Editing Chris Cunningham

{{Short description|English video director (born 1970)}}
{{Lead too short|date=September 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Chris Cunningham
| image              = 
| image_size         = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1970|10|15|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Berkshire]], England
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = Filmmaker, video artist, photographer, music producer
| years_active       = 1995–present
| website            = 
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Jenny Lee Lindberg]]|2010|2016|reason=divorced}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/artists/Chris-cunningham|title=Chris Cunningham|website=Genius.com|access-date=14 December 2021}}</ref>
}}

'''Chris Cunningham''' (born 15 October 1970)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://love-it-loud.co.uk/i-will-eat-your-soul-the-making-of-aphex-twins-come-to-daddy/|title=I Will Eat Your Soul – The Making of Aphex Twin's Come to Daddy|website=Love-it-loud.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-20|archive-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606074007/http://love-it-loud.co.uk/i-will-eat-your-soul-the-making-of-aphex-twins-come-to-daddy/|url-status=dead}}</ref> is an English [[video artist]] and [[music video director]] who directed music videos for [[electronic music]]ians such as [[Autechre]], [[Squarepusher]], and [[Aphex Twin]] and [[Björk]]. Early in his career he worked as a comic book artist. He has created art installations and directed short movies. In the mid 2000s, Cunningham began doing [[music production]] work, and has also designed album artwork for a variety of musicians. Cunningham worked on a never completed movie adaptation of [[William Gibson]]'s [[cyberpunk]] novel ''[[Neuromancer]].''

His style is noted for its use of robotics, [[body horror]] and [[Mickey Mousing|Mickey mousing]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wyse |first=Pascal |date=2010-04-27 |title=Chris Cunningham |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/apr/27/chris-cunningham-review |access-date=2024-10-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> (syncing action with music).

== Biography ==

=== Early work - comic books and film special effects ===
Between circa 1990 and 1992, he worked as a comic book artist for [[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]] working under the pseudonym "Chris Halls" (Halls is his stepfather's surname).<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=droid zone |url=http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=CHRISH |access-date=2009-08-30 |publisher=2000AD Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-13 |title=Stray Thoughts 7/13/23: Chris Cunningham's Judge Dredd Comics |url=https://samthielman.com/2023/07/13/stray-thoughts-7-13-23/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=GRAPHOMANIA |language=en}}</ref> He worked on comics including ''[[Alien (franchise)|Aliens]]'' and ''[[Judge Dredd Megazine]].''<ref>{{Cite web |title=2000AD Chris Halls/Chris Cunningham Judge Rico and ABC Warrior from Judge Dredd:The Movie 1995, in Ken & Trevor Brennan's Chris Halls/Chris Cunningham Comic Art Gallery Room |url=https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1824832 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.comicartfans.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wmmvrrvrrmm |title=Alien Explorations: Chris Cunningham's / Halls' earlier Alien artwork |url=https://alienexplorations.blogspot.com/1992/10/chris-cunningham-halls-earlier-allen.html |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Alien Explorations}}</ref> His contributions included cover paintings and strips''.''<ref name=":0" />

Also from around 1990, he worked on films including model-making, [[prosthetic make-up]] and concept illustrations. He worked on films including ''[[Hardware (film)|Hardware]]'' (1990) and ''[[Dust Devil (film)|Dust Devil]]'' (1992) for [[Richard Stanley (film director)|Richard Stanley]], ''[[Nightbreed]]'' (1990) for [[Clive Barker]], and ''[[Alien 3|Alien<sup>3</sup>]]'' (1992) for [[David Fincher]].

After seeing Cunningham's work on the 1995 film version of ''[[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd]]'', [[Stanley Kubrick]] head-hunted Cunningham to work on ''[[A.I. Artificial Intelligence]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/pr06.html|title=Chris Cunningham ·· Press|date=23 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623094651/http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/pr06.html|access-date=14 December 2021|archive-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> For Kubrick, Cunningham designed and supervised [[Animatronics|animatronic]] prototypes of David; the central robot child character. Cunningham worked for over a year on the film. However, around this time Kubrick put the film on hold, with Cunningham going on to pursue a career as a director.

