Biography
The life and times of Pope & Guthrie
Nina Pope (b 1968) and Karen Guthrie (b 1970) live and
work in London and the Lake District respectively. After studying
together at Edinburgh College of Art they completed MA's in London
and began their careers in 1995.
They launched their creative organisation Somewhere in 2001, and
have led diverse projects with an emphasis on new audiences and the
social application of innovative technology. Nina also maintains an
academic post at the Royal College of Art and both work as visiting
tutors, and in professional development for artists. Karen
free-lances in public art, including many projects and initiatives
with Grizedale Arts,
including their website development.
Current Projects
• Abbey
Gardens / What Will The Harvest Be?
Commissioned by London Borough of Newham. The re-visioning of a
historic but derelict garden in East London as a public 'harvest'
garden.
• Jaywick Escapes
Commissioned by Essex County Council to develop ideas for the
re-invigoration of public space in coastal Essex. With an
installation at Jaywick Martello Tower, Sept / Oct 2009
• Several film projects in development
Filmography
2007/8
'Living with the
Tudors' (83mins, HD). Funded by the Channel 4 Documentary Film
Foundation.
Screened at Britdoc Film Festival & premiered at SXSW Film
Festival, Austin, Texas, March 08. DVD released by Soda Pictures.
US distribution by Indiepix. TV broadcast BETV (Belgium).
Researched, wrote, fund-raised, produced and directed.
2007
'Little Deluxe Living' (12mins, HDV)
Shot in Japan and England.
Screened as part of winning exhibition at Northern Art Prize,
Leeds City Art Gallery 2007/8
Researched, wrote, produced and directed.
2005
'Bata-ville: We are not afraid
of the future' (93mins, Digibeta)
Feature film commissioned by Commissions East. Selected film
festivals screenings: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2005,
SXSW 2005 (Texas), Rooftop Films (New York City) plus gallery
screenings including Tate Britain, Cornerhouse (Manchester) &
Arnolfini (Bristol).
DVD (CZ & Eng.) Directed, produced and distributed
internationally.
Selected Projects & Exhibitions
• The Garden of Forking Paths
DLux, Loop Space, Newcastle, New South Wales,
Australia
• Can Art Save Us?
Millennium Galleries, Sheffield till Jan. 2010. Multiple
'Titchy/Kitschy' shown in Grizedale Arts contribution
• Schnucken, Elefanten und andere Gastgeschenke
Kunstverein Springhornhof, Germany Nov/Dec 2009. Multiple
'Titchy/Kitschy' shown in myvillages.org
Commissioned by A Foundation & Grizedale Arts for Rochelle School, London. Two projects - Karen Guthrie's 'The Grotto' (postponed indefinitely) and a musical collaboration 'A Song for a Circus' between Nina Pope and Tim Olden.
• Winners of the first Northern Arts Prize
With an installation exhibited at Leeds City Art Gallery Nov.
2007 - Jan. 2008
• Broadcast
Yourself
TV swansong archive exhibited as part of group show at Hatton
Gallery (Newcastle) and Cornerhouse (Manchester)
• Almanac
Public art commission for the redevelopment of Cinema City in
Norwich, launched on their new digital projection system October
2007. Almanac commemorates the history of cinema as well as looking
to its digital future. We developed a bespoke dynamic database of
one year's time-lapse footage shot at East Anglian sites made
famous as film locations.
• Living with the
Tudors 2007
Documentary feature film part-funded by Britdoc Channel 4
Documentary Film Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation &
Arts Council England. Premiered at SXSW Film Festival, March
2008.
• Odysseus Web Project 2007
Goethe-Institute, UK
• Pilot 3 2007
Selected for archive for artists & curators, shown at
Atelier Bevilacqua, Venice Biennale (Italy)
• Seven Samurai & Return of the Seven
Samurai 2006/7
Site-specific project for Echigo-Tsumari
Triennale, Japan - curated by Grizedale Arts and developing into
the exhibition 'Virtually Grizedale' at A Foundation, Liverpool
Biennale 2006, and Return of the Seven Samurai at Gallery Lucy
Mackintosh, Lausanne, Switzerland 2006.
