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Philip Ridley

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Philip Ridley
Born (1964-12-29) 29 December 1964 (age 59)[1]
East London, England
NationalityBritish
Alma materSt Martins School of Art
Occupation(s)Writer, artist, film director

Philip Ridley (born 1964 in East London)[2] is an English artist working with various media.

Biography

Ridley was born in Bethnal Green, in the East End of London, where he lived and worked until moving to Ilford.[3] Ridley studied painting at Saint Martin's School of Art and his work has been exhibited throughout Europe and Japan. He started as both a performance artist and the creator of a long sequence of charcoal drawings called The Epic of Oracle Foster.[4] One drawing from this sequence, "Corvus Cum", portraying a man ejaculating a black bird, was exhibited at the ICA in London while Ridley was still a student and – with calls for it to be displayed behind a curtain – became a cause célèbre.[5] Ridley also started his own theatre group as a student, acting in many of the productions, and made several short art films, including Visiting Mr Beak which starred the veteran actor Guy Rolfe. His short film for Channel 4, The Universe of Dermot Finn, was officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival, where it was a critical success and went on to receive theatrical distribution.[6]

Ridley has written three books for adults, Crocodilia, In the Eyes of Mr. Fury, and Flamingoes in Orbit; the screenplay for The Krays[7] feature film; 12 adult stage plays: The Pitchfork Disney, the multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Ghost from a Perfect Place, Vincent River, the controversial Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights, Tender Napalm, Shivered, Dark Vanilla Jungle, Radiant Vermin and Tonight with Donny Stixx; plus a further five plays for young people (known collectively as The Storyteller Sequence): Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece, Sparkleshark and Brokenville as well as a play for the whole family Feathers in the Snow.[8] He has also directed three feature films from his own screenplays: Heartless, The Reflecting Skin – winner of 11 international awards – and The Passion of Darkly Noon[9] (winner of the Best Director Prize at the Porto Film Festival) and two short films, Visiting Mr Beak and The Universe of Dermot Finn.[10]

His children's books include Scribbleboy (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), Kasper in the Glitter (nominated for the Whitbread Prize), Mighty Fizz Chilla (shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award) and Krindlekrax (winner of both the Smarties Prize and the WH Smith Mind-Boggling Book Award). The stage play of Krindlekrax – adapted by Ridley himself – premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the summer of 2002.

He is also a photographer – he created the cover images for Ridley: Plays 1 and Ridley: Plays 2, (published by Methuen) and regularly exhibits portraits of friends and images of East London, the two main themes of his photographic output – and a poet (his work has appeared in several collections). He co-wrote, with Nick Bicât, two songs that appeared in his film The Passion of Darkly Noon, ("Who Will Love Me Now?", sung by PJ Harvey – later covered by Sunscream – and "Look What You've Done" sung by Gavin Friday). In 2010 Ridley and Bicât formed the music group 'Dreamskin Cradle' and released their first album Songs From Grimm on all major download sites.[11] Ridley has won both the Evening Standard's Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising Playwright Awards. He is the only person ever to receive both prizes.[12]

Ridley's third film as writer-director, Heartless, premiered at the Frightfest horror film festival in London in August 2009.[13] The film stars Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clarke, Eddie Marsan, Luke Treadaway, Ruth Sheen and Timothy Spall, and was released in the UK in May 2010.[14] It was the first mainstream British film to be released across all platforms (theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, download) at the same time.[15] In addition, a new collection of his adult plays was published by Methuen (including Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass and Piranha Heights, with a new introduction by Ridley). An opera for teenagers titled Tarantula in Petrol Blue by Aldeburgh Music also premiered in 2009.

He was featured on BBC 2's flagship arts programme The Culture Show on 2 March 2012.[16]

List of works (incomplete)

See also: Category:Plays by Philip Ridley

Literature

  • 1986 – Embracing Verdi (short story)
  • 1987 – Leviathan (short story)
  • 1988 – Crocodilia (novella)
  • 1989 – In the Eyes of Mr. Fury (novel)
  • 1989 – Mercedes Ice (children's novel)
  • 1990 – Flamingoes in Orbit (short stories)
  • 1990 – Dakota of the White Flats (children's novel)
  • 1991 – Krindlekrax (children's novel)
  • 1994 – Meteorite Spoon (children's novel)
  • 1995 – The Hooligan's Shampoo (short story for children)
  • 1995 – Kasper in the Glitter (children's novel)
  • 1996 – Dreamboat Zing (short story for children)
  • 1996 – Alien Heart (short story)
  • 1997 – Scribbleboy (children's novel)
  • 1998 – Zinderzunder (children's novel)
  • 1998 – Wonderful Insect (short story)[citation needed]
  • 2000 – Vinegar Street (children's novel)
  • 2002 – Mighty Fizz Chilla (children's novel)
  • 2005 – Zip's Apollo (children's novel)

