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Jim Whiting

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Jim Whiting
Born(1951-01-11)January 11, 1951(age 73)
Paris, France
NationalityBritish
Known forartist, inventor
AwardsMTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction

Jim Whiting(born 1951) is a British artist and inventor.[1]He was born in Paris and spent his early childhood in Salisbury (nowHarare), Zimbabwe before returning to the UK with his family in 1959. He studied Electronic Engineering & Systems Control atQueen Mary Collegeand then sculpture atSaint Martins School of Artafter a foundation at High Wycombe Art College.

Whiting's first major installation was in 1979 atThe Haywardgallery in London, HisBusiness Machinewas chosen by artistHelen Chadwickas part of the summer show.[2]Other shows of his animated figurative works followed, includingPurgatoryat British museums, galleries and festivals, andHeavenly Bodieson the roof of theRoyal National Theatrein 1981. He received international recognition in 1984 after his robot-like sculptures were featured dancing inHerbie Hancock's music video for "Rockit"directed by duoGodley & Creme,winning the firstMTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.[3]

Whiting'sMechanical Theatrewas commissioned in 1987 byAndre Hellerfor hisLuna Lunaart/amusement park in Hamburg. From 1988 to 1992 he took hisUnnatural Bodiesshow on tour, exhibiting in Cologne, Zürich, Berlin, Basel, with Galerie Littmann, and later in Glasgow, Linz (Ars Electronica) and also as theTowerin London's Broadgate and Aurillac Festival. In 1994 he created a waggon installation for Klaus Littmann'sKunstZug,[4]which was exhibited at stations in Switzerland, France and Germany.

His work has now been incorporated into his variété venueBimbotownbased in theLeipziger Baumwollspinnereia former factory in Leipzig that has become home to dozens of international artists and galleries.[5]Originally launched in 1993 in Basel,Bimbotownmoved to Leipzig in 1996 where Whiting continued to host parties, whichThe Guardiannewspaper recently described in a round up of the best of Germany as "a mix of music, theatre and lots of crazy stuff by artists from all over Europe".[6]Bimbotownwas closed in 2016.

In 2007 a new version of hisMechanical Theatrewas commissioned for theSwarovski Kristallwelten(Crystal Worlds)theme parkin Austria, which was conceived byAndré Hellerand features work by famous modern artists. He continues to exhibit his installations in Europe.

References

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  • Heavenly Bodies,Sam Scoggins (Director), RCA Department of Film & Television (1982), BFI Database22961
  • Alter Image(featuring Jim Whiting), After ImageChannel 4(1983) BFI Database654993
  • South of Watford: Jim Whiting,Nigel Miller (Director), JWT (1986) BFI Database483642
  • Jim Whiting: Unnatural Bodies(Exhibition Guide), Galerie Klaus Littmann Basel (1988)OCLC603554977
  • Unnatural Bodies,Stuart Clarke (Director) Wild Dream Films (1992) BFI Database492436
  • Eclipse of Art: Tackling the Crisis in Art Today,Julian Spalding, Prestel (2003) p. 37ISBN978-3-7913-2881-2
  • The Best Art You've Never Seen:101 Hidden Treasures From Around the World,Julian Spalding,Rough Guides(2010), p. 196-7ISBN978-1-84836-271-0

Footnotes

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  1. ^"Julian Spalding's Web Art Gallery" (http:// julianspalding.net/pages/art.htmlArchived9 July 2012 at theWayback Machine)
  2. ^Hayward Annual 1979: current British art selected by Helen Chadwick, Paul Gopal Chowdhury, James Faure Walker, John Hilliard, Nicholas Pope, Arts Council of Great Britain (1979)ISBN0-7287-0207-X
  3. ^"Portrait of the artist: Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist",The Guardian,Tuesday 6, November 2007
  4. ^Der KultUHRzug
  5. ^"'The hottest place on earth'",The Guardian,Thursday 1, February 2007
  6. ^"Wunderbar! The best of Germany",The Guardian,Saturday 19, March 2011
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