About
Clare Dearnaley is an established filmmaker and artist.
She works independently and by commission, creating works for screening, exhibition, broadcast, and online platforms. In her filmmaking Clare uses contemporary discourse to create immersive experiences; whether they are single image, multi media installation, shorts or long form documentary. She combines clear aesthetics to reveal and gently expose powerful stories engaging soundscape and music. She has also exhibited and sold many of her experimental photographs.
Photo by Clare Dearnaley, from the Refuge exhibition series.
Prior to her independent practice, Clare developed a 20 year career in the film and television industry where she directed and/or produced many award winning documentaries including feature documentary ‘Breaking Ground: the Story of the London Irish Women’s Centre’ in 2013, a sensitive political story with an all female cast and crew. ’The Great Chinese Art Revolution’ which featured on Channel 4, True Stories in 2009, Sky Arts 2010, and won Best Documentary at HDFest New York.
She trained first as an editor in the 1990s, where clients included the BBC and Channel 4. Directing and Producing credits followed at Independent Production Companies like Capricorn Programmes for LWT and then producing and directing documentary for a number of years at Travel Channel, BDA and Pia Getty Films.
Currently, Clare is developing a 360 degree artwork on environmental decline, featuring film, poetry, choir and live music it has been commissioned by Real Ideas Plymouth and funded by ACE.
Other recent collaborations include ‘Who do you think should save us?’ 2022, a short environmental film originating in a live performance on Exmouth beach funded by the Creative Peninsula Network.
Clare’s on going joint installation project ‘Dovetailing’ has held four site specific exhibitions, most recently at The Jetty Museum, Lakeland Arts, Windermere during summer 2022. It combines, film projections, mobile sculpture, music, dance and poetry. Future iterations are in development for Bradford 2025.
Clare was Director on ‘The Peoples Landscapes’ commission for the National Trust in 2019 with Grace Surman, Gary Winters and Family. These featured a 3 screen installation work at Dunham Massey and projected video art at Quarry Bank near Manchester; commemorating the Peterloo massacre.
Her short independent films ‘Random Acts of Learning’ and ‘Swift as Light’ featured in 2018/19 as part of Leeds Big Screen. She has curated several mixed media exhibitions including ‘Refuge’ in 2016 in rural Yorkshire.
Clare has been independently commissioned many times by the Arts Council, Yorkshire Dance, and the Education sector, she regularly collaborates with other artists, writers and the community which includes volunteering with Refugee Action, assisting with workshops and making films promoting activity around various charities.
Clare was a visiting lecturer for 4 years in Leeds working with BA and MA Dance and Performance students, leading the module ‘Digital Practices’ which shared her skills in Screendance.
She has a First Class degree in Fine Art and a Post Graduate Diploma in Electronic Imaging from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee.
