During my short time at the River Tamar Project, I have already gone from translating a 16th century royal commission of inquiry that documents the contents of a slave ship’s cargo hold, to delving into a Cornish mine in order to explore the heritage of the site and the affect the mining industry had on the local communities based around them.

I have a great interest in films and video-work and, as a second year fine art student at Plymouth University, I am keen to start using it more in my own practice. With this in mind, I jumped at the chance to intern with the River Tamar Project after hearing their Artistic Director, Paula Orrell, speak about their upcoming plans for the It’s All About the River film festival.

Patrick helping to install The Observatory exhibition

The internship gives me a unique opportunity to work with an experienced and skilled team, as well as alongside highly regarded artists and film makers on this community driven program. It has also given me an amazing chance to expand my skill base for the future and offers new avenues for my current studio practice. My own role within the team so far has covered a very wide ranging and varied areas, such as: general admin work; researching into local areas and subjects of interest to the project, as well its commissioned artists; and conducting site visits and location work in order to get a better understanding of not only the area but the community based around them. So far, my experience working with the River Tamar Project team has been very enriching and I hope to continue working with them not only to further enhance my own understanding of contemporary film, but also so I can experience first-hand the upcoming and very exciting film festival It’s All About the River.

 –Patrick Reilly-Smith

You can see more about Patrick and our other interns helping with the It’s All About the River film festival on our Meet the Team page.