=== Music videos ===<!--[[Music video director]] links directly here.-->
Cunningham has had close ties to [[Warp Records]] since his first video for [[Autechre]], "Second Bad Vilbel" in 1995 and [[Squarepusher]]'s "Come On My Selector" in 1998, which received airplay on [[MTV]]'s ''[[Amp (TV series)|Amp]]'' and MTV's Chill Out Zone in Europe. Videos for [[Aphex Twin]]'s "[[Come to Daddy (song)|Come to Daddy]]" and "[[Windowlicker]]" are perhaps his best known. His video for [[Björk]]'s "[[All Is Full of Love]]" won multiple awards, including an MTV music video award for Breakthrough Video and was nominated for a [[Grammy]] for Best Short Form Music Video. It was also the first ever music video to win a Gold Pencil at the [[D&AD]] Awards. It can still be seen at the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in New York. His video for [[Aphex Twin]]'s "[[Windowlicker]]" was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the Brit Awards 2000. He also directed [[Madonna]]'s "[[Frozen (Madonna song)|Frozen]]" video which became an international hit and won the award for Best Special Effects at the 1998 MTV Music Video Awards. Cunningham also came out of a seven-year hiatus from making music videos to direct the video for "[[Sheena Is a Parasite]]" by [[the Horrors]].

=== Video art ===
His video installation ''[[Flex (film)|Flex]]'' was first shown in 2000 at the [[Royal Academy of Arts]], and subsequently at the [[Anthony d'Offay]] Gallery and other art galleries. ''Flex'' was commissioned by the [[Anthony d'Offay]] Gallery for the [[Apocalypse: Beauty & Horror in Contemporary Art]] exhibition curated by [[Norman Rosenthal]] and Max Wigram at the [[Royal Academy of Arts]] in 2000.

The Anthony d'Offay Gallery also commissioned ''[[Monkey Drummer]]'', a 2½ minute piece intended for exhibition as a companion to ''Flex'' at the 2000 ''Apocalypse'' exhibition at the [[Royal Academy of Arts]]: however, the piece was not finished in time. In it an [[automaton]] with nine appendages and the head of a monkey plays the drums to "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount", the 10th track on [[Aphex Twin]]'s 2001 album ''[[drukqs]]''.  ''Monkey Drummer'' debuted as part of Cunningham's installation at the 49th International Exhibition of Art at the 2001 [[Venice Biennale]], which consisted of a loop of ''Monkey Drummer'', ''Flex'', and his video for [[Björk]]'s "[[All Is Full of Love]]". In 2002 both ''Flex'' and ''[[Monkey Drummer]]'' were exhibited by 5th Gallery in Dublin, Ireland, in an exhibition curated by Artist/Curator Paul Murnaghan,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://5thgalleryarchive.com/archive/flex.htm |title=Chris Cunningham : flex |publisher=5thgalleryarchive.com |access-date=2014-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116043255/http://5thgalleryarchive.com/archive/flex.htm |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/monkey.html|title=Monkey Drummer is a 2.5 minute piece commissioned again by the Anthony d'Offay Gallery|date=14 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623094951/http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/monkey.html|archive-date=23 June 2011}}</ref>

=== ''Neuromancer'' ===
In an August 1999 ''[[Spike Magazine]]'' interview, cyberpunk author [[William Gibson]] stated "He (Chris) was brought to my attention by someone else. We were told, third-hand, that he was extremely wary of the Hollywood process, and wouldn't return calls. But someone else told us that ''[[Neuromancer]]'' had been his ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]'', that he'd read it when he was a kid. I went to London and we met." Gibson is also quoted in the article as saying "Chris is my own 100 percent personal choice...My only choice. The only person I've met who I thought might have a hope in hell of doing it right. I went back to see him in London just after he'd finished [[All Is Full of Love|the Bjork video]], and I sat on a couch beside this dead sex little Bjork robot, except it was wearing [[Aphex Twin]]'s head. We talked."<ref>{{cite web |date=1999-02-22 |title=William Gibson : All Tomorrow's Parties : Waiting for the Man |url=http://www.spikemagazine.com/0899williamgibson.php |access-date=2009-08-30 |work=Spikemagazine.com}}</ref>

