James Paddock

There are the characters of Mirrored to the core, a young black women (Actor, Zing Akinshegun) and a young white man (Actor, Jacob Tsering) stood beside a vivid blue pillar in the car park scene of Mirrored to the core

Mirrored to the Core project.

James Paddock's current collaborative project Mirrored to the core will see an online premiere screening and panel discussion on the 8th December 2021 with Disability Arts Online.

This is a still of the main protagonist in the video installation PYLON. We see pictured Performance artist and Actor Amber Weyman  in the image with a clear blue sky behind her.

PYLON, production still.

PRESS RELEASE – 2019 Southampton based artist James Paddock receives Arts Council England funding for first London solo exhibition. Life’s rhythms are magnified and everything around the psychotic character is at a hyper level. The everyday is intensified and the normal journey is taken to another world, another land – a new place. Birdsong, the sea, the wind is in communication with the psychotic character – a world in which people communicate telepathically. James Paddock has been awarded Arts Council funding to develop PYLON, a new mixed media installation inspired by experiences of psychosis. The artwork will be exhibited at A-side B-side Gallery in London from 4 – 10 September 2019 as Paddock’s first London solo exhibition. The installation takes the viewer on a journey of a psychotic young woman (performed by actress and performance artist, Amber Weyman) who travels on foot, as the psychotic experience unravels. The artwork uses moving image and special audio techniques (binaural sound) to convey the psychotic experience to audiences through an immersive installation. PYLON is a continuation of Paddock’s enquiry into often-overlooked topics of contemporary society in this case mental health. Paddock says, “I wish to contribute to breaking down stigma surrounding mental illness. When people think of psychosis, they might imagine an unreality in their minds. By discussing such a difficult and often controversial topic through the medium of art I hope to offer an alternative route to understand the condition and help dispel the surrounding myths. I am pleased that Arts Council England recognised the importance of my work and the contribution it can make to tackling difficult subjects in society.” For Paddock PYLON marks an important point in his artistic career. “I’ve relished the opportunity the solo exhibition has given me to push my practice and explore new audio techniques. I have worked site-specifically and developed the sculptural element of the installation in direct response to the characteristics of the gallery space, heightening the immersive experience for the audience.” The PYLON exhibition was selected as a ‘Top 5’ exhibition by Whitechapel Gallery and Timeout First Thursdays (Out of 150 galleries) in the east of London. It was a great experience and well received.

We see a head, arms and shoulders shot of Actor Graham Cawte pictured in bed. The image sees him surrounded by white pillows and duvet.

Lost Person, production still.

Lost Person has been exhibited so far in Southampton and London, England and was also part of curator Diana Ali's exhibition Loss and Lucidity (The lost and found) being exhibited in California, USA and two shows in Lisbon, Portugal, including at the Appleton Box. ABOUT THE LOST PERSON VIDEO INSTALLATION: After various conversations with mental health professionals, it seems there is a widespread problem in British society today with people suffering from mental illness and social isolation. Since the 1980’s, ‘Care in the Community’ has been the primary means of treating physically and mentally disabled people outside of the institution, and within the safety of their own home. However, their entrapment remains unavoidable. Rather be imprisoned within an institution, these individuals are caged within their own homes, closing their curtains and hiding themselves away from the world. These people soon become lost within a culture and society that is otherwise constantly accelerating, ready to turn a blind eye to any obstacle in its path. ‘Lost Person’ is a moving image installation, designed to embody this struggle. The character we are introduced to is screaming out for help, but his words are muted. His voice has been taken away, and our only means of hearing him is through the subtitles that appear silently at the bottom of the screen. He is is another lost person. We hear British sitcom style characters with canned laughter showing a dark side of British society. The film suggests an underlying dislike by the characters for the vulnerable. Their comedic nature is awkward and uncomfortable to listen to, as if they are there to taunt the man on the screen. We ask, are the voices real or are they a figment of the man’s imagination? Is this juxtaposition of comedy and suffering intended to mock and humiliate? We hear life carrying on outside his window, whilst the character is in isolation. The installation incites us to examine and understand the harsh nature of mental health, as we sit helplessly on the side-line.

We see an everyday Venetian blind projected upon by a narrative video, the video shines through the blind, so that the video is on both sides of the blind.  In another part of the installation, we see a series of photographs projected of successful people who have experienced mental issues, covered in a window net. Beneath is an upturned child's buggy, which suggests we don't possibly know what a child will become in life.

Shells exhibition (Installation view)

Press Release: ‘ Shells’ new film installations on display at exhibitions in Eastleigh and Farnham April 2017 for immediate use Shells, unique film installations by visual artist James Paddock will be showcased at two curated exhibitions at The Production House, The Sorting Office, Eastleigh (19-24 April) and Black Box project space, UCA Farnham (7-15 June). The two, interweaving moving-image installations celebrate uniqueness and acceptance for people who live with mental health conditions. The first installation, entitled ‘blinds’, will feature footage of a young girl (Hattie Gotobed, who plays Ghita in Game of Thrones), and an older man (Dean Kilbey, an experienced television and film actor) debating the existence and prominence of their own “shells”. This video work sees a man in dialogue with a youth about our exact moment in time. The man bridges both the analogue and digital age and also the reality before, and our current digital realities. The video itself will then be projected onto venetian blinds, which represent the fact that we view reality through our own imperfect perceptions. The second installation, which is called ‘nets’, is a more direct exploration of the stigma surrounding mental illness, which looks at famous people throughout history who suffered from mental illness, featuring stock imagery projected onto ragged nets. This installation features a voice-over by Nigel Bradshaw (Dennis Cruickshank in Prisoner: Cell Block H).

Latest Video

Lost Person 2018 by James Paddock

The 'Shells' exhibition, with the 'Blinds' and 'Nets' installations by James Paddock

PYLON is a video mixed media installation by artist James Paddock that deals with the topic of Psychosis or precisely Schizophrenia.

Taking the viewer on a journey with a psychotic young woman Lilly who travels on foot as a psychotic experience unravels.

The artwork uses moving image and special audio techniques (binaural sound) to convey the psychotic experience.

Sign up as a Disability Arts International artist

Related artists from the same artform

Candoco Dance Company

Candoco Dance Company

See artist

MOPS_DanceSyndrome

MOPS_DanceSyndrome

See artist

Dance Into Space

Dance Into Space

See artist

Rachel Gadsden

Rachel Gadsden

See artist

Sign Up To Our Newsletter

See our past newsletters
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.