Bio
Alexis Bamforth/EEC is a British artist and ecology catalyst who explores relationships between the natural world and socio-economic systems. Evolved from Conceptual, Land art and Arte Povera, he uses cultural references to discuss ideas around human and nature equality. His multidisciplinary work has probed social trends and humankind's affects on Earth since 1989. Much of it decays or evolves over time. The material and physical change are important, reflecting natural life cycle and reminding us of the possibility of change. Despite exhibiting internationally, Times Square N.Y. to London's Victoria & Albert Museum, most work is to be found in public space, for the people, for social purpose.
Commissions & exhibitions include; Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, Venice Biennale, Platform China Contemporary Art Institute Beijing, ICA London, British Council, Medan Mara Kuala Lumpur, Tent London, London Design Festival, Fifth Third Bank USA, Shunt London.
Collaborations and associations include: Sui Jianguo, Gustav Metzger, Stuart Semple, David Spurring, Yan Jun, Mike Ballard, Alex Mclean, Tim Norris, Catherine Shakespeare Lane, Chris Moon, Leslie Deere, Ruan Qianrui & Shroomstudio.
Largely self funded, Bamforth's work is essentially a charitable giving of time and ideas and socially responsible projects. Are you keen to aid discussion of topics essential to our future? Recently set up, this new way of contributing.. Please support by becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/systemchange. Even a tiny donation will make a huge difference in assisting development and funding applications).
Solo Exhibitions and Works
2023, Plinth - Saatchi Gallery – (Installations, sculpture & film delving into food systems, status & legal rights for plants).
2022, Tree Drag - London – (Performance, dragging an ash tree through Central London).
2021, New Life - Saatchi Gallery – (Installations, sculpture & film exploring the interconnected nature of living matter).
2019, My Fault - Giardini, Venice – (Interventions questioning Biennale 2019 visitors and environment responsibility).
2017, Money Plant - Audio Architecture, London – (Horticultural project testing recycled material as soil).
2016, Hot Culture - Trevelyan House, Loughton, London – (Environmental amnesia in a warming world).
2014, Object Zone - NP, Dalston Square, London – (Enterprise encouraging children to look harder and see more).
2013, Shadow Of My Soon To Be Former Self - London – (A project about loss of green space and bio-diversity).
2012, Dalston Reflections - Dalston, London – (Representation of our place in a gentrifying borough).
2011, Facade Concept - Medan Mara Government building, Kuala Lumpur – (Light sculpture. Traditional culture vs city).
2010, Leave A Mark - Plaça dels Àngels, Barcelona – (Audio compositions from community mark making).
2010, Beacon - Audio Architecture Gallery, London – (Community driven concrete poetry for the Olympic site).
2009, Open For Nature - Audio Architecture, London – (Transient prints).
2008, Generative Outside Inside - Audio Architecture, London – (Utilising weather to compose music).
2006, Evolution Synthetica - V&A Museum, London – (Exploring symbiotic relationships using live organisms).
1998, A Maze - Brunswick Building, Leeds – (Sensory experience of the blind and disabled).
1995, Meander - Herbert Read Gallery, Canterbury – (Site specific stone clock that tells the time by river erosion).
Group Exhibitions and Works
2024, Nature The Artist, London – (My work Supreme Being, a pile of compost was installed central in the church).
2021, Giant Gallery, Bournmouth – (It's A Rave Dave, alongside Jeremy Deller, Jim Lambie, Jimmy Cauty).
2021, Fold Gallery, London – (Plants, soil & printed works looking at the meaning of investment in a modern world).
2019, Palazzo Pesaro Papafava, Venice Biennale – ('Man Of War' film. Gestures from a stranded jellyfish).
2015, Snape Maltings, Suffolk – ('Three Wise Monkeys' Three open-air sculptural installations to trick our senses).
2014, I.D. - NP, London – (Plant classification and performative dissections).
2013, Fifth Third Bank, Grand Rapids, USA – ('Priceless Paupers Bowl', nurturing and wealth).
2013, Mapping The Present Past - TIL Gallery, London – (Connection between snails, technology and lifecycle).
2013, Get Culture - Queens Wood, London – (Comment on badger culling).
2013, Re-Kindle - Alexandra Palace, London – ('Blind Hope', Changing arts funding).
2012, Art Takes Times Square – Times Square Screens and Gallery, New York – (Insect-human interaction).
2012, Full Rabbit - Shoreditch Town Hall Vaults, London – (Collaboration with Sui Jianguo & Ruan Qianrui).
2011, Half Rabbit - Platform China Institute of Contemporary Arts, Beijing – (Survey of perceptions of the future).
2011, Local Whispers - V&A Museum, London – (Sound installation where everyday objects and sounds make us think).
2011, Where Things Come From - British Broadcasting Corporation – (Film. Impact of manufacturing processes).
2010, Squaring of the Circle - Kvadrat, London – (User defined sound work from pixels, Zuzunaga collaboration).
2009, Shunt Lounge, London Bridge, London – ('See Sound'. Randomised sound from gestural electronic interface).
