Catalogue > At random

Made using an Afghanistan-based war simulator, Baden Pailthorpe?s Formation V explores the aesthetics and dynamics of military movement. In the work, two opposing forces of US soldiers and Taliban combatants follow invisible way-points side-by-side. Oblivious to each other?s presence thanks to a hacked game setting, the usual violence of this relationship is transformed into a poetic rhythm that repeats and amplifies the avatars? movement.

Baden Pailthorpe (b. 1984) is an Australian media artist, writer and curator. His work engages with the political and conceptual potential of technologies and cultural content. His recent international exhibitions have been focused on the politics and aesthetics of military technologies, including simulators, cinema and video games. Baden Pailthorpe is currently undertaking a Ph.D in New Media Aesthetics at UNSW, Sydney. He holds a MFA from l`Université Paris VIII and a MA from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW. His work is held in private and public collections. Some recent solo and group exhibitions include Gap Year: New Sydney Art, ARTSPACE, Sydney; Formations, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney; Yes, We`re Open, The Netherlands Media Art Institute (NIMk), Amsterdam; FILE 2012, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Game Change, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, USA; Lingua Franca, Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney & Monobandes II, Les Territoires, Montréal, Canada. Baden Pailthorpe is currently curating an ambitious exhibition in partnership with Screen Space, Melbourne, around the theme of military vision to be held in April 2013.