Poetry Filmmaker in Residence: Rebecca Goldsmith
Birmingham Literature Festival, which will run 5-8 October 2023, has appointed Rebecca Goldsmith as Poetry Filmmaker in Residence.
Rebecca will be popping up throughout the weekend, exploring themes from her new collection of poetry films shot in Birmingham and around the West Midlands.
The films have been created specifically with the festival in mind and form part of Rebecca’s ongoing PhD research. She welcomes feedback and creative conversation, so feel free to flag her down for a chat.
About The Collection
PAUSE: The Immersive Place of Poetry Film
What does ‘place’ mean to us, and how do we capture it creatively? This series of poetry films explores locations across the West Midlands you might ordinarily pass through – as a rambler, a visitor, or en route to elsewhere – and experiments with what happens when you take time to pause. Developed through a process of practice-led research, the films plot a course around the region as 2D and 360° immersive screenings. The works demonstrate how taking time to stop and engage with a location can help to deepen our sense of place.
About The Artist
Rebecca Goldsmith is a PhD researcher at Keele University.
Her research project ‘Place-based poetry film and the literature festival’ explores creative engagement with place through 2D and immersive poetry filmmaking. It asks; ‘how can poetry film as a medium promote connections with place and support access to poetry for wider audiences?’.
The project is a Collaborative Doctoral Award in partnership with Writing West Midlands, with additional supervision from staff at the Centre for Place Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Supported by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership, part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Activities
Film Screenings:
Films from ‘PAUSE’ were broadcast on the big screen before our author events at the Birmingham Rep Theatre throughout Birmingham Literature Festival 2023.
Immersive Poetry Pod:
Be transported to a reimagined nature reserve in a 360° Immersive Poetry Pod. This popped up at various times on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the festival weekend. It was stationed outside the Studio Theatre, in the foyer that connects the Rep to the Library of Birmingham.
Virtual Gallery:
On Thursday 5th October we celebrated National Poetry Day with the launch of a virtual gallery of poetry films. You can view the Virtual Gallery here.
Creative Workshop:
On Sunday 8th October, Rebecca led an Outdoor Adventure in Poetry Film at The Roundhouse, exploring themes of motion and pause along the canals.