Biography

Russell Mills

Multimedia artist Mills has exhibited internationally and has created numerous site-specific, immersive installations in the UK and abroad. He is also known for his award-winning album covers for the likes of Brian Eno, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian and Japan, Toru Takemitsu, Michael Nyman, Harold Budd and Nils Petter Molvaer, and for his influential book covers for Samuel Beckett, Ian McEwan, Milan Kundera, Graham Swift and Peter Ackroyd amongst many others. He has produced work for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Reuters, Logica, Toshiba, Oporto Expo 2000 and the British Council. He has also created films, set and lighting designs for some of the most innovative contemporary performers, choreographers and musicians of recent decades, including Brian Eno, Siobhan Davies, John Surman, Arvo Part, The Necks, Nils Petter Molvaer, Jan Gabarek, David Sylvian, Wire, Harold Budd, Jon Hassell, Sidsel Endressen, the Hilliard Ensemble, and for the Festival of Visual Music in Lanzarote, the Brighton Festival and the Punkt Festival in Norway. He has produced soundworks for film, radio and performance and under the name Undark has released two CDs, Strange Familiar and Pearl and Umbra: a third and a series of CDs of sound works made for installations from1990 up to the present, to be called Still Moves, are works-in-process. Live work has included performances with Wire, Dome, Nils Petter Molvaer and Bill Laswell. Since 1990 he has collaborated with artist Ian Walton to create contextually anchored, site-specific installations. These include Ember Glance: The Permanence of Memory (1990), F-Go Soko, Tokyo (with David Sylvian), Soundings (1995), Green Park Station Vaults, Bath, for the Bath Festival, Measured in Shadows (1996), Tullie House Museum and City Art Gallery, Carlisle and (1997), Guinness Hopstore, Dublin, Spirit (1997),

 

Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, Filters: Past Presents (1998), Gallery El Aljibe, Lanzarote and Still Moves (1999), the Forest Of Bowland, Lancashire for Artbarns: After Kurt Schwitters. Two man exhibitions with Walton include Black Ice (2001), Ad Hoc Gallery, North Tyneside and Forward To Far (2010), The Armitt Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria. With musician and sound engineer Mike Fearon they produced Mantle (2000), for Sonic Boom: The Art of Sound, Hayward Gallery, London, Republic of Thorns (2001), at 3 ° West Gallery at Island View, The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, The Space of a Door (2004), Urbis, Manchester for Futuresonic04, Skin (2005) Elephant Yard, Kendal, Cumbria, Blue Tears (2005) Silo Espaço Cultural in Oporto, Portugal and Head (2006) Armitt Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria. Also with Fearon, Mills has created Moth (2001), at the Lighthouse: the Scottish Centre for Architecture, Design & the City, Glasgow, Cleave | Soft Bullets (2002), at the Studio, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, Now Then (2003), St Luke’s Discovery Centre, London for the City of London Festival, et puis je l’embraissai (2004), The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Great Tetbury, Gloucestershire, for the Festival of the Garden and Hold (2004 – 05), Palazzo delle Papesse, Centre for Contemporary Art, Siena. His work is held in private collections in Australia, Canada, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK and USA and in public collections world-wide, including the British Council, the British Museum, the Tate Gallery London, Reuters and the Victoria & Albert Museum. He has lectured at colleges and universities throughout the UK and Ireland and is Visiting Tutor at the Royal College of Art, Honorary Visiting Professor at Glasgow School of Art and External Examiner at Hull School of Art & Design and Lincoln University.

 

Solo Exhibitions and Installations
1980
Fine Lines, Thumb Gallery, London, UK

1983
returns an echo…, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
returns an echo…, Abbot Hall Art Gallery & Museum, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

1986
Ciphers, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Ciphers, Metropole Arts Centre, Folkestone, Kent, UK

1987
Enter the Silences (North the Light), Parco Space 5, Tokyo, Japan

1989
Silent Systems, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Planet and Glow-Worm, Visual Arts Museum, New York, USA

1990
Sixteen Shimmers (& Shadows Surrender), Parco Space 5, Tokyo, Japan
Sixteen Shimmers (& Shadows Surrender), Kirin Plaza, Osaka, Japan

1991
Within Without, Huntington Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
RSC Works, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon Avon, Worcestershire, UK
and the Barbican Centre, London. UK
The Possible Slow Fuse, Pentagram Gallery, London, UK

