Let's restart!!! Art Computer Game Show
18 Apr - 03 May 2009
retroyou.org (Joan Leandre), SCREEN: ELEMENT # 1 : 600 + After all props, 2002-2003
monochrom, Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf - Sektor II, continually shown since 2005
tiltfactor, LAYOFF, screen based computer game (Screen shot), 2009
featuring Jim Andrews, Parangari Cutiri, monochrom, retroyou.org (Jean Leandre), and Tiltfactor
Opening Times: 18 April to 3 May 2009, Thursday – Sunday, 1pm – 7pm
At: D21 Kunstraum Leipzig, Demmeringstraße 21, 04177 Leipzig
Opening: 17 April 2009
The Art Computer Game Show „Let's restart!!!“ at D21 Kunstraum highlights five computer games by international artists and art collectives. The selected games hint at the spectrum of artistic works making use of computer games – without claiming to be an exhaustive presentation. Each game is available for users on the Internet. The games stand for global interactivity as opposed to abstract sublimity and free art ressources instead of merchandising.
We wish all our analogue and virtual visitors ingenious fun at the exhibition and at their computers at home.
Jim Andrews: Arteroids 2.5 (2007)
The net artist and e-poet Jim Andrews from Vancouver (Canada) has been publishing his works on his website vispo.com since 1996. He combines knowledge about literature, mathematics, computer science, and acoustics with the experience gained as producer of a radio show about literature, publisher of a literary journal, and organizer of readings. This enables him to personally incorporate the role of poet as well as the creative programmer and sound producer.
According to Andrews, the acts of programming and producing are derivatives of the writing process. Therefore, he is constantly striving to “explore writing as a larger thing. Not something that has to be simply words on a page but something that comprehends many types of inscription in many types of media”. “Arteroids is about cracking language open,” says Andrews about the aesthetics and poetics of his remake of the video game classic Asteroids. His game provides an arena for “playing” a language in order to be able to read it. The meaning of this cyber poem does not so much derive from the meaning of its words but from sounds and movements and their destructive content.
Parangari Cutiri: B-CITIES (2006-2007)
Parangari Cutiri is one of the numerous alter egos used by the net and software artist, author, critic, and curator Anne-Marie Schleiner (USA). Her online exhibitions include game modifications and add-ons, her own programms and texts that use avatars in oder to analyze the construction of gender roles and explore the culture of computer games and “hacker-art”. She publishes her works in form of (hyper-)texts and articles on game hacks and open source art on her home page opensourcery.net.
B-CITIES is a „Split-screen shifting views Blender game“ for Open-Source-Software Blender that can be used by programmers to create three-dimensional worlds. However, the game encompasses more than the well known three dimensions. The aim of all three levels is to cross cities on roller skates and to destroy the cities. The screen’s division and its simoultaneously shown elements definitely cause headaches.
monochrom: Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf - Sektor I+II (continually shown since 2005)
The „Kunstneigungskollektiv“ monochrom, which is based in Vienna, Bamberg, and Graz constructs and reflects alternative models of the world and of history. Their works deal with intercultural, scientific, and philosophic concepts while at the same time refering to science-fiction and fantasy culture.
The adventure game Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf sneaks a “false memory” into Austrian history: it is the fiction of one of the last constituent republics of the USSR still existing in Austria. The digital miniature state does not keep relations with the “so-called Republic of Austria” or with the “Fortress European Union”. The faked historical facts have been created to explore issues such as the theoretical approach of historiography, the concept of social utopia, and the political problems of Europe after World War II. monochrom considers the adventure game – a genre of computer games that has almost disappeared – to be the perfect medium to communicate the idea of Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf.
In the internet magazine telepolis, Stefan Weber called the monochrom project a piece of “radical-constructivist-non-dualistic art at its best!”
retroyou.org (Joan Leandre): retroyou nostal(G), (2002-03)
The Spanish media artist and member of the „Unknown Frame Observatory” and the „OVNI Archives” Joan Leandre has been publishing numerous commercial games and software hacks on retroyou.org since 1999. retro You (RC) is a modification of the 3D-graphics of an author video game while retroyou nostal(G) is an aggressive and destructive reduction of an helicopter flight simulator that has been developed meticulously over the years. In both cases, Leandre uses software in order to penetrate and re-write powerful ideology machines and to transform conventional generators of reality into media of illusion.
By means of the game editor, the basic parameters of navigation in retroyou nostal(G), such as the layer structure of the earth’s surface, gravitational force, and control units, have been radically modified and negated. Joan Leandre intentionally disappoints users’ expectations who are no longer able to establish a meaningful interaction with the game. The users encounter difficulties when trying to master the absurd features of the game. Consequently, this software-modification shakes the naive confidence people have in illusionary references of reality and makes a stand against the monopoly of the software industry which often uses “user friendliness” in order to manipulate people.
Tiltfactor: LAYOFF (2009)
Based at Dartmouth College, New York, the TiltfactorTM Laboratory is the first academic center to focus on critical play. At the center artists, designers, and theorists create all sorts of games including simple online computer games. The games are non-commercial and have an educational character. Putting fun first, the TiltfactorTM software has been created to initiate socially responsible interaction and social changes.
