A Disembodied Voice is a failed* billboard art project that gives a voice to the dominant socio-political ideology, making its desire explicit. A ventriloquised loud speaker of what it does, but cannot (explicitly) state.

The images/messages then, do not come from any particular person, least of all the artist or contractor of course, but what this ideology demands.... or might say were it to articulate itself with any transparency.

It is based on the fact that people are in some way determined, enacted and sublimated by the socio-economic system (and culture) in which they live and exist; and that in certain cases, rather than comply to these imperatives, it is best they be refused… and thrown back.

The project ran from a billboard in Bristol from 20/9/21 for one month.
Each 'voice' appeared for 10 seconds every few minutes in rotation.


* ‘failed’ because - at the outset of the project it was still believed that the true motivation of the ideology at play could not be said out loud - could not be spoken. And yet, whilst the work was still in situ we had this from the then Prime Minister, in a BBC interview:

"I've given you the most important metric which is: never mind life expectancy, never mind cancer outcomes, look at wage growth."

The work was usurped by the highest politician in the country, saying what could not be said. And it barely registered a blink. An ideology that includes no possibility to see anything other.




Other work: www.f-i-e-l-d.co.uk