In 2000, Cunningham and William Gibson began work on the script for Gibson's 1984 novel ''[[Neuromancer]]''. However, because ''Neuromancer'' was due to be a big budget studio film, it is rumoured that Cunningham pulled out due to being a first time director without final cut approval.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 March 2013 |title=Celebrity Grave {{!}} Chris Cunningham's Neuromancer |url=http://jesseyules.com/ideagrave/2013/3/7/celebrity-grave-chris-cunninghams-neuromancer |access-date=2020-04-07 |website=JESSE YULES FILM |language=en-US}}</ref> He also felt that too much of the original book's ideas had been cannibalised by other recent films.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leggott |first=James |date=2016-04-01 |title=Come to Daddy? Claiming Chris Cunningham for British Art Cinema |url=https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/jbctv.2016.0311 |journal=Journal of British Cinema and Television |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=243–261 |doi=10.3366/jbctv.2016.0311 |issn=1743-4521}}</ref>

=== Music production, 'live' and short films (2004 - present) ===
By 18 November 2004, the Neuromancer film project had been canned. On the FAQ on the William Gibson Board, Gibson stated about the adaptation "... The most recently rumoured version, to have been directed by Chris Cunningham, is now definitely not happening."<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's the FAQ&nbsp;— Topic Powered by Eve Community |url=http://williamgibsonboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/273109857/m/624109857 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193555/http://williamgibsonboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/273109857/m/624109857 |archive-date=23 February 2009 |access-date=2009-08-30 |publisher=Williamgibsonboard.com}}</ref>

Cunningham took a sabbatical from filmmaking to learn about music production and recording and to develop his own music projects.

In 2005, Cunningham released the short film ''[[Rubber Johnny]]'' as a DVD accompanied by a book of photographs and drawings. ''Rubber Johnny'', a six-minute experimental short film cut to a soundtrack by [[Aphex Twin]] remixed by Cunningham, was shot between 2001 and 2004. Shot on DV night-vision, it was made in Cunningham's own time as a home movie of sorts, and took three and half years of weekends to complete. ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' called it "like a Looney Tunes short for a generation raised on video nasties and rave music".<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3642759/Cheap-but-never-cheerful.html |title=Cheap but never cheerful |work =[[The Daily Telegraph]]| first = Chris | last = Campion | date = 28 May 2005}}</ref>

In 2005, Cunningham played a 45-minute audio visual piece performed live in Tokyo and Osaka in front of 30,000+ fans over the two nights at the Japanese electronic music festival {{interlanguage link|Electraglide (event)|lt=Electraglide|ja|エレクトラグライド}}. These performances evolved into ''Chris Cunningham Live'', a 55-minute long performance piece combining original and remixed music and film. It features remixed, unreleased and brand new videos and music dynamically edited together into a new live piece spread over three screens. The sound accompanying these images includes Cunningham's first publicly performed compositions interspersed with his remixes of other artist's work. ''Chris Cunningham Live'' debuted as one of the headline attractions at Warp 20 in Paris on 8 May 2009 with other performances scheduled at festivals in UK, and a number of European cities later in the year. ''Chris Cunningham Live'' continued in June 2011, with performances in London, Barcelona, and Sydney, Australia.

During this period Cunningham also made another short film for [[Warp Films]], ''Spectral Musicians'', which remains unreleased. The short film was set to [[Squarepusher]]'s "My Fucking Sound" from his album ''[[Go Plastic]]''; and to a piece called "Mutilation Colony"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.no-future.com/erutufon/showthread.php?t=7237 |title=Squarepusher interview&nbsp;— erutufon |publisher=nofuture |date=2004-03-03 |access-date=2009-09-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203203119/http://www.no-future.com/erutufon/showthread.php?t=7237 |archive-date=3 December 2007}}</ref> which was written especially for the short, and was released on the studio album ''[[Do You Know Squarepusher]]''.

