visual artist/documentary/research
Beth Nwar? (Who Cares?)
2018
Originally a 3-screen installation, 'Beth Nwar?' (English: Who Cares?) is an experimental documentary exploring the impact of populist movements on small, industrial communities. In this specific example, the landscape of Holyhead, the quiet, remote and sometimes harsh Welsh port town, whose economy relies heavily on EU co-operation, is juxtaposed with footage from the 'Brexit' referendum campaign. The Leave vote will almost certainly have a negative impact on the community here, causing massive job loss and increased levels of poverty, facts which seem to have been overlooked by the politicians who either campaigned on false, populist promises or used the temptation of a referendum to win votes.
This is a meditation on the recent past, the present and the quiet dread of whats to come.
The Boys
2018
The Boys' is a meditation on the complex pressures of masculinity in ‘young men'. Around the time they hit puberty, boys must contest with the emotional and social struggles of coming-of-age. Whether starting a new school or discovering their sexuality, boys are told to 'man up', ‘keep your feelings to yourself’ and of course, never to cry.
The artist ran a workshop with boys from different backgrounds and social circles at a Friesland School in Derbyshire, exploring their personal experiences with the concept of 'growing up' and becoming young men. They were then asked to focus on, and embody their responses in front of the camera, creating intimate and evocative portraits of a group of boys, on the cusp of becoming men.
Satellite
2015
'Satellite' looks at the psychology of small town mentalities towards wider society. It examines the feelings of isolation felt by the inhabitants of these places, commuter and former industrial satellite towns where there is little prospect of re-development or increased employment. An auto-biographical observation of a section of society marginalised and often ignored.
Christmas Dinner For One
2017
In a performance piece exploring male mental health issues around Christmas, the artist performed a 'Christmas Dinner For One', eating alone, pulling a cracker and decorating a tree. Recorded on a mini-dv camcorder reminiscent of home video footage, the artist hoped to highlight the often ignored lonely side to the festive period.
BIO
Benjamin Green is a visual artist, researcher and writer, specialising in moving image and experimental documentary. His work is concerned with exploring the relationships between people, politics and place, the marginalisation of communities and issues of masculinity in provincial towns.
Born in Derby and raised in the post-industrial East-Midlands, he continues to explore issues affecting the region, in particular those surrounding its social mobility crisis.
His academic research explores the above issues, as well as the relationship between documentary, truth and political discourse. He studied for his BA (Hons) in Filmmaking and his MA in Visual Culture at the Manchester School of Art, where he works as a graduate teaching assistant.
CONTACT
Workers Leaving the Factory
‘Workers leaving the factory’ is a simple, comparative visual exploration of two places, the city and the satellite town. Through two purely observational channels, the audience is invited to consider the differences and similarities between workers leaving 20 Fenchurch Street in the City of London, and the Sports Direct Warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, contemplating contemporary working life and the disconnect between the city and the provincial as places.
The piece was originally presented as a two channel installation piece and has no soundtrack.
2019