• Sometime Later 2006
Short films / photography works documenting time spent amongst
historical re-enactors. Website commissioned for 'Private View' by
BBC & Arts Council England.
• Bata-ville: We are not afraid of the future 2005
Feature length film, produced by Somewhere, with Commissions
East & Illumina Digital Ltd
See website for more info.
Extensive screenings & official selection of Edinburgh
International Film Festival.
• Romantic Detachment 2004
Video work, group show, PS1, New York City, USA & touring
to Q (Derby), Folly (Lancaster) & Chapter (Cardiff,
UK)
• London Underground Platform for Art 2003
Featured artists
• It's an East End Knockout 2003
Bow Festival / Space commissioned live event, London,
UK
• Live Culture 2003
Curators / exhibitors, video programme, Tate Modern, London,
UK
• @rt.net.uk now 2002
British Council group show, Sarai, Delhi, India
• Art For Networks 2002/3
Group show, Chapter, Cardiff; Fruitmarket, Edinburgh &
touring
• TV swansong 2002
Nationwide public art / site-specific webcast project
commissioning 8 artists
(artists / curators)
• Housework 2002
Group show, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham, UK
• Game On 2002/3/4
Commission, Barbican Gallery, London & touring
internationally
• It Rocks, But Gently 2002
Group show, Folly, Lancaster
• A Fair Place 2001
British Council Group show, Nouvelles Peripheries, Istanbul,
Turkey
• Public Spaces, Private Reveries 2001/2
Proboscis, prototype commission
• Lo-Fi Net Art Locator 2001
http://www.low-fi.org.uk - invited Guest List curators
• Grizedale Show 2001
Group show, Q Arts, Derby, UK
• People from Off 2001
Solo show with Anna Best & Simon Poulter; Collective
Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
• Art in Motion 2001
Festival, Museum of Santa Monica & U.S.C, USA
• The Idea of North 2000/1
(Group show), Leeds City Art Gallery, UK
• Limo Day 2000
Live event & video work with Anna Best & Simon Poulter;
Grizedale Show, Cumbria, UK
• David Shuttleworth (Rally Hopeful) 2000
Live project & installation with Anna Best & Simon
Poulter; Grizedale Show, Cumbria, UK
• The Festival of Lying 2000
Live event & web cast with Anna Best & Simon Poulter;
Grizedale Show, Cumbria, UK
• Additional Footage 2000
Live project & installation (Group show), East / Riverside;
Norwich Gallery, UK
Selected Reviews & Publications
• 'A Utopia of Modernity: Zlin' 2009
Contributors (A book by Zipp - German-Czech Cultural Projects
ISBN978-3-86859-034-0)
• 'Hothaus Papers: Perspectives and Paradigms in media arts'
2006
Contributors (Ed. Joan Gibbons & Kaye Winwood) VIVID /
Article Press ISBN 1873352247
• Artforum - May 2005
Review of 'Bata-ville' by Rachel Withers
• 'New Media Art: Practice & Context in the UK 1994-2004'
2004
Featured artists (Ed. Arts Council England) Cornerhouse
Publications ISBN 0948797886
• Contemporary - No.55 / 2003
Duncan McLaren reviews Grizedale Arts
• 'Tell it like it is ....on being Curated' 2002
Artists' essay 'Curating New Media' (Ed. Sarah Cook, Beryl
Graham & Sarah Martin, BALTIC ISBN 1-903655-06-4)
• Art Monthly no. 256 2002
Review of TV swansong
• Frieze - July issue 2002
Review of TV swansong by Dan Fox
• [a-n] - April & May issues 2002
Reviews of TV swansong
• Financial Times - March 16/17 2002
Preview of TV swansong by Lucy Kimbell
• Contemporary - March issue 2002
Art & TV Preview of TV swansong by Duncan McLaren
• TV swansong 2002
Editors / contributors ARTicle Press, ISBN 1 873352 58
1
• Public Art Journal 2001
Spring / summer issue
• Art Monthly - no. 242 2000/01
Review of 'The Idea of North', Leeds, UK
