The Cataclysmic Accounts from the Binary Institute
by The Jackson Twins 2010

"Our work pays particular focus to 'The Twin', what it is to be an identical being - to in essence, share an identity with your double. We explore the worldwide fascination with twins: in terms of the pop culture fixation of the 'evil-twin', the depths of the twin in folklore (The Doppelganger) and the themes explored through psychology and psychoanalysis. We aim to take advantage of the visual power - The awkwardness, the lack of fit and belonging, the freakish feel - of the twin motif. Within the performance of our self-portraits we illustrate the relevance of such an evocative motif in the context of a culture still fixated on the individual.

The Cataclysmic Accounts from the Binary Institute presents the viewer with folklore-inspired narratives where we take on the roles of story-book archetypes.

This exploration into the Doppelganger theme has been combined with psychological research, in particular stidies into delusional mis-identification syndromes and multiple personality disoders.

We enjoy the relevance in the ideas of adopting new identities and personas, taking on new character traits for the moment that the camera is on us. With this in mind, we aim for the pieces to raise questions as to wether we are literally seeing a double or whether the twin becomes a metaphor for a singular identity split and battling itself; such as the ego versus the id, or the conscience versus the hedonistic.

It is important to us that each piece can be seen as seductive to the senses and yet also allows room for repulsion or a darker interpretation. This idea of attraction and caution excites us.

'The Cataclysmic Accounts from the Binary Institute' earned us the Rhubarb-Rhubarb Bursary in 2009. Pieces from this body of work have been exhibited at the Australian Centre of Photography, Sydney.

We currently have work on show at the Rayko Photo Centre, San Francisco, USA and The Mailbox, Birmingham, UK.

We continue to work on the Cataclysmic Accounts from the Binary Institute, and have several new projects on the horizon.