LAYOFF is Tiltfactor’sTM recent commentary on the financial crisis and its fallouts (in cooperation with Value at Play). The players are managers who have to cut down jobs in order to maximize profit. Just as in reality, the bankers who caused the financial desaster have lifetime tenure.
Opening Times: 18 April to 3 May 2009, Thursday – Sunday, 1pm – 7pm
At: D21 Kunstraum Leipzig, Demmeringstraße 21, 04177 Leipzig
Opening: 17 April 2009
The Art Computer Game Show „Let's restart!!!“ at D21 Kunstraum highlights five computer games by international artists and art collectives. The selected games hint at the spectrum of artistic works making use of computer games – without claiming to be an exhaustive presentation. Each game is available for users on the Internet. The games stand for global interactivity as opposed to abstract sublimity and free art ressources instead of merchandising.
We wish all our analogue and virtual visitors ingenious fun at the exhibition and at their computers at home.
Jim Andrews: Arteroids 2.5 (2007)
The net artist and e-poet Jim Andrews from Vancouver (Canada) has been publishing his works on his website vispo.com since 1996. He combines knowledge about literature, mathematics, computer science, and acoustics with the experience gained as producer of a radio show about literature, publisher of a literary journal, and organizer of readings. This enables him to personally incorporate the role of poet as well as the creative programmer and sound producer.
According to Andrews, the acts of programming and producing are derivatives of the writing process. Therefore, he is constantly striving to “explore writing as a larger thing. Not something that has to be simply words on a page but something that comprehends many types of inscription in many types of media”. “Arteroids is about cracking language open,” says Andrews about the aesthetics and poetics of his remake of the video game classic Asteroids. His game provides an arena for “playing” a language in order to be able to read it. The meaning of this cyber poem does not so much derive from the meaning of its words but from sounds and movements and their destructive content.
Parangari Cutiri: B-CITIES (2006-2007)
Parangari Cutiri is one of the numerous alter egos used by the net and software artist, author, critic, and curator Anne-Marie Schleiner (USA). Her online exhibitions include game modifications and add-ons, her own programms and texts that use avatars in oder to analyze the construction of gender roles and explore the culture of computer games and “hacker-art”. She publishes her works in form of (hyper-)texts and articles on game hacks and open source art on her home page opensourcery.net.
B-CITIES is a „Split-screen shifting views Blender game“ for Open-Source-Software Blender that can be used by programmers to create three-dimensional worlds. However, the game encompasses more than the well known three dimensions. The aim of all three levels is to cross cities on roller skates and to destroy the cities. The screen’s division and its simoultaneously shown elements definitely cause headaches.
monochrom: Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf - Sektor I+II (continually shown since 2005)
The „Kunstneigungskollektiv“ monochrom, which is based in Vienna, Bamberg, and Graz constructs and reflects alternative models of the world and of history. Their works deal with intercultural, scientific, and philosophic concepts while at the same time refering to science-fiction and fantasy culture.
The adventure game Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf sneaks a “false memory” into Austrian history: it is the fiction of one of the last constituent republics of the USSR still existing in Austria. The digital miniature state does not keep relations with the “so-called Republic of Austria” or with the “Fortress European Union”. The faked historical facts have been created to explore issues such as the theoretical approach of historiography, the concept of social utopia, and the political problems of Europe after World War II. monochrom considers the adventure game – a genre of computer games that has almost disappeared – to be the perfect medium to communicate the idea of Sowjet-Unterzögersdorf.
In the internet magazine telepolis, Stefan Weber called the monochrom project a piece of “radical-constructivist-non-dualistic art at its best!”
retroyou.org (Joan Leandre): retroyou nostal(G), (2002-03)
The Spanish media artist and member of the „Unknown Frame Observatory” and the „OVNI Archives” Joan Leandre has been publishing numerous commercial games and software hacks on retroyou.org since 1999. retro You (RC) is a modification of the 3D-graphics of an author video game while retroyou nostal(G) is an aggressive and destructive reduction of an helicopter flight simulator that has been developed meticulously over the years. In both cases, Leandre uses software in order to penetrate and re-write powerful ideology machines and to transform conventional generators of reality into media of illusion.
By means of the game editor, the basic parameters of navigation in retroyou nostal(G), such as the layer structure of the earth’s surface, gravitational force, and control units, have been radically modified and negated. Joan Leandre intentionally disappoints users’ expectations who are no longer able to establish a meaningful interaction with the game. The users encounter difficulties when trying to master the absurd features of the game. Consequently, this software-modification shakes the naive confidence people have in illusionary references of reality and makes a stand against the monopoly of the software industry which often uses “user friendliness” in order to manipulate people.
Tiltfactor: LAYOFF (2009)
Based at Dartmouth College, New York, the TiltfactorTM Laboratory is the first academic center to focus on critical play. At the center artists, designers, and theorists create all sorts of games including simple online computer games. The games are non-commercial and have an educational character. Putting fun first, the TiltfactorTM software has been created to initiate socially responsible interaction and social changes.
LAYOFF is Tiltfactor’sTM recent commentary on the financial crisis and its fallouts (in cooperation with Value at Play). The players are managers who have to cut down jobs in order to maximize profit. Just as in reality, the bankers who caused the financial desaster have lifetime tenure.