Ben Judd
Encyclopedia
Ben Judd is a British
artist, and lives and works in London
. Judd is best known for his undercover video
s of specific groups of people, such as trainspotters and Morris dancers, to which he added a voice-over describing an imagined connection or intimacy with the subjects.
Delusion is key to Ben Judd’s work - that an experience could be evidently constructed but somehow the observer, and in turn the viewer of the work, buys into the experience. The groups of people that he videos (tourists, trainspotters, amateur photographers, Morris dancers, preachers, witches) are part of a group and also detached from a larger group. Similarly, his activity mirrors theirs – he is also on the periphery of their group, and is both a voyeur and participant. Judd’s position is simultaneously close and distant, or connected and disconnected.
Judd’s photographs display a similar interest in the relationship between the constructed and the natural. His 3D
photographs encapsulate a dichotomy; the viewer is simultaneously aware of their construction yet is also deluded that the experience is real.
While on residency in Colombia in 2007, Judd formed his own group by fabricating the contradictory movement I Will Heal You, which took its beliefs from an eclectic range of sources. This work culminated in a performance in which he adopted the role of the movement’s leader. The accompanying video (see I Will Heal You) was constructed through his contact with a witch, a parapsychologist, a Scientologist and the sole member of a new religion, during which he attempted to believe, even on a temporary basis, in what he was being told or was being asked to do. Key phrases from Judd’s interactions with these people were used as lyrics for songs, which were included in the video, altering the viewers’ interpretation of the words from ordinary to prophetic, or vice versa.. In May 2007, Judd was interviewed by Miser & Now http://www.keithtalent.com/main/ magazine on the work he produced there:
In May 2008 Judd invited two mediums to explore a gallery space with members of the public, which resulted in a séance and a demonstration of clairvoyance (see the video Presence at http://www.benjudd.com/). Judd has also videod himself at a class for clairvoyants, in which he stood up in front of the class and demonstrated his clairvoyant abilities (see the video Close To You). As with previous work, Judd is interested in challenging his preconceptions about a particular belief system; as an atheist and a skeptic he attempts to buy into an ideology and adopt the role of a believer. Judd genuinely participates in the activity yet is also aware of his position as an observer, and of how the act of videoing will recontextualise what is experienced.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist, and lives and works in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Judd is best known for his undercover video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s of specific groups of people, such as trainspotters and Morris dancers, to which he added a voice-over describing an imagined connection or intimacy with the subjects.
Delusion is key to Ben Judd’s work - that an experience could be evidently constructed but somehow the observer, and in turn the viewer of the work, buys into the experience. The groups of people that he videos (tourists, trainspotters, amateur photographers, Morris dancers, preachers, witches) are part of a group and also detached from a larger group. Similarly, his activity mirrors theirs – he is also on the periphery of their group, and is both a voyeur and participant. Judd’s position is simultaneously close and distant, or connected and disconnected.
Judd’s photographs display a similar interest in the relationship between the constructed and the natural. His 3D
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
photographs encapsulate a dichotomy; the viewer is simultaneously aware of their construction yet is also deluded that the experience is real.
While on residency in Colombia in 2007, Judd formed his own group by fabricating the contradictory movement I Will Heal You, which took its beliefs from an eclectic range of sources. This work culminated in a performance in which he adopted the role of the movement’s leader. The accompanying video (see I Will Heal You) was constructed through his contact with a witch, a parapsychologist, a Scientologist and the sole member of a new religion, during which he attempted to believe, even on a temporary basis, in what he was being told or was being asked to do. Key phrases from Judd’s interactions with these people were used as lyrics for songs, which were included in the video, altering the viewers’ interpretation of the words from ordinary to prophetic, or vice versa.. In May 2007, Judd was interviewed by Miser & Now http://www.keithtalent.com/main/ magazine on the work he produced there:
In previous work my intervention has largely been enacted through a series of voice-overs that provoke an almost imagined level of intervention in terms of what is being seen. With this work I wanted to put myself directly into the work and to join these belief systems. I wanted to add dimension and I really enjoyed it. I think that I built up the idea of the movement so much, and had so many collaborators on board, that a performative outcome became inevitable. There was an amazing sense of build up prior to the opening night. More and more things were being made, the space was being transformed, and at that stage I knew that if I wanted this thing to be believable then the ultimate conclusion was wearing the outfits and becoming the work. The project culminated in inviting people to visit the movement. This became an effective way to express the contradiction and dual function that I wanted within the work. People were invited to join the movement but also warned that it was a sham and that they should stay away. The manifesto for the movement was contradictory throughout. It was read in English and Spanish, so everything fed into this idea of a duality. It created a rhythm that in some way echoed the techniques of repetition adopted by many of the individuals and groups that I had been involved with.
In May 2008 Judd invited two mediums to explore a gallery space with members of the public, which resulted in a séance and a demonstration of clairvoyance (see the video Presence at http://www.benjudd.com/). Judd has also videod himself at a class for clairvoyants, in which he stood up in front of the class and demonstrated his clairvoyant abilities (see the video Close To You). As with previous work, Judd is interested in challenging his preconceptions about a particular belief system; as an atheist and a skeptic he attempts to buy into an ideology and adopt the role of a believer. Judd genuinely participates in the activity yet is also aware of his position as an observer, and of how the act of videoing will recontextualise what is experienced.
Key Artworks
- Concerning the Difference Between the Delights of Pleasure and True Happiness, 2010, 38:00 min
- Polyrhythm, 2009, 24:00 min
- Observance, 2009, 22:00 min
- The Symbol, 2009, 8:30 min
- Presence, 2008, 8:00 min
- Close To You, 2008, 5:00 min
- I Will Heal You, 2007, video, 12:00 min
- The Truth Will Set You Free, 2005, video, 11:00 min
- In This Wonderful Country (Part 1), 2005, video, 4:20 min
- In This Wonderful Country (Part 2), 2005, video, 14:46 min
- I Can and Cannot Live Without, 2004, video, 3:30 min
- The Future Never Looks How You Expected It To Look, 2003, video, 3:18 min
- I Love, 2003, video, 7:15 min
- I Miss, 2002, video, 10:50 min
- I Remember (Cindy Sherman), video, 2000, 4:30 min
- I Remember (Glamour), 1999, video, 19:30 min
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2007 Lugar a Dudas, CaliCalìCalì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Colombia - 2005 Vilma Gold, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- 2005 Kunstbunker, NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...