Philip Ridley

Philip Ridley
Born	(1964-12-29) 29 December 1964^[1] East London, England, UK
Nationality	British
Alma mater	St Martins School of Art
Occupation	Writer, artist, film-maker

Philip Ridley (born 1964 in East London)^[2] is an English storyteller working in a wide range of artistic mediums.

Biography

Ridley was born in Bethnal Green, in the East End of London, where he lived and worked until moving to Ilford.^[3] Ridley studied painting at Saint Martin's School of Art and his work has been exhibited throughout Europe and Japan. He started as both a performance artist and the creator of a long sequence of charcoal drawings called The Epic of Oracle Foster.^[4] One drawing from this sequence, "Corvus Cum", portraying a man ejaculating a black bird, was exhibited at the ICA in London while Ridley was still a student and – with calls for it to be displayed behind a curtain – became a cause célèbre.^[5] Ridley also started his own theatre group as a student, acting in many of the productions, and made several short art films, including Visiting Mr Beak which starred the veteran actor Guy Rolfe. His short film for Channel 4, The Universe of Dermot Finn, was officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival, where it was a critical success and went on to receive theatrical distribution.^[6]

Ridley has written three books for adults, Crocodilia, In the Eyes of Mr. Fury, and Flamingoes in Orbit; the screenplay for The Krays^[7] feature film; 12 adult stage plays: The Pitchfork Disney, the multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Ghost from a Perfect Place, Vincent River, the controversial Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights, Tender Napalm, Shivered, Dark Vanilla Jungle, Radiant Vermin and Tonight with Donny Stixx; plus a further five plays for young people (known collectively as The Storyteller Sequence): Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece, Sparkleshark and Brokenville as well as a play for the whole family Feathers in the Snow.^[8] He has also directed three feature films from his own screenplays: Heartless, The Reflecting Skin – winner of 11 international awards – and The Passion of Darkly Noon^[9] (winner of the Best Director Prize at the Porto Film Festival) and two short films, Visiting Mr Beak and The Universe of Dermot Finn.^[10]

His children's books include Scribbleboy (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), Kasper in the Glitter (nominated for the Whitbread Prize), Mighty Fizz Chilla (shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award) and Krindlekrax (winner of both the Smarties Prize and the WH Smith Mind-Boggling Book Award). The stage play of Krindlekrax – adapted by Ridley himself – premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the summer of 2002.

He is also a photographer – he created the cover images for Ridley: Plays 1 and Ridley: Plays 2, (published by Methuen) and regularly exhibits portraits of friends and images of East London, the two main themes of his photographic output – and a poet (his work has appeared in several collections). He co-wrote, with Nick Bicât, two songs that appeared in his film The Passion of Darkly Noon, ("Who Will Love Me Now?", sung by PJ Harvey – later covered by Sunscream – and "Look What You've Done" sung by Gavin Friday). In 2010 Ridley and Bicât formed the music group 'Dreamskin Cradle' and released their first album Songs from Grimm on all major download sites.^[11] Ridley has won both the Evening Standard's Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising Playwright Awards. He is the only person ever to receive both prizes.^[12]

Ridley's third film as writer-director, Heartless, premiered at the Frightfest horror film festival in London in August 2009.^[13] The film stars Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clarke, Eddie Marsan, Luke Treadaway, Ruth Sheen and Timothy Spall, and was released in the UK in May 2010.^[14] It was the first mainstream British film to be released across all platforms (theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, download) at the same time.^[15] In addition, a new collection of his adult plays was published by Methuen (including Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass and Piranha Heights, with a new introduction by Ridley). An opera for teenagers titled Tarantula in Petrol Blue by Aldeburgh Music also premiered in 2009.

