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At the age of seventy, Laurie Wheatley, a South Shields-born plasterer and self-taught sculptor, painter and photographer, was commissioned by Amber to produce a sculpture of a shipyard welder, as part of a local regeneration project. This 1978 film documents the sculpting process, from the construction of a life-size maquette, through the sculpting, moulding, plaster casting and final painting.
As he works, Laurie narrates not only the process, but also his thoughts and feelings about art and sculpture, and how this has played a part in his working life. By contrasting the undeniable artistry of both the process and final sculpture with Laurie's own, self-deprecating account of himself as a craftsman rather than artist - "I'm a manual worker really" - the film gently and obliquely raises a number of questions in the viewer's mind - can the traditional division between 'High Art' and 'Low Craft' really be sustained? Does this division trap those such as Laurie within partly self-imposed limits? Shouldn't something be done to release this potential, to enable people to explore and realise their talents and aspirations, whatever their background? In doing so, the film combines Amber's established respect for their integrity of their subjects with an equal respect for the intelligence of its audience, raising questions, provoking thought, but never dictating answers.
Martin Hunt
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Extract 1 (2:15)
