Analogue Kingdom
Gerald Wells stole his first radio, a Belmont, in 1943 at the age of thirteen. He was immediately sent to an ‘approved’ school, whose psychiatrist diagnosed ‘an obsession’ with wireless and electricity – an obsession that continues today. The house Wells was born in and still inhabits is now home to over 1,500 wireless objects and 45,000 valves. Analogue Kingdom is a poetic portrait of Wells, founder and curator of the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum. The film reveals the charm of Wells’ world, where radio relics and their attendant stories fill every nook and cranny of his Kingdom.
Esther Johnson is a British artist-filmmaker and photographer who takes a poetic approach to documentary and narrative through moving image, audio, photography and writing. She unearths extraordinary, resonant stories that would otherwise remain hidden or ignored, often focusing on the underdog in contemporary culture. Recurring themes include personal histories, heritage, tradition, folklore, regeneration and precarious futures. Her films and photography explore architectural vernaculars and the inhabited environment, intimately conveying the uneasy relationship between her protagonists and their respective surroundings.