Poetry

  • The Dying Lizard Man

Ongoing - Lovesongs for Extinct Creatures (Poetry Sequence):

  • Your Love
  • Dark Sky Craving
  • The Silver Hat
  • I’m Waiting to be Killed
  • The Seams

Ongoing - Heartbeat on the Horizon (Poetry Sequence):

  • Press Conference
  • After
  • Flash Boom
  • Shrapnel
  • I Will

Theatre

Adult Stage Plays

Plays for Young People (The Storyteller Sequence)

Plays for the Whole Family

  • 2012 – Feathers in the Snow

Plays for Children

  • 2002 – Krindlekrax (script out of print)
  • 2004 – Daffodil Scissors (script out of print)

Monologues

  • Vesper (First performed as a live art piece by Ridley in the Ten Painters Exhibition at St Martins School of Art in 1986)

Performed at Vault Zero

  • Bloodshot
  • Angry
  • Vooosh!
  • Now
  • Okay
  • Wound
  • It
  • Killer

Libretto

  • 2007 – On Such A Day (concert piece, performed as part of Blind Date)
  • 2009 – Tarantula in Petrol Blue (opera)

Radio plays

  • 1989 – October Scars the Skin (script unpublished)
  • 1989 – The Aquarium of Coincidences (script unpublished)
  • 1991 – Shambolic Rainbow (script unpublished)

Film

Short Films

  • 1987 – Visiting Mr Beak (screenplay and director)
  • 1988 – The Universe of Dermot Finn (screenplay and director)

Feature Films

Songs

1981 – From the record single Flutters (double sided record featuring Philip Ridley as part of the band Haunted Staircase)

  • Side A: Flutters (A New Kind of Lovesong)
  • Side B: Something for the Children (A New Kind of Lullaby)

1995 – From the film The Passion of Darkly Noon (music Nick Bicât)

2009 – Fin Like a Flower (Music by Anna Meredith, sung by Michael Chance. On the album The NMC Songbook)

2009 – Songless (Music by Anna Meredith. Premiered at the Twickenham Choral Society. Unreleased)

2010 – Heal You (Music by Anna Meredith, sung by Juice Vocal Ensemble. Performed as part of Laid Bare: 10 love songs. Released as a single in 2014)

2010 – From the film Heartless (music Nick Bicât)

  • Heartless (sung by Jim Sturgess)
  • This Is The World We Live In (sung by Joe Echo)
  • What Skin Is All About (sung by Joe Echo)
  • The Other Me (sung by Joe Echo)
  • It Must Be Somewhere (sung by Mary Leay)
  • The Darker It Gets (sung by Joe Echo)
  • In You Are All The Stories (sung by Joe Echo)
  • Beautiful (sung by Joe Echoe)
  • Phoenix in Dynamite Sky (sung by Joe Echo)

2011 – From the stage play Tender Napalm (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

  • Fade And Float (sung by Mary Leay)

2013 – From the stage play Dark Vanilla Jungle (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

  • Ladybird First (sung by Mary Leay)

2014 – From the Album Songs From Grimm (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

  • The Path You Know (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Fearless (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Waiting For You (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Don't Call Me Magic (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Not Here (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Did That Just Happen (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Things Will Change (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Somewhere Something's Spinning (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • I Found You (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • A Million Magic Things (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Bring You Back (Sung by Mary Leay)
  • Tenderly Tender Me (Sung by Mary Leay)

Exhibitions

Group Shows

  • 1981 – New Contemporaries, ICA, London.
  • 1982 – New Contemporaries, ICA, London.
  • 1983 – Christie's Student Show, Christie's, London.
  • 1984 – The Leicester Exhibition, Leicester.
  • 1985 – Open Drawing Exhibition, Tettenhall Gallery, Wolverhampton.
  • 1985 – Open Exhibition, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 1986 – Ten Painters, 7th Floor Gallery, St. Martin's School of Art, London.
  • 1986 – Summer Exhibition, Bernard Baron Gallery, London.
  • 1987 – Group Show, Tom Allen Centre, London.
  • 1987 – Selected Show, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 1987 – Young Contemporaries, Birch & Conran, London.
  • 1988 – Decency, Discretly Bizarre Gallery, London.
  • 1988 – Selected Show, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 1988 – Mendacity, Discretly Bizarre Gallery, London.
  • 1988 – Magical Cats, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 1988 – Art Jonction International, Nice, France.
  • 1988 – Bergamo Art Fair, Bergamo, Italy.
  • 1996 – Freezeframe, Lamont Gallery, London.[18][19]

