The Republics

A true meeting of artists’ minds: drawn from poet and activist Stephen Watts’ book Republic Of Dogs /Republic Of Birds, Huw Wahl’s 16mm essay film evokes the deep spirit of elegy, celebration and resistance in Watts’ work. Taking as its terrain the changing landscapes of London’s East End and the Scottish islands, and the destruction of working-class culture, The Republics brims with creative energy: ‘A documentary… whose own poetry speaks as honestly and eloquently as that of the writer it portrays’ (Gareth Evans, Moving Image Curator, Whitechapel Gallery).

‘I was compelled to collaborate with Stephen Watts after reading his prose poetry book Republic Of Dogs/Republic Of Birds, which creates a unique and viscerally visual world in the mind of the reader. Together we decided to let the book guide us in its own way through the landscapes, people and memories of the text. Speaking to the materiality and textures of Watt’s poetry, I shot with b&w 16mm hand-developed stock on a clockwork camera; pressing the release button when the moment felt right. This allowed for a deeper presence in the flow of movement, and helped breath and rhythm reveal themselves as essential to both poetry and film. During the making I also found a vital essence embedded in my own practice; an intimacy to material, person and place that I hope will outlive the brutalities of our era.’

Huw Wahl, Director ç