1997
Material: Seven Souls, Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts, New York, USA;
light sculpture installation, with Bill Laswell and Material

1998
Trace Elements, Base Gallery, Tokyo

2002
Moth, The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, Glasgow, Scotland; light sculpture installation
Extended Wings, The Warehouse Gallery, The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Cleave/Soft Bullets, The Studio, The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK;  multimedia installation, with Mike Fearon

2013
Cargo In The Blood, Sonos Studio, Los Angeles, USA; with sound installation

2014
Cargo In The Blood, 1830 Gallery, The Artworks, Shaw Lodge Mills, Halifax, Yorkshire, UK, with multimedia installation

2015 
Blueprint For A Storm, National College of Art and Design Dublin, Ireland

2019
Happenstance, Severn Gallery, Brantwood, Coniston, Cumbria, UK

2020
Second Thoughts, online exhibition of lockdown miniatures

Two person exhibitions and installations

1990
Ember Glance: The Permanence of Memory, Space F-Go Soko, Tokyo, Japan; multimedia installation with David Sylvian

1992
Earth Murmurs, Curwen Gallery, London, UK*

1993
Ember Glance: The Permanence of Memory (Fragments), The Architectural Association, London, UK; multimedia installation*

1994
Between Two Lights, Ambleside Mountain Festival, Charlotte Mason College, Lancaster University campus, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation

MW Undark, Zeffirelli’s Ambleside, Cumbria, UK; temporary gallery intervention*

1995
Soundings: Sub Rosa, Green Park Station Vaults, Bath, Somerset, UK; multimedia installation commissioned by the Society for the Promotion of New Music and Architecture for the Bath Festival+

1996
Measured in Shadows, Tullie House Museum and City Art Gallery, Carlisle, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation*
Looming, The Eagle Gallery, London, UK*

1997
Measured in Shadows, Guinness Hopstore, Dublin, Ireland; multimedia installation*

Natures Teeth, The Samling at Dovenest, Windermere, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation*
Spirit, Grizedale Forest, Hawkshead, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation*
X-Libris, Sun Street Studios, Lancaster, UK; multimedia installation*
Filters; Pasts Presents, Gallery El Aljibe, Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands; multimedia installation*

1998
The Gradual Instant, Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax, Yorkshire, UK*

1999
Still Moves, Lentworth House Farm, The Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, UK; for ArtBarns: After Kurt Schwitters, multimedia installation*

2000
Sonic Boom: The Art of Sound, Hayward Gallery, London; multimedia installation*

2001
Republic of Thorns, 3° West Gallery at Island View, Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation with Paul Farley*

Skin, Elephant Yard, Kendal, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation/intervention in an empty shop unit^

2002
Black Ice, Ad Hoc Gallery, Buddle Arts Centre, Wallsend, for North Tyneside Arts, Northumberland, UK*

2004
Hold, The Caveau, Palazzo delle Papesse, multimedia installation with Petulia Mattioli for Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena, Italy
The Space of A Door, Urbis, Manchester, multimedia installation for Futuresonic04^

2005
Blue Tears, Silo Espaço Cultural, Oporto, multimedia installation for Fundaçao de Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and Centro Portuges de Fotografia^

2006
Head, Armitt Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK; multimedia installation*

2008
Dialogue Boxes, 20/21 Gallery, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, UK; box assemblages with Phil Mouldycliff

2010
Forward To Far: Telescoping Time: From Schwitters To Now, The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK

* * with Ian Walton + with Ian Walton and Hywel Davies † with Michael Webster ^ with Ian Walton and Mike Fearon

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Commissions

1998/99
The Cort Exhibition: public sculpture commission for Fareham, Hampshire, UK

1989
Wreath for Kurt Schwitters, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Museum Kendal, Cumbria, Uk; with contributions by Peter Blake, Tom Philips, Ian Walton and others

1990
Shintin, Kurt Schwitters Memorial Sculpture, Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, UK; for Northern Arts*

1997
Hold Me, Strange & Beautiful Productions, film title credits† I-War Silverfilms Ltd, film music * with Ian Walton † with Michael Webster

Selected group exhibitions and installations

1975
RCA, Kettles Yard, Cambridge, UK

1976-87
European Illustration, Annual Exhibition Association of Illustrators, Annual Exhibition

