WeCanFly is a collaborative documentary film project, created by Kelli Watson. Her aim is to highlight the creative element of skateboarding through profiling artists who skateboard. Her upcoming third film and supporting exhibition is due for release on the 8th August so we decided to catch up with Kelli to get further insight into her evolving project.
The project started as part of my Masters Degree in Digital Media Arts. I was at point in my life where I was recovering from a serious mental health issue and was looking for a creative release. I have been teaching Media at a college of further education for almost 15 years and felt it was time that I started making my own work again. I have had a passion for skateboarding and skate culture since my teens and it just felt right to focus on something that reminded me of a time where things were less stressful.
WeCanFly has always been an organic entity. I met Eloise Dorr and Mat Lloyd whilst working on a different project idea and they were both featured in the first film. The thing about skateboarding culture seems to be that once you know someone and start any kind of creative collaboration within the community it is far easier to get others on board (excuse the pun) like Barry Kay and Ben Gore (WeCanFly1). The first film featured Ed Templeton and Grant Hatfield who happened to be over in London as part of their ‘Deadbeat’ project. I interviewed both at an exhibition – I basically grabbed the opportunity when it arose. Tom Quigley, Mr. Carrot Boy and Keith Watts all got involved in WeCanFly 2 after they had watched the first film and asked to be involved. I had been skating with Jenna Selby at The Pioneer in St Albans and asked her to be in the film. I met Charlotte Thomas through Keith Watts who had previously worked with Charlotte in the First Young Egg Archive project and through Charlotte I met Stef Nurding. My interview with Karl Watson and his Son Elan came about during the Pushing Borders event where I met them both.
WeCanFly 3 is a culmination of the first two films and was conceived out of a more personal approach. The film inadvertently covers my own personal experiences with skateboarding, art and mental health issues through channelling the featured artists experiences. I wanted ensure that the balance between male and female artists was better represented in the third film and because the Girl Skate Scene in the South East is so rad this was quite easy. I regularly skate with Sara Prinsloo, Rae Smith and Lizzy Heath and have a huge respect for them as both artist and human beings! I have managed to Interview Chad Muska and Ed Templeton (again) whilst both were in the UK doing separate projects. Adam Hogarth is a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Arts and when he contacted me about being in the film I was hyped to have an artist of his calibre featured. I met both Nick Jensen and Ed Davis at skateboarding/ art events and asked them to be in the film.
There are themes to each film. The first was quite general: ‘what is the link between skateboarding and creativity?’ The second film builds on this question but also asks how the resilience, self-motivation and independence that you learn through skateboarding can be deployed in an educational framework. The third film further explores how these elements can impact on mental health and wellbeing.
WeCanFly 3 is launching on Thursday 8th August at Hoxton Basement (from 6pm). Alongside the film screening we have an exhibition of artwork from Lizzy Heath, Rae Smith, Sara Prinsloo, Nick Jensen, Ed Davis and Adam Hogarth. There will be art on sale at the event – all money raised will be donated to Papyrus UK who aim to prevent suicide in young people in the UK.
There will also be music from The Turtle Sessions and Free Beer from Hopking so it’s going to be a good night – get it in your diaries and come along!