GAMESCENES

EVENT: MATEUS DOMINGOS (APRIL 16 - APRIL 29 2021, ONLINE)

LAN PARTY NOTES

digital video (1280 x 720), sound, color, 10’ 20”, 2013 (United Kingdom)

Created by Mateus Domingos

VRAL

Introduced by Riccardo Retez

LAN Party was an installation originally created by Vanilla Galleries in collaboration with Arc-Vel and Dexter and Finbar Prior, at the Two Queens art gallery in Leicester, United Kingdom, in 2013. The work focuses on the concept of respawn which, in the context of video games, indicates the live creation of a character or item after its death or disappearance. Respawning creates and endless loop of (simulated) life and death. Vanilla Galleries’ work contextualizes such concept in a cultural re-generation perspective, where death and rebirth are visualized through a specific interface, the first-person shooter LAN party. A specially designed custom map has been created by the collective as a place for them to exist and work over a period of time. The installation comprises a number of computers inhabiting the main gallery space at Two Queens and visitors are invited to participate in the contest of the Cultural Deathmatch in order to perpetuate the ongoing cycle of life and death within the setting of the local area network.

Also known as ghostglyph, Mateus Domingos is an artist/writer based in Leicester, United Kingdom. He was a founding member and co-director of Leicester’s artist run gallery and studio space Two Queens. He is a member of Phoenix Interact Labs and manages the publishing project Bruise. He is interested in text, narrative and new digital spaces. His work has included games, 3D printing, fictional alphabets, maps and film making. In 2012 he represented the United Kingdom in Maribor, the European Capital of Culture and World Event Young Artist. Recent exhibitions include Two Queens, Leicester, Phoenix & De Montfort University, Leicester and Modern Painters, New Decorators, Loughborough. In parallel with his artistic practice, he is a producer for the digital arts program at Phoenix, Leicester. He works on artist development opportunities and hosts a series of meetups exploring digital arts practices. He collaborates with Sweden-based Nathan Bissette under the moniker Dead Hand to produce sound, music, and broadcasts. Recently they have released a book of scores and started producing an experimental podcast. He holds a BA in Fine Art from Loughborough University. He lives and works in Leicester.

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GAME ART: BOB-BICKNELL KNIGHT'S WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE (2021) & KEIKEN'S BATTLE OF REALITY (2021)

Image: Keiken, Battle of Reality, 2021, Commissioned by Daata and The Bass

Image: Bob-Bicknell Knight, We've been here before, 2021, Commissioned by Daata and The Bass

We’ve Been Here Before, 2021 is a new CGI film by Bob Bicknell-Knight, concerning the boundaries between public and private space, forgotten histories, simulated worlds and apocalyptic futures. 

Berlin-London-based collective Keiken’s Battle of Reality, 2021 reflects the contemporary moment subverted into the Metaverse. The CGI film conceptualizes life as a game, where the players (people) navigate a new decentralized system.

The artwork, which was commissioned by DAATA, will be presented Saturday, April 17 18th 8.15-10.30pm at Soundscape Park, New World Symphony, Miami Beach.

The Bass x Daata program at New World Symphony’s Soundscape Park is curated by David Gryn, Daata and Leilani Lynch, The Bass.

LINK: Bob Bicknell-Knight

LINK: Keiken

LINK: DAATA

ART GAME: ALAN KWAN AND ALLISON YANG'S FORGETTER (2021)

Alan Kwan and Allison Yang Jing recently completed the experimental game Forgetter in collaboration with DSLCOLLECTION. In the game the player works for a tech company that cleans all the trauma or dark memories in dead artist brains, and then recycles and sells these artistic brains to parents who want their newborns to be super creative but pain-free artists. This project combines the form of walking simulator games with a janitor cleaning mechanic to create a weird, artistic interactive experience. 

 

Forgetter looks a game designed by the ultimate collab: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor).

 

 

Alan Kwan is an artist, technologist, and researcher. He is primarily interested in exploring new artistic and technical possibilities of real-time 3D technologies and game engines that depart from the traditional video game paradigm and typical tech fantasies of AR/VR. His projects, including VR experiences and experimental video games were presented at international venues such as Ars Electronica Center in Austria, ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Germany, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, etc. and were featured in media including Discovery Channel, Popular Science, and Boston Globe. Previously, Alan was awarded the first prize of the MIT Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize, Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Award for Young Artist (Media Art). One of his video games was acquired by the Hong Kong M+ Museum as part of its permanent collection. Alan holds a Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently exploring the construction of impossible architecture and psychological spaces in the virtual world. He also co-founded the independent video game label Sometimes Monastery with Allison Yang Jing to create experimental & emotional art games that also have high production quality, and try to push them to mainstream platforms. Among his projects is the innovative Bad Trip (2012) and Scent (2018). We interviewed Alan a while back. Alan will be giving a talk about his latest project, Forgetter, at IULM University on April 22 2021, as part of the 2021 GAME TALK series.

