Category Archives: Filmpoem

Olav H. Hauge was one of Norway’s most prominent poets in the post-war period. An apple grower by trade, his poetry was rooted in home in Ulvik where he lived and farmed – he pursued a broader knowledge through extensive reading. His collections have been published in twenty-five languages and a museum in his honour is the centre-piece of Ulvik.

“Olav Hauge died in 1994, at the age of 85. It has been said that he died “the old way” one day simply taking to his bed and refusing to eat for ten days at the end of which he quietly slipped away. The mare that drew his coffin along a picturesque mountain road, just outside of Ulvik, had recently foaled and the colt danced playfully alongside her as the funeral procession followed.” {Gilbert Wesley Purdy}

Commissioned by the Olav H. Hauge Senterum in Ulvik, Norway, to produce an experimental film investigating Hauge’s life and work Alastair selected six of Hauge’s shorter poems as a contiguous narrative. Hauge’s struggle with seasonal depression was revealed in his extensive diaries – his treatments consisted of electroshock, as well as injections and regular beatings from the staff. Hauge’s bright darkness is borne from loneliness and emotional disconnection.

Alastair commissioned a reading from John Glenday and worked with electro-acoustic musician Luca Nasciuti and his regular cinematographer James William Norton.

Watch Alastair Cook’s film Amerika, three years in the making, with writing by twenty of the world’s best poets, soundtracked by composer Luca Nasciuti and read by poet Rachel McCrum.

Amerika contains ekphrasis work by poets John Glenday, Vicki Feaver, Stevie Ronnie, Janie McKie, Brian Johnstone, Jo Bell, Andrew Philip, Linda France, Dave Bonta, Angela Readman, Michael Vandebril, Gerard Rudolf, George Szirtes, Emily Dodd, Ian Duhig, Rachel McCrum, Robert Peake, Polly Rowena Atkin, Pippa Little and Vona Groarke.

The Fisherman and the Weather Wife was written by Angela Readman, read by Gerard Rudolf and features a soundtrack by Yvonne Lyon. Made as part of Alastair’s McArthur’s Store project, the film complemented a series of wet plate collodion tintype portraits of the fishermen who work from McArthur’s Store, an historic creel store on the Old Harbour in the small Scottish fishing town of Dunbar.

WET PLATE COLLODION is a photographic process dating from 1851 and was a primary method of capturing images until the 1880s. The process must be completed within ten minutes before the plate dries; this brings a certain intensity, offering the ability to produce mercurial and unique images.

The process captures an image directly onto glass or tin, which has been coated with collodion then steeped in silver nitrate to render it sensitive to light. Wet plate collodion balances light and time – the photographer’s decision – with a chemical process involving cleaning, washing, dipping, coating, mixing, fixing and drying. When the image first appears in the fix, a little smoky at first, it is startling, as if alchemy has been witnessed. This is a skilled craft and can be disrupted by many variables. What sets my work apart is its sheer physicality – these are sensuous, vital, vulnerable, proud portraits.

“Arresting and nostalgic, contemplative and intriguing…Cook’s portraits create their own atmosphere and intrigue. Rooted in place, they reflect its spirit, at once harsh and poetic; the tracings of light from a northern sky on raw metal.” Giles Sutherland, The Times [4 Stars].

This series of work was funded through North Light Arts by Creative Scotland as part of Year of Creative Scotland and Year of Natural Scotland.

Anither Season contains two instances of strong profanity – although this is contextual to the poem, please use your judgement before watching if you are likely to be offended by swearing.

Written and read by boxer and poet Ross Wilson, this is a heartfelt dedication to Alex ‘Spangles’ Hunter. Filmed and recorded in the Greenock Boxing Club, this film forms part of Alastair Cook’s photographic work In Order to Win, You Must Expect to Win.

Alastair writes: “What began as a yearlong residency centred on the Scottish port town of Greenock has developed into a longer photographic investigation of this place and its people. One element of this is a series made with Greenock Boxing Club. Led by Danny Lee, who boxed at the 1960 Olympics with Muhammad Ali, and his inspirational son Danny Lee, the club is based in a Salvation Army church in Cartsdyke. Like much of post-industrial Britain, Cartsdyke is an area with difficult statistics on drugs, crime and mortality. With this work I want to tell the story of these boxers, the families who live here, struggle here, rejoice here.”

Stephen Sexton won the National Poetry Prize with this poem and the Poetry Society commissioned Alastair to make it into a poetry-film. Stephen noted, on seeing the film –

“I catch a lot of little riffs on some of the words or lines, and this is really wonderful and exciting to see. I guess one thing that stands out is the clearing of the animals and knife and other stuff from the table. In my mind, there is some sort of connection between the animals and the miners: animals are free to roam, miners aren’t. The knife certainly represents some kind of ‘violence’, and just before the things are cleared off the table in the film, there is the assembly of animals encircling the knife, and a human figure. I really like this image — it points a sense of threat that is somewhere in the back of the poem. In some way or another, I think this assortment sums up the poem. I find it to be quite a poignant image.