1978
Artwords & Bookworks, touring exhibition: USA, Canada, Australia, Europe

1979
Five English Artists, Galerie Mokum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
International Competition for Young Painters, Sofia, with Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Images to Order, Scottish and Welsh Arts Council’s Touring Exhibition

1980
100 x 100 x 100, Gallerit, Stockholm Into Print, Royal College of Art, London, UK

1981
Art in Advertising, Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Summer Reflections, Thumb Gallery, London, UK
Gallery Artists, Moira Kelly Gallery, London, UK
Culture Shock, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK

1982
Hayward Annual, Hayward Gallery, London, UK
Images for Today, Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK
Interiors, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Gallery Artists, Moira Kelly Gallery, London, UK

1983
Britain Salutes New York, Brooklyn Museum of Modern Art, New York. USA
Collage, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
The Music Show, Thumb Gallery, London, UK

1984
Ten Years of European Illustration, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York and the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, USA
Gallery Artists, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Out of Line, ICA, London, UK
Caxton to Chloe, British Council world touring exhibition
Ambit, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK
Gallery Artists, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Art London, Olympia, with Curwen Gallery, UK

1986
Interaction, Camden Arts Centre, London, UK
Gallery Artists, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Critical Lines, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, and the Watershed, Bristol, UK
Art London, Olympia, with Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Art Meets Science, Smith’s Gallery, London, UK

1987
Sydney Biennial, Sydney, Australia
Gallery Artists, Curwen Gallery London, UK
New British Design, touring exhibition, Osaka, Kyoto, Japan
Eight by Eight, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Chicago International Exposition, with Curwen Gallery, London, UK

1988
Breakthrough, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Curwen in Chicago, Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Sydney Biennial, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Chicago International Art Exposition, with Curwen Gallery, USA
Design for Print, Design Council touring exhibition, London, Glasgow, Leeds, UK
Starlight Wish Exhibition & Auction, Smith Galleries, London, UK

1989
Doobraak Berlage, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Art London, Olympia London, UK; with Curwen Gallery
Chicago International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA; with Curwen Gallery

1990
Pictures of Rock, Kunsthallen Brandts Klædefabrik, Odense, Denmark
Portfolio 1990 Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Art London, Olympia London, with Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Chicago International Art Exposition, with Curwen Gallery, London, UK
Original Copies, touring exhibition: National Museum of Art, Kyoto, Axis Gallery, Tokyo, Century Plaza, Nagoya, La Foret Museum, Tokyo, Japan and the Henry Moore Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, UK
The Metropole Art Centre’s Permanent Collection, Metropole Art Centre, Folkestone, Kent, UK

1991
Pictures of Rock, Gothenburg Art Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren, Germany
The Art of Selling Songs Graphics for the Music Business 1690- 1990, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
The Art of Science, City of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth, Devon, UK

1995
Artist Books, Festival Hall, London,UK; with the Eagle Gallery
NICAF, Yokohama, Japan, with Base Gallery Tokyo

1996
Artist Books, Festival Hall, London, UK; with the Eagle Gallery

1997
Artist Books, Festival Hall, London, UK; with the Eagle Gallery

1998
Word and Image, The Samling at Dove Nest, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK; group exhibition with Patrick Procter, Julian Cooper and Donald Wilkinson to accompany the conference of ‘Poets and Poetry Today’, with Fleur Adcock, Simon Armitage, Melvyn Bragg, Neil Corcoran, Douglas Dunn, Tony Harrison, Seamus Heaney, Andrew Motion, Sean O’Brien, Sue Roberts, William Scammell and Jo Shapcott
Root (for Thurston Moore), Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK
Anon, Castlegate Gallery, Cockermouth, Cumbria, UK
Artist Books, Festival Hall, London, UK; with the Eagle Gallery
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, Cumbria, UK

2001
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Graphic Authorship: Artists in Print, Liverpool School of Art and Design, Liverpool, UK, and the Atrium Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

2002
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK (Prize winner)
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

2003
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK (Best window and art)

Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2004
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, Uk
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

2005
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK
Good Morning Herr Schwitters, Guten Abend Mr Ruskin, Severn Gallery, Brantwood, Coniston, Cumbria, UK
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

