Blast Theory

Artists and staff of Blast Theory

Blast Theory is an artist group based in Brighton, UK that is led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr, and Nick Tandavaniti.

Artist Biography

Blast Theory employs a multidisciplinary practice that communicates with its audiences through the internet, live performance, and digital broadcasting. They explore the social and political aspects of technology and push the boundaries of the real and fictional. This is done through various references of popular culture and games.

Their early practices in the field of live art allowed them to blur the distinctions between live art and performance and build an ideology centered on performativity, presence, and site specificity. Their more recent game projects explore boundaries of the real and virtual worlds and the shift that they impose upon artistic practices and its participants. For Blast Theory, games and technology are a new cultural space that functions as a developing art form.

Works and Notable Exhibitions

• Karen (2014)
• The Invisible Hand: On Profiling And Personalisation (2014)
• Dial Ulrike And Eamon Compliant (2013)
• My Neck Of The Woods (2013)
• The Thing I'll Be Doing For The Rest Of My Life (2013)
• Act Otherwise (2013)
• Hurricane (2013)
• Jog Shuttler (2013)
• Digital Voices (2012)
• Digital Ideas Camp (2012)
• PARN (2012)
• I'd Hide You (2012)
• Ghostwriter (2011)
• Riders Have Spoken (2011)
• Fixing Point (2011)
• Blast Theory Bless Practice (2011)
• Car Advert (2011)
• The Goody Bullet (2010)
• Ivy4Evr (2010)
• A Machine To See With (2010)
  • New Frontier Programme, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, USA, 2011
  • Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis, USA 2011
• Outside Broadcast (2009)
• Flypad (2009)
• So, err.. (2009)
• Ulrike and Eamon Compliant (2009)
  • Palazzo Zenobio, 53rd Venice Biennale, Italy
• Creator Project (2008)
• You Get Me (2008)
• Rider Spoke (2007)
• Prof Tanda's Guess-A-Ware (2007)
• Soft Message (2006)
• Participate Research Project (2006)
• Day Of The Figurines (2006)
  • Sonar Festival, Barcelona, Spain, 2006
• IPerG (2005)
• Single Story Building, Tate Online (2005)
• Light Square (2004)
• I Like Frank (2004)
• Energy Gallery, The Science Museum (2004)
• Uncle Roy All Around You (2003)
• Can You See Me Now? - Installation (2003)
• TRUCOLD (2002)
  • ‘Art Meets Media – Adventures in Perception’, InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, 2005
    • Installation including TRUCOLD, Single Story Building, Uncle Roy All Around You, and Can You See Me Now?
  • Sydney Biennale
  • National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, 2004
    • TRUCOLD and other works
  • Palestine International Video Festival, Anadiel Gallery and Birzeit University, Jerusalem, 2002
• Stay Home Read (2002)
• Single Story Building (2002)
• Viewfinder (2001)
  • Liste 2001, Basel Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland, 2001
• Can You See Me Now? (2001) <-- click for artwork wiki page
  • InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, 2005
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA, 2006
  • Dutch Electronic Arts Festival, Rotterdam, 2003
• An Explicit Volume (2001)
• Sidetracks Light Sleeper & Body Chemistry IV (2000)
• Choreographic Cops In A Complicated World (2000)
• Route 12:36 (1999)
• Desert Rain (1999)
• 10 Backwards (1999)
• Kidnap (1998)
• Atomic - Installation (1998)
• Architecture Foundation (1998)
• Invisible Bullets - Video (1997)
• C'mon Baby, Fight! Fight! Fight! (1997)
• Blipvert (1997)
• Atomic - Performance (1997)
• Safehouse (1997)
• Ultrapure (1996)
• Something American (1996)
• Internal Ammunition (1996)
• The Gilt Remake (1995)
• Stampede (1994)
• Invisible Bullets (1994)
• Chemical-Wedding (1992)
• Gunmen Kill Three (1991)

Artist Residencies

• Thinkers in Residence, Adelaide, Australia, 2004
• Banff New Media Institute, Canada, 2002
• Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, 1997
• Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 1995
• Arnolfini, Bristol, 1994

Awards

• Silver Winner, The Lovie Awards (UK) in Events and Live Broadcast category for My Neck Of The Woods, 2014
• Bronze Winner The People’s Lovie Awards , The Lovie Awards(UK) in Events and Live Broadcast category for I’d Hide You, 2013
• Winner of Best Real World Game at the International Mobile Gaming Awards in Barcelona for Ulrike and Eamon Compliant, 2010
• Winner of Most Awesome Use of Digital Media at Brighton and Hove Business Awards, 2009
• Winner of The Digital Collaboration Award at DiMA:S, 2008
• Winner of The Hospital Award for Interactive Media, 2006
• Winner of the Maverick Award, Game Developers Choice Awards, USA, 2005
• Winner of the Prix Ars Electronica ‘Golden Nica’ for Interactive Art for Can You See Me Now?, 2003
• International Fellowship Award, Arts Council England, 2002
• Innovation Award, Arts and Humanities Research Board, awarded for Uncle Roy All Around You, 2002
• Transmediale Awards, Berlin, Honorary Mention for Desert Rain, 2001
• Interactive Arts BAFTA Award, nominated for Desert Rain, 2000
• Breakthrough Award for Innovation, nominated, Arts Council England, 2000
• The 18 Creative Freedom Awards, nominated for Kidnap, 1999
• Winner of the Barclays New Stages Award, for Something American, 1999

References

Helen Song