Radio Carbon
Tim Cumming’s film poem Radio Carbon uses the metaphor of archaeological dating as a broadcast medium. He sets the prehistoric, the personal and the present against a dizzying carousel of video imagery and archive 8mm film captured in Cairo, London, Morocco, Ireland, a Roman mine under Box Hill, a Victorian fairground and a haunted Norman church.
Radiocarbon dating is the method by which we measure prehistoric time, and with which our own detritus will one day be measured. Haunting, hypnotic, and far-reaching, Tim’s film is a cinematic – and poetic – experience like no other.
Tim was born in a children’s home in Solihull and was brought up in the West Country. His poetry collections include The Miniature Estate, Apocalypso, The Rumour and Contact Print. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including Bloodaxe Books’ major 2010 anthology of poetry from Ireland and the British Isles, Identity Parade.
He made the acclaimed Hawkwind: Do Not Panic documentary for the BBC in 2007 and writes regularly about music and the arts for the British and international press.
