[Newcastle + London, UK; 19.03.14]

The Observer Series continues my interest in documenting natural sciences and follow on from another observation piece I made in 2012 called Exhaustion.

The series utilises macro photography to explore common everyday physical phenomena such as magnetism and scattered light.

What I find interesting in all these studies is how much information is readily available when we simply stop and take the time to look more closely.

From my vantage point as an artist, it also appears to me that the closer we move towards the source of how things actually operate the more visually arresting they seem to become; as if the observer is rewarded for their desire to dig deeper. There is genuine power in these simple films I feel; certainly, something fundamental at play; and perhaps the natural world seduces us with its beauty in order to ensure its many intricacies are worth uncovering.

[Newcastle + London, UK; 05.06.15]

Metaphysical 1(a) & 1(b) are the first in a series of artworks to explore the potential – and implications – of CGI’s ability to produce impossible physics (contrary to the physics in the real world).

In both artworks, the viewer’s expectations of everyday physics (objects + environments) are at first ‘met’, but then, increasingly undermined, as challenging, alien and unorthodox physics take over.

[London, UK; 15.04.03]

Version 2.0 of RND#24, Artificial Worlds. V.2.0 takes the initial concept of V.1.0 and runs with it: by taking the real and the virtual and blending them into a composite where the viewer is often asked to decipher which is which, V.2.0 creates a more complex set of questions… along the lines of: when technology can precisely mimic reality what the hell do we do then?

[Newcastle + London, UK; 19.03.14]

The Observer Series continues my interest in documenting natural sciences and follow on from another observation piece I made in 2012 called Exhaustion.

The series utilises macro photography to explore common everyday physical phenomena such as magnetism and scattered light.

What I find interesting in all these studies is how much information is readily available when we simply stop and take the time to look more closely.

From my vantage point as an artist, it also appears to me that the closer we move towards the source of how things actually operate the more visually arresting they seem to become; as if the observer is rewarded for their desire to dig deeper. There is genuine power in these simple films I feel; certainly, something fundamental at play; and perhaps the natural world seduces us with its beauty in order to ensure its many intricacies are worth uncovering.

[Newcastle, UK; 12.02.12]

Exhaustion chronicles a professional athlete’s journey from rest, to exhaustion, and recovery through the use of technology.

Part performance, part biological study, the 30-minute film captures this event in epic detail. Phantom Flex slow-motion cameras stretch seconds to as much as 40 seconds, while data recorders and microphones, record data and sound from both inside and outside the athlete’s body.

Data sources – including Cortex Gas Analyser, Electromyography, Electrocardiography and Near-infrared spectroscopy – are streamed and converted into sound, then composited alongside the acoustic sounds of the athlete to form a rich soundscape.

Combined, the final film reveals a multitude of invisible physical processes involved in the simple act of running, placing the viewer inside the emotional and mental demands of a modern-day athlete.

[Newcastle + Hartlepool, UK; 09.03.06]

Following on from two earlier films in the Artificial Worlds series, Version 3 ups the production values (and ambition) to create a rich and detailed world where the viewer is confronted with different realities within the same time and space.

In effect this forces the viewer to consider the theory that modern realities are now more interchangeable than ever, and that moving between them is not only easy but what we have all now come to expect.

[Newcastle + London, UK; 19.03.14]

The Observer Series continues my interest in documenting natural sciences and follow on from another observation piece I made in 2012 called Exhaustion.

The series utilises macro photography to explore common everyday physical phenomena such as magnetism and scattered light.

What I find interesting in all these studies is how much information is readily available when we simply stop and take the time to look more closely.

From my vantage point as an artist, it also appears to me that the closer we move towards the source of how things actually operate the more visually arresting they seem to become; as if the observer is rewarded for their desire to dig deeper. There is genuine power in these simple films I feel; certainly, something fundamental at play; and perhaps the natural world seduces us with its beauty in order to ensure its many intricacies are worth uncovering.

[Newcastle + London, UK; 05.06.15]

Metaphysical 1(a) & 1(b) are the first in a series of artworks to explore the potential – and implications – of CGI’s ability to produce impossible physics (contrary to the physics in the real world).

In both artworks, the viewer’s expectations of everyday physics (objects + environments) are at first ‘met’, but then, increasingly undermined, as challenging, alien and unorthodox physics take over.

[San Francisco, USA; 25.11.00]

Artificial Worlds questions how much cultural emphasis and importance we now place on artificial worlds such as the internet, computer games and other immersive environments.

From an objective point of view, it would seem that the computer is now our environment of choice and very much at the expense of real-life and real experience.

What intrigued me most about making this film was how artificial and alien the real world felt as I filmed it – and the slow realization that I too had perhaps succumbed to this gradual shift in lifestyle. And ultimately: does being more comfortable in an artificial world make it the real one?