Neil Webb

Recent Biographical Information

Neil Webb is an internationally exhibited artist working in Sheffield. His practice includes sound installation, video, performance, curation, CD releases (under the name 'bocman'), and he is a founder member of Host Artists Group. He is now senior lecturer in sound at Sheffield Hallam University.
2003 saw performances by bocman at Sheffield Hallam University, The MAXIS Festival , Leeds, the annual Sonic Artists Network Conference in Sheffield and the release of the CD 'Somewhere Nowhere'. He also curated the events 'Sounds Recorded for an Empty Nightclub' as part of Sheffield 03 and Host 4 : Cinema in 2004.
In 2004 Neil's work continued to develop through collaboration, including his work with Host Artists Group. He has produced a range of audio and audio-visual installations, including 'Scramble', a collaboration with artist Michael Day.
In 2005 Neil undertook a residency at Hull Time Based Arts creating the installation and CD, 'The Inside Underneath'. He also completed a long-standing project, 'Solaristics' inspired by Stanislaw Lem's book and Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris.
He was selected for an artists residency, Signal-to-Noise Ratio at the Tower Atelier in Neuhausen Germany. During the residency he created two new works, a multi-channel sound installation titled 'Across the Field' and a video installation titled 'Heaven up Here'.
During 2006 Neil created a new sound installation 'Invisible Resonance 2' for the Consortium Gallery in Amsterdam, screened two video works, 'Slow Motion Static' and 'Tide Time' at the Sound Practice conference at Goldsmith's University London. The video work 'Enter the Underworld' has also been screened in Liverpool as part of the 37 Seconds BBC big screen project. The bocman project continued with performances at the Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam and in England. The CD 'Motion Static' was also released.
2007 saw the making of a multi-channel audio visual installation in collaboration with Ron Wright titled 'The Breach' and making the multi-channel sound installation 'The Stars in Us All' for Bloc Space in Sheffield. He was also commissioned to contribute a visual work and tie in sound piece, 'Sheffield's New Steel Dream' for the publication The Sheffield Pavilion which was launched at the Venice Biennale. Other commissions included a podcast titled 'Radio Stars' for the Sound Network and Folly Gallery.
In 2008 Neil was commissioned to create a new audio installation in Sheffield's Winter Gardens. Titled 'Adrift' this was part of the city-wide event Sheffield 08 Yes, No Other Options.
Other recent works include ‘The Innocents’ an audio installation inspired by Jack Clayton’s film of the same name. ‘Far Beneath in the Abysmal Sea’, a new audio piece first shown at the Late Shows in Newcastle at Vane Gallery, which is inspired by Tennyson’s sonnet and John Wyndham’s book, ‘The Kraken Wakes’.
Neil has recently performed a new live surround sound collaboration with Ron Wright titled, ‘A Colony Provides a Safe Haven’ at Tate Britain and will be exhibiting a new surround sound installation; ‘Wired Above’ with David Morin in Paris later this year.



http://www.axisweb.org




Selected Solo Exhibitions
2008 Adrift, Audio installation, Winter Gardens, Sheffield.
2007 The Stars in Us All, Audio-visual installation, Bloc Space, Sheffield.
2004 Scramble, Audio-visual installation with Michael Day, End Gallery, Sheffield Hallam University.
2003 Power of Speech - Audio installation, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
2000 Pin Skating, Philips Gallery, Taunton.

Selected Group Exhibitions
2009 Otherliness, Vane Gallery, Newcastle. Sound installation included Far Beneath in the Abysmal Sea.
2007 A little Bit Goes a Long Way, Consortium Gallery, Amsterdam. Included sound installation collaboration, The Breach, with Ron Wright.
2007 Interval; Portable Rest, Holden Gallery, Manchester.
2006 Spool, Consortium Gallery, Amsterdam. Tide Time video projection and Invisible Resonance 2 sound installation.
With Tacita Dean, Imogen Stidworthy, Juan Cruz and Lucy Gibson.
2006 Slow Motion Static, video projection, FACT, Liverpool.
2006 Enter the Underworld, video projection at Liverpool Station for the BBC's Big Screen project.
2006 Slow Motion Static and Tide Time video projections for the Sound Practice Conference, Goldsmiths University, London.
2005 Automated Meditations, with Matt Butt, Winter Gardens, Sheffield.
2005 Pop: Fine Art MA Degree Show, National Centre for Popular Music, Sheffield.
2004 Sonic Network Analysis, Klein Works Gallery, Chicago.
2004 Host 5: Incidentals installation Sweet Nothings, Bloc Space, Sheffield.
2004 Host 4: Cinema, Showroom Cinema, Sheffield.
2004 Host 3: Slow Wave Sleep, Sheffield.
2004 Sonic Network Analysis, Stasis Space, Chicago.
2003 FF, Tactile Bosch Arts Space, Cardiff.
2003 Sounds Recorded for an Empty Nightclub, audio playback, Sheffield Art 03, Corporation Nightclub, Sheffield.
2002 Seismic, Great Western Studios, London.
2002 Host 1, Amp Studios, Sheffield.
2001 East of Eden, Spacex Gallery, Exeter.
2000 Art At The Interface of Science and Technology, New Greenham Art Centre, Newbury.
1999 Untitled Exhibition, University of Reading.
1998 Untitled Exhibition, Connaught Brown, London.
1998 Ida Branson Memorial, Atkinson Gallery, Millfield.
1996 Medicine Bar Show, Custard Factory, Birmingham.
1995 UK Graduate Exhibition, Candid Gallery, London.
1995 Inside Out, Cubitt Gallery, London.

Residencies
2005 Signal-To-Noise-Ratio, Towers Atelier Neuhausen, Germany.
2005 The Inside Underneath, Hull Time Based Arts, Hull.

Curatorial
2009 Host 9: Otherliness
2008 Host 8: Observatory
2007 Host 7: Home Disco
2007 Host 6: Beauty
2004 Host 5: Incidentals, Bloc Space, Sheffield.
2004 Host 4: Cinema.
2004 Host 3: Slow Wave Sleep. Sheffield.
2003 Host 2: Sounds Recorded for an Empty Nightclub. Corporation Nightclub, Sheffield.
2003 Host 1, Amp Space, Sheffield.

Performances
2009 Concussion, Live audio performance with David Morin.
2006 Jeez…. Scott Walker, Live audio-visual performance with artist Michael Day, Consortium Gallery, Amsterdam.
2006 Spool, live audio-visual performance, Lloyd Hotel Cultural Embassy, Amsterdam.
2006 Bloc Assembly 2, live audio visual performance, Bloc Space, Sheffield.
2005 Known Pleasures, live audio visual performance, The Grapes, Sheffield.
2004 Solaristics live audio performance, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield.
2003 Bocman and Whoop live audio performance, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield.
2003 Hinterland live audio performance as bocman, MAXIS Festival, Leeds.
2003 Little Star, audio presentation, Sonic Arts Network Annual Conference, Sheffield.

Commissions
2007 The Sheffield Pavilion book and DVD for S.C.A.F.
2007 Radio Stars podcast for the Soundnetwork and Folly Gallery, Lancaster.

Qualifications and training
2005 MA Fine Art (Distinction), Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield
1998 Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Art, University of Reading, Reading
1995 BA Hons Fine Art (First), Kent institute of Art and Design, Canterbury
Web links - gallery/work
www.bocman.com
www.axisartists.org.uk/artist/neilwebb
www.thevideoartgallery.com
www.folly.co.uk/soundnetwork

Teaching

Neil Webb is senior lecturer in sound at Sheffield Hallam University.