John Sanborn has been described as “a leading figure of the second wave of American video artists, alongside Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Dara Birnbaum, and Tony Oursler” by Dr. Peter Weibel, director of the ZKM. Sanborn’s career spans from the early days of experimental video art in the 1970s to the heyday of MTV music videos in the 1980s, through interactive art in the 1990s and today’s digital art. Sanborn’s work has been featured on television (Alive from Off Center, ABC, Channel 4, MTV, Great Performances, Comedy Central), in the form of video installations (Whitney Museum, The Kitchen, Videoformes, ZKM), video games (Electronic Arts), Internet experiences (MGM, Microsoft, Jeu de Paume), and music videos (Rick James, Van Halen, Nile Rodgers, Grace Jones, King Crimson, Tangerine Dream, Philip Glass). He is known for his collaborations with a wide range of virtuoso artists, contemporary composers, and choreographers. His work primarily explores the themes of storytelling and narrative, philosophies of composition, the power of mythology, and the resilience of memory—as he continues his quest for that elusive sense of “NOT ME.”
Jean-Jacques Birgé composed the music for NONSELVES and several segments for John Sanborn, who directed the last episode of Perspectives for the 22nd Century.