2006
Debris Fields, Bolton Art Gallery, Bolton, Lancashire; mixed installation of rectified object poems, re-configured found objects and re-mixed found sounds, with Tom Phillips, David Cunningham, Phil Mouldycliff, Colin Potter, Keith Rowe, Max Eastley, Hugh Davies and Colin Fallows
Words by Beckett, Cat Hill Gallery, London, UK
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2007
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2008
What Are You Like?, Dulwich Picture Library, London, UK
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2009
What Are You Like?, Manchester City Gallery, Manchester, Lancashire, and Wingfields Barn, Eye, Suffolk, UK
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
The Art of Lost Words, German Gymnasium, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2010
What Are You Like?, Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Durham Art Gallery, County Durham, UK
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
The Art of Lost Words, German Gymnasium, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2011
What Are You Like?, Collyer Bristol Gallery, London, Uk
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
The Art of Lost Words, Peninsua Arts Gallery, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2012
Sublime Transactions, The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK
Making Space, Woburn Research Centre, Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Rock Solid, Kendal Museum, Kendal London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK

2013
Secret, Royal College of Art, London,
Art Postcards, University of Derby
What Are You Like? The Gallery, Winchester Discovery Centre, Winchester; Swiss Cottage Library, London

2014
Secret, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Art Postcards, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, UK
Curated exhibitions

2010
Forward To Far: Telescoping Time: Schwitters To Now, The Armitt Museum and Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK*

2011
Bohemians In Exile: The Royal College of Art In Ambleside 1940-1945, The Armitt Museum and Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK

2012
Sublime Transactions, The Armitt Museum and Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK
* with Ian Walton

Selected stage designs, live performances and soundworks

1980
Kluba Cupol, Notre Dame Hall, London, UK; multimedia performance with Bruce Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Shinro Ohtake, The Quay Brothers and Blurt

1981
MZUI, Waterloo Gallery, London, UK; multimedia recording installation with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis

1982
MZUI, Australia, Radio JJJ and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a live-to-air recording for the Sydney Biennale with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis

1982-83
MU:ZE:UM: Traces, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK; recording installation with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis

1983
Domend, Maison de Culture, Le Havre, France, live performance with Graham Lewis and Chris Evans

Only Connect, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, Oxfordshire; live performance with Shinro Ohtake, supporting Wire

1986
Run To Earth, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, London, UK; stage set design with David Buckland for Siobhan Davies

1986-89
Echoes from the Cross, St Peter’s Church, Vauxhall, London, UK: founder and curator of a series of annual concerts initiated to raise finances to establish what has become Vauxhall Saint Peter’s Heritage Centre, performers included: Benjamin Bartlett, John Bonnar, Michael Brook, Dade Krame, The Echoes Ensemble, Roger Eno, Brian Eno, John Foxx, Djivan Gasparyan, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, Nigel Grierson (films), the Guo Brothers, The Happy End, The Heavenly Bodies, Hot Cinders, Laraaji, Robert Lee, Ransome Soul Revival and others

1987-91
An Opal Evening, various venues, Canary Islands, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain and UK, concerts by Aquarello, John Bonnar, Michael Brook, Harold Budd, David Darling, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Jan Gabarek, Djivan Gasparyan, The Hilliard Ensemble, Laraaji, Daniel Lentz, Ingram Marshall, Wim Mertens, Stephan Micus, Astor Piazzolia, James Pinker, Steve Roach, Terry Riley, John Surman, Andreas Vollenweider, and others: produced light sculptures, stage sets and lighting design

1988
In Praise of Shamans, various venues, world tour by David Sylvian, set design, sculpture design, lighting and all merchandising design

London-Leningrad, first live television satellite bridge between the UK and Russia, for Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel, set design and video images

Wyoming, Siobhan Davis Dance Company, London, UK; set design with David Buckland

1989-1996
Festival Musica Visuale, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, set design, films, lighting and light sculptures for concerts by: Aquarello, Michael Brook, Harold Budd, David Darling, Stuart Dempster, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Jan Gabarek, Djivan Gasparyan, The Hilliard Ensemble, Laraaji, Daniel Lentz, Ingram Marshall, Wim Mertens, Stephan Micus, Astor Piazzolla, Steve Roach, Hans Joachim Roedelius, Terry Riley, John Surman, Andreas Vollenweider and others

1992
Make-Make, Siobhan Davies Dance Company, London, UK; music and sound design

I Saw You, Clapham Grand, London, UK; multimedia performances with Piquet (Paul Kendall), Hafler Trio, Dome, aer (audio-visual performance), The Stretchheads and The Wall of Noise