Overall, I interpret the film as, wonderfully, someone (the speaker of the poem, I suppose) under curfew in their home, fiddling about with old belongings since they’ve nothing better to do to pass the time. These objects then bring to mind the story about the grandfather etc. This situation of the film is fantastic — I understand the logic entirely. Interestingly, when I picture the scene of the poem, it is in a flat a couple of floors up, much like you have depicted.

The sound is incredible. Maybe it’s because I choose to hear it, but it brings to mind a kind of industrial racket, but there is something creaturely about some of the sounds too. Your reading of the poem is wonderful — it’s strange and great to hear all the little nuances of the language. Thank you for taking such care with it.

I find the film moving. This is the first time anything like this has happened with anything I’ve written, and I must thank you for the care you’ve taken with the poem, and the attention you’ve given it. It’s a privilege to have you think about the poem and produce this film, and I am very grateful for everyone’s work!”

Alba is part of a series of films commissioned by Absent Voices, an artist-led project centred on the Scottish town of Greenock, telling the creative story of Greenock’s sugar industry. Using the Category A listed Sugar Sheds on James Watt Dock as a catalyst, eight artists worked within the community and reached out to the wider world. Absent Voices was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Each of the films is directed and edited by Alastair Cook.

Alba is a poem by John Glenday arranged for music by Luci Holland with vocals by Colleen Nicoll, cello by Katie Johnston, piano by Sarah Becker with sound engineering by Josh Sabin. Song of the Clyde was used with permission of the British Council.

The series of eight films was screened in entirety at Body Electric in Colorado, Filmpoem Festival, Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp and Absent Voices in Greenock); six films in the series were performed live with the poets and composer Luca Nasciuti at the Scottish Poetry Library.

Yesterday’s Noise is the sixth in a series of seven films commissioned by Absent Voices, an artist-led project centred on the Scottish town of Greenock, telling the creative story of Greenock’s sugar industry. Using the Category A listed Sugar Sheds on James Watt Dock as a catalyst, eight artists worked within the community and reached out to the wider world. Absent Voices was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Each of the films is directed and edited by Alastair Cook.

The poem Yesterday’s Noise was written and read by John Glenday and features a soundtrack by Luca Nasciuti with cinematography by James William Norton.

The series of seven films was screened in entirety at Body Electric in Colorado, Filmpoem Festival, Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp and Absent Voices in Greenock); six films in the series were performed live with the poets and composer Luca Nasciuti at the Scottish Poetry Library.

The God of Sugar is the fifth in a series of seven films commissioned by Absent Voices, an artist-led project centred on the Scottish town of Greenock, telling the creative story of Greenock’s sugar industry. Using the Category A listed Sugar Sheds on James Watt Dock as a catalyst, eight artists worked within the community and reached out to the wider world. Absent Voices was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Each of the films is directed and edited by Alastair Cook.

The poem The God of Sugar was written and read by Vicki Feaver and features a soundtrack by Luca Nasciuti with cinematography by James William Norton.

The series of seven films was screened in entirety at Body Electric in Colorado, Filmpoem Festival, Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp and Absent Voices in Greenock); six films in the series were performed live with the poets and composer Luca Nasciuti at the Scottish Poetry Library.

How Well It Burns is the fourth in a series of seven films commissioned by Absent Voices, an artist-led project centred on the Scottish town of Greenock, telling the creative story of Greenock’s sugar industry. Using the Category A listed Sugar Sheds on James Watt Dock as a catalyst, eight artists worked within the community and reached out to the wider world. Absent Voices was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Each of the films is directed and edited by Alastair Cook.

How Well It Burns written and read by the late Brian Johnstone and features a commissioned cello soundtrack by Rebecca Rowe and uses footage of Allied WW2 raids courtesy of the Ministry of Defence.

The series of seven films was screened in entirety at Body Electric in Colorado, Filmpoem Festival, Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp and Absent Voices in Greenock); six films in the series were performed live with the poets and composer Luca Nasciuti at the Scottish Poetry Library.

Revenant is the third in a series of seven films commissioned by Absent Voices, an artist-led project centred on the Scottish town of Greenock, telling the creative story of Greenock’s sugar industry. Using the Category A listed Sugar Sheds on James Watt Dock as a catalyst, eight artists worked within the community and reached out to the wider world. Absent Voices was principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Each of the films is directed and edited by Alastair Cook.

Revenant was written and read by Jane McKie and features Rebecca Joy Sharp on clarsach.

The series of seven films was screened in entirety at Body Electric in Colorado, Filmpoem Festival, Felix Poetry Festival in Antwerp and Absent Voices in Greenock); six films in the series were performed live with the poets and composer Luca Nasciuti at the Scottish Poetry Library.