Looking with Luke

Today as part of Brighton's SEE Documentary Festival I hosted a screening of Luke Holland's insightful and charming film Looking for Mr. Gill, about maverick typographer, artist, and daughter fucker, Eric Gill.

Luke is fascinating, one of those people you feel dumb in the company of -after a couple of sentences of his, and a couple of syllables of yours, I'd first met hime when were both photographing the skeletal West Pier on Brighton's seafront, he with his video camera and me with my stills. He has very particular way about him and is straightforward but hard to know.

In discussion he spoke eloquently about his desire to speak for community and communities in the face of the destructive social and commercial processes of the 20th and 21st Centuries, managing to draw a straight line between his campaigning work with indigenous communities in South America and the good people of dear Ditchling.

Also today through my swollen sinuses I saw at least two scenes that made me regret not having my camera in my pocket. Can I get away with blaming my cold, or is it more evidence that I am trying to do too much?

Two long hairs in the Laines, one with guitar one without, boldly started singing their set with a spirited cover of Jacque's Brel's "Jackie" [the English version popularized by Scott Walker]. It was in tune and great.