Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard are

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

artists and filmmakers.

Life and work

Forsyth and Pollard met and began working collaboratively while studying Fine Art and Art Theory at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

, graduating together in 1995. They initially focused on live performance events, but since 2003 their work has been predominantly film and video based. They returned to Goldsmiths in 2002, receiving an MA degree in Fine Art in 2004. They have restaged

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's farewell performance as Ziggy Stardust, a 1973 video work by

Vito Acconci Vito Acconci (, ; January 24, 1940 – April 27, 2017) was an American performance art, performance, video and installation artist, whose diverse practice eventually included sculpture, architectural design, and landscape design. His performan ...

(working with rap artist Plan B) and a 1968 work by

Bruce Nauman Bruce Nauman (born December 6, 1941) is an American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. Nauman lives near Galisteo, New Mexico. Life and work ...

. In 2003 the artists recreated the 1978

Cramps A cramp is a sudden, involuntary, painful skeletal muscle contraction or overshortening associated with electrical activity. While generally temporary and non-damaging, they can cause significant pain and a paralysis-like immobility of the affe ...

performance at the Napa Mental Institute at the ICA in a work entitled ''File under Sacred Music''. The work caused some controversy by including an audience of patients undergoing psychiatric care. The musicians were assembled by Forsyth and Pollard for the project and included Alfonso Pinto from

The Parkinsons John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the Los Angeles area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including Grand Central Market, the Memorial Colise ...

as Lux Interior, Holly Golightly as

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

, former Headcoat Bruce Brand as Bryan Gregory and John Gibbs as longtime Cramps drummer Nick Knox. ''Silent Sound'', featuring an original score by J. Spaceman, was presented at the 2006

Liverpool Biennial Liverpool Biennial is the largest international contemporary art festival in the United Kingdom. Since its launch in 1998, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 380 new artworks and presented work by over 530 artists from around the world. ...

. The piece was originally presented as a live performance that took place in the Small Concert Hall at St. George's Hall, Liverpool. It was based, in part, on the public séance act performed by Victorian entertainers The Davenport Brothers. During the performance the artists were seated on-stage inside a soundproof booth based on the Davenport's "Spirit Cabinet". Together they recited a single phrase into a microphone, which was fed into a machine they had created that claimed to embed the phrase as a

subliminal message Subliminal stimuli (; ' literally "below" or "less than") are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold or limit for conscious perception, in contrast to stimuli (above threshold). Visual stimuli may be quickly flashed before an indiv ...

into the music, which was performed live by a small orchestra. The Davenport Brothers had performed their act on the same stage in 1865. The performance was introduced by Ciarán O'Keeffe, a British parapsychologist who became famous after appearing as the resident skeptic on the paranormal television series

Most Haunted ''Most Haunted'' is a British paranormal reality television series. ''Most Haunted'' was first shown on Living TV between 2002 and 2010. However, it has since been revived on TV and online, via an official mobile app and YouTube Channel. Pres ...

. An installation of "Silent Sound" was then presented by A Foundation at Greenland Street, Liverpool. An ambisonic recording of the live performance was incorporated into a large-scale immersive installation, created in consultation with acousticians from Arup. The installation was recreated inside a shipping container in 2008 for Art Basel Miami Beach where it was described by the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

as "one of the fair's biggest word-of-mouth hits". In 2010 Silent Sound was re-presented as part of the

AV Festival AV Festival was an international festival of contemporary art, film and music, based in Newcastle upon Tyne but taking place across the north east England, it ran from 2003 until 2018. A biennial event, the festival was thematically curated in rel ...

at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Begun while at college, their first project together was publishing " Words & Pictures" - an art magazine in a box.
Published three times per year from May 1994 until November 1997 each issue collected together objects made by 20 different artists into an A5 sized cardboard box, produced in a signed and numbered limited edition of 100 copies. A printed booklet was included that contained information on the contributors as well as a specially commissioned preface and introductory text. The first issue was launched at the

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

in London, with a preface by Scottish singer/songwriter

Momus Momus (; Ancient Greek: Μῶμος ''Momos'') in Greek mythology was the personification of satire and mockery, two stories about whom figure among Aesop's Fables. During the Renaissance, several literary works used him as a mouthpiece for their ...

and an introduction by artist and writer

Liam Gillick Liam Gillick (born 1964) is a British artist. In the 1990s he was one of the informal Young British Artists group; like many of them, he took a degree in fine art from Goldsmiths' College, in London. He was among the artists included in the ...

. Artists contributing to the project included

Martin Creed Martin Creed (born 21 October 1968) is a British artist, composer and performer. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for exhibitions during the preceding year, with the jury praising his audacity for exhibiting a single installation, ''Work No. 22 ...

