Phil Coy

Philip Coy (born 1971) is an English artist known for his films and public works exploring architectures and language.[1] He works across a range of media including sculpture, film, video installation, sound installation, photography, text, and performance.[2]

Life and work

Born in Gloucester, England, he grew up in the Forest of Dean, Birmingham and Norfolk. He studied Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University (1993), L' écoles des beaux arts à Nantes[3] (1995) and Slade School of Fine Art (2000).[4]

His early internet sourced video "Eleven Seconds of Paradise"[5] (2000) was made prior to the launch of Google images using AltaVista and included in the Hayward Gallery touring exhibition Incommunicado[6][7][8](2003-4) and Dan Graham's Waterloo Sunset Pavilion, Hayward Gallery[9] (2002-2003). Incommunicado's curator Margot Heller described Eleven seconds of paradise as

"a succinct comment on the negative impact of communication technologies, and as such its efficacy and relevance have increased in the short space of time since it was made."[10]

Coy used Earth observation data from satellites as source material in 2000 prior to the launch of Google Earth (2004) when satellite navigation became the ubiquitous cultural phenomenon it is today. His 'pixel replacements' such as A walk in the park (2000),[11][12] Trinidad Triptych [Red square][13] (2004) and Black spot[14][15] (2005), reproduced pixels from satellite images to scale, and installed and photographed them in the place they represented on the earth. The works combined techniques of digital imaging, minimalism and land art to produce a form of augmented reality. In 2016 Coy became the second Leverhulme artist-in-residence[16] at the Rutherford Appleton Space Laboratory following Elizabeth Price. He researched the processes and materials behind digital satellite imaging to produce the fulldome film and virtual reality installation Substance[17][18] toured to FACT Liverpool[19] (2017), The Royal Observatory Planetarium,[20] South London Gallery[21] (2018), York Art Gallery.[22][23]

The newsreader and reporter Julia Somerville starred in his film Façade (2010),[24][25][26] which casts London's glass architecture as a transparent subject rendered slowly opaque by the language it engenders.[27] Façade (2010) and Wordland (2008)[28] are held in the BFI Artists Moving Image Collection.

He was the inaugural artist in residence at Brunel University (2018–19)[29] where he devised the imprint youarehere![30] with author and academic Will Self. The project is explored in the essay amidst the susurration of motorways[31] by artist/writer/curator Richard Grayson.

Filmography

  • Grit (2024)
  • Islands (2023)
  • Substance (2018)
  • Avoiding Green (2017)
  • Who goes there? (2016)
  • as far as i know [afaik] (2015)
  • Sons of unless and children of almost (2014)
  • Krapp’s Shultz (2012)
  • Façade (2010)
  • Wordland (2008)
  • Omega (2004)
  • Eleven Seconds of Paradise (2000)(2010)(2020)
  • Sound Mirror (1999)
  • Notes from the waterfall (1999)

Public works

Swete Brethe (2021)[32] commissioned by Matt's Gallery, temporary installation adjacent to Embassy of the United States of America in London, featuring composition by Byron Wallen.

Stereo Pair (2021)[33][34] commissioned by Brunel University London, permanent site-sensitive sound installation, John Crank Gardens in Brunel University.

Your right to continued existence (2016)[35][36] Islington North, commissioned by TFL and Islington Council, installed under the 'Cally Bridge' on the Caledonian Road, London, adjacent to the London Overground, Caledonian Road & Barnsbury railway station.

Razzle Dazzle Boogie Woogie (2013)[37][38] Permanent public realm commission installed opposite Lewisham station, visible from mainline railway between Kent, East Sussex and London Bridge. A curved architectural facade of backlit coloured glass panels create a digital camouflage over the facade of Lewisham's Glass Mill leisure Centre. At night the kinetic work is animated by the sounds of Lewisham.

References

  1. ^ "SCORES". BFI LFF. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Phil Coy". South London Gallery. 27 June 2018.
  3. ^ Reynaud, Patrick, and Coignet, Jean-Gabriel (2005). Post Diplôme 1994-1995 Nantes. Centre Pompidou, Bibliothèque Kandinsky: Galerie des Beaux-Arts. p. 65.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Phil Coy, Substance [a whole history of hollows and reliefs] - South London Gallery". Slade, University College London. 10 June 2018.
  5. ^ "eleven seconds of paradise". Animate Projects. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  6. ^ Hickling, Alfred (7 June 2004). "Incommunicado". Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2004.
  7. ^ "Incommunicado". Home. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Incommunicado - at the Sainsbury Centre". BBC Norfolk. Retrieved 16 October 2003.
  9. ^ "Waterloo Sunset Pavillion". Hayward Gallery. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  10. ^ Heller, Margot (2003). Incommunicado. British Library: Hayward Gallery. p. 5. ISBN 1853322326.
  11. ^ Collins, Susan. "Framing the digital: Materialising New Media". instituto sergio motta. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  12. ^ "Great piece of Turf". Danielle Arnaud. Retrieved 20 July 2003.
  13. ^ "Triangle Network Projects Phil Coy 2004 CCA, Port of Spain, Trinidad". Triangle Network. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  14. ^ "Real Estate Projects". B+B. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Laura L (10 April 2005). "Get Real! Art, Regeneration, and Resistance". Mute. Retrieved 4 October 2005.
  16. ^ "Phil Coy – Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space Residency". Invisible Dust. 7 September 2017.
  17. ^ "A whole history of hollows and reliefs". The Open Data Institute. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ^ The Open Data Institute (12 November 2020). "Phil Coy".
  19. ^ "The New Observatory". FACT Liverpool. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Spectral Power". Space Policy. Dr Jill Stuart. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  21. ^ Phil Coy: substance [a whole history of hollows and reliefs
  22. ^ "Strata Rocks Dust Stars". York Mediale. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  23. ^ "Strata Rocks Dust Stars". York Art Gallery. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  24. ^ Morgan, Eleanor (18 June 2010). "Whitstable Biennale: a new pearl among the art-world oysters". The Guardian. Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  25. ^ "Façade, Phil Coy". Film London.
  26. ^ "Artprojx Cinema in association with Armory Show New York". Film London. 14 February 2011.
  27. ^ "Phil Coy, Façade". Whitstable Biennale. 12 May 2010.
  28. ^ "Wordland". British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 November 2020.[dead link‍]
  29. ^ "The art of self-surveillance – New Artist-in-Residence unveils debut work". Brunel University. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  30. ^ "Phil Coy: Artist-in-residence public programme". Artlicks. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  31. ^ Grayson, Richard (3 November 2019). "amidst the susurration of motorways" (PDF).
  32. ^ "Swete Brethe". Matt's Gallery. 24 November 2021.
  33. ^ "Stereo Pair". youarehere. 12 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Clockwork Orange set 'switched on' as Brutalist sound installation". Brunel University News. 27 September 2022.
  35. ^ Anna Hart, Tilly Fowler & (8 September 2016). "kingscrossfieldmap". AIR Kings Cross Field Map.
  36. ^ "your right to continued existence". your right to continued existence. 13 November 2020.
  37. ^ "Public art in Lewisham". Lewisham Council. 12 June 2013.
  38. ^ "Razzle Dazzle Boogie Woogie". Futurecity. 12 November 2020.