Push and Shove

Bergen Photo

Ben Dembroski and Ben Woodeson want to work together but no longer live in the same country; Push and Shove 0.1 is the first in an ongoing series of collaborative works based around this geographical separation. The work consists of two geographically separate, but digitally connected, installations. The installations are vulnerable, precarious, aggressive and reactive. Each installation was initially developed by both Bens; physically by one, virtually by the other as they were developed in two different locations; Glasgow and London. The final exhibited configuration for each segment of the work was realised by one Ben at each location.

Most art works are made to exist, these are made to stop existing and to stop their evil twin existing. Like a throw back to the cold war and the days of Mutually Assured Destruction, the two works are both aggressive and vulnerable; their intention is to destroy or disable their counterpart. Conversely, they have no concept of defence or retaliation, yet each carries within it the seeds for it's won destruction; they search for vulnerabilities in their counterpart with no concept of their own precarious situation. In some ways, this can be seen as playful nod to the irreverence of dada, Man Ray's "Object to be Destroyed" and Jean Tinguely's "Homage to New York". It is therefore unlikely that either segment will survive the exhibition unscathed.

Like software development, the works are and will be experimental and ongoing; no one variation, section or configuration will ever be deemed "finished" or "ultimate".

Creative Commons License