James Leadbitter/the vacuum cleaner

Biography

the vacuum cleaner is an art and activism collective of one. Working across forms including performance, installation and film, the vacuum cleaner addresses challenging and taboo issues such as consumerism and mental health. From one man shows to large scale participatory actions, his approach is both subtle and extreme, but always candid, provocative and playful. His work has been exhibited throughout the UK, and recent major commissions include Welcome Collection, Broadmoor Hospital and FACT. Recent international commissions include Festspiele Zürich and Vooruit/Dr Guislain Hospital Museum (Ghent). His films have been commissioned by BBC4 and Channel 4. He cofounded the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination (2004 - 2009) and is an Artsadmin Artist.