Having made his first avant-garde works in 1972, James Benning soon began to produce longer experimental films. Between 1978 and 1985 he created numerous projections and computer installations. From 1977 to 1980 he taught at the Universities of California and Oklahoma. Since the late 1980s he has lived in Val Verde, near Los Angeles. He teaches at the California Institute of the Arts, where, through his work, he continues to strongly influence younger generations of artists. A particularly important aspect of his work is his engagement with the American landscape. Using fixed-frame durational shots, Benning's films often study nature and man's encroachment on the world.