Jarman Award Shortlist

Last week the shortlist for the 2011 Film Jarman award was announced, comprising an extended list of ten artists working in film and video, aiming to offer a more comprehensive view of the practice.

Taking its inspiration from renowned film maker Derek Jarman, the award recognizes moving image artists whose work ‘encompasses innovation and excellence’, according to organizers. The winner will be awarded a £10 000 cash prize and a unique broadcast commission, with a budget of £20 000, to make a film-based artwork for Channel 4’s new art strand which will be launched later this year.

Now in its fourth year, the awards are organized by Film London and Channel 4 in association with the Whitechapel Gallery. Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London, says, ‘With the expanded shortlist this year, the Jarman Award 2011 is a fantastic showcase of the extraordinary artist film-making talent we have in the UK.

‘The 10 shortlisted artists demonstrate a great depth and breadth of work produced in this arena. This award is all about championing that work and promoting these brilliant artists.’

Among the shortlisted artists is Imogen Stidworthy, who makes installations, videos and sound works exploring the idea of spoken language. Last year, the artist presented a series of exhibitions and events looking at intermediary language, linguistic translation and the subjectivity of language. Her recent work, I Hate, shows photographer Edward Woodman relearning how to talk after losing his sense of speech following a cycling accident.

Elizabeth Price’s work incorporates live action, motion graphics and sound to create a narrative examining the unconscious influence of the past in our ‘collective cultural imagination’; while Laure Prouvost’s video installations incorporates the exhibition space itself, to make the audience part of the work itself.

The full shortlist:

Ed Atkins

 Claire Hooper

Anja Kirschner & David Panos

 Torsten Lauschmann

 Elizabeth Price

Laure Prouvost

 Hilary Koob-Sassen

 Clio Barnard

Corin Sworn

 Imogen Stidworthy

The shortlisted artists will be presenting their work in a touring exhibition at the following venues, with more screenings to be announced:

 CIRCA Screen, Sunderland (13 and 27 September); FACT, Liverpool (14 September); CCA, Glasgow (15 September);  Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Brighton (25 and 27 September) Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds (28 and T

29 September) Picture This, Bristol (29 September)

The winner will be announced at an event on 3 October at the Whitechapel Gallery 77-82 Whitechapel High Street,
London E1