Ben Holmes

More about us (2010)

6 min 3 secSingle channel / Digital Video / Colour / Sound

A small model structure sits on the ground, on fire. On the soundtrack a tense strumming is interjected with scraping noise. As the model burns out the audio crossfades to a low uneasy drone, accompanied by shots of graffitied trees, urban waste and fragmented images videoed off the surface of a computer screen. The voice over says, “When we first started… we did them pretty much anywhere… we know that there are different ways of working… we like the way it looked… it’s a way of communicating… it’s possible you don’t understand…”. The video ends with an extended shot of a bulldog walking slowly away from camera and rolling on the ground, accompanied by grinding noise music.

Part of a series of instructional videos made between 2005-2010 that were sent out with different accessories as part of a mail-based participation game. Their premise was to show participants how to perform different tasks and how to take part in a covert communication system through the use of various collusive actions, markings and signals. Initially they also incorporated a points and prizes system.

Other works in this series

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