For the past six years, long haired, Reading born iconoclast Chris Cunningham, has pretty much refused to participate in any area of media that requires his visage or voice. The 37 year old BAFTA nominee whose back catalogue reads like the ‘whose who’ of the 20th Century music and culture (Warp Films, Madonna, Aphex Twin, The Horrors) has simply gone tired of the oft shallow media circus. Although it can be interesting getting the low-down on an artists latest project, we at Vs. know that thoughts, concepts and ideas can often be far more edifying. In this rare interview we get to speak to Mr. Cunningham about being resolutely independent, ‘sticking to his guns’, film and the unattractiveness of Hollywood.


Chris Cunningham is one of the few names that resonates on either side of the commercial/underground divide. No matter where one looks, odds are you’ll find a reference to the works of the wiry, sharp as a whip artist. His work seems to have a dark, haunting element that touches something deep – a visual equivalent of synapse firing, if you will. Initially known as part of the trio of ‘it’ music video directors of the late nineties (Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry completing the triumvirate) for his strangely intoxicating and comically dark visions, he’s gone on to work both above and below the divide. From award worthy adverts to filming works by his friend Damian Hirst, to making the retina burning rock nightmare ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’ video for The Horrors, to his own artworks and last but not least working on scripts for his debut horror film. Artistically, in a world where fame, an L.A.-casa and commercial glory have become signifiers of success as opposed to ones own vision, this is more than commendable even if it seems he’s part of the old guarde. “People saw my videos and thought ‘yeah, you should do a film now’. You know, I have no interest in going to Hollywood to direct someone else’s script. I come from a time where sticking to your guns was what it was about, back when not taking the call from L.A. was a good thing. I have my own obsessions, so why would I work with someone else’s words, music, themes and images?”

It appears that music and images are the cornerstones of his work. “I get my ideas from listening to music. I’ll listen to something and have an idea for an image or maybe a character, and then I’ll put that on the wall. Then I’ll have another idea. When I was making music videos I’d listen to the track and get an idea for maybe three images and string them together into something that kind of cohered over four minutes.” That his work comes from his relationship with music – turning sounds into images - makes one wonder how his visions cohere. Indeed, in the gallery this endeavor often ends as being either incredibly abstract or painfully literal. This is something that Chris is well aware of. “I recently read somewhere that David Lynch also works in the same way which was quite heartening. But that’s the problem. You’re thinking so much about atmosphere but you really need to convert it into story. Some people are happy to leave it completely abstract. I love when things are abstract but I love stories as well. I want to get the best of both worlds”.

This vision, as well as his uncompromising approach makes it rather difficult, if not impossible for him to relinquish control of any part of the creative process. Although one may expect this to be the largest problem with a feature, it turns out that working with other creatives, i.e. actors, is the biggest draw. “I can’t work with other people”he laughs “but you know, if everyone’s on the same wavelength then obviously it’s really good fun. The thing is, you have to know exactly what you want from a shoot. What excites me about doing a feature film is working with actors because if there’s something specific you want to get on the visual front, you kind of know where you are. Whereas with acting, there’s a million ways it could be done and you’re relying on someone else to invent something on the spot. If it was about visuals, I may as well have continued doing shorts. It’s about actors.”

With technology barreling onwards with crisper, sharper images and special effects becoming ever more ‘real’, Chris stands his ground. Grit before crisp, art before trends. Not at all part of the current dialogue of analogue nostalgia, he simply believes that hyper-reality detracts from the cinematic. “When I was first making videos I was using old lenses and old film stock. You want things to have a dreamlike quality to it. The way I see it, for something to be cinematic, it doesn’t matter about the quality of the image. I don’t like HD. It’s too vivid. I feel there ought to be an escapist quality to film and if shot on HD, it just seems as if you’re in the real world. Even when people start making films on a video camera, you’re so aware of it that you’re not being cinematic because you’re making people aware of the technique. Naturally though, it may just be a matter of taste.”

Remaining true to ones vision, regardless of whether one takes the call or not, is key. If one relinquishes ones values, one often finds that one is left with nothing.

Jean-Robert Saintil, Vs Magazine A/W 2008