The multi-talented Derek Jarman was born on this day in 1942
Derek Jarman made his mark as a filmmaker, stage designer, artist and gardener. His film work included music videos for The Smiths, Sex Pistols, Wang Chung, Marc Almond, Throbbing Gristle, Marianne Faithfull and many others.
Jarman collaborated with Pet Shop Boys many times, not only creating music videos for their songs, but also short films that were played as projections during their live performances. Many of these films were released as works of art in their own right.
His first films were experimental short films shot on 8mm film, and over his career he created over 35 short films. Jarman’s feature films often had themes relating to homosexuality.
His first full length work was 1976’s Sebastiane which looked at the life of St Sebastian told through a homoerotic lens. His 1977 film Jubilee coincided with the Queen’s silver jubilee and featured a horde of punk-rockers including Adam Ant and Toyah Wilcox, Richard O’Brien and Nell Campbell also appear.
In 1986 he released Caravaggio, a re-telling of the life of the Baroque painter. Dexter Fletcher played the young Caravaggio, and the film was the first film appearance of well known actors Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton. Swinton would become a regular collaborator with Jarman, appearing in eight of his works.
Jarman was an prominent activist for gay rights and after he was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 and he publicly spoke about living with the virus.
His final work Blue was made when he losing sight due to the virus, left with vision that only allowed his to see shades of blue, Jarman presented a film that simply has a blue screen throughout, and the story is told by sound.
The closing poem from the film was published in the February 2013 edition of OUTinPerth to commemorate the film’s 20th anniversary.
Four months after the films release, Jarman died of an AIDS related illness. He passed away on 19th February 1994 aged 54.
Jarman lived for many years in a cottage near a nuclear power plant in Dungeness, where he created an elaborate garden. In 2022 a campaign was launched to purchase the cottage and preserve his garden. It was a success, and the property is now managed by arts organisation Creative Folkestone.
This post was first published on 31st January 2020
