of my own making. Now with the filters off, I am writing my first book, and recording my first REAL album..." - dee parker. 

Film by Megan Watson, 2020.
Music written and performed by ODAS. 

This brand new video by ODAS was created through collaboration with film maker Megan Watson as a response to their song The Long Dark.

The video is a digital animation, and was funded by Help Musicians' Do It Differently fund. This is the premiere of the film and the first part of ODAS's year long Dead Scene Poems project.

ODAS is a Wakefield based composer / producer that focussed on bespoke commissions and projects. Previous projects include soundtracking a poetry collection by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and a series of soundscapes for The National Trust. 

A film by Andrew Little, 2020.
Camera operation by Andrew Little & Tom Cook.
Song written and performed by The Howl & The Hum. 

Andrew Little has been working with The Howl & The Hum for the last two years, doing a mix of video projects and tour photography for the band. 

"It has been an exciting time to work with them as they are about to release their debut album. The idea for this video was to film a live session of their single in a different musical arrangement from the recorded version and thus completley altering the feel of the track." - Andrew Little.

The Howl & The Hum are Sam Griffiths, Bradley Blackwell, Conor Hirons and Jack Williams. 

Recorded and mixed by Isaac McInnis at Crooked Room Studio, North Yorkshire. Cello and backing vocals by Lucy Revis and Violin by Jack Woods.

Film by Ash Scott Video, 2020.
#YoungTeam is funded by Youth Music, Arts Council England and Wakefield Community Foundation. 

Long Division's education department #YoungTeam has been working with local musicians to create a series of tutorial videos based around it's Great Wakefieldian Songbook. 

The songbook brings together 20 songs from the last 35 years and is a great piece of Wakefield heritage. Here, Rob Crisp talks about "Rewind The Feeling" by his own band Knuckle, gives advice on tackling it yourself, then performs a rousing rendition! 

#YoungTeam's Discover programme, including The Great Wakefieldian Songbook, launches in early February and will provide free online educational content. Follow Long Division on socials for the latest information.

A film by Johnny Carr at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2020. 
Music by Royston Langdon.

Dancers: Tammy Tsang, James Platts, Ludmila Gilles, Emma Jones, Kezia Coulson, Jessica Nixon, Mirabel Huang-Smith and Amaris Gillies. 

Social Dis’dance was shot at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park featuring the work of artist Joana Vasconcelos whilst the gallery was closed to the public. 

Carr, who is based in Wakefield, was struggling during lockdown like many creatives. He had lost a huge amount of work overnight and it was making him anxious and depressed. “I was feeling pretty low and desperate to create something. Music and visual art are two really important things in my life – they move me more than anything – and I wanted to demonstrate how they create a response in people.”

Celebrating creative expression and freedom in response to art, Social Dis’dance is a beautiful piece of work blending film, dance and music in a moving, thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting way.

The dancers, all wearing face masks, move among and interact with Vasconcelos’ artworks. “It’s been a real labour of love. It's been a demonstration of what is possible with a team of people who are enthusiastic, passionate & like-minded.” - Johnny Carr.

A film by Now Serving, 2021. 
Concept and direction by Noel Roberts Puppetry.
Editing by Nathan Birkinshaw.
Music by Matthew Hodges.
Location - R.B.T Video, 33 Northgate, Wakefield.

A Duet is a short dance piece in which we see two televisions meet and dance in a bar. With us all currently living vicariously through screens more so than ever in the last year, the Now Serving team have created a fun and playful short film where we see them getting some down time.

Using the setting of sister venue R.B.T Video - which opened in October just before Lockdown 2 - they felt it a fitting site to show two old friends finding love this Artwalk Film Night.

Now Serving in Wakefield is a late night venue, who have hosted many an Artwalk in the past with film festivals and fun interactive workshops in their own special way. Currently open or takeaway food & drinks. 

A film by Stacey Colclough, 2020. 

Modelled and funded by Stacey Colclough. 

Dancing in the Kitchen is a short film by Stacey Colclough which reflects the chaos and uncertainty of growing up in a traumatic household. It is a mere representation of how Stacey felt and coped at the time, how she overcame it and how she feels about it all now.

"Using film and sound I can manipulate atmospheres. Within my work I often create an unsettling atmosphere to reflect my trauma within my childhood. I often use my own body within my work, to reflect the harsh inflictions against myself, and the growth of my body, learning myself, struggling with my identity, who I am and want to be." - Stacey. 

By taking back her trauma and experiences growing up, Stacey says she is able to feel empowered by her own work. For this short film Stacey created all the sound using foley and all the film using an iPad and iPhone.

A film by Wakefield College students, 2020. 
Music - Strip by Little Mix ft Sharaya. 