The Lakes Project, Zeffirelli’s, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK: co-coordinator/producer of recording and concert project with Michael Brook, Roger Eno, Laraaji and James Pinker

2001
Undark, Festspillene I Nord Norge, Harstad, Norway; live performance with Nils Petter Molvaer, Bill Laswell, Eivind Aarset and Gigi

2002
Voyeur, the Wrong Company, Terra Nova Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark; sound works for multimedia performance

2003
4 Tooth Minimum, The Abbey, Barnet, London, UK; live recording/performance with Bruce Gilbert and Shinro Ohtake
Feedback, British Council, Sofia, Hungary
Feedback: Cybersonica, ICA, London, UK
Feedback: Radio Remote Control, Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, UK
Audio Research Editions, 68 Hope Street Gallery, Liverpool, UK

2004
Cityscapes, St Luke’s Church, the Discovery Centre, Old Street, London, UK; multimedia live performance for film, sound, live sextet, treated live text and pre-recorded electro-acoustic sounds for the City of London Festival, with students from the Royal College of Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
et puis je l’embrassai, Festival of The Garden, the National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK; soundwork for site-specific installation by Ali Holman Marr

2005
Harold Budd, Brighton Dome, Brighton, Sussex, UK; for the Brighton Festival, concert by Harold Budd, Bill Nelson, John Foxx, Robin Guthrie, Steve Jansen and Jah Wobble, produced stage visuals and lighting design

2007
Punkt Festival, Kristiansand, Norway; Undark live performance

2011
Time Being, The Necks and Harold Budd, UK tour, Capstone Theatre, Liverpool, Holywell Music Room, Oxford, Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter, Stan’s Café, Birmingham, Howard Assembly Room, Opera North, Leeds; created film and lighting design

2012
“… como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si…”, Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, USA; Sadlers Wells Theatre, London, UK; Théâtre de la ville, Paris, France; Undark tracks used

Publications

1976
The Geek, Royal College of Art, London, UK; limited edition publication

1977
Evening Breakers, Royal College of Art, London, UK; limited edition book
The Geek, Royal College of Art, London, UK; limited edition publication

1986
More Dark Than Shark, with Brian Eno and Rick Poynor Faber & Faber, London, UK

1990
lan Walton and Russell Mills, Art Random Series, Kyoto Shoin, Kyoto. Japan

1991
Ember Glance: The Permanence of Memory, David Sylvian and Russell Mills, edited by Rick Poynor, Virgin Records, London, UK; book and CD in boxed set

1995
Looming, Eagle Gallery/Dinosaur Press,London, UK; Russell Mills and Ian Walton; limited edition handmade book in box

1996
Measured In Shadows, Russell Mills and Ian Walton; limited edition boxed catalogue with CD

2001
Republic Of Thorns, Russell Mills, Ian Walton and Paul Farley, Wordsworth Trust Grasmere, Cumbria, UK; limited edition catalogue with CD

2002
Cleave | Soft Bullets, limited edition CD catalogue
Graphic Authorship: Artists in Print, Liverpool School of Art and Design, Liverpool, UK; limited edition set of postcards

2004
Hold, Petulia Mattoili and Russell Mills, Palazzo delle Papesse, Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena, Italy

2005
Blue Tears, Russell Mills and Ian Walton, Silo Espaço Cultural, for the Fundaçao de Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and Centro Portuges de Fotografia, Oporto, Portugal

2006
Debris Fields, Bolton Art Gallery, Bolton, UK

2010-2011
Forward To Far: Telescoping Time: From Schwitters To Now, The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria

2011
Bohemians In Exile: The Royal College of Art in Ambleside 1940-1945, The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK

2012
Sublime Transactions, The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK

2015
Still Moves | one, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

2016
Cargo In The Blood: The Reverse Is Also True, limited edition including 320 page, five colour hardback book with hand-cauterised cover, and original painting framed in Cor-ten steel; focusing on the works made for Nine Inch Nails’ 2013 Hesitation Marks album

Still Moves | two, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

2017
Still Moves | three, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

Public, Corporate and Private collections

Public collections
Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Museum, Kendal; The Armitt Museum & Library, Ambleside; British Council; British Museum; Kent County Council; Tate Gallery, London; Victoria & Albert Museum, London;

Corporate collections
Island Records Ltd; Nothing Records, USA; Opium Music Ltd; Reuters PLC; Virgin Records Ltd

Private collections
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA, Yugoslavia.

