Simon Henwood (born, 31 March 1965 in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

, England) is a British artist, author, film director, and

music video director A music video director is the head of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or may not be in collabora ...

. Henwood first gained attention as a children's writer and later on for his paintings inspired by adolescence, as well as combining "darkness and hip together". He is best known for directing

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "

Love Lockdown "Love Lockdown" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his fourth studio album, '' 808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). The song was produced by West, while co-produced by Jeff Bhasker. The producers co-wrote it with Esthero, Malik Yusef, and ...

" and being the creative force behind

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

's '' Rated R'' album campaign. Henwood was in a relationship with Irish singer-songwriter

Róisín Murphy Róisín Marie Murphy ( , ; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first became known in the 1990s as one half of the pop duo Moloko alongside English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, she ...

Career

In 1986, Henwood received his Bachelor of Arts from

Exeter College of Art and Design Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in Exeter, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become Plymouth University in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s w ...

in Devon. Many of Henwood's paintings focus on the experiences and consequences of youth. His work has been showcased by London's

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA ...

and Asprey Jacques, Manhattan's envoy enterprises, New York's Bronwyn Keenan Gallery, and Santa Monica's Richard Heller Gallery. Henwood authored and illustrated a series of children's books that were published by

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including ''A Piece of Luck'' (1990) and ''The Troubled Village'' (1991). In 1993, Henwood developed an "illustrated

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

" named ''Purr''. That same year, Henwood also founded a record label which issued releases by

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...

. He produced and directed ''Alice'', a short film scored by

Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com. is an English pop and rock music ...

, and created a second magazine of the same name, which "chronicles how childhood is represented in art and the media". In 2001, Henwood created the animated series Johnny Pumpkin, which was in development with Sky One television in the United Kingdom. Henwood is also known for directing music videos. He has worked with HSI London (previously known as Exposure Films) since 2004. Henwood has worked with a number of artists, such as Apollo 440,

Badly Drawn Boy Damon Michael Gough (born 2 October 1969), known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy, is an English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Gough chose his stage name from a character in the show ''Sam and his Magic Ball'', which he sa ...

, Delays, Devendra Banhart, and

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at a ...

. He directed

's "

" in 2008, which was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Hip-Hop Video, and Best Special Effects in a Video at the

2009 MTV Video Music Awards The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was h ...

. Pop singer

enlisted Henwood as the creative director for 2009's '' Rated R''. He designed the logo and conceived the brand and styling of the album, videos and TV spots. He will also contribute to Rihanna's forthcoming tour, including the show's stage design, costumes and background visuals. Art publisher Rizzoli will release a photo book documenting Henwood's work for the pop star in 2010, entitled ''Rihanna: The Last Girl on Earth''. Henwood also painted the cover of his then-girlfriend

's album ''

Ruby Blue Ruby Blue was a Scottish folk pop band formed by singer Rebecca Pidgeon and guitarist Roger Fife in the 1980s. Pidgeon was a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1986, her friend Roger Fife, a guitarist, asked her to sing on a de ...

'' and its EPs and singles, in addition to directing the music videos for " If We're in Love", " Sow into You" and "Movie Star."

Bibliography

Children's books

;As author * ''The Clock Shop'' (, 1989), published by

* ''A Piece of Luck'' (, 1990), published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux * ''The Troubled Village'' (, 1991), published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux * ''The Hidden Jungle'' (, 1992), published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux ;As illustrator * ''The King Who Sneezed'' by Angela McAllister (, 1988), published by

William Morrow and Company William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation (now News Corp) in 1999. The ...

* ''The View'' by Harry Yoaker (, 1991), published by Methuen

Art books

* ''White Kitten'' (, 2000), published by Arts & Commerce * ''Kido'' (2005), published by Funny Bones Editions * ''

'' (, 2010), published by Rizzoli

Music video filmography

;2002 *" You Were Right" –

;2003 *"Dude Descending a Staircase" – Apollo 440 ;2005 *" If We're in Love" –

*" Sow into You" –

*"Heard Somebody Say" – Devendra Banhart ;2006 *"Kelepçe" –

Hande Yener Makbule Hande Özyener (born 12 January 1973), better known by her stage name Hande Yener, is a Turkish singer. She made her debut in the early 2000s, and since then has become a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with numerous songs that top ...

Valentine A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart. Valentine or Valentines may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...

" – Delays *" Hideaways" – Delays *"

Headlock A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...

" –

;2007 *" Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" –

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles " At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of ...

featuring

Mutya Buena Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-pl ...

;2008 *"

" –

References

External links

Simon Henwood
at the Music Video Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Henwood, Simon English children's writers English graphic designers English illustrators English music video directors 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters 21st-century English male artists Photographers from Hampshire Living people 1965 births Writers from Portsmouth 20th-century English male artists Mass media people from Portsmouth Artists from Portsmouth