In 2007, an excerpt from ''Flex'' was shown in the [[Barbican Centre|Barbican]]'s exhibition Seduced: Art and Sex from Antiquity to Now curated by [[Martin Kemp (art historian)|Martin Kemp]], Marina Wallace and Joanne Bernstein. alongside other pieces by [[Francis Bacon (artist)|Bacon]], [[Gustav Klimt|Klimt]], [[Rembrandt]], [[Auguste Rodin|Rodin]] and [[Picasso]].

In December 2007 Cunningham produced two tracks, "Three Decades" and "Primary Colours", for ''[[Primary Colours (The Horrors album)|Primary Colours]]'', the second album by [[the Horrors]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kharas |first=Kev |date=14 March 2008 |title=Chris Cunningham to make production debut on new Horrors album |url=http://drownedinsound.com/news/3050246 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503022250/http://drownedinsound.com/news/3050246 |archive-date=3 May 2009 |access-date=16 April 2009 |work=[[Drowned in Sound]]}}</ref> In the summer of 2008, due to scheduling conflicts with his feature film script writing he could not work on the rest of the album which was subsequently recorded by [[Geoff Barrow]] from [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]].

In 2008, he produced and arranged a new version of 'I Feel Love' for the [[Gucci]] commercial that he also directed. He travelled to Nashville to work with [[Donna Summer]] to record a brand new vocal for it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/2978/1/|title=Dazed Digital &#124; Chris Cunningham Feels Love for Gucci's Flora|date=20 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220052900/http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/2978/1/|access-date=14 December 2021|archive-date=20 December 2009}}</ref>

In 2008, Cunningham produced a fashion shoot for ''[[Dazed & Confused (magazine)|Dazed & Confused]]'' using [[Grace Jones]] as a model to create "Nubian versions" of Rubber Johnny.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/ArtsAndCulture/article/1273/1/Chris_Cunningham_Photographs_Grace_Jones_for_DC |title=Grace Jones photoshoot for Dazed and Confused |date=16 October 2008 |publisher=Dazeddigital.com |access-date=2009-08-30}}</ref> In an interview for BBC's "The Culture Show", it was suggested that the collaboration may expand into a video project. In regards to the collaboration, Cunningham stated "For me, Grace has the strongest iconography of any artist in music. She’s definitely the most inspiring person I’ve worked with so far".

In November 2008, Cunningham followed on with another photoshoot for ''[[Vice Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.viceland.com/int/v15n10/htdocs/chris-cunningham-137.php |title=Chris Cunningham Photoshoot for Vice Magazine |publisher=Viceland.com |access-date=2009-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121000711/http://www.viceland.com/int/v15n10/htdocs/chris-cunningham-137.php |archive-date=21 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Cunningham was married to [[Warpaint (band)|Warpaint]]'s bassist [[Jenny Lee Lindberg]] in 2010. By 2016, they were no longer together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/17912/1/war-games |title=War Games &#124; Dazed |publisher=Dazeddigital.com |date=2008-01-23 |access-date=2014-08-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2016/11/07/warpaint-the-un-breakup/|title=Warpaint: The Un-Breakup Music|website=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]]|date=November 7, 2016 |accessdate=November 28, 2018}}</ref>

==Photography==
Cunningham has created photography and cover artwork for various people including [[Björk]]'s "[[All Is Full of Love]]", [[Aphex Twin]]'s "[[Windowlicker]]" and "[[Come to Daddy (song)|Come to Daddy]]".

