Nina Saunders Meets Sallie Leslie / Hadrian Pigott Meets John Butcher

Examples of Nina Saunders’s work: a white padded armchair, an embroidered armchair, a sofa with four arm-rests (The Ladies’ Waiting Room). Nina Saunders talking about her obsession with furniture and the collection she has which she hasn’t yet altered. Talks about two executive swivel chairs. Saunders’s VO over her "bee-keeping" chair; details of the existing upholstery. Bees in a hive; Saunders visiting Dorset bee-keeper Sally Leslie. Leslie wants something colourful and imposing for the middle of her room. Saunders travelling to Dorset; her VO over bees. She arrives at Leslie’s house. Views of the rooms. Saunders shows Leslie photographs of some of her pieces, and describes The Ladies’ Waiting Room. Leslie preparing to smoke a hive. She explains the different activities. Saunders’s VO talking about the experience. Slow motion of bees in flight. Leslie’s living room. They discuss bees’ swarming, and what a swarm would look like. A swarm on a tree. Saunders in her studio. Bee swarm. She makes swarm shapes out of crumpled newspaper. She also starts to add a swarm shape to the chair. Talking about the upholstery fabric she’s going to use. The upholsterer’s workshop. Saunders VO talking about the process. Saunders buttoning the swarming forms. Intercut shots of Leslie gathering honey from a frame, Saunders sewing buttons, and the upholsterer, Constantine Morsteanu, at work. Saunders looking at completed chair. Portland, Dorset. Sally Leslie and her husband, Harry, walking on the beach while Saunders put the work together. Completed installation. The Leslies’ reaction. Pigott in his studio; some of his completed soap carvings, and a motorcycle cast in grey fibreglass. Pigott talking about the sort of person he’d like to make an art-work for. John Butcher, who has opted "for the extremes of new musical improvisation", playing the saxophone. He talks about his work and his experiences. Pigott arriving at Butcher’s house. He shows him one of his pieces, Instrument of Hygiene, a washbasin with taps and related objects in a special carrying-case. Butcher’s VO over footage of himself playing, comparing the experiences of looking at a piece of "difficult" art and listening to "difficult" music. Tour of Butcher’s house, concentrating on Butcher’s own practice room. Butcher saying he has absolutely no idea what Pigott might produce. Butcher and Pigott VOs (Pigott taking some materials to his workshop and himself playing), Butcher saying Pigott shouldn’t worry about whether or not he’s going to like the result, Pigott saying Butcher’s music is "recognisable …unexpected … somewhat unusual" and wants his piece to have some of those qualities. Pigott using latex to make a saxophone-shaped mould; he wants the final object to be recognisable, but also "indistinct". Butcher practising. Pigott doesn’t like his initial result and tries again. Butcher saying he won’t be able to pretend if he likes the result or not. Pigott showing Butcher and his family and friends the finished piece, which he’s called Mute. Credits.

Commentary Tim Marlow;
Title Music Aphex Twin.
With Thanks to Kate Forrest,
Joe Harrop,
Pete Locker,
Constantine Morsteanu,
May Cornet,
Sarah Farnham,
George Ryan,
Avril Levi,
The Spitz,
The Saatchi Collection.
Photography Colin Case,
Brian Hesketh;
Sound John Pritchard,
Richard Merrick,
Bryan Showell;
Dubbing Mixers Mike Sheppard,
Chris Graver;
On-Line Editor Phil Southby;
Unit Manager Erica Banks;
Production Assistants Emma Shakespeare,
Linda Dalling;
Graphic Design Christine Büttner;
Film Editor Guy Crossman;
Research Emily Kennedy;
Executive Producer Arts Council of England
Rodney Wilson;
Director Mary Dickinson;
Series Editor Keith Alexander.
A BBC/Arts Council of England Co-Production.
© BBC MCMXCVII.