Awards
1976
RCA Travelling Scholarship, Berlin, Germany

1977
Berger Award (for Best Degree Exhibition), Royal College of Art, London, UK

1984
International Editorial Design Three: Award of Excellence for total design of International Resource Management publications, with Pentagram Design
Design & Art Direction, Silver Award for most outstanding complete magazine for International Resource Management publications, with Pentagram Design

1989
Diamond Awards Festival, Antwerp, Belgium; Diamond record cover award for
Weatherbox, 5 x CD box set by David Sylvian, for Virgin Records

1994
Grammy Nomination for Eno I & II CD Box sets by Brian Eno, for Virgin Records

1995
Sony Award, for Between Two Lights audio work

1998
The Recording Industry Association of America Award, for multi-platinum sales of the album The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails

2003
Brewery Open, Brewery Arts Centre (Prize winner) Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK: (Winner: Best Window & Art)

2005
Kendal Windows on Art, Kendal, Cumbria, UK: (Winner: Best Window & Art)

Selected print, publishing and design commissions
Acorn User; Albait News (Japan); All Saints Records; Ambleside Mountain Festival; Amnesty International, Ampersand & Partners; Anta (Japan); APT; Armitt Museum & Library; Architects Journal; Beats on the Street (Japan); Bella Union Records; Bijutsu Techno (Japan); Boston Globe (USA); Brent Chemicals; British Council (London and Rome); Brutus (Japan); Bugle (Japan); CAP Communications; Caroline Records (USA); Cartlidge Levene Design; The Chase Design Co.; Chatto and Windus Publishing; City Road (Japan); Crammed Discs (Belgium); Creative Review; Columbia Records (USA); Cut (Japan); Cut (Australia); Cumbria Tourist Board; Cumbria TEC; Deadline; Decca Records; Design; Designers Workshop (Japan); Digital UK; Ego (Japan); EG Music Group; English Heritage; Ericsson (Sweden); Esquire (USA); Expo ‘98 (Lisbon); 4AD Records; Faber & Faber; The Face; Festival D’Ille de France; Fredag (Sweden); Friends of the Earth; Peter Gabriel; Gallagher/Benson & Hedges; Hamish Hamilton; Harpers & Queen; W Heinemann & Sons; Icon Design; Instar Libra Publishers (Italy); International Management; Island Records; Island Records (NY); Japan Times; Kargo (Paris); KDB Design; Land Records; L’Enchanteur (Japan); Lewis Moberly Design; Livingstone Fisher; Lo Recordings; Logica UK; Longmans Publishers; London Contemporary Dance Theatre; Mag (Armenia); Marrs Gallery Japan); Marie Claire (Japan); Martin, Seeker & Warburg; Meta Records (USA); Methuen; Mindscapes (USA); Mix (Japan); Museum of Modern Art Oxford; My Bloody Valentine; New Scientist; New Society; New Musical Express; New Style; Ms London; Mainstream (Canada); Melody Maker; Michael Peters Design; Minerva Print; Moira Kelly Gallery; MSL Advertising; Mute Records; The National Trust; Nomad’s Land (Paris); Nothing/Interscope Records (USA); Now; Nucleus Design; Michael Nyman Ltd., 03 Magazine(Japan); The Observer; Off Films (Spain); Old Courthouse Gallery (Ambleside, Cumbria, UK); Omni (USA); Opal/Chant Ltd; Opal Ltd; Opium (Arts) Ltd; Oxford University Press; Pan Books; Panoramic (Japan); Pentagram Design; Penguin Books; Personal Computer World; Persons Weekend Museum (Japan); Picabia (Japan); Playboy (Germany); Pluto Press; Polydor Records; The Principals Design; Radio Times; Real World Records; Reed Publishing; Redbank Books (UK); Redwood Publishing; Reuters; Rolling Stone (USA); Rocherilla (Italy); Royal Shakespeare Company; Saturday Night (USA); The Sciences (New York Academy of Science, USA); Sears Davies Design; Serpent’s Tail Publishers; Siobhan Davies Dance Company; Silver Films Ltd; Bill Smith Studio; The Smith Quartet; Sony Records (Canada); Sony Records (France); Sony Music (NY); Sound & Music; Spin Records; Spy Records; Strange & Beautiful Productions (films); Street Life; Stream Records; STC Telecommunications; Sun Alliance; Sunday Express; The Sunday Times; The Sunday Telegraph; Takarzina (Japan); Talent (USA); Tayburn Design; Tension (Australia); Time Out; Three Magazine; Toshiba (Japan); Touch; TNT; Unbound (Publishers); University of Georgia Press (USA); University of West England; Unwin Hyman Publishers; UR (Japan); Vernon Oakley Design; Verve Records (NY); Virgin Classics; Virgin Records; Virgin Publishing; Virgin Video; Vogue; War Child, Wave (Japan); Weekend (Canada); Zoom Magazine
Recorded works



