PLANTING
Our PLANTING programme is commissioning three early career artists, selected from an open call, to make short, animated films that explore our relationship to nature – cultivation, community, environment, and place.
Each artist is partnered with an organisation in Animate’s home town, Derby. They’ll undertake a period of research and development, engaging with the organisations and the people they work with, getting to know something of their ethos and activities, and exploring broader themes and contexts.
Inspired by, and in response to, these conversations, they’ll develop ideas, and make short films.
The films will be launched in Summer 2024.
Simon Hamlyn
Simon graduated from Kingston School of Art with a first class BA Illustration Animation in 2022. His graduation film, Architect’s Cruise, premiered at Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, and other screenings include: Flatpack Festival, Birmingham; Viborg Animation Festival, Denmark; and Cinanima, Portugal. In 2023, he undertook an Erasmus internship at Animal Tank studio in Ghent, Belgium. Simon lives in Bristol.
Friends of Derby Arboretum
Friends of Derby Arboretum is a diverse group of local people who are passionate about the Arboretum. The Friends organise at least free public events each year, and also facilitate gardening, crafting and other activities and events for local people.
The Arboretum – a botanical tree garden for instruction as well as leisure – was Britain’s urban public park. It was commissioned and donated for the benefit of citizens of Derby in 1840, by businessman, social reformer and philanthropist Joseph Strutt (1765–1844) whose wealth came from the family textile business.
Lewis Heriz
Lewis graduated with MA in Experimental Animation from the Royal College of Art in 2021. He worked as a graphic designer for 13 years, before starting to make films in 2019. His Instagram animation project Improv (1) was a Vimeo Staff Pick, and screenings of his MA film So Long include Annecy and Aesthetica film festivals. He works as an animator and lecturer, and is creative director of Fully Human, a creative research project of the PSHE Association developing a collaborative workshop to explore young peoples’ thoughts and feelings around Artificial Intelligence. Lewis lives in Ludlow.
Hannah Fields
Hannah Fields began in 2018, taking a lease from the council on a two acre green site that had been unoccupied and unmanaged for over 25 years, left overgrown with brambles and used for fly tipping. It is now a thriving community garden, with a mission focused on reducing social isolation whilst nurturing and protecting our natural environment for the benefit of all, with an organic market garden, café and shop, and a range of nature and wellbeing activities, including a Forest School.
Karen Oktopo
Karen graduated with an MA (with distinction) in Computational Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2021. She works as a freelance illustrator and animator. She creates interactive installations and animated films to engage audiences in various topics. Ghanaian born, Karen’s work is inspired by West African tradition, nature and Western Esoterica. Karen lives in London.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust supports wildlife and wild spaces, managing 46 nature reserves across the county, and working on over 170 conservation and wellbeing projects, restoring species like Byson and Beavers, habitats and bringing people from all walks of life closer to nature.
A healthy natural environment is the foundation for everything that is of value to people – food, water, shelter, flood prevention, health, happiness and creative inspiration. It’s the source of our prosperity and our wellbeing. We want to inspire people about the natural world so that they value it, understand their relationship with it and take action to protect and restore it.
As part of the nationwide Nextdoor Nature programme, DWT is supporting people and communities on their green projects in Derby, including the creation of a Green Corridor between Normanton and Arboretum Park. Community Organiser, Adam Dosunmu Slater has connected with over 30 organisations in the city and is supporting them on their journeys to create a greener and wilder inner city of Derby.
