Statement
- Tony Knox
The pseudo researcher and Mothman...
"My name is Tony Knox and I have been researching the
phenomena of Mothman. This work is a collection of the documentation
on the sightings on the character since 2004. The first time
I had encountered the creature was at a wrestling event. Since
then I have set up a website, a Myspace and Youtude all dedicated
to the search of the Mothman to promote this phenomena and
enable my investigation with other reports sent to me from
others. The creature has been seen at the pyramids of Egypt
to the derelict Garden Festival site in Liverpool. It is a
rumour that the creature is looking for a place of residence
where he will not be disturbed”. Tony Knox, Researcher
of Mothman, 2007.
 |
Concept and context ...
A live art element has developed in a performance intervention
approach. The character Mothman is an idiosyncratic alter
ego of both researcher and artist. Attired in a brightly colored
costume in the guise of a superhero, with aspirations of heroic
actions, with the creative objective to instigate the concept
of a myth in postmodern society and culture.
Using the website www.mothman.org.uk as a platform to reach
a larger audience, which forms the edifice of my research.
Many of the public and browsers accessing this information
source on the net not realising it is an art project. I have
kept this deadpan to motivate a belief in these abstract phenomena
to the realms of concepts of reality and convention.
 |
Another
stage of Mothman is a collaboration with Charles Nuttall.
This was Mothman in the virtual realms of digital gaming.
Mothman and a secondary character of Nuttall (aka Charles
Nuttall, collaborative artist) are shown in the context of
a gaming installation, an arcade machine. This presented a
wrestling game where audiences in the exhibition could interact
and participate in the arcade game and become in essence Moth
Man or Nuttall or the artist Tony Knox or Charles Nuttall.
An interaction of digital technology where the emulation to
become the iconic, so much philosophised in cultural art and
artifacts from the Classics of Greek texts and representation
to the contemporary ideals of comic books heroes re-contextualised
in Blockbuster movies and gaming to the mass market of consumerism.
Philosophy ...
“The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world,
who sets up blazing
torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.
”
Felix Adler
American educator and founder of the Ethical Movement
(1851-1933)
“Fly to the light!”
Mothman
Dysfunctional superhero (2007).
Transvoyeur
Legacy
Transvoyeur Legacy is a diverse collection of contemporary
art work from established professional artists to be donated
to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital by the Transvoyeur.
This to impart a ‘Legacy’ to the city and the
hospital prior to the European Capital of Culture 2008.
To be part of the hospital permanent collection on display
for future generations. Conceived and faciliated by Gaynor
Evelyn Sweeney (UK Projects Co-ordinator) and managed by Tony
Knox (Curator).
Title: Ken Dodd and the Diddy Moth Men.
Media: Screen Print on Canvas.
Date: 2007.
Dimensions: Art 92 cm x 92 c
Knox has taken the iconic of the wrestling hero and superimposed
to the context of the Diddy Men in a portrait of Ken Dodd,
a famous comedian from Liverpool now in his 80s, who has established
an iconic status himself through his extensive professional
comic career. This work is done in a screen print and the
original portrait image of Dodd derived from a photograph
session at the View Two Gallery (Liverpool, England) in 2006.
Previous
Art to Current Research ...

Jake
the Snake Roberts, a fallen hero from the wrestling arena,
2001.
Tony
Knox's early research in arts and culture was explored on
two levels. Firstly in his own practice to analyse the theme
of the hero in postmodern society, arts, and culture. A series
of photographs and digital shorts were produced of the wrestling
heroes of old. These were photographic portraits and the wrestler
removed from the context of the wrestling ring, but still
in the idiosyncratic characters. This artwork was exhibited
at several international art festivals from 1999 - 2002.

Earlier
workshops programme on creating heros and alter egos.
During
the same period, Knox adapted the concept to one of erudition
in workshops of outreach programmes and as a Lecturer in universities.
This enabled him further insight what the hero meant in contemporary
society through these different socio-educational parameters.
From
2004, a new twist developed in the art of Knox . He decided
to research the role of the wrestler from the onset of training
as a wrestler and to how the alter ego of the characters are
formulated and produced.
In
early 2004, he commenced training with Garage Pro Wrestling
(England), who took the novice from the basics to more adept
levels to be able to enter a wrestling tournament. He too
learned of the protocols and philosophies that structure the
nature and the theatrics that relate to the role of wrestler.
The heroes and villains.

Logo
for Garage Pro Wrestling (England).
In
conjunction with the ideologies and the training, Knox researched
the concept of the hero and combined with an earlier interest
in moths, he amalgamated the concept of the moth, both from
historical meanings and contemporary notions of this creature.
The creation of his character was further founded on creative
insight from other artists and curators he consulted for feedback.
'Moth Man' evolved and the suit was designed from the fundamentals
of research.
Character
of Moth Man evolved and earlier wrestling bouts of Moth Man
with Garage Pro Wrestling.
The
first wrestling tournaments 'Moth Man' appeared where in the
context of the events by Garage Pro Wrestling in various social
clubs in the Northwest of England. These were filmed and photographed
and the contextualisation of 'Moth Man' was presented in the
format of digital short movies and series of photographic
studies.


Knox
in guise of Moth Man in a live art gallery context at Transvoyeur
exhibition 2002 of Liverpool Biennial.
In
the Liverpool Biennial 2004, 'Moth Man' in collaboration with
Garage Pro Wrestling took the wrestling experience into the
context of the gallery space, as well as Knox projecting previous
bouts of 'Moth Man'.
Resent
Research ...
The
persona of 'Moth Man' has since been explored in many other
contexts since and removed from the wrestling forum. A live
art element has developed in a performance intervention approach.
In early 2006, 'Moth Man' has been to the pyramids in Egypt
to reconsider the idea of the character in different socio-cultural
and historical constructs.
Moth
Man in Egypt.
In
2006, he researched and curated an art exhibition, which looked
at art in post modern art, society and culture on the subject
of hero, the alter ego and live art. This was exhibited as
a collection of art from artists of different practices at
the Egg Space Gallery, Liverpool, England.

Fly
to the Light Exhibition by Tony Knox at Egg Space Gallery,
Liverpool, England.
A
combined live art and wrestling event was co-managed and organised
with Tony Knox and St Borough Council Arts Development Unit
as part of the St Helens Summer Festival. The community and
public of St Helens were introduced to a live event of this
popular sport within a cultural and creative context.

Poster
for St Helens Summer Festival event of Moth Man and GPW Wreslitng.
Additionally
in 2006, Knox was contracted by St Helens Borough Council’s
Arts Development Unit, funded by the Gormley Trust and in
association with the Liverpool Biennial Education Programme,
to present his creative research and concepts of the hero
to a group of young people at De La Salle School in St Helens,
England. The end product of this has been presented on the
BBC Big Screen in Liverpool, England.

BBC
Big Screen with Field Project.

Moth
Man was exhibited in a series of large scale reproductions
stills from the the Pyramid live art intervention in Egypt
in the Transvoyeur Liverpool and New York Exhibition 2006,
part of the Independents Liverpool Biennial 2006, an international
platform of contemporary art. A secondary stage in the research
of Moth Man and the popular culture of wrestling was developed
in a collaboration with Charles Nuttall. This was Moth Man
in the virtual realms of digital gaming. Moth Man and a secondary
character of Nuttcraker (aka Charles Nuttall, collaborative
artist) were shown in the context of a gaming installation,
an arcade machine.
This presented a wrestling game where audiences in the exhibition
could interact and participate in the arcade game and become
in essence Moth Man or Nuttcracker.

|