 

Allison Yang Jing is a writer, curator and designer of video games. She is interested in the intersection between the industry of art and that of game. She is currently based in Hong Kong and making a game called Forgetter with Alan Kwan and DSL Collection. 

 

Founded in 2005 by Paris-based couple Sylvain and Dominique Lévy, the DSL Collection is one of the rare Chinese contemporary art collections in France. Now aided by daughter Karen Levy, the collection continues to explore new ways of reaching audiences across the world through VR technology and gaming media.  

 

Forgetter is available on Steam 

 

LINK: ALAN KWAN (all images courtesy of the artist)

CALL FOR ARTWORKS: PUBLIC ART CALIFORNIA COLLECTION

Dyson & Womack, public art curators, are working with the State of California to select artists and artworks to be included in the Digital Art Call for Entries for the Public Art CA collection. Public Art CA is a contemporary art collection commissioned for the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) new buildings in downtown Sacramento. The call centers digital artworks on a 32.5ft high 24ft wide digital display within the CNRA building. This opportunity embraces a contemporary and accessible concept of what public art is, who makes it, and for whom it is for. Dyson & Womack is seeking to commission artists and artworks that consider experimentation, innovation, and inclusion as central components of creation.

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Press release:

Interested in creating your own public art showcase of digital media or working with Dyson & Womack? We are available for new projects now. Contact us with any questions or if you would like any additional information on our services. 

Digital media artists, Dyson & Womack are accepting submissions for the Public Art CA digital media call for entries. Submit your ideas for new or existing digital artworks to join our latest public art collection for the State of California. Have a question or just want to learn more? Join one of our upcoming online artist information sessions for more info on how to apply. Artists working across all forms of digital media are welcome to apply - link @dysonwomack. 

Video still, artwork by Allison Janae Hamilton @allisonjanaehamilton

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Los artistas de medios digitales, Dyson & Womack están aceptando presentaciones para la participación en la convocatoria de medios digitales de Public Art CA. Envíe sus ideas para obras de arte digitales nuevas o existentes para ser parte de nuestra última colección de arte público para el estado de California. ¿Tiene alguna pregunta o simplemente desea obtener más información? Únase a una de nuestras próximas sesiones de información para artistas en línea para obtener más información sobre cómo aplicar. Artistas que trabajan en todas formas de medios digitales estan bienveinidos a aplicar. Enlace @dysonwomack.

Official Tags and Hashtags: @dysonwomack @calartscouncil #publicartca #dysonwomack 

Video still, artwork by Eve-Lauryn LaFountain @songsoffilm

For more information, deadlines, formats and more, check the attached PDF: CNRA_Media Wall_RFP

ART GAME: MICHAËL SAMYN'S COMPASSIE (2021)

Michael Samyn, Compassie, 2021 (screenshot)

Artist, designer, and professor Michaël Samyn has just released Compassie, an artistic software program for tethered VR. Compassie is a virtual reality diorama with the theme of pietà. The player takes the place of the holy virgin holding the lifeless body of Christ. And she contemplates his death staring into an abyss of endless darkness. According to Samyn, Compassie “is about loss. An opportunity to mourn for the things that have disappeared. Or are about to disappear. On a personal level. But also on a global level. I believe we are living through a time of transition. What will need to be sacrificed for our salvation? How will our new lives be in the new world? How will we cope with all the things that will disappear? How can we mourn the enormous loss that we are in the process of experiencing"?”

Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn  in front of the Duomo cathedral in Milan

Michaël Samyn is one half of Song of Songs, formerly Tale of Tales. Tale of Tales was the independent videogames studio of Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn responsible for indie milestones such as The Endless Forest, The Graveyard, The Path and Luxuria Superbia. Compassie is the second release by Song of Songs, after Cricoterie in September 2018. Compassie is the first diorama published under the umbrella of the the ongoing Cathedral-in-the-Clouds project that was Kickstarted in November 2015 and for which the couple recently moved to Rome, Italy. Cathedral-in-the-Clouds aims to become a collection of contemplative pieces inspired by Christian iconography in art. Samyn teaches GAME ART alongside Auriea Harvey in the Master of Art in Game Design at IULM University.

Watch an extended trailer below:

LINK: Michaël Samyn's Compassie (all images and videos courtesy of the Artist)

GAME ART: EWAN WILSON'S SUFFOCATION I (2021)

In this short machinima, Ewan Wilson examines the notion of asphyxia via Tomb Raider (1996). This work was originally featured in the second issue of video art magazine Emerge, 

As Wilson writes:

Two of the most common symptoms of anxiety and stress are shortness of breath and feelings of suffocation. In my work I wanted to illustrate overwhelming stress due to the surrounding environment through machinima using the 1996 video game Tomb Raider. Stress can be something addicting as it provides a natural high and I feel that this stress and this addiction can also be associated with a particular surrounding, even if it is somewhere familiar.

Emerge is a collective formed to give unestablished artists a space to display their work. Emerge will always be run as a non-profit. It is run by emerging artists, for emerging artists. Through our magazine, website and exhibition spaces, Emerge showcases contemporary Irish art.

