Sampling and looping are central to the construction of N.I.C.J.O.B.’s works, in the soundtracks as much as the imagery. The remixing and repetition of sound and image create layers and mutations that transform linear time and narrative into compelling and mesmerising works that allow for the creation of new meaning whilst retaining the very essence of the (cinematic, or musical) source. N.I.C.J.O.B.’s choice of imagery is precise and pointed and, particularly in the works presented here, consists of moments of tension and psychological intensity, which may or may not have represented a climactic point in the original film. In "*O...+/" (Patrick), for example, a sampled sequence from an Alain Corneau film has Patrick Dewaere repeatedly pacing and screaming in an agitated rage, violently slamming his head into a car bonnet, in a loop which conveys a pounding sense of fury. Linear time and narrative coherence are destroyed, chaos is creatively structured and the resulting concentrated intensity of Patrick’s head-banging outburst transforms frustration into liberation. Shaped as we are by technology, the way we experience and consume media culture (whether text, image or sound) is through cherry picking, sampling and sound bite. Our constant exposure to television, for instance, has created a reservoir of common memory, meaning and iconic pop imagery where associations are triggered in a flash. In our accelerated, fleeting world of images, N.I.C.J.O.B.’s work allows us to rewind endlessly – ‘let’s see that again...’ – until it becomes something other, takes on an entirely new identity. The result, although mesmerising, is not a meditative, hypnotic I experience, but one that becomes more heightened, insistent and intense with each repetition. Catherine Gibson

Project Credits Courtesy the artist and Kunstbuero, Vienna With the support of the French Embassy – Institut Francais du Royaume-Uni. With thanks to: Kunstbuero, Vienna