Jim Hobbs, University of Greenwich
Thirteen years ago, prior to moving to the UK from the States, I received a “Freedom Pack” from my wife’s brother This package contained all sorts of patriotic bumper stickers, badges, fridge magnets, and of course, an American flag. Stars & Stripes is a deconstruction/reconstruction of that flag – mathematically measured and structurally assembled using a very strict recipe: 50 stars, 13 stripes, two grommets, and a shitload of American spirit. The accompanying sound is a combination of a new score produced by Mordant Music with live overdubs from the film’s 16mm optical soundtrack.
Biography
Jim Hobbs (b. 1975, USA, Lives/Works UK) Jim Hobbs’ work utilizes a variety of media including 16mm film, video, installation, site-specific work, drawing, sculpture, sound and photography. His work and research investigate the personal and social implications of loss, oblivion, history, memory and the subsequent acts of remembrance/memorialisation. The work bears particular focus on how the use of architecture and monuments become a type of physical manifestation of that which is absent, and how these “stand-ins” can be used, manipulated, etc. More recently, his work has moved into the realm of filmic installations, utilizing film as a time based material and medium to investigate these concerns. Intrinsically interlinked with this is a constant questioning of the role of the analogue within the digital age – how it functions, if it can override associations with nostalgia, and notions of the quality of image and how that relates to memory. He has exhibited his work internationally in various museums, galleries, public spaces, and festivals. Most recently he has toured the project (I)MAGESOUND(S) in the USA and Europe including Walter Bruno Auditorium, Lincoln Center at New York’s Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Danish Film Institute. He is the Programme Leader for MA Digital Arts and Senior Lecturer for the School of Design at The University of Greenwich, London, UK.