Hello!
I thought it would probably be a good idea to introduce myself, and talk a little bit about my own investment in this project.
My name is Harri, I'm a freelance editor by trade but what I really want to chase after is documentary filmmaking. And that's sort of where this project came from in a way.
I first contacted the National Lottery Arts Council about Paul last year to produce a very different project, half art workshop - half documentary teaser tape. My hope was to organize an interesting project that helped the community but at the same time gather the funding to move towards making a documentary about Paul and his legacy. This original project was funded early this year, but before I was able to start working on it for real - it had to be put on hold just like many other projects all over the world due to COVID-19.
Before long, I became a little stir crazy and started to look for ideas on how to make this project now, while still maintaining social distancing measures. Obviously I couldn't do art workshops anymore, but I realized I could still get people to produce pieces inspired by Paul - and potentially help people who are struggling at the same time.
So that's what this project became - an entirely online project devoted to directly commissioning artists. And I'm very happy it turned out this way! I think this is a very necessary stepping stone towards working on a larger project about Paul. I have already been in touch with so many interesting people who have so much to say about him - and can't wait to get working on what comes next.
Looking forward - I hope this project goes well, and helps as many people as possible - even if it's just getting somebody out of a rut and back to being creative in a difficult time where inspiration isn't easy.
Thank you so much for reading, you'll be hearing a lot more from me very soon.
Best,
Harri