The looping nature of my work and subject matter mirrors the structure of the underlying technology used in its creation and the repetitive processes that seem central to the infrastructure of contemporary society. Frequently, my films are animated loops structured from photographs, scanned images or single fames extracted from video footage, blending these together to create a familiar yet alien environment.
Today, location is not so much defined by geography, but by our position within the complex web of processes that make up contemporary society. My work attempts to capture such a situation, caught in a perpetual state of transit where increasing complexity is often presented as the illusion of �progress�. As the global economy lurches towards an uncertain future, these complex connections that form the basis of day-to-day existence seem ever more evident and ever more precarious.
How can art respond? I think that art is the ideal place for thinking about these issues. By reinterpreting ethics as a process of imagining and recognizing new possibilities rather than simply choosing from commoditized options, we can shift it to the heart of a political process of artistic production. This response brings together ethical and aesthetic concerns in a way that preserves a vital distinction between art and the products of the culture industry. Under these conditions, art becomes a sticking point � the complex sensory/cognitive gristle that remains when all else has been rationalised away.
Working with video inevitably raises questions about mediation in modern society and the seemingly endless pursuit of much digital animation and game technology towards ever more spectacular optical effects, the spectator held in thrall of the screen. In contrast, the use a restricted viewpoint, repetition, mundane subject matter and flat narrative in my work seem more likely to generate feelings of futility, frustration and perhaps humour which, in some cases, might give way to a deeper contemplation of the systems in which we live.
