I Wish I'd Been Born a Balloon

Bob Bicknell-Knight’s video work, I Wish I'd Been Born a Balloon, centres on the life of a nano drone, a tiny unmanned aerial vehicle that is primarily used in military operations. Throughout the video, the device reflects on its own existence and laments its primary purpose, wishing to be played with rather than deployed in combat zones, and speaks about the history of drones in relation to various wars. The work utilises footage captured from within the world of the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V, widely renowned as one of the most accurate digital simulations of the physical world.

The work physically resides on a 3D printed USB drive resembling a zeppelin.

I Wish I'd Been Born A Balloon, 2020

HD video with sound
9 min 45 sec

I Wish I'd Been Born A Balloon, 2020

HD video with sound, 3D printed USB drive
9 min 45 sec

Exhibited at Come Closer!, curated by Office Impart w/ Aartai Akkapeddi, Raphael Bastide, Bob Bicknell Knight, Stine Deja, Constant Dullaart, Anna Ehrenstein, Will Fredo, Jonas Lund, Tristan Schulze and Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu.

Online at officeimpart.com, 28th October 2020.

Exhibited at Open Call Screening Programme Round Two, selected by Elsa James, Renee Vaughan Sutherland and James Ravinet. At Big Screen Southend w/ Diane Edwards, Helga Fannon, Matthew de Kersaint Giradeau, Bob Bicknell-Knight, Ruaidhri Ryan, Jessie Russell Donn.

At Focal Point Gallery, Elmer Ave, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1NB, UK, 12th September 2021 – 9th January 2022.

Exhibited at Proyector Festival w/ Tseng Yu Chin, DING Chien-Chung, Juan José Pereira, Christian Lagata, Przemek Węgrzyn, Julia Lucesole, Amelia Orden, Vanessa Salamanca Vásquez and Bob Bicknell-Knight.

At White lab, Paseo de la Castellana, 168, Posterior, Madrid, ES, 8th - 19th September 2021.

Exhibited at Algorithmic Bias, curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight w/ Bob Bicknell-Knight, Zach Blas, Joy Buolamwini, Jacob Ciocci, Ami Clarke, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Stephanie Dinkins, Ben Grosser, Joel Holmberg, Esther Hovers, Claire Jervert, JODI and Lynn Hershman Leeson.

At [Senne], Rue de la Senne 19, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, 30th September - 10th October 2021.

Exhibited at Pink Cloud, curated by Georgia Țidorescu w/ Bogdan Alexandru, Matei Bacanu, Bob Bicknell-Knight, Martyna Marciniak-Grace, Bogdan Matei and Taietzel Ticalos.

At Arad Art Museum, Arad, Romania, 19th November - 19th December 2021.

I Wish I'd Been Born A Balloon, 2020

HD video with sound
9 min 45 sec

I Wish I'd Been Born A Balloon, 2020

HD video with sound
9 min 45 sec

Models for a virtual reality installation.

Within a physical setting, the video will be watched through a virtual reality headset, immersing the audience into the experience of flying through the sky. The first-person narrated monologue, accompanied by the VR immersion, enables the audience to become intimately connected to the plight of the drone. These initial ideas involve constructing seating inspired by the content of the video, mimicking the structure of a hornets nest.

Models for a virtual reality installation.