Lovely video profile of Dominic Wilcox embraces his ridiculous world

We have often spoken about the difficulties of films profiling creative figures and the disappointment when they fall back on familiar and formulaic tropes. This film from Liam Saint Pierre though shows how it should be done. It helps of course that his subject – the artist and designer Dominic Wilcox – is so interesting and directs his razor-sharp creative mind into all manner of silly inventions. “Let’s do the ridiculous and by doing the ridiculous something else might come of it,” says Dominic at one point in a line that could be his mantra.

This film packs a lot into its seven minutes; we spend time with Dominic on his “desperate” quest for inspiration, see his studio, meet his parents and go and see the family business and even trot round a hardware store after him. There are animations of some of his most bizarre ideas and home video footage of Dominic as a child. “Quiet, shy children do a lot of work in their heads,” Dominic says rather poignantly. “They’re thinking a lot, observing a lot. Maybe as a child the creativity was there but it didn’t have an outlet.”

We’ve featured Liam’s work before by way of this lovely portrait of a man who collects analogue film and once again we’re bowled over by his talent. Here his surefooted approach and willingness to embrace Dominic’s bizarre practice in such a deadpan way makes for a special combination.

Dominic’s book Variations on Normal is available now and you can buy it here.