Amanda Loomes

Education and Qualifications

 MA, Fine Art Painting, The Royal College of Art, 2006.

BA (Hons) 1st Class, Fine Art Painting, University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Art and Design, 2004.

BSc (Hons) 1st Class, Civil Engineering, City University, 1990. 

Solo and Two Person Exhibitions/Installations

Grove Projects, Bury St Edmunds, 2023

The Custody Code, Alice Holt and Kielder Forest, Forestry England, 2019

Formation Level, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, 2019

Supporting Material, with Ian Parker, Herbert Read Gallery, UCA, Canterbury, 2017

Spiky Black, with Alison Carlier, Metal, Southend, 2017

Keepers, Trust New Art, The National Trust, Lyme, 2016

Spoil and Fill, studio1.1, 2014

Selected Exhibitions

111 Not Out, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight, 2024

The London Group Open, Copeland Gallery, 2023

Sunscreen, LUX Critical Forum, London, 2023

OUTPOST members’ show, selected by Amartey Golding, Norwich, 2022

Beneath, The London Group at Bankside, 2022

In Plain Sight, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, 2021

A Persistent Place, A.P.T Gallery, 2021

Triple Harvest, Fermynwoods Contemporary Art online exhibition, 2020

Isolation, The London Group, online exhibition, 2020

In the Dark II, The Cello Factory, London 2020

Westmorland Landscape Prize, Rheged Centre, 2019

A Persistent Place, Kunsthauschen Herrliberg, Zurich, 2019

Surrey Unearthed, Leith Hill Place Surrey, 2018

Oriel Davies Open, 2018

Shoreham Sculpture Trail, The London Group, 2017

The Mesh, Watermans Art Centre, 2017

Personal Relations: International Miniature Portrait Exhibition, Touring 2016/17

Keepers, Trust New Art, The National Trust, Lyme, 2016

HOUSE 2015, The Regency Town House Basement, Brighton, 2015

Bridge, The Cello Factory, London, 2015

South Central Open, aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, 2014/15

Deptford Stories, Anthology Deptford Foundry, 2014

The London Art Book Fair, Whitechapel Gallery, 2014

From Bomberg to Rego, Southampton City Art Gallery, 2014.

Jerwood Open Forest, Jerwood Space, 2014.

The London Group on London, The Cello Factory, 2014.

+100, The London Group Today, The Cello Factory, 2013.

The London Group at 100, Mottisfont National Trust, 2013.

Centenary Exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor, PM Gallery, 2013

On my behalf: Self-Portraits from The London Group, The Cumberland, 2012

EMERGENCY5, Aspex, Portsmouth, 2011/2012

Th’Owd Towser Show, Holmfirth, 2011

Artists in residence, Dorking, 2010

Inspirations, Kensington and Chelsea College, 2010

The Free Art Fair, London, 2009.

Multichannel, ArtSway, 2008.

Breathing Space: In response to 1, Chiltern Street, 2008.

Sheffield International Documentary Festival, 2007.

The End of the Pier International Film Festival, 2007.

Arcade, New Quebec Street, London, 2006.

Generation, The Royal College of Art, 2006.

Les Shops A Let Dans L’Air We Breath, New Quebec Street, London, 2005.

Future Map, The Arts Gallery, London, 2004.

Awards, Residencies & Commissions

Developing Your Creative Practice, Arts Council England, 2021/22

Museums Northumberland, bait, 2021

The Custody Code – Forestry England Centenary Film, 2019

Arts Council England Project Grants, 2018/19 - Formation Level

Arts Council England Grants for the Arts, 2016/17 - Spiky Black

Artquest Peer Forum at Camden Arts Centre, 2016.

Metal Culture, NetPark LAB, 2015.

HOUSE 2015, co-comission HOUSE/Photoworks

South Central Open Winner

Arts Council England 2013.

Jerwood Open Forest shortlisted artist, 2013.

How We Make and How We Might Make, Wysing Escalator Retreat, 2013.

Dis(chorus), LUX Associate Artists Programme Residency, 2012.

Arts Council England, 2010.

Short-listed for the arc award, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, 2009.

Winner of Mini Green Documentary at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2007.

Short-listed for Bloomberg New Contemporaries, 2006 & 2007.

Collaborations, Broadcasts, Interviews, Talks and Public Events

2023 Sunscreen: LUX Critical Forum 22/23

2023 Grove Projects Residency, Bury St Edmunds, working with British Sugar

2022 Close Knit, Tees Valley International Film Festival, Official Selection, 2022

2022 Close Knit, Sunderland Shorts Film Festival, Official Selection, 2022

2022 Class, Character and Empathy, the films of Amanda Loomes by Dr Jon Blackwood

2021/22 Close Knit with Alison Carlier and Sheryl Jenkins along with communities in South East Northumberland

