Helen Petts is a British artist film-maker who for the last 5 years has concentrated on working within the experimental and free improvised music scene both, in the UK and in mainland Europe. Her work has been screened in various film festivals and she also has a Youtube site - helentonic - devoted to showing this work. youtube.com/helentonic
She runs Mopomoso free improvisation night in London with guitarist John Russell, which gives her great access to many musicians from all over the world. She says she is interested in filming the music itself and the moment of improvisation rather than just documenting the performance. This can result in extreme close-ups of abstract textures and rhythms. mopomoso.com
In 2009 she was commissioned by Matt's Gallery, London to make 11 film collaborations with musicians for the exhibition "TAPS - Improvisations with Paul Burwell".
Sea Shanties - made with percussionist Roger Turner and voice artist Phil Minton - is one of those films.
She also makes very solitary, more abstract, films in remote locations exploring rhythms and textures in the natural landscape. Currently she is indulging both passions making a film following the route of artist Kurt Schwitters, who escaped Nazi Germany to live on Hjertoya island near Molde in Norway and then to Ambleside in the British Lake District. This film, entitled “Throw Them Up and Let Them Sing” a term used by Schwitters to describe how he created his work, is a commission for the Cultural Olympiad – the arts festival of the 2012 Olympic Games. This film will feature improvised sounds and images from Turner and Minton as well as Sylvia Hallett and Adam Bohman.
festival.london2012.com/events/9000961777

Helen Petts would like to acknowledge the support of an Arts Admin fellowship in development of this work and the Arts Council of England Unlimited programme for funding for the Schwitters film.

website helenpetts.com
Schwitter's project blog helenpetts.tumblr.com/