This work by video artist Philip Walker explores his relationship with the imaginary physical space of the television screen. From the awful fascination of watching contestants floundering on gameshows, to work by artists mixing performance and video, the relationship of the television to its subject is one for constant debate.

The idea of being on television is taken quite literally in Holding Tank, as the monitor becomes a tank into which the artist is physically present. The tank/television slowly fills with water, from which Walker cannot escape and then, just as the water covers his head, it begins to empty again. The rhythm of breathing and held breath, as the water rises to the top, creates a tense physical moment that takes place inside the monitor before the viewer’s very eyes.

This work was installed on Watershed's in-venue screens in 2000

Ended in June 2000

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