Solo Shows

  • 1985 – The Roaring Dreams Show, Tom Allen Centre, London.
  • 1985 – The Feeling Landscapes Show, Bernard Baron Gallery, London.
  • 1985 – The Glittering Gargolyes Show, The Fallen Angel, London.
  • 1986 – Mermaids, Monsters and Sleeping Moons, Mermaid Theatre, London.
  • 1986 – Recent Images, The Fallen Angel, London.
  • 1986 – The Epic of Oracle Foster, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 1987 – Shy Moon, The Garden Gallery, London.
  • 1989 – The Vinegar Blossoms, Lamont Gallery, London.
  • 2007 – Recent Portraits (photography exhibition)
  • 2007 – East End (photography exhibition)
  • 2008 – Recent Portraits 2 (photography exhibition)

Selected works in anthologies

  • 1987 – Short Story Embracing Verdi in the collection Oranges and lemons: stories by gay men (edited by David Rees and Peter Robbins
  • 1988 – Short Story Leviathan in the collection 20 Under 35: Original Stories by Britain's Best New Young Writers (edited by Peter Straus)
  • 1995 – Short Story Alien Heart in the collection Projections 4½ (edited by John Boorman and Walter Donohue)
  • 1996 – Extract from The Fastest Clock in the Universe in the collection Live 3: Critical Mass (edited by David Tushingham)
  • 1997 – Short Story Embracing Verdi in The Mammoth Book of Gay Short Stories (edited by Peter Burton)
  • 1997 – Three poems: Someone Wants to Kill Me, The Seams and Getting Through The Day in The Bush Theatre Book (edited by Mike Bradwell)
  • 2000 – Extract from Krindlekrax in the collection Out of this world
  • 2003 – Poem The Silver Hat in the collection Love (edited by Fiona Waters)
  • 2005 – Poem The Prince and the Snail in collection The Works 4 (edited by Gaby Morgan)
  • 2005 – Three poems in collection Poems for the Retired Nihilist (edited by Graham Bendel)
  • 2009 – Monologue Vesper in Modern British Playwriting: The 1990s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations (edited by Aleks Sierz)

In media

  • In the British radio and TV comedy Little Britain the character of Vicky Pollard comes from Darkley Noone council estates which is named after Ridley's film The Passion of Darkly Noon.
  • The German band Troy Flamingo are named after a character from one of Ridley's short stories.
  • The American band The Reflecting Skin is named after Ridley's film of the same name.
  • Reece Nagra's remix of Buju Banton's song Murderer opens with an expert of dialogue from The Krays and became a drum and bass anthem.
  • Phil Western's 1998 album The Escapist features excerpts of dialogue from The Reflecting Skin.
  • The song Fury Eyes (from The Creatures' second album, Boomerang) is dedicated to Ridley's novel In the Eyes of Mr. Fury.
  • Ridley was one of 25 contemporary British writers asked to contribute a scene to NT25 Chain Play, celebrating 25 years of the Royal National Theatre in London.
  • Ridley's song Who Will Love Me Now? (as sung by P.J. Harvey) was selected as Favourite Film Song by Radio 1 in 1998. It was covered by the techno/house band Sunscreem; the cover entered the top 40 UK chart and was used in the film South West 9.
  • In 1996 Hungary's The Titanic Film Festival had a major retrospective of Ridley's work.
  • The song Omlagus Garfungiloops (from Coil's 1992 Album Stolen & Contaminated Songs) features excerpts of dialogue from The Reflecting Skin.

Notable awards won

Notable award nominations

References

  1. ^ http://www.channel4learning.com/sites/bookbox/authors/ridley/index1.htm
  2. ^ Doollee.com
  3. ^ Interview with The Stage, 16 March 2015.
  4. ^ Philip Ridley – Sparkleshark
  5. ^ Philip Ridley – the best British playwright of the past 20 years
  6. ^ Philip Ridley – Penguin Books Authors – Penguin Books
  7. ^ The Krays film Retrieved 19 September 2007
  8. ^ www.Vampire-World.com – Filmreviews: Schrei in der Stille (OT: The Reflecting Skin)
  9. ^ Sitges '09: My Sitges Story – Part 5
  10. ^ Puffin Books: Philip Ridley
  11. ^ http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6f84bab592a657a3b330b39b2&id=8feb078426
  12. ^ Extremely detailed list of Ridley's credits (in French), compiled by Sébastien Cagnoli
  13. ^ Go Behind-the-Scenes of Heartless
  14. ^ A Heartless Trailer Debut
  15. ^ Lionsgate plots digital release strategy for Heartless | News | Screen
  16. ^ BBC
  17. ^ Maslin, Janet (9 November 1990). "The Krays (1990) Review/Film; Twin Thugs With a Mother Complex". The New York Times.
  18. ^ http://www.filmfestival.gr/tributes/greenaway/exhibitions.htm
  19. ^ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EltPXo7RdigC&pg=PT149&lpg=PT149&dq=freeze+frame+the+Lamont+Gallery+peter+greenaway&source=bl&ots=DiL07XLGWB&sig=uxWfu0ocpYA3qS6A218uFSQMl7Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt7cq5uJvKAhVBWxQKHbvCC20Q6AEIJjAC#v=snippet&q=freezeframe%20philip%20ridley&f=false
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