The Way We Live and Out of Chaos (U)

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Tickets £5 / £4 concession.

Introduced by Rhys Morgan

Running time: 92 mins (Out of Chaos 28 mins; The Way We Live: 64 mins)

As part of a series of events leading up to Jeremy Deller's upcoming commission, The Triumph of Art, The National Gallery, in partnership with The Box and Plymouth Arts Cinema, are pleased to be screening two films by acclaimed documentary director Jill Craigie.

In The Way We Live (1946), filmed in Plymouth during the aftermath of WWII when the city was subject to heavy bombing, Craigie explores the complexities of rebuilding a city, showing frustrations along the way as well as vivid scenes of family life in trying circumstances. It was during the shooting of this film that Craigie met her future husband, politician Michael Foot.

Her earlier film, Out of Chaos (1944) gives an account of the role of art during WWII in London's major art Galleries, including The National Gallery. From Henry Moore's drawings of the London Underground during bombing raids to Stanley Spencer's evocative shipbuilding panels, via Evelyn Dunbar's depiction of land girls, all the big names in the 1940s art world make an appearance in this film. In the film we also see the innovative ways in which gallery directors, such as Kenneth Clark, decided to work with contemporary artists during this time of global tumult.

This event is part of The Triumph of Art, a nation-wide project by artist Jeremy Deller, commissioned by the National Gallery, London, as part of NG200, its Bicentenary celebrations. The Triumph of Art is being developed in partnership with Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, Mostyn in Llandudno, The Box Plymouth and The Playhouse in Derry-Londonderry. Supported by Art Fund.

Jeremy Deller (b. 1966, London) studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute and at Sussex University. He began making artworks in the early 1990s, often showing them outside conventional galleries. With projects including The Battle of Orgreave (2001) and We're here because we're here (2016), Deller is known for works that involve people and that explore the themes of performance art and popular culture.

Rhys Morgan is a Plymouth-based artist and curator, currently working as the Art Fund Assistant Curator at the National Gallery to oversee the development and delivery of a near year-long public programme of collective and interactive activities and local performance events which began in June 2024.

For detailed information about the film's age rating and content notices, you can visit the BBFC website and search the film title, then scroll down to the "Content Advice" section: www.bbfc.co.uk