He was featured on BBC 2's flagship arts programme The Culture Show on 2 March 2012.^[16]

List of works (incomplete)

Literature

1986 – Embracing Verdi (short story)
1987 – Leviathan (short story)
1988 – Crocodilia (novella)
1989 – In the Eyes of Mr. Fury (novel)
1989 – Mercedes Ice (children's novel)
1990 – Flamingoes in Orbit (short stories)
1990 – Dakota of the White Flats (children's novel)
1991 – Krindlekrax (children's novel)
1994 – Meteorite Spoon (children's novel)
1995 – The Hooligan's Shampoo (short story for children)
1995 – Kasper in the Glitter (children's novel)
1996 – Dreamboat Zing (short story for children)
1996 – Alien Heart (short story)
1997 – Scribbleboy (children's novel)
1998 – Zinderzunder (children's novel)
1998 – Wonderful Insect (short story)
2000 – Vinegar Street (children's novel)
2002 – Mighty Fizz Chilla (children's novel)
2005 – Zip's Apollo (children's novel)

Poetry

The Dying Lizard Man

Ongoing - Lovesongs for Extinct Creatures (Poetry Sequence):

Your Love
Dark Sky Craving
The Silver Hat
I’m Waiting to be Killed
The Seams

Ongoing - Heartbeat on the Horizon (Poetry Sequence):

Press Conference
After
Flash Boom
Shrapnel
I Will

Theatre

Adult Stage Plays

1991 – The Pitchfork Disney
1992 – The Fastest Clock in the Universe
1994 – Ghost from a Perfect Place
2000 – Vincent River
2005 – Mercury Fur
2007 – Leaves of Glass
2008 – Piranha Heights
2011 – Tender Napalm
2012 – Shivered
2013 – Dark Vanilla Jungle
2015 – Radiant Vermin
2015 – Tonight with Donny Stixx

Plays for Young People (The Storyteller Sequence)

1997 – Sparkleshark (professional premiere 1999)
1998 – Fairytaleheart
2000 – Brokenville (originally performed as a work-in-progress under the title Apocalyptica in 1998)
2004 – Moonfleece (professional premiere in 2010)
2004 – Karamazoo

Plays for the Whole Family

2012 – Feathers in the Snow

Plays for Children

2002 – Krindlekrax (script out of print)
2004 – Daffodil Scissors (script out of print)

Monologues

Vesper (First performed as a live art piece by Ridley in the Ten Painters Exhibition at St Martins School of Art in 1986)

Performed at Vault Zero

Bloodshot
Angry
Vooosh!
Now
Okay
Wound
It
Killer

Libretto

2007 – On Such A Day (concert piece, performed as part of Blind Date)
2009 – Tarantula in Petrol Blue (opera)

Radio plays

1989 – October Scars the Skin (script unpublished)
1989 – The Aquarium of Coincidences (script unpublished)
1991 – Shambolic Rainbow (script unpublished)

Film

Short Films

1987 – Visiting Mr Beak (screenplay and director)
1988 – The Universe of Dermot Finn (screenplay and director)

Feature Films

1990 – The Krays (screenplay)^[17]
1990 – The Reflecting Skin (screenplay and director)
1995 – The Passion of Darkly Noon (screenplay and director)
2010 – Heartless (screenplay and director)

Songs

1981 – From the record single Flutters (double sided record featuring Philip Ridley as part of the band Haunted Staircase)

Side A: Flutters (A New Kind of Lovesong)
Side B: Something for the Children (A New Kind of Lullaby)

1995 – From the film The Passion of Darkly Noon (music Nick Bicât)

Who Will Love Me Now? (sung by PJ Harvey)
Look What You've Done (To My Skin) (sung by Gavin Friday)

2009 – Fin Like a Flower (Music by Anna Meredith, sung by Michael Chance. On the album The NMC Songbook)

2009 – Songless (Music by Anna Meredith. Premiered at the Twickenham Choral Society. Unreleased)

2010 – Heal You (Music by Anna Meredith, sung by Juice Vocal Ensemble. Performed as part of Laid Bare: 10 love songs. Released as a single in 2014)

2010 – From the film Heartless (music Nick Bicât)

