FRONT404 is a Dutch duo of artists consisting of Thomas voor ‘t Hekke and Bas van Oerle. After working together on a project for the first time in 2009 at the Utrecht School of the Arts, Bas and Thomas decided to also work together on their graduation project. Since then they’ve worked under the name FRONT404 on lots of different art projects, focussing on interactive installations. FRONT404 tries to surprise people, taking them out of their daily reality. Using humour and playful interaction they offer new perspectives and ways of looking at the world.
panoptICONS:
The panoptICONS are city birds with surveillance cameras for heads. In our modern urban centers surveillance cameras look down upon the people moving through the city, watching and feeding on our privacy. Usually they remain unseen because they are placed above people's normal line of sight. Scavenging city birds occupy these same spaces in the urban environment, watching the people go by in crowded places so they can react quickly when someone drops a piece of food. The panoptICON camerabirds are the logical evolution of these two species of scavengers that share the same urban ecological niche.
Sphere
Sphere is a curious creature that likes to keep an eye on things. Sphere loves the company of people, but he’s easily distracted and needs constant stimulation, otherwise he gets upset very quickly.