1980
3R4, mini-LP, Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, 4AD Records, contributed percussion and voice
Cupol, EP, Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, 4AD Records, re-issued on CD, 1991, contributed percussion & treatments
Document & Eyewitness, Wire, LP, Rough Trade Records/Mute Records, re-issued on CD, 1991, contributed spoken word

1981
Dome 3, LP, Dome Records, with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, Mute Records, re-issued on CD, 1992, and on 3 x LP box set by Editions Mego 2012, contributed voice and percussion
MZUI, LP, Bruce Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Russell Mills, Cherry Red Records, re-issued on CD by LTM, 2003

 1982
Dome 4, LP with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, Mute Records, re-issued on CD 1992*

1983
Only Connect, 7” flexi-disc,Seibu, Tokyo, live recording from Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK, with Shinro Ohtake

1994
Between Two Lights, soundwork for Radio Cumbria and installation*

1995
Pacific/Specific (in a different place), CD, WMO Records, with Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, contributed samples, tapes and found sounds
Between Two Lights, soundwork for Hearing is Believing Festival, Liverpool, UK

1996
Measured In Shadows, CD, limited edition installation catalogue, with Ian Walton and Big Block 454
Undark, CD, Time Records, with: Michael Brook, Declan Colgan, Hywel Davies, Edge, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Robin Guthrie, Bill 
Laswell, Kevin Shields, David Sylvian

1997
Sensorama: The Ambient Collection 001, CD, Creative, Undark track ‘Ice In The Sleeve’

1998
Root (for Thurston Moore), LP & CD, Lo Recordings, limited editions, Undark contributed a track ‘Tooth & Claw’
Emit: Beat Exploration, compilation CD, Instinct Records, Undark track ‘Rain In Our Room’

1999
Pearl & Umbra, Russell Mills/Undark, CD, Bella Union Records, with Brian Eno, Roger Eno, David Sylvian, Bill Laswell, Michael Brook, Edge, Robin Guthrie
, Kevin Shields, Hywel Davies, Declan Colgan, Tom Smyth, Ildefonso & Samuel Aguilar, John Aitken, Eraldo Bernocchi, Mark Clifford, Huw Costin, Sussan Deyhim, Mike Fearon, Ali Foster, Peter Gabriel, Graham Haynes, Derek Hook, Graham Lewis, Hamish Mackintosh, Ian McCullough, 
Tony McSweeney, Ann Mills, Sam Mills, Thurston Moore, Paul Schutze, Clodagh Simonds, Mitsuo
 Tate, Jonny Tomlinson, Emma Townshend, Ian Walton and Hector Zazou
Trace, limited edition CD, Audio Research Editions, Liverpool School of Art, Liverpool John Moores University, for the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, contributed a track ‘Soft Bullets’ with Mike Fearon and Jonny Tomlinson
Hot Pants Idol, CD, David Toop, Baroni Records, the track ‘Ink Of The Ants’ uses ‘Gleam and Drag’ from Undark Pearl & Umbra

2000
Strange Familiar: Russell Mills/Undark, CD, Bella Union Records, with contributions from MichaelBrook, Declan Colgan, Hywel Davies, Edge, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Robin Guthrie, Bill Laswell, Kevin Shields and David Sylvian
Republic Of Thorns, limited edition catalogue with CD, the Wordsworth Trust, with Ian Walton and Paul Farley
Zero, limited editionCD, Audio Research Editions, Liverpool School of Art, Liverpool John Moores University, contributed the track 
’Time Being’
, with Mike Fearon and Jonny Tomlinson

2002
Red and Blue: Neither Norway, CD, Clearspot Records, Undark re-mixes of ‘Dead Indeed’ and ‘Tragomar’, for Nils Petter Molvaer
Modern Mantra, DJ Spooky: That Subliminal Kid, CD, Shadow Records, Undark track ‘Stone’s Eggs’
12 Tales, compilation CD, Instinct Records, Undark track ‘Rooms Of The Sixteen Shimmers’
At Least You Can Die With A Smile On Your Face, compilation CD, Bella Union Records, Undark track ‘Shed Lustre’