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English people, English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is Collaboration, collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the Idealiz ...

, Matthew Higgs,

Bob and Roberta Smith Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surname) * Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II * Bob t ...

, Georgina Starr and

David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Shrigley first came to prominence in the 1990s for his distinct line drawi ...

. Writers for the project included

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

Angus Fairhurst Angus Fairhurst (4 October 1966 – 29 March 2008) was an English artist working in installation, photography and video. He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Life and work Angus Fairhurst was born in Pembury, Kent. Having attende ...

Billy Childish Billy Childish (born Steven John Hamper; 1 December 1959) is an English painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer, and guitarist. Since the late 1970s, Childish has been prolific in creating music, writing, and visual art. He has ...

Jake Chapman Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962) are British visual artists, previously known as the Chapman Brothers. Their art explores deliberately shocking subject matters; for instance, in 2008, they produc ...

and

Joshua Compston Joshua Richard Compston (1 June 1970 – 5 March 1996) was a London curator whose company Factual Nonsense was closely associated with the emergence of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Early life and career beginnings Compston was born in Put ...

. Forsyth and Pollard ended the project after 10 issues, citing the influence of the British indie band

Felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

who released ten albums in ten years and then disbanded. In 2008 they directed the promo videos for the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds singles

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! ''Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!'' is the fourteenth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The album was recorded in June and July 2007 at The State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, London and mixed by Nick Launay at British Gr ...

, " More News From Nowhere" and " Midnight Man". They have also worked with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on a series of films relating to each of the 14 studio albums produced by the band. Collectively titled "Do you love me like I love you" each film will feature on a DVD accompanying the album it relates to as part of the remastered Collector's Editions released by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

throughout 2009. Continuing their association with

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

, the duo produced and sound-directed the audiobook for his novel The Death of Bunny Munro, working with the acoustics department at Arup to produce a spatialized binaural mix which creates a 3D effect when played on headphones. It was published by

Canongate Books Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prize winning novel '' Life of Pi'' (2001 ...

in September 2009. Occasionally directing music videos for other artists, they have also worked with The Veils,

Fanfarlo Fanfarlo are a London-based indie/ alternative band formed in 2006 by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. They fuse elements of folk, indie rock and post-punk using eclectic instrumentation including trumpet, violin, mandolin, musical saw, clar ...

Tindersticks Tindersticks are an English alternative rock band formed in Nottingham in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples embarked on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006 and more permanently the following year. The ...

, Scott Walker and

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

. In 2009 they were commissioned by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

to produce a new work for the BFI Gallery (the contemporary art space at

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the United Kingdom, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Inst ...

) called "Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work" a multi-screen 3D video installation featuring

Kevin Eldon Kevin Eldon (born 2 October 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including ''Fist of Fun'', ''This Morning with Richard Not Judy'', ''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge (TV ...

Caroline Catz Caroline Catz (born Caroline Caplan; 19 October 1969) is a British film, television, and theatre actress and narrator. She is best known for her role as Louisa Glasson in ''Doc Martin'' (2004–2022). Her other major roles have included August ...

Terrence Hardiman Terrence Edward Hardiman (6 April 1937 – 18 April 2023) was an English actor. He often portrayed authority figures such as Nazi-era personnel ('' Secret Army'', ''Colditz'', ''Wish Me Luck'' and ''Enemy at the Door'') and a British officer (' ...

and

Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding (born Fenella Marion Feldman; 17 November 1927 – 11 September 2018) was an English stage, film and television actress who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and was often referred to as "England's first lady of t ...

with Martians played by

Ben Crompton Benjamin Lorton Crompton (born 1974) is an English actor and stand-up comedian, has appeared on the BBC sketch show '' Man Stroke Woman'' and as Colin in the BBC Three sitcom '' Ideal'' from 2005 to 2011). Crompton portrayed Eddison Tollett on ...

Iain Lee Iain Lee (born Iain Lee Rougvie; 9 June 1973) is an English former broadcaster, writer, and television presenter and stand-up comedian who hosts the phone-in talk show ''The Late Night Alternative'' on "pay to view" Patreon. Lee's career began ...

and Ben Moor. The project was curated by Elisabetta Fabrizi, who invited the artists to access the

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became th ...

of film and television, the largest of its kind in the world, to create a new commission. Their first major survey show was presented by the

South London Gallery The South London Gallery, founded 1891, is a public-funded gallery of contemporary art in Camberwell, London. Until 1992, it was known as the South London Art Gallery, and nowadays the acronym SLG is often used. Margot Heller became its direct ...

in February–March 2011. In January 2012 they were nominated for the Samsung Art+ Prize. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard are currently represented by Kate MacGarry (London). They have previously worked with Lawrence Eng Gallery (Vancouver) and Galleria Paolo Bonzano (Rome). They are represented as filmmakers by Josh Varney a
42
Their first feature film was announced by

Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, dedicated to broadcasting films. The standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesa ...

