Filming Public Art: Dryden Goodwin – Skill Screening @ Castledene Shopping Centre
Filming Public Art is one of my passions. In 2014, artist Dryden Goodwin brought his distinctive eye to East Durham with Skill—a poignant public art project that quietly transformed everyday lives into extraordinary portraits.
Commissioned by East Durham Creates and produced by Forma Arts, Skill captured twelve individuals from the region—each masterful in their craft, from tattoo artists and woodturners to pigeon fanciers and horse trainers.
At the heart of Skill is a 72-minute film: an intimate and immersive journey made up of twelve chapters, each a portrait in itself. Goodwin observed his subjects as they worked, simultaneously drawing them in real time—his pen moving across paper in quiet rhythm with their movements. These live sketches, layered over observational film and textured sound recordings, revealed not just the skills on show, but the patience, pride, and persistence behind them.
What makes Skill especially powerful is the way it inhabited East Durham’s public spaces. It was shown not in traditional galleries, but in the very places these craftspeople might live, shop, or pass by—the Pavilion in Peterlee, Castle Eden Shopping Centre, and other familiar community venues. These outdoor and site-specific projections gave Skill an immediacy and accessibility that matched its subject: everyday excellence, quietly and beautifully drawn into focus.
As a filmmaker who often works at the intersection of art, heritage, and place, Skill resonates deeply with my own practice. I’m particularly drawn to projects that explore creative labour—what it looks like, sounds like, and means to the people doing it. Whether I’m filming a poet interpreting a 19th-century botanical drawing or documenting a riverside walk haunted by memory and myth, I aim to capture those small, precise gestures that say something larger about who we are.
Goodwin’s project is a reminder of what’s possible when we slow down and pay attention. As a filmmaker, that’s where the magic happens—in the steady rhythm of a hand shaping wood, the pause before ink hits skin, or the unspoken connection between artist and subject. Skill is both a record and a revelation. It shows us that art isn’t something distant or elite—it’s happening right here, in Peterlee, in the everyday.
And for those of us behind the camera, it’s also a call to notice more, to frame differently, and to honour the people and places that rarely get centre stage.
This was a particularly odd example of filming public art. The artwork in question was being previewed on a large digital screen in the middle of a shopping centre in Peterlee—an unexpected and, at times, slightly awkward setting. Shoppers passed by, many barely registering what was being shown. The piece was a digital work that, in a gallery or cinema setting, might have commanded stillness and attention. But here, it played to the rhythms of retail: background noise, phone calls, trolley wheels.
I filmed using both the Panasonic AF101 and GH2—cameras that allowed for a discrete, observational approach. But even with the right tools, filming public art in a space like this required more than just good kit. It took patience. A lot of it. I had to settle into the environment, let people move around me, and wait for the moments when someone might stop. Even then, I needed to hold shots for long stretches, just in case the scene shifted—someone turning, reacting, pausing, connecting.
Eventually, a small audience did form. Not a crowd exactly, but a few curious onlookers drawn by the slow persistence of the piece. Capturing those moments—of hesitation, stillness, or brief engagement—became the real task. Because filming public art isn’t just about recording the work itself. It’s about noticing the interaction. The gap between intention and response.
In situations like this, the act of filming becomes its own form of art. You’re composing in real time, responding to energy, light, movement, and silence. You’re hoping that someone else’s brief engagement becomes part of the story you tell. Filming public art demands sensitivity not just to the work, but to the subtle choreography of public space. And sometimes, that means just standing still—and waiting.
🎥 Related Films and Projects
I specialise in capturing artists, academics, and heritage stories on film. You can explore some of my own work, including commissioned artist films and community-based documentaries, over on my website:
🔗 https://alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-videos/artist-films/