2009, Tent Digital 2009, London Design Week, London – (Using teacups to control interface/environment).
2007, Dashanzi International Art Festival - 798 District, Beijing – (Collaboration with Yan Jun).
2007, Beck's Futures (shortlist) - ICA, London – (Interactive sound installation).
2006, Din-Berlin - Storage, Berlin – (Experimental sound performance).
2005, Din-Barca - The Loft, Barcelona – (Experimental sound performance).
2005, Din-Barca - Mau Mau, Barcelona – (Experimental sound performance).
2004, Stream - Bishopsgate, London – (Experimental sound performance).
2004, Din-Barca - Casa Paco, Barcelona – (Experimental sound performance).
2004, Sud Electronic - The City Arts & Music Project, London – (Experimental sound performance).
2003, Din-NY - Galapagos, Brooklyn, USA – (Experimental sound performance).
2003, Din-NY - Tonic, New York – (Experimental sound performance).
2003, Din-Barca 2003 - Casa Paco, Barcelona – (Experimental sound performance).
2002, Round at Cube - Casa Paco, Barcelona – (Experimental sound performance).
1999, Fusion – Brunswick Building, Leeds – (Interactive generative club).
Permanent Constructions and Installations
Cardinal Place Canopy - Westminster, London
Waldorf Hotel - Aldwich, London
In Out Club - Picadilly, London
Greenwich Millenium Village - Greenwich, London
Pod Hotel - Bath Road, Heathrow
St. Albans Cathedral and Refectory - Verulamium, St. Albans
Welcome Foundation - Dartford
Curated
Full Rabbit, 2012 - Shoreditch Town Hall Basement Vaults, London. (Sole curator)
Half Rabbit, 2011 - Platform China, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Beijing. (Sole curator)
My Head In Your Clouds 2011 - Chris Moon, Exposure Gallery, London. (Co-curator with Chris Moon)
Din-London 2009 - Din-London, Shunt Lounge. (Co-curator with Serena Bobowski & Messaoud Benramdam)
Din-Berlin 2006 - Din-Berlin, Storage. (Sole curator)
Din-Barca 2005 - Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week. (Sole curator)
Din-London 2005 - Din-London, Bardens Boudoir. (Sole curator)
Din-NY 2004 - Din-NY, Tonic & Galapagos. (Co-Curator with Adam Sloan & Jacky Wax)
Din-Barca 2004 - Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week. (Co-Curator with Adam Sloan)
Publications - audio CD
Testing The Wheel album (AARCH-005) - Audio CD with accompanying booklet of visual experiments.
Testing the Wheel EP (AARCH-001) - Limited Edition of 400 hand drawn and printed audio CD and sleeve.
Publications - printed
Contemporary Lighting Design Within Public Space, 2002 - Tokyo, NY, San Francisco, KL & Dubai, with interview from Howard Brandston.
Neural Nets Within Architecture, 1999 - A theoretical paper looking at buildings and public spaces as organisms, able to react to and adapt to local environment using A.I.
Publications - forthcoming
V&A Evolution Synthetica Performance - DVD (Third Ear).
See Sound Tests DVD - ProjectC Lissajous tests (Audio Architecture).
Form, Colour & Time - The paper analyses the inner dynamics of visual form, colour and time in relation to our perception of sound.
Organisations
Digital Tea, (co-founder, 2009) - (Collaboration with Shroomstudio & Creatmosphere, for multi-disciplinary projects). www.digitaltea.co.uk
Audio Architecture Arts, (founder, 2006) - (Outlet and gallery for promotion of innovative contemporary arts). www.audioarchitecture.co.uk
Din-Collective, (co-founder, 2002) - (An international group of over 60 sound and image artists at the forefront of their field).
History
Extensive drawing and painting and a keen interest in local environment and found objects from a young age resulted in yearly art awards and art scholarships. Studied art and architecture at KIAD (Kent Institute Of Art And Design), Canterbury, then Leeds Metropolitan University. Following this, practiced architecture alongside fine art. Restrictions of architecture stimulated the search for new ways of presenting ideas, so during that time much artwork involved new technologies, with a particular focus on sound. In 2002 co-founded Din-Collective, which grew to involve over 60 international artists. In 2006 founded Audio Architecture Arts (audioarchitecture.co.uk) to help promote new-media art as it was ill-represented at that time. Between 2002-2012 EEC focused on sound art and often involved generative computer synthesis techniques connected to live organisms and genetic data, translating visual into sound and vice versa. Working with Sui Jianguo and next to the late Gustav Metzger encouraged already innovative tendencies. Playing with the modes of art itself he manages to break new ground across multiple mediums. Bamforth's manipulated photocopies predate Sigmar Polke's, his Banana predates Maurizio Cattelan's and his satirical Rewilding NFT stolen for 3.6m is probably still the smallest artwork ever.
Bamforth's past 30+ years exploration into human trends and their relationships to nature continues to use all mediums, from sound to sculpture to social enterprise, performance, interventions and community gatherings.