2003
Cleave | Soft Bullets, Limited edition installation catalogue with CD, with Mike Fearon.

2004
Bloody Amateurs, Unknown Public 14, contributed the track ‘Soundings (Edit)’, with Mike Fearon

2011
A History of Background, limited edition CD, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK: contributed the track ‘Static (Edit)’’, with Mike Fearon

2015
Still Moves 1, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

2016
Still Moves 2, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

2017
Still Moves 3, limited edition book with two CDs charting multimedia installations from 2014, with Mike Fearon

Lecturing

AIGA Boston; Architectural Association, London; Arts University Bournemouth; Bath College of Higher Education; Bath School of Art and Design (Bath Spa University); Birmingham City University; Birmingham Polytechnic; Brighton Polytechnic; Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design; Camberwell College of Art; Canterbury College of Art; Kent Institute of Art and Design; Bristol Polytechnic; Chartered Society of Designers; Association of Illustrators; Chelsea School Of Art; Coventry (Lanchester) Polytechnic; Coventry University; De Montfort University; Kingston Polytechnic; Kingston University; Falmouth College of Arts; Glasgow School of Art: Leeds Polytechnic; Leeds Metropolitan University; Liverpool John Moores University; Liverpool Polytechnic; Maidstone College of Art; Manchester Metropolitan University; Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, USA; Middlesex Polytechnic; Middlesex University; National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland; Norwich School of Art; Norwich University of the Arts; Oporto University, Portugal; Parson’s School of Art & Design, New York U.S.A.; Pratt Institute, New York U.S.A.; Preston Polytechnic; Ravensbourne College of Design Communication; St Martin’s School of Art; School of Visual Arts, New York, USA; Royal College of Art, London: University of Central Lancashire; University for the Creative Arts; University College Falmouth; University of Brighton; University of Derby; University of Salford; University of West England; Walthamstow School of Art, Watford College of Art and Design

Visiting Professorships and External Examining

Visiting Professorships
University of West of England, Bristol
Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow

External Examining
University of West of England (1998-2001)
Leeds Metropolitan University (2001 – 2004)
Manchester Metropolitan University (2004- 2008)
University of the Arts Central St Martin’s School of Art, London (2008 -2012)
Hull College of Art and Lincoln University (2012 – 2015 )

Selected seminars and symposiums: guest speaker

1988
Real World Seminar; Chartered Society of Designers, London

1989
Creativity, Ideas Plus Inspiration; Chartered Society of Designers, London

1995
Anticipating Unknowns: Design Symposium, Falmouth College of Arts

1997
The Creative Show; The Business Design Centre, Islington, London
Kurt Schwitters: Forward to Far; The Grizedale Society, Grizedale Forest
Going Critical: Synergies in Communication Design, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, under the auspices of the University of the West of England

 1999
Beyond The Wall; The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal; lecture and series of workshops

2000
Carving Cyberspace, Welfare State International, The Lanternhouse, Ulverston, Cumbria, UK
Cross-Pollination, Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, St. Martin’s College of Art, The London Institute

2001
About Collage; symposium to accompany the exhibition ‘Peter Blake: About Collage’, Tate Gallery, Liverpool

2002
Convergence is More Than Just A Buzzword,The Lighthouse, Glasgow

2003
The Essence of an Idea; Promax Conference, Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, London

2006
Collaborative Practice; Falmouth College of Arts

2011
Ulster Festival of Art & Design, Ulster University

2016
OFFSET Conference, Bord Gail Energy Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Works-in-process

Still Moves, limited edition series, 6 x books, 12 x CDs, soundworks for multimedia installations from 1994 to the present, with Mike Fearon, released by Slow Fuse Sound Records,

Undark #3, presently untitled: CD, with contributions from: Eivind Aarset, Ildefonso Aguilar, Samuel Aguilar, Alejandro Aguilar, Rune Arnesen, Eraldo Bernocchi, Sidsel Endresen, Mike Fearon, Steve Jansen, Bill Laswell, Ian McCullough, Tony McSweeney, Keith Lowe, Nils Petter Molvaer, Robert Musso, Fumio Obata, Shinro Ohtake, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Smyth, Chris Vrenna and others