NICK MAY Artist & Filmmaker
Solo Exhibitions
2011 ‘FOODCHAIN, Photography & Film by Nick May & Ben Holland’
Usher Gallery, Lincoln
2009 ‘FOODCHAIN’ Light House, Wolverhampton
(Photography nominated for Prix Pictet, 2010 by Gallery of Photography, Ireland)
‘FOODCHAIN’ installation, SEAS international, Skegness
2006 ‘Till the Cows Come Home… Film and Photography by Nick May’
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle
2004 ‘Till the cows come home…’Folly Gallery, Lancaster
‘Till the cows come home…’ Abbott Lodge, Penrith
‘FMD; Fragments, Movies and Documents’
Harbour Gallery, Whitehaven
2000 ‘Out of Hours’ Video Installation, National Lottery Public Art Commission, Barrow in Furness
1999 ‘Conference’ Video Installation,
Lanternhouse Ulverston
‘Zero Tolerance’ Video Installation,
Lanternhouse Ulverston
1998 ‘All Routes Open’ Video Installation,
National Lottery Outreach Commission, Arts Centre Washington
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 – 2023 SSA 130 Years, Scottish Royal Academy, Edinburgh
2022 Art of Water VI, James May Gallery (no relation!) US, ARTSY
2021- 2022 SSA Annual Exhibition, Scottish Royal Academy, Edinburgh
2021 Art of Water V, James May Gallery, Wisconsin, US, ARTSY
2020 Post Covid-19 Era. Independent & Image Art Space, Chongqing, China
2019 – 2020 The Locked Room. Laure Genillard Gallery. London
2018 ‘You have two cows’ Kalmar Konstmuseum, Sweden
2013 ‘Visualising the Real Rural’, Crown Gallery, Carlisle
2011 ‘The Moment of Privacy has Passed’, Usher Gallery, Lincoln
2009 Supermarket Art Fair, Stockholm. In participation with Kultivator
2007 Art Gallery of Siauliai, University, Lithuania
Rytojus 2007 – ‘Migration-migracija’ Warehouse Gallery, Kendal
2006 ‘Documenting FMD’, Holden Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester
2005 ‘The Cultural Documents of Foot & Mouth’, ICIA, University of Bath
1999-2000 ‘Sea Change’, Dock Museum, Barrow in Furness
1999 Cumbria – Wendland. Lüchow, Germany
1998-99 ‘corpoREAL, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle
1998 ‘Video Soup’, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh Festival
‘Artists in Arms’, British Red Cross Society:
St. David’s Hall, Cardiff
Graffiti, Mansfield Place Church, Edinburgh
The Royal Geographic Society, London
1997 Works on Paper, Crescent Arts Center, Belfast
1996 Cumbria Visual Arts Festival, Harbour Gallery, Whitehaven
‘Beauty?’ University of Northumbria at Newcastle
1983 Photographers Gallery, London:
‘Alex McDowell, Rocking Russian Designs & 3 Kliks – Film & Video’
1981 ICA, London, ‘Rocking Russian Designs & 3 Kliks – Film & Video’
1974 A F D Gallery, Fitsroy Centre, London, ‘Nick May, Super 8 films’
Selected Film Credits
2009 Three films by Nick May and Ben Holland:
FOODCHAIN (cinema short) 00:13:21
(MOVES International Festival of Movement on Screen, 2010)
FOODCHAIN (exhibition installation film # 1 – testimony) 1:35:20
FOODCHAIN (exhibition installation film # 2 – montage) 1:02:34
2001 – 2006 TILL THE COWS COME HOME…
Seven Films: Producer, Director, Camera, Editor
‘Pyres’00:46:09
‘Elizabeth and Ian Batey, Bell Mount Farm, Penrith, March 2002 ’00:22:20
‘Claire and Stephen Bland, Abbott Lodge Farm, 2002-2004’ 00:40:44
‘Catherine and Chris Chappelhow and family. Clifton Dykes ’00:25:50
‘Steadman and Judy Dodd, West View Farm, Temple Sowerby, 2002-2003 ’00:17:48
‘The Harrison Family, Woodhouse Farm, Melkinthorpe, 2002-2004
and Aimee’s Story’ 1:28:00
2004 ‘MERZ film’ 68:00:00 DV-DVD Producer, Director, Camera, Editor
2002 ‘FAIR GAME’
00:16:00 DV-DVD, Producer, Director, Camera, Editor (Nothern Film Award Funded)
(Kinofilm, 7th Manchester International Short Film Festival)
2000 ‘IN THE MIND OF MAN’
00:36:00 DV-DVD
Producer, Director, Lighting Camera, Editor
National Lottery Commission, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
1989 ‘THE HILLS ARE ALIVE’
16mm 00:52:00
Director, Writer, Researcher, Co-producer
Channel Four Television, Border Television, NM Productions
(Ecofilm 89, Lille) Nominated for Flaherty Award and Prix Italia
1982 ‘JOHN COOPER CLARKE – TEN YEARS IN AN OPEN NECKED SHIRT’
16mm, 00:60:00
Director, Researcher, Writer
