We Are All Artists

A meditative exploration of life, art and consciousness by Cornish beach artist Billy Bartlett.

  • Simon Ratigan
    Director
    Alex Lewis Mountain
  • Simon Ratigan
    Producer
    Missile From The East
  • William Bartlett
    Key Cast
    "William Bartlett"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 7, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Simon Ratigan

With a degree in Hotel Management and early forays into the food industry, Simon was destined for a career in hospitality. However, his creative passions and love of photography triggered a change in direction that would lead to the broadcast industry and the world of film trailers.

Quickly recognised as a creative force with an affinity for image-making he was given the opportunity to direct. This proved transformative for his career and a future that would see him become a multi award-winning director of commercials.

In 2022 he completed his debut feature documentary about a quadruple amputee, who attempts to climb Ethiopia’s highest mountain using the world’s first off-road, solar-powered, hand cycle. Winning Best Feature Documentary at its World Premiere at the London Independent Film Festival in 2023, the film has gone on to win at festivals around the world.

Most recently, he completed a mesmerising documentary short, ‘We Are All Artists’, that will be released later this year.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

What started as a snapped photo of a simple pattern drawn in the sand on a Cornish beach soon became a filmic quest to document the mindset, motivations and creative endeavours of a unique British artist.

We met in the summer of 2023 and I was immediately taken by his openness, humility and passion for a very particular kind of self-expression.

With the beach as a living canvas and the cliffs of North Cornwall as a backdrop, he would create his art between outgoing and incoming tides.

Striking, unorthodox, yet deeply universal in theme, each creation would be a swirl of movement, geometric simplicity and sacred design.

My aim was to capture, not only the man at work and the art he was making, but also the tranquil, almost meditative feel of the process itself. And, although inherently short lived due to the ebb and flow of the tides, each piece would prove to be both a catalyst for human connection and a reminder to us all of the fleeting nature of life itself.

Shot over two years and presented in black and white, the resulting film is an exploration of the meaning of art, life and consciousness, the acceptance of impermanence and the power of the universe to provide profound inspiration.