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Mike Brookes

Madrid / Aberystwyth / Sheffield

Although initially trained as a painter, Brookes' practice has always bridged media. Known primarily for the production of durational objects, images, interventions, and context-specific live art - his work has involved elements as diverse as painting, photography, sampling, large scale and multiple projection, short-range and satellite radio broadcast technology, mobile phones, helicopters, cars, trains, surveillance cameras, ice sculpture and drawing - and has proposed and developed innovative practices and strategies within the form, function, and placement of live art. He co-founded the performance collective Pearson/Brookes with performer and academic Mike Pearson in 1997, their work together being generally perceived to have pioneered mediated and multi-site performance practices - most recently co-creating their large scale located theatre work Coriolan/us, within a vast 1930s aircraft hangar in South Wales, commissioned jointly by the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre Wales for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Brookes is currently developing a long-term collaborative practice with Spanish artist and performer Rosa Casado, producing context-specific actions and gallery works under the umbrella title Some things happen all at once, some things happen more slowly, their work having been commissioned and presented widely across Europe, Asia, Australasia, South America, and the USA. In 2007 he was appointed Research Fellow within Aberystwyth University, and received a doctorate for his contributions to intermedial and located performance and live art in 2015.

 

Projects: 

 

2011 - What if everything we know is wrong?, action and performance project [ongoing] 

2010 - Just a little bit of history repeating, site specific action and intervention series [ongoing] 

2009 - The perfect human (and the things we do), context specific performance project

2008 - One thing leads to another, context specific intervention and object series [ongoing] 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, context specific performance project

2008 - Something happening, context specific intervention and image series [ongoing] 

2007 - Accidental death in peacetime, object and intervention series [ongoing] 

2007 - Small pieces of everything, object and image series [ongoing] 

2002 - Objects with pictures, large scale painting and drawing series [ongoing] 

2000 - Something burning, action and intervention series [ongoing] 

1997 - Pearson/Brookes, performance collective [ongoing]

 

Live:

 

2013 - What if everything we know is wrong?, Pradillo, Madrid, Spain

2013 - Cove walk, Brown University, Providence, USA

2013 - Introduced birdsong, Brown University, Providence, USA

2013 - Greetings from Salina, Salina Art Center, Kansas, USA

2012 - Coriolan/us, NTW and RSC, St Athan, Wales 

2012 - The perfect human (and the things we do), Teatro Sociale, Bellinzona, Switzerland 

2012 - What if everything we know is wrong?, Artium, Vitoria, Spain 

2012 - What if everything we know is wrong?, PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany 

2011 - Just a little bit of history repeating, BAD, Bilbao, Spain 

2011 - One thing leads to another, PNRM, Olot, Spain 

2011 - What if everything we know is wrong?, Brown University, Providence, USA 

2010 - Just a little bit of history repeating, b-side, Weymouth, UK 

2010 - The perfect human (and the things we do), Es Terni, Terni, Italy 

2010 - The perfect human (and the things we do), HUA, Berlin, Germany 

2010 - The Persians, NTW, Sennybridge, Wales 

2009 - 19 academics an a bear / snapshot, AHRC, University of Wales, UK 

2009 - One small white house far away (with music), AHRC, University of Wales, UK 

2009 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), La Laboral Centro de Arte, Gijón, Spain

2009 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Wiener Festwoche, Vienna, Austria 

2009 - Some things happen all at once, Centro Parraga, Murcia, Spain 

2009 - Some things happen all at once, Theaterformen, Hannover, Germany 

2009 - Something burning / snapshot, Temporada Alta, Girona, Spain 

2009 - Something happening, something happening nearby, AHRC Exeter University, UK 

2009 - The perfect human (and the things we do), BAD, Bilbao, Spain 

2009 - The perfect human (and the things we do), Inteatro, Jesi, Spain 

2009 - Welsh landscapes, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales, UK 

2008 - 300 people and a bear / snapshot, MAPA, Pontos, Spain 

2008 - One small white house far away (with music), American Academy in Rome, Italy 

2008 - One small white house far away (with music), PNRM, Olot, Spain 

2008 - One thing leads to another, Intreatro, Polverigi, Italy 

2008 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Academia de España, Rome, Italy 

2008 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Centro Huarte, Navarra, Spain 

2008 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), HAU, Berlin, Germany 

2008 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), HKD, Rijieka, Croatia 

