About

Phil Coy researched different aspects of Brunel’s physical location near the M4, M40, M25, Heathrow and RAF Northolt Airports, HMV Record Factory and Pinewood Film Studios. Key references became Brunel’s formation as a Plate Glass University in 1966 with its iconic brutalist Lecture Centre, its use as locations for Stanley Kubrick’s film, A Clockwork Orange (1971) and the impact of concrete on the local landscape, including a network of fishing lakes.

Works include temporary and permanent installations, film screenings, a freely distributed imprint, sound works, and live events. During the residency Coy developed a permanent, site sensitive sound installation Stereo Pair that was installed on campus in January 2021 and is due to be launched and ‘Switched-On’ September 28th 2022. The installation references pre-radar aircraft listening devices; the locally produced HMV ‘Morning Glory’ Gramophone and the nearby invention of stereo sound reproduction. The work incorporates aggregate recycled from the former John Crank Building, demolished during the residency.

Eleven Windsocks for Brunel, installed atop buildings across the campus, considered the close proximity to Heathrow, the world’s second busiest airport. Coy designed the five-strip windsocks to comply with standard FAA aviation specifications, used by pilots to determine wind direction and speed. A subtle intervention to this design standard, Coy has modified the two-colour design to those of local bird plumage.

See Work for more details on each of the projects.

Reflecting Coy’s practice in experimental publishing the residency programme included the formation of the youarehere! imprint, conceived together with Will Self as freely distributed publications on campus. The publications included a poster edition with an essay by artist, curator and writer, Richard Grayson. Hollows of Heathrow, Hillingdon, and Hayes [inverted images of voids on the Western Fringes of London],  Visual Control Room [VCR] , Eleven windsocks for Brunel and M25 B 93.2 [mad bridge]. The electronic publication Highway Haiku, was displayed on a VMS (Variable Message Screen) road-side billboard at the Eastern entrance to the campus. Here, Coy invited students and staff to consider the university’s context at a time of impending global climate catastrophe, and to write haiku based on their daily commute.