톰슨 & 크레이그 헤드

Belief

source: sodifferentsoappealing

Belief (which is the final piece in their Flat Earth trilogy of films) features a series of YouTube films of people espousing their world views teamed with a projection of a compass, showing the geographical location where each film was recorded. Whereas the players in the films may once have shouted their opinions from a soapbox on a street corner, to a small local audience, the internet offers the opportunity for them to share them with the world.

The piece makes fascinating, if at times painful, viewing, as philosophy clashes with mental disorder in a cacophony of views. It is a summation of what is both great and distressing about human nature, illustrating that the intense need to believe – in what, it does not seem to matter – is a basic human trait, shared throughout the world. In this context of extreme and at times disturbing opinions, however, this fact is both comforting and terrifying in equal measure.
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source: thomson-craighead

Belief is made from information found entirely on the worldwide web. In fifteen minutes, this two-screen installation presents a series of fragmented broadcasts about belief, all sourced from the video sharing community YouTube. A compass floor projection interacts with the montage showing where each clip originated in relation to the geographical location of the artwork. With a little help from Google Earth viewers are placed at the centre point of this cinematic data visualisation. Belief is the final work in the Flat Earth Trilogy following on from Flat Earth (2007) and A short film about War (2009/2010). Supported by Creative Scotland’s Vital Spark programme, New Media Scotland’s Alt-w Fund, ATLAS Arts and Animate Projects. Software development by Matthew Jarvis, sound design by John Cobban and script development by Alison Craighead, Jon Thomson and Steve Rushton. Graphic design by Cavan Convery.
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source: thomson-craigheadnet

Jon Thomson (b. 1969) and Alison Craighead (b. 1971) are artists living and working in London. They make artworks and installations for galleries, online and sometimes outdoors. Much of their recent work looks at live networks like the web and how they are changing the way we all understand the world around us. Having both studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee, Jon now lectures part time at The Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, while Alison is a senior researcher at University of Westminster and lectures in Fine Art at Goldsmiths University