2008 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), VEO, Valencia, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Castilla-La Mancha, Puertollano, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Centro Torrrente Ballester, Ferrol, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Escena Abierta, Burgos, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Escena Contemporánea, Madrid, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Mladi Levi, Ljubljana, Slovenia 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, PNRM, Olot, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Transforma, Senigallia, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Zadar Snova, Zadar, Croatia 

2008 - Something burning / snapshot, Short3, Rome, Italy 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), A-PART, Girona, Spain 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), BAD, Bilbao, Spain 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), CW Post University, New York, USA 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Experiencias, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Inteatro XXX, Polverigi, Italy 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Pradillo, Madrid, Spain 

2007 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Universität der Künste, Berlin, Germany

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), CARNI, Melbourne, Australia 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), ARCO 06, Madrid, Spain 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Biennale dell’Immagine, Como, Italy 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Crossroads Festival, Singapore 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Instituto Cervantes, Madrid, Spain 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Luxembourg Gardens, Auckland, NZ 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Mira al sur, Sevilla, Spain 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Otago University, Dunedin, NZ 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), PANORAMA 06, Olot, Spain 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Performance Center, Wellington, NZ 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Perishable, Providence, USA 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Sala Fierabrás, Ciudad Real, Spain 

2006 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Wheaton Collage, Massachussets, USA

2005 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), Perishable, Providence, USA 

2005 - Paradise 2 (the incessant sound of a falling tree), University of Wales, UK 

2005 - Saints, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales 

2004 - There’s someone in the house, AHRC Exeter University, UK 

2004 - Who are you looking at?, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales 

2002 - Metropolitan motions, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt, Germany 

2002 - Rain dogs, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales 

2001 - Baroque, Sonov, Czech Republic 

2001 - Carrying Lyn, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales 

2001 - Polis, Arts Council of Wales, Cardiff, Wales

2000 - But it will turn out wrong [act 1], Centre for Performance Research, Wales 

1999 - The last bus [of the millenium], Small acts, UK

1999 - Body of evidence, IETM, Cardiff, Wales 

1998 - Dead men’s shoes, Londrina Festival, Brazil

1998 - The man who ate his boots, Arts Council of Wales, Wales

1998 - The first five miles, Arts Council of Wales, Mynydd Bach, Wales 

1997 - Dead men’s shoes, Arts Council of Wales, Wales

 

Residencies:

 

2013 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Brown University, Providence, USA

2013 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Salina Art Center, Kansas, USA

2012 - What if everything we know is wrong?, PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany 

2011 - What if everything we know is wrong?, Brown University, Providence, USA 

2010 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Bilbao Eszena, Bilbao, Spain 

2009 - Something happening, MAPA, Pontos, Spain 

2009 - The perfect human (and the things we do), Bilbao Eszena, Bilbao, Spain 

2009 - The perfect human (and the things we do), Inteatro, Polverigi, Italy 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Centro de Arte Torrente Ballester, Ferrol, Spain 

 

Exhibitions:

 

2008 - Historic miniatures, Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid, Spain 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, American Academy in Rome, Italy 

2008 - Some things happen all at once, Ultimisimos, Centro Torrrente Ballester, Ferrol, Spain 

2006 - Two dead birds, Lines and strata, Oriel Mwldan, Cardigan 

2005 - Object with pictures, National Eisteddfod of Wales 

2002 - Two thousand gallons, Watershed, Silkeborg Bad, Denmark 

1997 - Child, Chapter Gallery, Cardiff

 

Presentations: 

 

2013 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Brown University, Providence, USA

2013 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Salina Art Center, Kansas, USA

2011 - What if everything we know is wrong?, Brown University, Providence, USA 

2010 - Just a little bit of history repeating, Bilbao Eszena, Bilbao, Spain 

2009 - El ser humano perfecto (the perfect human), Bilbao Eszena, Bilbao, Spain 

2009 - El ser humano perfecto (the perfect human), Encuentros con la escena, Bilbao, Spain 

2006 - Pearson/Brookes, Exeter University, UK 2005 - Who are you looking at?, PARIP, UK 

2004 - There’s someone in the house, Exeter University, UK 

2003 - Water[war]s, Hemispheric Institute NYU, New York, USA 

2001 - More information than I really require, BBC Digital Arts, Cardiff, UK 

 

Awards:

 

2012 - Best Production 2012, Critics of Wales Awards, UK

2010 - Best Design 2010, TMA, UK 

2007 - Creative Research Fellowship, University of Wales, UK 

2007 - Creative Wales Award, Arts Council of Wales, UK

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