It’s difficult, if you are of a certain age and political bent, not to talk about Smallfilms without sounding reactionary.
Smallfilms makes me naively nostalgic for a world before free-market doctrines and focus groups, when a publicly funded body gave two indefatigable eccentrics and, we now realise, avatars of a distinctly British folk art, licence to pursue their particular and quietly subversive ideas, unencumbered by crass commercial expectations.
This would not and could not happen nowWhole series of Smallfilms were green-lit because someone in an ashtray-filled office somewhere saw an eight-page book of pasted-up scripts and scraps of sketches and decided it was worth commissioning. This would not and could not happen now. And the social circumstances and value systems that shaped those paper and scissors, arts and crafts-cowshed visionaries of another era, Firmin and Postgate, are long gone.
The astonishingly thorough archive of Smallfilms – thank Godso much of it survived intact – are a collection of artefacts detailing some much-admired 20th-century art movement, like Fluxus or Dada.
Here are pieces of felt flickering into being as dragon scales. Here’s paper and Blu-Tack bringing a tonally accurate reimagining of Norse sagas into life; here’s a swanee whistle, its scurrying glissandos suggesting identifiable speech patterns, and here’s the saggy cloth cat, its purring weight palpable, its aching fluffiness alive.
Smallfilms’ technical expertise, their inventiveness, their hands-on, can-do adaptability are important object lessons in How Art Works to a generation reared on digital products. Audiences – especially young audiences – appreciate seeing the hand of the artist at work, and admiring the artist’s inventiveness.
CGI technology may render fleets of three-dimensional spacecraft in vivid, almost real, depth. But such an image will never spark the imagination of a child in the way The Clangers’ flying tin space bath can. It’s not objectively perfectly finished in the way Buzz Lightyear is but it is something you could hold, touch and – given time and effort – even make yourself. It inspires.
When David Cameron makes his platitudinous remarks about how British artists need to be more commercial and make internationally saleable content, one wonders where the Iron Chicken, visibly assembled from kitchen junk, or the Organ Mice, with their jerky dances and cracked wheezing chorale, would fit into his prescriptive homilies.
Bagpuss and The Clangers were both against waste, green recyclers in waiting. Perhaps without realising it, Firmin and Postgate fashioned an aesthetic, the methodology of which supported the ideals of their era. Bagpuss and The Clangers were both against waste, green recyclers in waiting. The cloth cats’ multi-skilled team of experts could salvage anything, and the pink woollen aliens were especially alert to alterations in the micro-environment they called home.
Likewise, Firmin and Postgate built enduring images and still-resonant stories from recycled boxes, plastic pots and beaten copper. I am relieved, on a profound level, that samples of the processes behind Smallfilms’ work have been preserved for posterity.
In a political panic our rulers struggle for a definition of Britishness. They could do worse than prescribe a study of the quirky, inventive, adaptable, liberal and profoundly humane back catalogue of Smallfilms.
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube