Fishtank

Billingham's first film, "Fishtank", was Artangel's first commission for television, made in collaboration with filmmaker Adam Curtis and Illuminations TV for BBC2's acclaimed TX series. "Fishtank" described the compressed space of the flat; Ray sits alone in the kitchen, feeding the fish. Liz plays computer games. Jason swats a fly on the wall. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they argue. The father drinks a lot, the brother plays around a bit, the mother holds everything together. The older brother films them with his handycam - closely, slowly, intently, recording whatever is going on. Dispassionately yet compassionately, Billingham's film registered the emotional territory of the flat and his family who lived there. "Fishtank" crafted a terrible beauty from the landscape of family life.