Joanna ByrneÂ
"[With analogue] you can create something that is both physical but it's also experiential as well, so you can kind of create something that as itself is kind of a beautiful object, something that you can touch and hold up to the light and look at, but when its animated through a projector you see it in a really different way and it can transport you to somewhere else."
Artistic Approach and Process
Joanna Byrne, a Leeds/Bradford-based artist and filmmaker, is renowned for her hands-on, experimental approach to creating moving images. Her practice blends material, performative, collaborative, and sustainable elements, often utilizing analogue film in tactile ways. Joanna’s creative process involves alternative photographic techniques, hand-manipulations, and even physical traces of her body to give her work a distinctive and personal quality. She frequently performs with live projections and sound, crafting immersive expanded cinema experiences. As she puts it, “You can create something that is both physical but also experiential...a beautiful object...but when it’s animated through a projector, you see it in a really different way, and it can transport you somewhere else.”
Joanna's work extends beyond filmmaking; she is an art and film writer, a BA Filmmaking lecturer at Leeds Arts University, and a facilitator of accessible filmmaking workshops. Her art often addresses significant social and environmental themes, including sustainability, climate change, feminism, desire, and identity. Her experimental approach, which she describes as "tactile and messy," resonates well with the qualities of analogue film, allowing her to explore these themes in profound and unconventional ways.
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Artistic Background
With 25 years as a practising artist, Joanna's journey began in her teens, when she discovered darkroom photography around the age of 15. After studying Graphic Fine Art at the University of East London, she was introduced to projections and immersive visual experiences during a foundation course. Her fascination with film emerged later, following a transformative moment when her mother gifted her a 16mm projector. This "hands-on" approach to filmmaking led her to collaborate with musicians on live visual performances, cementing her passion for analogue film as a dynamic medium.
Since moving to Leeds in 2002, Joanna has spent 18 years deeply involved in the local art scene, later relocating to Shipley. She values Yorkshire's vibrant artistic community and the striking quality of its light, noting, "In Yorkshire, you get quite striking light, very silvery and then really golden...I think this is one of the things that I found really beautiful."
Inspirations and Themes
Joanna's work consistently explores themes of sustainability, environmental change, and the human experience. Her interests extend to air pollution and the environmental impact of cars, while also delving into themes of feminism, desire, and identity. These diverse inspirations inform her filmmaking approach, where tactile interactions with film and material experimentation serve as metaphors for broader social and ecological issues. The changing landscapes of Yorkshire, particularly its "vibrant" art scene, provide a continual source of inspiration for her creative process.
Emerging Artist Awards Experience and Working with SCAF
Joanna's artistic journey reached a significant milestone in 2023 when she secured third place in the Scott Creative Arts Foundation's Emerging Artist Awards. The experience allowed her to push the boundaries of her practice, experimenting with new techniques, such as cyanotype, that she had not previously explored. "I’d never won an award like that for my artwork," Joanna reflects, underscoring the impact of this recognition on her career. The award provided a platform for her to connect more deeply with Yorkshire's art community and use the opportunity to document her work, furthering her pursuit of funding and exhibition
Post-Emerging Artist Awards
Since her recognition by SCAF, Joanna has engaged in numerous exhibitions, screenings, and research projects. She is currently working on a project about urban nature in Bradford, focusing on the biodiversity of abandoned waste grounds. Her goal is to create a film that captures the micro and macro aspects of these spaces, highlighting the delicate balance between nature and human activity.
Joanna's recent achievements include participation in a research programme working with Leeds Creative Labs and Bradford Producing Hub, where she collaborates with academics from the University of Leeds on imaging volcanic activity and air pollution. Her early work has been featured in the documentary "Enormous Yes" (2024) about Vibracathedral Orchestra, and she has continued to explore her craft through film commissions and exhibitions, including upcoming projects at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, London, and international screenings in Italy and California.
Future Aspirations and Emerging Ambitions
Looking ahead, Joanna is focused on expanding the reach of her work both locally and internationally. She has upcoming workshops scheduled for next spring and is anticipating the release of several film screenings across various continents. Joanna is also excited to participate in an LGBTQIA+ focused exhibition on ecology in London and to further explore collaborative projects that merge art, science, and community engagement.
Her ambitions are firmly grounded in her desire to continue exploring the intersections of film, environment, and society. By delving deeper into the themes she is passionate about, Joanna hopes to contribute meaningfully to contemporary art and inspire others through her unique and tactile approach to filmmaking.
"With SCAF, I’d not ever won an award like that for my artwork"
