ALICE CLOUGH

Stable Speak (Film) by Alice Clough, 2024

Single-channel film with stereo sound

4 mins

Sound by Neil Rose

With support from Matt Burrows, Ella Frears, Naomi Frears, Luke Hagan, Jonas Hawkins, Rachael Jones, Natasha MacVoy, and Sophie McFetridge.

With special thanks to Lucie and Bo.

Commissioned by Exeter Phoenix Gallery

Stable Speak explores the tense, fragile spaces between holding on and letting go.

Using an interest in the more-than-human, wildness and domesticity as her starting point, Alice spent time living closely with a mare and her young foal as part of the filmmaking process. Her documentary-style approach, led by the simple act of noticing, uses obscured frames and close-ups to draw attention to the beauty of minor details. 

Composed of multiple shots of Bo (the foal) at the edge of sleep, the film feels like an intimate moment of disclosure. It lingers in the intrigue and potential discomfort of closeness, and captures the delicate interplay of resistance and relaxation.