AL and AL
Encyclopedia
Al Holmes and Al Taylor (born May 29, 1973) collectively known as AL and AL are British artist film directors, writers, curators and producers who won the Liverpool Art Prize
in 2009. AL and AL are pioneering artist film makers combining live action performance with computer generated 3D environments to create dream worlds in film. They began working together at Central Saint Martins Art School
in 1999 where they studied Fine Art. In 2001 they were awarded an ACME
residency transforming a warehouse in East London into a blue screen special effects film studio.
The artists have created an award winning body of work commissioned by Film London
, animate projects, Channel 4
, Culture Company, MuHKA, World Science Festival
and the Royal Society, exhibiting internationally in over 50 countries in galleries, site specific installations, film festivals and on television. Their critically acclaimed solo exhibition at the FACT gallery during Liverpool
's year as the European Capital of Culture
toured to the National Art Museum of China
in Beijing
. In 2009 AL and AL curated exhibitions at Edge Hill station and with Edwin Carels at MuHKA which included works by Yves Klein
and Anish Kapoor
. In 2010 AL and AL collaborated with composer Philip Glass
and physicist Brian Greene
on Icarus at the Edge of Time which ABC news described as a "multimedia masterpiece". The premiere of the Icarus film was introduced by Stephen Hawkings at the World Science Festival
in New York
and performed with a symphony orchestra.
AL and AL collaborated on their Eternal Youth book with Grant Morrison
the graphic novel
writer of Batman
and Superman
and the novelist and mythographer Marina Warner who focused on dreams, "AL and AL investigate the shaping forces of fantasy and reality. They both create dream worlds and stand back in their art to draw attention to their power over us, plunging the spectator into a virtual world of dizzy dimensions." Grant Morrison
described his impression of the artists work on his web site, "AL and AL's work evokes memories for me of Jerry Cornelius stories, J.G.Ballard books, The Prisoner and my own best dreams."
Liverpool Art Prize
The Liverpool Art Prize is contemporary art competition open to professional artists based in the Liverpool City Region area of the United Kingdom.-Background:The inaugural competition took place in 2008....
in 2009. AL and AL are pioneering artist film makers combining live action performance with computer generated 3D environments to create dream worlds in film. They began working together at Central Saint Martins Art School
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
in 1999 where they studied Fine Art. In 2001 they were awarded an ACME
ACME (Space)
ACME was established in 2007 in London. The practice operates in the fields of contemporary architecture, urban planning, interior and product design working with private, corporate and public clients....
residency transforming a warehouse in East London into a blue screen special effects film studio.
The artists have created an award winning body of work commissioned by Film London
Film London
Film London is the capital's film and media agency - sustaining, promoting and developing London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital. This includes all the screen industries based in London - film, television, video, commercials and new interactive media. Film London is...
, animate projects, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, Culture Company, MuHKA, World Science Festival
World Science Festival
The World Science Festival is a science festival held in New York City that is held annually in the summer. The 2008 inaugural festival was held May 28 – June 1 and consisted mainly of panel discussions and on-stage conversations, accompanied by multimedia presentations.The festival was the...
and the Royal Society, exhibiting internationally in over 50 countries in galleries, site specific installations, film festivals and on television. Their critically acclaimed solo exhibition at the FACT gallery during Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's year as the European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
toured to the National Art Museum of China
National Art Museum of China
The National Art Museum of China, or NAMOC is located at 1 Wusi Ave, Dongcheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China. It is one of the largest art museums in China. The construction of the museum started in 1958, and concluded in 1962. It has a total land area of 30,000 square meters...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In 2009 AL and AL curated exhibitions at Edge Hill station and with Edwin Carels at MuHKA which included works by Yves Klein
Yves Klein
Yves Klein was a French artist considered an important figure in post-war European art. He is the leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by the art critic Pierre Restany...
and Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
. In 2010 AL and AL collaborated with composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and physicist Brian Greene
Brian Greene
Brian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...
on Icarus at the Edge of Time which ABC news described as a "multimedia masterpiece". The premiere of the Icarus film was introduced by Stephen Hawkings at the World Science Festival
World Science Festival
The World Science Festival is a science festival held in New York City that is held annually in the summer. The 2008 inaugural festival was held May 28 – June 1 and consisted mainly of panel discussions and on-stage conversations, accompanied by multimedia presentations.The festival was the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and performed with a symphony orchestra.
AL and AL collaborated on their Eternal Youth book with Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
writer of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and the novelist and mythographer Marina Warner who focused on dreams, "AL and AL investigate the shaping forces of fantasy and reality. They both create dream worlds and stand back in their art to draw attention to their power over us, plunging the spectator into a virtual world of dizzy dimensions." Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
described his impression of the artists work on his web site, "AL and AL's work evokes memories for me of Jerry Cornelius stories, J.G.Ballard books, The Prisoner and my own best dreams."
Filmography
- 2010: Icarus at the Edge of Time (Collaboration with Philip Glass & Brian Greene)
- 2009: Anaglyph Avatar Series
- I killed thousands of people last night and these are all the weapons I used 3-D
- Pink Triangles 3D
- Square Eyes 3D
- Chrome Home 3D
- 2008: Eternal Youth
- 2006: Interstellar Stella
- 2004: Perpetual Motion in the Land of Milk and Honey
- 2003: Blue Screen Re-Mattes Series
- Blue Screen Exodus
- Blue Screen Genie
- 2003: Hard Drive (A:)
- 2003: Pre-Cast
- 2002: Fore-Cast
- 2001: Wedding Video
- 2001: Home Theatre
- 2000: Good Vibrations
- 2000: I don't want to leave my Island
- 2000: To Be Rendered
External links
- http://www.alandal.co.uk/
- http://lux.org.uk/collection/artists/al-al
- http://www.mediartchina.org/blog/hte/eternal
- http://liverpoolartprize.com/?p=58
- http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?tid=11695&ttype=2
- http://www.metalculture.com/archive/al-and-al.html
- http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/slideshow/icarus-myth-adapted-multimedia-masterpiece-10805572
- http://flamin.filmlondon.org.uk/showcase/assets/showcase_items/misty_machine_10__hard_drive