Synopsis

Ben Langlands and Nikki Bell, who were nominated for the Turner Prize in 2004, have worked together since 1978. Their precise, formally beautiful art explores the networks of today’s global society within a rigorous conceptual and aesthetic framework. They employ a wide range of media, including models displayed as sculpture, wall paintings, furniture and film. Through this diverse output runs a consistent engagement with ideas of space and place, with architecture and identity, with language and with the hidden connections of international politics.

In the interview for this film, the artists reflect on their experiences travelling to the warzone of Afghanistan, where they made the controversial film Zardad’s Dog and researched the digital animation The House of Osama Bin Laden. Other recent works have used the technologies of immersive games and presented the signs and symbols of contemporary networks. Alongside this exploration of virtual worlds, they have also created real-world urban architecture, most notably the spectacular Paddington Basin Bridge in London.

theEYE is an excellent introduction to contemporary artists and their works and provides an ideal resource for a wide range of audiences, including galleries, museums and colleges, as well as individual art-lover.