(Above) United Visual Artists work with natural locations in their debut solo show
Exhibition: United Visual Artists – Deus, The Smithfield Gallery, London, until June 26 2009
London-based trio Chris Bird, Matt Clark and Ash Nehru have gained a reputation for striking experimentalism since establishing United Visual Artists in 2003, an art and design project based around large-scale light installations.
They turned the garden of the Victoria and Albert Museum into a luminous column of neon lights which responded to visitor movements for a joint installation with Playstation in 2006, and in 2007 they signed to cutting-edge record label Warp, directing videos for a string of thinking listener's bands, including an eight-minute epic for a Battles single which has won a string of film award nominations.
(Above) The trio are interested in the effect light can have on the natural environment
This is their debut solo exhibition, furthering their forays into the "emotional effects" of light within landscapes and environments. It's also the first time they've used still images, creating a photographic exploration of the "seductive quality" of artificial light in the natural world.
"We are fascinated by the notion of light as a presence, how it changes the way people feel about the space around them and their relationship with others," they say, using a series of empty settings as blank canvasses for their work.
UVA have received commissions from high-profile quarters including the Tate, Giorgio Armani, MTV and Nokia
"As urban dwellers we are attuned to illuminated space, so with Deus we decided that all of the post-industrial natural locations we explored would be devoid of this artifice. The work can be read as a deadpan comment on the sleight of hand inherent in all worship."
Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm. Admission free. Call 020 7489 7550 or visit the Gallery online.
Watch the video UVA made for Tonto, by Battles, below
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