. The hybrid drama-documentary titled 20,000 Days on Earth focusses on the musician and writer

, and is backed by

, BFI and Corniche Pictures. The film is produced by Pulse Films and JW Films and cinematography is by Erik Wilson (Submarine, Tyrannosaur, The Imposter, The Double). An interview in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

with the directors revealed that the film will also star

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

and

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage, and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is known ...

. Forsyth & Pollard won the Directing Award at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2014, where the film premiered. The Editing Award was also presented to Jonathan Amos for 20,000 Days on Earth. The European premiere was in February 2014 at

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

in Berlin. A theatrical release took place in September 2014 by Picturehouse in the UK, Drafthouse in the US and Madman in Australia. In 2014 they were shortlisted for the Jarman Award and were awarded a Channel 4 Random Acts Commission. Forsyth and Pollard were presented with the Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director at the 2014 Moët

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

. They have also been

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nominated for Best Documentary and shortlisted for the London Film Critic's Circle Award.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Collections

Public collections include: *

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

Arts Council Collection The Arts Council Collection is a national loan collection of modern and contemporary British art. It was founded in 1946. The collection continues to acquire works each year. The Arts Council Collection reaches its audience through loans to publ ...

* Zabludowicz Collection *

Government Art Collection The Government Art Collection (GAC) is the collection of artworks owned by the UK government and administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The GAC's artworks are used to decorate major government buildings in the UK and ...

*Musée d’art moderne Grand-Duc Jean Luxembourg ( Mudam) * Museum De Hallen, Haarlem *

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions *2013 ''Bish Bosch: Ambisymphonic (with Scott Walker)'', Sydney Opera House *2013 ''Jumpers (What must I do to be saved)'', Live at LICA, Lancaster *2011 ''Audience/Performer'', Lighthouse, Brighton *2011 ''New Work'', Kate MacGarry, London *2011 ''Romeo Echo Delta'', FACT Liverpool and BBC Radio Merseyside *2011 ''Soon'', Nuit Blanche, Toronto *2011 ''PUBLICSFEAR'', South London Gallery, London *2010 ''Silent Sound'', AV Festival, Middlesbrough *2009 ''Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work'', BFI Gallery, London (curated by Elisabetta Fabrizi) *2009 ''Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard'', Void Gallery, Derry *2009 ''Performer. Audience. Fuck Off.'', Site Gallery, Sheffield (performed by

) *2008 ''Run For Me'', Great North Run Moving Image Commission, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead *2008 ''Walking Over Acconci (Misdirected Reproaches)'', Kate MacGarry, London *2008 "Run For Me" Artprojx at Prince Charles Cinema, London (introduced by

Andrew Graham-Dixon Andrew Michael Graham-Dixon (born 26 December 1960) is a British art historian, art critic, author and broadcaster. He is chief art critic at ''The Independent'' and ''The Telegraph'' newspapers, and presents art documentaries for the BBC, as w ...

) *2008 "Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard", Lawrence Eng, Vancouver *2007 ''Silent Sound'', Art Basel Miami Beach/ Art Positions *2007 ''Grain - an exploration of contemporary landscape using sound'', Grain Power Station, Isle of Grain, Kent *2007 ''The 24 seven'', Milton Keynes Gallery Project *2007 ''Precious Little'', Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko, Auckland, New Zealand, touring to The Physics Room, Christchurch *2007 ''The Weasel: Pop Music and Contemporary Art'', South London Gallery *2007 ''Kiss My Nauman'', Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown, Southbank Centre, London *2006 ''Silent Sound'', A Foundation/Greenland Street, Liverpool *2006 ''In Brief'', Jerwood Space, London *2005 ''Anyone else isn't you'', George Rodger Gallery, Maidstone *2005 ''Walking After Acconci (Redirected Approaches)'', Kate MacGarry, London *2005 ''Anyone else isn't you'', The Hospital, Covent Garden, London *2004 ''Everybody else is wrong'', Pavilion, Montreal, Canada *2003 ''File under Sacred Music'', Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *1998 ''A Rock 'N' Roll Suicide'', Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *1998 ''The kids are alright'', Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *1997 ''The Smiths is dead'', Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *1997 ''Doing it for the Kids'', Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool *1996 ''The World Won't Listen'', 30 Underwood Street, London

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, Iain Art duos Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London English installation artists British video artists British women video artists Living people British performance artists English music video directors 1972 births 1973 births People from Bolton People from Gateshead Filmmaking duos English contemporary artists