Henry Moore Foundation

Bring the making into focus.

The Henry Moore Foundation commissioned a series of educational workshop films exploring how sculpture is made. Roan Lenihan’s role is director and cinematographer, capturing the processes at the heart of the workshops.

The series covers bronze casting, wood carving, stone carving, plaster, wax model making and patination. Together, these subjects introduce different ways of forming, working and finishing sculptural materials.

The people behind the process.

Roan worked closely with the Foundation’s lead sculpture restoration specialist, filming their work and drawing on their perspective as a practising sculptor. The collaboration brought both restoration experience and an artist’s understanding of making into the project.

He also worked with the digital producer and other core members of the Henry Moore Foundation team, including those who work closely with the community. The series sits within that wider collaboration between specialist knowledge, digital production and community engagement.

Help audiences follow the process.

The films are intended to support learning about sculpture through the workshop experience. They bring attention to the materials, techniques and making processes that an audience may not otherwise have the opportunity to see.

The educational purpose gives the series its focus: helping viewers connect the process of making with the sculptural work. Direction and cinematography support that account across the different workshop subjects.

From the workshop to the audience.

The commissioned material is intended for educational videos for schools and exhibitions, alongside online resources and social media materials. These uses extend the workshop subjects beyond the people present on the day.

For Playback Productions, the project brings together cultural filmmaking and education, with a defined direction and cinematography role within the Foundation’s wider programme.