Heartless (sung by Jim Sturgess)
This Is The World We Live In (sung by Joe Echo)
What Skin Is All About (sung by Joe Echo)
The Other Me (sung by Joe Echo)
It Must Be Somewhere (sung by Mary Leay)
The Darker It Gets (sung by Joe Echo)
In You Are All The Stories (sung by Joe Echo)
Beautiful (sung by Joe Echoe)
Phoenix in Dynamite Sky (sung by Joe Echo)

2011 – From the stage play Tender Napalm (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

Fade and Float (sung by Mary Leay)

2013 – From the stage play Dark Vanilla Jungle (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

Ladybird First (sung by Mary Leay)

2014 – From the Album Songs from Grimm (as 'Dreamskin Cradle' with Nick Bicât)

The Path You Know (Sung by Mary Leay)
Fearless (Sung by Mary Leay)
Waiting For You (Sung by Mary Leay)
Don't Call Me Magic (Sung by Mary Leay)
Not Here (Sung by Mary Leay)
Did That Just Happen (Sung by Mary Leay)
Things Will Change (Sung by Mary Leay)
Somewhere Something's Spinning (Sung by Mary Leay)
I Found You (Sung by Mary Leay)
A Million Magic Things (Sung by Mary Leay)
Bring You Back (Sung by Mary Leay)
Tenderly Tender Me (Sung by Mary Leay)

Exhibitions

Group Shows

1981 – New Contemporaries, ICA, London.
1982 – New Contemporaries, ICA, London.
1983 – Christie's Student Show, Christie's, London.
1984 – The Leicester Exhibition, Leicester.
1985 – Open Drawing Exhibition, Tettenhall Gallery, Wolverhampton.
1985 – Open Exhibition, Lamont Gallery, London.
1986 – Ten Painters, 7th Floor Gallery, St. Martin's School of Art, London.
1986 – Summer Exhibition, Bernard Baron Gallery, London.
1987 – Group Show, Tom Allen Centre, London.
1987 – Selected Show, Lamont Gallery, London.
1987 – Young Contemporaries, Birch & Conran, London.
1988 – Decency, Discretly Bizarre Gallery, London.
1988 – Selected Show, Lamont Gallery, London.
1988 – Mendacity, Discretly Bizarre Gallery, London.
1988 – Magical Cats, Lamont Gallery, London.
1988 – Art Jonction International, Nice, France.
1988 – Bergamo Art Fair, Bergamo, Italy.
1996 – Freezeframe, Lamont Gallery, London.^[18]^[19]

Solo Shows

1985 – The Roaring Dreams Show, Tom Allen Centre, London.
1985 – The Feeling Landscapes Show, Bernard Baron Gallery, London.
1985 – The Glittering Gargolyes Show, The Fallen Angel, London.
1986 – Mermaids, Monsters and Sleeping Moons, Mermaid Theatre, London.
1986 – Recent Images, The Fallen Angel, London.
1986 – The Epic of Oracle Foster, Lamont Gallery, London.
1987 – Shy Moon, The Garden Gallery, London.
1989 – The Vinegar Blossoms, Lamont Gallery, London.
2007 – Recent Portraits (photography exhibition)
2007 – East End (photography exhibition)
2008 – Recent Portraits 2 (photography exhibition)

Selected works in anthologies

1987 – Short Story Embracing Verdi in the collection Oranges and Lemons: Stories by Gay Men (edited by David Rees and Peter Robbins)
1988 – Short Story Leviathan in the collection 20 Under 35: Original Stories by Britain's Best New Young Writers (edited by Peter Straus)
1995 – Short Story Alien Heart in the collection Projections 4½ (edited by John Boorman and Walter Donohue)
1996 – Extract from The Fastest Clock in the Universe in the collection Live 3: Critical Mass (edited by David Tushingham)
1997 – Short Story Embracing Verdi in The Mammoth Book of Gay Short Stories (edited by Peter Burton)
1997 – Three poems: Someone Wants to Kill Me, The Seams and Getting Through the Day in The Bush Theatre Book (edited by Mike Bradwell)
2000 – Extract from Krindlekrax in the collection Out of this world
2003 – Poem The Silver Hat in the collection Love (edited by Fiona Waters)
2005 – Poem The Prince and the Snail in collection The Works 4 (edited by Gaby Morgan)
2005 – Three poems in collection Poems for the Retired Nihilist (edited by Graham Bendel)
2009 – Monologue Vesper in Modern British Playwriting: The 1990s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations (edited by Aleks Sierz)

