artwork
Johnson-Perkin's artwork reflects a retrospective and nostalgic gase at pop culture, exploring iconic imagery and play. Recently he has used materials and subject matter which have a resonance with his adolescent experiences such as: Lego, 80's computer graphics and 80's TV programs.
Current artworks include: a giant army of totemic Lego men, which he calls 'robots', scrolling message boards, lego plaques with retro messages and a dazzling array of colourful animations.
video
Geometric Animations
These films use different geometric constructions, created using set mathematic patterns. These patterns merge into each other and are looped, creating a mesmeric and hypnotizing effect. The movement of forms creates a form of moving painting and draw heavily on the modernist presidents and principles of Structuralism and Minimalism, sharing links in style to the works of: Kandinski, Malevich and Mondrian.
80's TV/Computer
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ZX A-Team, 2006
A 45-minute animation, using an episode of the 80‘s TV program the A-team by converting each frame (90,000 frames) into ZX spectrum 8 bit computer graphics. The ZX Spectrum was a home computer released in1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. This work shares similarities with Douglas Gordon‘s 24 hour Psycho or Steve McQueen‘s Deadpan in that it re-invents the interpretation of popular cultural iconographic media.
sculpture
Robots
Over one hundred different robot figures made from Lego and Mega Bloks
Gauntlet
This work has been described as being both totemic and playful. Critics have also referred to similarities between tribal art forms, such as Hopi Indian sculptures or African art. The construction of the different ‘mega blok’ characters creates a type of “conversation piece”, a Renaissance concept, revived by modern sculptors such as George Segal, in which one or more figures interact with their setting to generate a mood or narrative.
Jet Set Willy
This floor piece, builds playfully on a broad spectrum of art historical precedents: Piet Mondrian, Bob Law, Jim Lambie, Richard Long, Sean Scully and Damien Hirst. The different ’mega blok’ pieces create a mosaic of colour fields, which are shaped by a series of intuitive and improvisatory decisions. This work also built to be in tune with the qualities of the materials and the parameters of the existing architecture.
Scrolling Message Boards
James Johnson-Perkins often uses scrolling message board works within his gallery installations. Included in the Meteoric Toy exhibition at the DLI, Apr 2009, are three works which contains statements from iconic 80's Sci Fi films, spoken by the main robot character. e.g Hal 9000, from 2001, "Dave, What are you doing dave".
Mega Paintings and Text Works
A series of works by Johnson-Perkins, creating walls from Lego and Mega Bloks, including plaques with retro or site specific statements.
2d works
Isometric
These computer-generated images are formed using an isometric drawing technique, which uses a mathematical and intuitive method of construction and shares similarities to the works of M C Escher and Edvard Pallozzi. Each work resembles an imaginary cityscape, inspired by science fiction films such as: Metropolis, Blade Runner and Star Wars.
ZX Animals
These images have been generated using a ZX Spectrum emulator and conversion program. Each image has been developed from a still from a popular TV program featuring an animal as the lead character. E.g. ZX Flipper.
other
John Peel
In this performance James Johnson-Perkins DJ's with his 80's Record collection and does a robotic dance. It's a homage to early disco and his childhood hero, the late DJ John Peel.