Join the circus
Fine designs with lords of the Yorkshire manor.
Who and what is Lord Whitney?
We are Connoisseurs of Make Believe. We are expert gin drinkers, tea brewers and plate spinners. We are a studio offering up a healthy dose of imagination, playfulness and humour. We create worlds, art direct, build sets and make props with a never-ending passion.
What’s your background?
Lord Whitney are a group of seven ex-circus performers, two ring masters (creative directors Amy and Rebekah), a lion tamer (producer Lins), trapeze artist (set designer Jess), unicyclist (set builder Jonny), human cannonball (assistant producer Aidan) and contortionist (assistant Hannah). Our studio has formed over the last five years, started by Amy and Rebekah, with each individual bringing their unique set of (many!) different skills to work together, sometimes live together, in perfect harmony. It escalated from a love of making and playing into a full-blown studio in the blink of an eye.
Who or what is your muse(s)?
Anything that inspires us to use our imagination – it could be a colour, a season, a folklore tale, a music video or piece of immersive theatre. Even a cocktail can set us off!
We’d like to see that in a fight, not sure exactly how it’d go down! There are great things about both – London has so many incredible things to see and do, and opportunities for work. But the lifestyle has never tempted us – we know that the financial pressures of living and working as an artist there can be crippling, plus we would never be able to have our own amazing studio – an entire floor of an old mill which we fill with curiosities, build our sets and spend time in our treehouse. We’re big fans of the north – the people and the countryside – which is why we stay here as a studio – but we work in London all the time. We just like getting the best of both worlds!
Say what?
There’s not enough… ‘play in the day.’
There’s too much…. ‘stuff to make and not enough time!’
When there’s a need for ideas, we…. ‘put the kettle on (or open a bottle of wine!), close our computers and chat through ideas until we’re giddy and laughing.’
When there are too many ideas, we….. ‘talk over each other, then scribble them down to save for a rainy day.’
We know a project is done when…. ‘we fall over! As most artists will probably tell you it’s never really done – we’re such perfectionists we keep working until the last second.’