== Videography ==
Cunningham has directed music videos, commercials and short films. His commercials for companies and brands, include [[Gucci]], [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]] ([[PlayStation]]), [[Levi's]], [[Telecom Italia]], [[Nissan]], and [[Orange (brand)|Orange]]. The video collection ''[[The Work of Director Chris Cunningham]]'' was released in November 2004 as part of the [[Directors Label]] set. This DVD includes selected highlights from 1995 to 2000.
* "Second Bad Vilbel" (1996) video for [[Autechre]]
* "Back with the Killer Again" (1996) video for [[the Auteurs]]
* "[[Light Aircraft on Fire]]" (1996) video for [[the Auteurs]]
* "Fighting Fit" (1996) video for [[Gene (band)|Gene]]
* "Another Day" (1996) video for [[Lodestar (band)|Lodestar]]
* "Space Junkie" (1996) video for [[Holy Barbarians (band)|Holy Barbarians]]
* "[[36 Degrees]]" (1996) video for [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]]
* "Personally" (1997) video for [[12 Rounds (band)|12 Rounds]]
* "Jesus Coming in for the Kill" (1997) video for Life's Addiction
* "The Next Big Thing" (1997) video for [[Jesus Jones]]
* "Tranquillizer" (1997) video for [[Geneva (band)|Geneva]]
* "No More Talk" (1997) video for [[Dubstar]]
* "Something to Say" (1997) video for [[Jocasta (band)|Jocasta]]
* "[[Come to Daddy (song)|Come to Daddy]]" (1997) video for [[Aphex Twin]]
* "Clip Clop" (1997) commercial for [[XFM London]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/xfm-launch-campaign-targets-indie-listeners/29701|title= Xfm launch campaign targets indie listeners|date= August 29, 1997|access-date= September 2, 2023|first= Karen|last= Yates|work= [[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign]]}}</ref>
* "Sport is Free" (1997) – commercial for [[ITV plc|ITV]]
* "Fetish" (1998) – commercial for NUS
* "[[Only You (Portishead song)|Only You]]" (1998) video for [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]]
* "[[Frozen (Madonna song)|Frozen]]" (1998) video for [[Madonna]]
* "Come on My Selector" (1998) video for [[Squarepusher]]
* "Engine" (1999) commercial for [[Nissan]]. Featuring music by [[Boards of Canada]]
* "[[All Is Full of Love]]" (1999) video for [[Björk]]
* "[[Windowlicker]]" (1999) video for [[Aphex Twin]]
* "[[Afrika Shox]]" (1999) video for [[Leftfield]] and [[Afrika Bambaataa]]
* "Mental Wealth" (1999) commercial for [[Sony PlayStation]]
* "Photocopier" (unreleased) commercial for [[Levi's]]
* "[[Flex (film)|Flex]]" (2000) video installation. Featuring music by [[Aphex Twin]]
* "Quiet" (2000) – commercial for [[Telecom Italia]]. Featuring music by [[Boards of Canada]]
* "[[Monkey Drummer]]" (2001) video installation. Featuring "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels mount" from [[Aphex Twin]]'s album ''[[Drukqs]]''
* "Up and Down" (2002) – commercial for [[Levi's]]
* "Photo Messaging" (2003) commercial for Orange. Featuring music from [[Add N To (X)]].
* "[[Rubber Johnny]]" (2005) featuring "Afx237 V7" from [[Aphex Twin]]'s album ''[[Drukqs]]''
* "[[Sheena Is a Parasite]]" (2006) video for [[the Horrors]]
* "Gucci Flora" (2009) commercial for [[Gucci]] Perfume
* "New York Is Killing Me (Chris Cunningham Remix)" (2010) video for [[Gil Scott-Heron]]
* "Jaqapparatus 1" (2012) robotic art installation performance for [[Audi]] City London.
* "Love Is To Die" Multimedia documentary for the album release of [[Warpaint (Warpaint album)|Warpaint]] (2014).
* "Transforma" video installation for "Post Human" exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery (2024)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.chriscunningham.com}}{{dead link|date=September 2023}}
* {{IMDb name|0192260}}
* [http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Cunningham&first=Chris Chris Cunningham] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104040043/http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Cunningham&first=Chris |date=4 November 2012 }} at the [[Music Video Database]]
* [http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=CHRISH Chris Cunningham] profile at 2000 AD
* [http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6103-chris-cunningham Chris Cunningham] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825100307/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6103-chris-cunningham/ |date=25 August 2012 }} interview at [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]], 2005

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Chris}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Advertising directors]]
[[Category:British comics artists]]
[[Category:British music video directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British video artists]]
[[Category:People from Lakenheath]]
[[Category:People from Reading, Berkshire]]
[[Category:English contemporary artists]]