John Wood & Paul Harrison

These artworks are part of Ways of Seeing, a partnership between Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 and the Government Art Collection. Ways of Seeing turns the borough into a gallery with 33 internationally renowned artists displayed in 28 unexpected locations.

John Wood and Paul Harrison could be the art world’s answer to Laurel and Hardy. These six videos are taken from a series called Twenty Six (Drawing and Falling Things). In an empty white room, the artists perform controlled movements using household objects. They borrow the language of physical comedy to play up small struggles – things we can all relate to. 

In Platform, Wood falls off a table when Harrison kicks off one of the table’s legs. In Lean, a plank falls on Wood when he opens a door. Could you keep a straight face? How would you react if you were the one capturing it on camera?

John Wood was born in Hong Kong and Paul Harrison in England. They met as students at Bath College. They have worked together since 1993 creating video, performance, sculpture, installation and dance. They regularly exhibit in the UK and abroad and have shown their work in Moscow and New York. They are based in Bristol.

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