Discover the captivating world of Lancashire artist, Liz Finch: painter, performer, and poet in The Romance of Bricks.
From her life changing accident and rural solitude, to the mad social whirl of 80s London anarchic performances and now the present day, The Romance of Bricks – a 65 minute film from filmmaker Nichola Bruce, available to watch on HENI Talks– offers an intriguing glimpse into a recluse's private world.
The film features interviews with some of Finch's closest friends and family– and stars from the world of art and performance – who share their stories about the artist's life and work. Contributors include musicians Jools Holland and Richard Strange, artist Brian Clarke, and art historian Martin Harrison.
The Romance of Bricks is a unique record of a remarkable life and Finch's extensive body of work, from early drawings and surreal paintings to figurative arrangements and riotous performances.
Available from HENI Publishing, The Romance of Bricks book.
The book is a screenplay of the film itself, weaving the commentary of friends and cultural figures with reproductions of Finch’s artworks. Scenes are embedded with Liz’s surreal arrangements of found and made objects, which sometimes existed only for one day. The artist’s figurative work explores themes of the unconscious based on early childhood perception and a preoccupation with the ordinary. Finch subverts the norm to see things as they are, not by the usual conventions. The result is humorous, somewhat haunting and poetic.
The Romance of Bricks book features commentary from Jools Holland, Christine Binnie, Jennifer Binnie, John Finch, Brian Clarke, Aubrey Fabing, Richard Strange, Nicola Bateman Bowery, Francesco Brusatin and Martin Harrison alongside an intimate dialogue with the artist herself.