Chris Cunningham - o.T. (Autechre: Second Bad Vilbel)

Chris Cunningham
o.T. (Autechre: Second Bad Vilbel), 2004
Offset printing, based on a storyboard drawing from 1995.
Edition 200
Motivation size 25.5 x 38.5 cm
Sheet size: 32 x 45 cm
Edition 200 + 25 A.P.
Signed on the front side

This Aphex Twin video happened and everybody knew: here comes a genius!" This is how Björk describes the reactions to the clip for Aphex Twin's 'Window Licker' in 1997—a brilliant play with US gangster stereotypes. This clip was the decisive trigger for the collaboration between the musician and that very genius: Chris Cunningham. Björk herself was one of the most innovative artists in the field of music videos in the 90s. The aesthetic marvel surrounding two robots modeled after her that fall in love, which Cunningham then created for 'All is Full of Love,' is one of the most influential music videos ever—and remains completely contemporary to this day. Even in Cunningham's music video debut for Autechre's 'Second Bad Vilbel,' his signature of extreme synchronization of image and sound was evident. The abstract, technoid visuals fit just as perfectly with Autechre's experimental and repetitive electronic music as the elegant robot aesthetics complement Björk's softer, almost dehumanized voice. Cunningham's editions—signed offset prints of storyboards from his films—powerfully demonstrate how the spectacular film works of this artist are created.

The robot we see in the music video 'Second Bad Vilbel' by the British electronic duo Autechre was built by Chris Cunningham from remnants of a commissioned work for none other than Steven Spielberg and his film 'A.I. – Artificial Intelligence.' After studying painting and sculpture, he specialized in silicone models and special effects, working on American science fiction films. Cunningham's work has, however, not only reached screens and canvases but also the most renowned art institutions. Solo exhibitions have taken place at MoMA PS1 in New York and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He has also exhibited at the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum for Contemporary Art – Berlin, the Kunsthalle Wien, and the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. In 2001, he participated in the 49th Venice Biennale with a video work.