2020 The London Group Annual, Artist Talk online

2020 Triple Harvest, review by Jon Blackwood

2019 Incidental Assembly: with Incidental Unit at South London Gallery 

2019 The Custody Code: Broadcast on Resonance FM

2019 The Custody Code: Arts Society Talk, Alice Holt Forest

2019 The Custody Code: In conversation with Joy Sleeman, Alice Holt Forest

2019 Working in Industry: Seminar with Erika Balsom and Gareth Bell-Jones, Aspex Gallery

2018 Persistent Place: Screening at Titsey Place for quarry workers.

2018 Making Sense: Collaborative film with Drive Projects for Headly Court Military Hospital

2018 University of the Creative Arts: Lecture to students on MA Fine Art Canterbury

2018 Spiky Black: Broadcast on Borealis Radio Space, Bergen, Norway

2017 Spiky Black: Broadcast on Resonance FM + talk with Alison Carlier at Metal, Southend

2016/7 Spiky Black: Collaboration with Alison Carlier and Metal, Southend

2015 House Biennale: Talk at the Regency Town House with Nathan Coley and Joseph Popper

2014 Swartha: A working wood: Filmed and edited with Bradford Environmental Trust

2014 Spoil and Fill: Collaboration with Marenka Gabeler and Charmian Griffen

2011 Out of the Blue: Filmed and edited with Ackroyd & Harvey for Artsadmin What on Earth

2010 - 2017 The London Group Working Committee with responsibility for the Open

2010 Free to Air:  Internship with Film and Video Umbrella 

2010 Longstories; Collaboration with Marenka Gabeler for Roche

2003 - 2010 Curating exhibitions on The Portman Estate, London

2008/07 Writer for Round Table Review, Next Level and Total:spec

2005 Short stories about painting: Filmed and edited with Jeffery Dennis

Career History

President of The London Group 2021 (ongoing)

Freelance artist/filmmaker, undertaking commissioned and self-initiated projects. 2006 to present. 

Artists talks and seminars: The Arts Society at Alice Holt, 2019; Working in Industry with Erika Balsom and Gareth Bell-Jones, Aspex Gallery, 2019; South London Gallery with Incidental Assembly, 2019; talk with students on Forest Management BSc, Kielder, 2019. 

Screenings outside of galleries include: Farnham Eco Cinema, 2019; Dorking Green Room Theatre (Mole Valley Arts Alive), 2019; Titsey Place (for the workers at the sand quarries), 2018; The Institution of Civil Engineers, 2019.

Commissioned by Museums Northumberland bait, part of the Creative People and Places network. Close Knit is co-produced animated documentary initiated by a group of community decision makers and all our ideas are put before them for review. Their motto is ‘Nowt about us without us’. 2021

Commissioned by Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, remixing archive footage from Corby steelworks with material recorded at Ketton Cement Works, 2020.

Commissioned by Forestry England to make The Custody Code film installation to celebrate the centenary of The Forestry Commission. The project aimed to increase footfall in the forests, provide new insight for forest visitors and act as a legacy for the staff. Working with project managers Parker Harris. 2018/2019

Solo exhibition Formation Level at Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, funded by the Arts Council. Included two new films, Time & Motion, made with the workers at Johnston Road Sweeper factory, and Surfacing made with the road contractor FM Conway. The exhibition included a touch tour for the blind and partially sited, 2019.

Commissioned by Surrey Hills Arts as part of Surrey Unearthed. Worked with two sand quarries to produce Whole and Persistent Place. Facilitated reciprocal visits with workers at the quarries and Surrey Industrial History Society to Reigate Caves and the working quarries, 2018.

Film projects to provide legacy documentaries: Making Sense, Headley Court Military Hospital - documenting an art project with injured military personnel, 2018; Swartha, A Working Wood, Heritage Lottery funded project with Bradford Environmental Action Trust, 2014.

Working Committee of The London Group, developing the Open Exhibition and managing open submissions with over 1000 applicants, 2010 to 2017.

Commissioned by Trust New Art to produce the film Keepers for the National Trust, Lyme. Keepers was purchased by the National Trust for their collection, 2016.

Co-commissioned by HOUSE 2015 and Photoworks to produce film installation Relict Material for the Regency Town House Brighton. This included working with the marine aggregate industry and filming at sea on an aggregate dredging ship, 2015.

Winner of South Central Open at Aspex Gallery, 2015.

Spoil and Fill, Arts Council funded project to film the demolition of a building in the City of London. Working with artist Marenka Gabeler on a pop up book and writer Charmian Griffen, 2014.

Shortlisted for Jerwood Open Forest. R&D for film project with the Forestry Commission, 2013/2014.

Editing of film Out of the Blue for artists Ackroyd & Harvey, as part of the ArtsadminUK project What on Earth, 2011.

Sessional Teacher - University of the Creative Arts (Epsom), 2010 to 2012.

Internship with Film and Video Umbrella working on a community outreach project in West London as part of Free to Air, 2010.

Recipient of an Arts Council England Award for a community art project, From your Perspective, which took documentary photography into schools and included landscape painting workshops on a large housing estate in Surrey, 2010.

Commissioned by the Dutch pharmaceutical company Roche, in collaboration with artist Marenka Gabeler, to make a film as part of the Longstories art project that highlights personnel stories behind lung cancer, www.longstories.nl, 2010.

Organising and curating art exhibitions on The Portman Estate, London, including press material, leases, insurances and advertising, 2003 to 2010. 

Commissioned by curator Rose Lejuene to film and edit the documentary Looking for a Reason which involved working with firemen from Euston fire station whilst they searched a disused fire station, 2008.

Filming and editing of documentary Neighbours, a juxtaposition between the peace protestor Brian Haw and the Hansard writers in the Houses of Parliament, 2006.

Filming and editing of documentary I was glad, looking at the role of work and art with the stonemasons at St Paul's Cathedral, 2005.

Filming and editing of DVD included in the publication Short Stories about Painting edited by Jeffrey Dennis, 2005.

Teaching placements at Reading and Kingston Universities, June 2006.

Writer for online arts review magazine www.roundtablereview.com and Next Level and total: spec arts magazines, 2007 to 2008.

Site Engineer and Project Manager for Wimpey Construction, with responsibility for programme, working methods, safety and quality on sites as diverse as Belmarsh Prison, Sainsbury supermarkets and the A303 at Yeovil, 1985 to 1996.