Ben Rivers
Ben Rivers wrote about the artworks he has gifted staff. They come from the film Now, at Last! :
“These images are taken from a film portrait I made of a sloth, an animal known for its ability to sleep and relax for much of its life. The word sloth is often used in a derogatory way, meaning lazy, but I wanted the film, and these photos, to be an attempt to take people away from their normal relationship with time, and to experience another creature’s experience of time in a positive way. This beautiful animal can be a reminder to slow down, when the world around you is a frenetic bombardment of so many influences. I knew I had to film a wild sloth but they often live high up in trees, inaccessible to me and my camera. So I went to the Jaguar Rescue Centre in Costa Rica, where animals are taken if they’re found injured. Here they are rehabilitated and then very carefully put back into the wild. This sloth was named Cherry, and I photographed her during her daily trips to a low down tree in the jungle, where she was slowly acclimatising to being independent again. She is now happily living back in the canopy.
I wanted to contribute these artworks as a way to say thanks to all the NHS staff, who have worked so tirelessly not only through these difficult Covid-19 times, but all the time. As a way to say thanks to nurses whose pay rise was voted down by politicians who then did some hypocritical clapping at 8pm for cameras. I chose these particular images because I hope to help afford a moment of calm, and also because Cherry was nursed back to health with the same care that NHS staff help so many people.”
Ben Rivers, Cherry, 2019, C-Type Print
Ben Rivers studied Fine Art at Falmouth School of Art, initially in sculpture before moving into photography and super8 film. After his degree he taught himself 16mm filmmaking and hand-processing. His practice as a filmmaker treads a line between documentary and fiction. Often following and filming people who have in some way separated themselves from society, the raw film footage provides Rivers with a starting point for creating oblique narratives imagining alternative existences in marginal worlds.
He is the recipient of numerous prizes including: FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, 68th Venice Film Festival for his first feature film Two Years At Sea; the Baloise Art Prize, Art Basel 42, 2011; shortlisted for the Jarman Award 2010/2012; Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists, 2010. Recent exhibitions include: Slow Action, Hepworth Wakefield, 2012; Sack Barrow, Hayward Gallery, London, 2011; A World Rattled of Habit, A Foundation, Liverpool, 2009. Artist-in-focus include Courtisane Festival; Pesaro International Film Festival; London Film Festival; Tirana Film Festival; Punto de Vista, Pamplona; Indielisboa and Milan Film Festival.