This filmed performance featuring Wakefield College dance students is about women learning to love themselves and their bodies as well as the journey of self-acceptance as a woman.

The piece was choreographed by Niamh Burke a student on Wakefield College's BA (HONS) Degree course.

This performance was filmed at the Mechanics Theatre in Wakefield. Mechanics Theatre offers performing arts students at Wakefield College a unique theatre facilities in the heart of Wakefield.

A film by Dream Time Creative, 2020. 
Written by Sarah Leah Cobham.
Directed by Emma Wise.
Cinematography by Sean Mackey.
Original Score by Jess Rowbottom. 

Commissioned by Wakefield Library with funding from Arts Council England. 

Elegant as a swan, literary, creative, caring and compassionate Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell's philanthropy extended way beyond Wakefield's borders. This farce, written initially as a stage play by writer Sarah Leah Cobham was filmed, over one weekend following all social distancing regulations.

Superbly rooted in Wakefield's heritage and history, and based on extensive research by Antonia Stephenson, we meet, in this quirky interpretation of her life, her friends in Wakefield many of whom are recognisable as other Forgotten Women.

This film supports Unfinished Business - a fight for women's rights as part of the Forgotten Women of Wakefield campaign led by Dream Time Creative, to achieve #blueplaqueparity for the city by 2028, 100 years after ALL women got the vote.

Dream Time Creative is a social enterprise company (CIC) which works with both public and private funding organisations to empower our community through creativity.

A film by Greg Spencer, 2018. 

Jenna is a psychological drama about a recently unemployed woman who hears a disturbance in the flat below. She investigates and becomes embroiled in something disturbing.

The film was shot in Wakefield and Huddersfield, and features a cast and crew from the area.

It was written and directed by Greg Spencer, a 28 year old screenwriter and filmmaker. 

Rated 18+ due to strong language and scenes of domestic abuse.

A film by CAPA College Students, 2020. 
Creatively led and produced by Stacey Johnstone, Shane Durrant and Dermot Daly. 
Original music by Shane Durrant. 

Pledge is a powerful short film which collates CAPA College students’ creative responses to the debates around Black Lives Matter and racial inequality.

The film combines movement and spoken word to capture strong narratives to issue a sincere pledge for the future. 

CAPA College is the leading Creative and Performing Arts College in the North of England offering full-time specialist Arts training and education for students aged 16-19. As Wakefield’s first DfE-funded Free School, CAPA College equip students with the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to pursue careers in the professional Arts sector.

A film by Harriet Lawson, 2013.

Artist Harriet Lawson created this piece a few years ago, after looking at the relationship between the viewer and the viewed, the artist and the subject and how all can be one.

"After I found it again more recently, it seemed fitting for the past year we have just had - where across the world people have had to slow down, be with their self and get to know their self. Whether it be a needed break or completely uncomfortable." - Harriet Lawson. 

Searching for the light is what Harriet Lawson aims for, even when the focus might begin somewhere much darker. The mind and soul are what intrigue, and trying to capture personal experiences in the form of the figure is what she strives to convey.

A film by Christine O'Leary, 2019.

The film was shown at the Popular Music of the Greek World Conference at The British School at Athens in 2019.

The Garden of Reason is a film poem which was made during Christine O'Leary's travels in Greece. It seeks to address the contradictions that exist between the eloquence and richness of knowledge and it’s institutions, and their limitations in the face of the ‘realpolitik’ of post-crisis/post refugee Greece, seen from an outsiders perspective.

Mythistoria:An Archeology of Shadows is a new body of work by Christine O’Leary which negotiates ideas of myth and history in relation to the artist’s travels in Greece.

'Mythistoria’ identifies with a Western European tradition of women’s travel narratives and the ‘re-imagining’ of Greece. Her work also engages with contemporary Greek music as another rich layer of meaning in the rendering of Greece through the collective imaginary and from the ‘spaces of marginality’.

A film by Gemma Stephens, 2019. 
Set and replicated on Merton Road, Bristol.

Commissioned with a bursary from the Centre for Moving Image Research, UWE, with thanks to Terry
Flaxton and Sarah Sparke.

Before cameras there were paintings, and painting was representational. Abstract art overturned representation, and painters began to give the viewer an impression of a moment.

Taking Photographs of Pigeons is a structural video created by Gemma Stephens by recording the road where her studio was situated as true to the scene as possible. She then replicates this footage using the tools in her studio environment, such as lighting, backdrops and wooden screens and these become apparent in abstractly creating the content for each of the replicated frame. For Gemma, the replicas she has created of the footage are rudimentary impressions of a moment captured on Merton Road.