In media

In the British radio and TV comedy Little Britain the character of Vicky Pollard comes from Darkley Noone council estates which is named after Ridley's film The Passion of Darkly Noon.
The German band Troy Flamingo are named after a character from one of Ridley's short stories.
The American band the Reflecting Skin is named after Ridley's film of the same name.
Reece Nagra's remix of Buju Banton's song Murderer opens with an expert of dialogue from The Krays and became a drum and bass anthem.
Phil Western's 1998 album The Escapist features excerpts of dialogue from The Reflecting Skin.
The song Fury Eyes (from the Creatures' second album, Boomerang) is dedicated to Ridley's novel In the Eyes of Mr. Fury.
Ridley was one of 25 contemporary British writers asked to contribute a scene to NT25 Chain Play, celebrating 25 years of the Royal National Theatre in London.
Ridley's song Who Will Love Me Now? (as sung by P.J. Harvey) was selected as Favourite Film Song by Radio 1 in 1998. It was covered by the techno/house band Sunscreem; the cover entered the top 40 UK chart and was used in the film South West 9.
In 1996 Hungary's the Titanic Film Festival had a major retrospective of Ridley's work.
The song Omlagus Garfungiloops (from Coil's 1992 album Stolen & Contaminated Songs) features excerpts of dialogue from The Reflecting Skin.

Notable awards won

The 2013 Scotsman Fringe First Award for Dark Vanilla Jungle^[20]^[21]
The 2010 Toronto After Dark Film Festival Vision Award for Best Independant Feature Film for Heartless^[22]
The 2010 Fantasporto Film Festival Best Film Award for Heartless.^[23]
The 2010 Fantasporto Film Festival Best Director Award for Heartless.^[24]
The 2009 Leeds International Film Festival Silver Melies Award for Heartless^[25]
The 1993 WH Smith Mind-Boggling Book Award for Krindlekrax^[26]
The 1993 Meyer-Whitworth Award for Most Promising New Playwright for The Fastest Clock in the Universe^[27]
The 1992 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Fastest Clock in the Universe^[28]
The 1992 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Fastest Clock in the Universe^[29]
The 1991 Nestle Smarties Book Prize (9 – 11 years category) for Krindlekrax^[30]
The 1990 Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for The Krays^[31]
Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival for The Reflecting Skin.
Grand Prize at the Stockholm Film Festival for The Reflecting Skin.

Notable award nominations

London Festival Fringe Best Play Award for Vincent River
Shortlisted for the 2013 Brian Way Best New Play Award for Feathers in the Snow^[32]
Shortlisted for the 2012 Off-West End Best New Play Award for Shivered^[33]
Nominated 2011 London Festival Fringe Best Play Award for Tender Napalm^[34]^[35]
Longlisted for the The Carnegie Medal for Mighty Fizz Chilla^[36]
Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down for Mighty Fizz Chilla^[37]^[38]
Shortlisted for The Carnegie Medal for Scribbleboy^[39]^[40]
Shortlisted for the 1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award for Kasper in the Glitter^[41]
The Evening Standard Best New Play for Ghost From A Perfect Place
Best Short Film at Cannes Film Festival for The Universe of Dermot Finn

References

External links

Philip Ridley at the Internet Movie Database
Philip Ridley Biography
Extremely detailed list of Ridley's credits (in French), compiled by Sébastien Cagnoli
Interview and Gallery (portuguese)
Philip Ridley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Philip Ridley at Library of Congress Authorities, with 29 catalogue records
Philip Ridley Agent Page

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 100282471 LCCN: n90672846 GND: 120758644 BNF: cb12218691q (data)

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