Arts Council of Great Britain and Channel Four Television
(London Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival; ICA Cinema;
ABC Television Australia, New York Museum of Broadcasting;
( INPUT 83, Liege) Nominated for Grierson and Flaherty Documentary Awards
1981 Three Videos for IGGY POP ‘Soldier’ Album
‘Loco Mosquito’
Director, Co-Producer, Editor
Rocking Russian, 3 Kliks, Arista Records
1977 ‘INVADERS’
16mm B/W 1:27:00
Director, Writer, Lighting Camera, Editor
London Film Festival Choice 1977
1973 ‘Feye Lesley’ # 1 & # 2
16mm B/W 00:10:00 and Video B/W 00:45:00, Director, Writer, Lighting Camera, Editor
Feature Film Development
1983-1985 Director, Researcher, Co-Writer, Feature Film Scripts:
RAFFY AND SEAN and SECOND DEATH, for Channel Four Television
RESIDENCIES AND FELLOWSHIPS
1999 Northern Arts Fellowship, Residency & Video installation, W S International, Ulverston
SELECTED COMMISSIONED WORKS
2007-8 Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport
Production of film, photographic & interactive video works
2006 ‘Feast of Fenland’ East Midlands Museums Partnership,
Research & Photography for a touring exhibition to 16 East Midlands Museums and Heritage sites
Selected Publications
2020 Contributed to ‘THE LOCKED ROOM, Four Years that Shook Art Education, 1969-1973’ (The MIT Press)
2006 Vertigo, Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Autumn 2006, Feature: ‘Till the cows come home…’
1990 Contributed interviews to ‘LIVING IN THE SHADOW, The story of the people of Sellafield’
Jean McSorley. PAN BOOKS 1990
CONSULTANCIES
1990-1991 Greenpeace UK & Greenpeace International
Development of Documentary Feature Film Projects and TV series
LIVING IN THE SHADOW and THE NARROW ROAD NORTH
Selected Awards
Best Single Image, Special Award. Redeye, North West Photography Network, 2003
SELECTED CONFERENCE AND FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTATIONS
2013 ‘Visualising the Rural’ University of Cumbria
2006 ‘Grains of Truth, The New Rural Photography’ Lancaster University
‘Pandemics and Society’ Manchester Town Hall
2005 ‘From FSA to FMD; The New Rural Photographic Documentary Tradition’ ICIA, Bath
‘NEW FIELDS; Art and Agriculture’ Leeds City Art Gallery
‘The New Rural Photography’ Q Arts, Derby
2003 ‘Rural Arts’ Eden Arts, Penrith
2001 ‘Grass Roots’ Chipping, Lancashire
1989 ‘ECOVISION ’89’ Lille, France
1983 ‘INPUT ’83’ International Festival of Public Broadcasting, Liege, Belgium
Directorships
1996- Director: Nicki B Ltd.
2001- Director: Stringtheory Ltd. (Not-for-profit arts company, Limited by Guarantee)
Selected Teaching
2013/14 Associate Lecturer (Temporary), Sheffield Hallam University, MA International Documentary Film
2012 Visiting Lecturer/Course Convenor, University of Cumbria: Experimental Film
2009 Guest Lecturer, University of Lincoln, Media Production, Film & Photography
2008 Guest Lecturer, Sunderland University, MA Photography
2002- 6 Visiting Lecturer/Course Convenor: University of Glasgow, Crichton Campus:
Documentary Film, Video and Photography, Research and Development
1993-2003 Part Time Lecturer, Cumbria College of Art & Design/Cumbria Institute of the Arts
BA (Hons) Fine Art: Time Based Media
1996-1999 Visiting Lecturer, University of Northumbria at Newcastle,
BA (Hons) Media Production, Course Convenor:
Documentary Film Production, Fiction Film Production, Fiction Film Direction
1995-96 Associate Senior Lecturer (0.4) University of Northumbria at Newcastle
BA (Hons) Media Production (Film & Video):
Course Convenor: Contemporary Strategies in Documentary, Experimental Video,
Documentary Film Production, Fiction Film Production, Yr. II Personal Studies Tutor
Qualifications
1974-77 THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL,
BEACONSFIELD STUDIOS, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UK
ANFTS, Direction for Fiction and Documentary Film
1970-73 St. MARTIN’S SCHOOL OF ART. LONDON
Dip AD (BA Hons) ‘A Course’ (The Locked Room) Fine Art, Sculpture
1969-70 Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education,
Fine Art Foundation
1969 Fine Art Overseas Travel & Study Scholarship
Nick May Studio 