Gemma Stephens is a multi-disciplinary artist predominantly working with photography and moving image. Her work is rooted in the everyday, the mundane and the banal, with a focus on emphasising certain physical or social characteristics portrayed by the location. Gemma challenges the traditional boundaries and perceptions in moving image by interrogating the relationship between reality and fantasy. Gemma currently lives and works in Poole, UK.

A film by Clare West, 2020.
Performance, Music and Photography by Clare West. 

Untitled (Being Woman) reflects through somatic movement and imagery a state of mind or experience, and alludes to the book The Yellow Wallpaper and Victorian 'hysteria' for which sex was considered both the cause and the cure.

The drum loop takes on a hypnotic feel just as mesmerism was often used to treat hysteria, but it also references Shamanic journeying, seeking to invoke and bring home the lost parts of the sacred feminine.

Clare West is a photographer with a background in the performing arts having originally trained as a dancer. Working across genres, her practice consists of long term, self-initiated projects on themes of interest including gender, identity and subculture. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in film and photography at the University of Derby. ⁠

 By Rob Veeren (Tea Clay Love), 2020. 

This is an interactive piece by artist Roo Verren which invites the viewer to join in a meditative experience.

Previous work of Roo's includes - Unearthed: Land of the Rising which explored community, coming together and sharing. I was a-muse-d for a moment (earth matters vs energy) explores the shadow side of humanity and thoughts on loneliness and solitude.

Roo Veeren is a self taught artist, whose work combines ceramics with folklore to create 'whole spaces' which explore themes of community, environmentalism and sustainability.

Filmed by Bijan Amini-Alavijeh for Yorkshire Sculpture International, 2020. 

Feeling inspired to make your own #asculptureaday? Tag Yorkshire Sculpture International in your photos @ysi_sculpture and they will share their favourites on their stories!

During the first national lockdown last year, Yorkshire Sculpture International launched A Sculpture a Day challenge.

They encouraged their audiences to make a sculpture a day in under 5 minutes using household objects. They worked with 7 artists across Leeds and Wakefield who made films of themselves taking on the challenge.

One of the artists they worked with was Wakefield-based Bijan Amini-Alavijeh. In this film Bijan uses the limitation of time and materials to create a sculpture inspired by manufacturing and mathematics. Bijan worked as an engagement artist during Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. 

Filmed by Emily Binks for Yorkshire Sculpture International, 2020. 

In 2020 Yorkshire Sculpture International were sharing videos each week of Yorkshire-based artists responding to their challenge #asculptureaday to inspire you to make sculpture at home.

Join artist Emily Binks in this short video as she uses newspaper to explore objects in her home.

Based at The Art House, Wakefield, Emily uses found objects, materials, and textiles to build narratives around the concept of ‘home’ on both a global and personal scale. Past works have included wearable emergency shelters, ‘Bothy’ installations and more recently, reconfigured domestic furniture frames amalgamated with pieces of neon.

A film by Nick Singleton for The Hepworth Wakefield, 2020. 

This film is a tour of the exhibition Vision & Reality: 100 Years of Contemporary Art in Wakefield with Andrew Bonacina, Chief Curator, and Abi Shapiro, Assistant Curator.

As Wakefield was in Tier 3 before the National Lockdown, it has meant that sadly The Hepworth Wakefield has not been permitted to reopen with their newest exhibition Vision & Reality: 100 Years of Contemporary Art in Wakefield.

Wakefield’s art collection was established in 1923 with the aim of nurturing an understanding of contemporary art and its relation to modern life – a collecting principle still followed by The Hepworth Wakefield today. The collection now comprises over 5,300 art works, built with the support of many organisations, communities and individuals who understand the importance of connecting people to contemporary experience through art.

Vision & Reality will demonstrate how the collection has been strategically developed over the nearly 10 years since The Hepworth Wakefield opened, with carefully considered art works selected in order to address historic imbalances in the collection or to enrich narratives explored by artists in shifting contexts over time. 

Check out The Hepworth Wakefield's Youtube channel for more great video content here.

A film by The Art House, 2017.

Veronica Ryan's exhibition Salvage was open November 2017 - January 2018.

Veronica Ryan was artist in residence at The Art House during June and November 2017, where she explored a number of techniques including tie dye and casting to produce sculptural forms.

In this film, the artist discusses the inspiration behind her work, the artistic process in a residency setting and the new work that was on display at The Art House. 

The artist created a new piece in response to the Masterpieces exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, co-commissioned by The Art House and The Hepworth Wakefield. The piece examines the work of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore and their deep connections with Yorkshire, and is now part of the Wakefield Permanent Art Collection.

View more films made during Veronicas Ryan's residency here.