Welcome
This website brings together my work as a digital artist, filmmaker and journalist.
Here you will find information about and examples of my work. Feel free to get in touch to share your views or if you are interested on working together in the future.
Siobhan McGuirk
Occupy DC multi-media coverage
I’ve been involved in Occupy DC since October. It’s the Washington-based branch of the Occupy movement that sprung up in the US following the September rallies in Wall St. New York… I’m sure you’ll have heard about it!
I’ve joined the Editorial Board for our independent newspaper there, The Occupied Washington Times, and wrote an article for the first edition. I’ve also covered the early days of the Occupation for Red Pepper. Finally, I made a very short promo for a group of hunger strikers affiliated with the movement, who are campaigning for voting rights for D.C.
Drop me a line at: siobhanodc@gmail.com if you want to know more about the movement.
Lydia Besong and husband under threat of deportation
I first worked with Lydia for my MA dissertation research and later had the pleasure to work with her to bring her first play, How I Became An Asylum Seeker to stage, and later to screen.
She and her husband, Bernard Batey, both fled Cameroon in 2006 after being imprisoned and tortured for their outspoken opposition to the government. They have been tireless and inspiring activists for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK since their arrival. Their home was raided this week and though an injunction has been put in place so that Bernard will not be deported immanently, he remains in detention.
The fight for their safety goes on. Please follow their case and support where you can, just by registering your opposition: http://www.rapar.org.uk/
Homoelectric promo online
Manchester’s legendary club night Homoelectric invited us along to make a promo for them and the result has been posted online in time to promote their August Bank Holiday event.
I can’t take much credit for editing and graphics, doing minimal work there beyond creative direction. The magic there is down to Pablo Melchor. The shoot was a challenge – some people hiding and others bee-lining for the camera and darkness combated with bike lights – but great fun.
Will put the video on Vimeo asap, but here’s the YouTube for now:
Radio silence explained
It’s been a long time since I posted updates on here. I left the UK in October last year and returned to the UK in May after volunteering in Argentina in the interim. I also applied to do a PhD in Cultural Anthropology and start my studies at The American University in a few weeks time.
Work-wise, I’ve been writing steadily for Red Pepper and have every intention of continuing to do so in the future. Recent articles have focused on cocaine trade in Mexico – linked to here.
I’m currently finishing up some film projects that I shot in Cordoba, Argentina and will post them here shortly. A few promos should also be up soon.
Republished in Canada
An article I wrote for lesbilicious has apparently inspired the publisher of Outexpressions. It has been re-posted with location changes to suit Toronto. It seems that the commercialisation and ‘clean-up’ of the LGBTQ scene over there is following a similar path as Manchester.
Click here for the new article. For the original article click here.