LINK: Emerge magazine (Summer 2021 Open Call)

GAME ART: JORDY VEENSTRA'S IGNIIITION (2021)

 

Dutch artist and filmmaker Jordy Veenstra continue his bold investigation/reinvention of Quake III Arena (id Software, 1999) with another machinima (1920 x 816) that redefines the very boundaries of the medium. With IGNIIITION, Veenstra portraits a 1-vs-1 'Tournament' style duel within Quake III Arena, representing the three main characters (two fighters and the map itself, which far from being considered a prop or as etting is elevated to the role of the protagonist) within a single level, filmed from a multitude of angles and viewpoints. The result is a striking original visual experience that seems influenced by the avant garde aesthetics of Cubism and Expressionism. Vernstra modified the original game with the aids of mods such as Quake III Movie Maker's Edition 1.8, made by HMage, CaNaBiS, ent and auri, CPMA, by PlayMoreProMode and 'Trespass', a map created by Pat Howard. The result is destabilizing: IGNIIITION is both retro and futuristic. 

Jordy Veenstra is a video editor, motion graphics designer, 2D animator, and experimental filmmaker based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In his practice, Veenstra connects art and narrative with technology and software through the medium of experimental film. His work examines often overlooked social and artistic concerns. His groundbreaking Depthmap was featured in the The Weird, The Eerie, and The Unreal program of the 2020 MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL. He also exhibited his majestic Regression trilogy on VRAL.

LINK: Jordy Veenstra

EVENT: CARSON LYNN (APRIL 2 - APRIL 15 2021, ONLINE)

DEAR EIDOLON

digital video (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 5’ 58”, 2020 (United States of America)

Written, filmed, narrated, and scored by Carson Lynn

April 2 - April 15 2021

VRAL

Introduced by Luca Miranda

 

In a place where players and avatars coexist in apparent harmony, noticing the constraints and constrictions of game environments is not easy. Design choices, storytelling, and even marginal aspects like the physiognomy of a character are imbued with cultural values based on canons, stereotypes, and conventions. Dear Eidolon invites the viewer to become aware of these aspects and to extend the metaphorical frames of game design. Structured as a conversation between the artist and his avatar, this machinima poses many questions but provides few answers. It is the “user” who is tasked to fill the gaps. As Lynn writes, “By blurring the lines between gamespaces, I sought to explore my complex relationship to these virtual environments that serve as sites for both trauma and discovery.” Originally created for the ArtCenter College of Design Graduate Fellowship: Fall 2020 in Pasadena, California, Dear Eidolon was subsequently presented on the ArtCenter Graduate Art website as a virtual exhibition in February 2021

Carson Lynn uses digital content, sublime landscapes, and game environments to create artworks that propose a reinterpretation of photographic conventions and heterocentric game systems through the lens of queer theory. In 2020, he received an MFA and in 2015 a BFA in Photography and Imaging, both from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California.

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GAME ART: HUIDI XIANG'S WELCOME TO THE WORKGROUND TO SEE MY PLAYBENCH (2021)

Huidi Xiang, my playbench in the workground, 2021

Huidi Xiang's sculptures are based on the life-simulation game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a video game that achieved huge popularity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Xiang' combines the idea of “personal paradise” the game promises with her personal, physical surroundings. By transforming the gameplayer performed in the game into the labor of her studio practice, Xiang reflects on a world in which the boundary between apparently distinct activities like play and labor are becoming indistinguishable. For the record, Xiang invested over 500 hours into developing a simulated paradise and to show how such playbor maps onto oppressive socio-economic forces of Late Capitalism (see also Bren Watanabe's Animal Crossing: All Mine)

As she explains on her website:

Until today (March 26th, 2021), I have been in the game for more than 300 days and have never missed one single day since the day one. When looking back at my game log these days, I noticed that some patterns started to emerge, and I became curious about these patterns and about potential meanings, motivations, and implications hidden behind them. Primarily working as a sculptor in my studio practice, I started to create sculptural objects to help me explore and understand my gaming patterns and present my discoveries. In a way, I am using these objects to construct a system or a network that enables me to reiterate my gaming experience using my own artistic language and to contemplate the connections between my idiosyncratic narratives and the world beyond the game. I am also using these objects to help me better understand my role and position as an artist living and working in a world where we are all constantly navigating back and forth between digital and physical contexts.

Xiang's compare-and-contrast approach is perfectly exemplified by these two images featured on her website: 

Xiang's Welcome to the workground to see my playbench is part of Friends Forever: 2021 MFA Exhibit at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Xiang was born and raised in Chengdu, China, and attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Studio Arts in 2018. She is currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Art degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

LINK: Huidi Xiang (all images courtesy of the artist)

CALL FOR ENTRIES: MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL 2022 (DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15, 2021)

The fifth edition of the MACHINIMA FILM FESTIVAL will once again take place at IULM University (Milan, Italy) during the Milano Digital Week, which celebrates the driving forces that are reshaping art, culture, and technology of Italy’s most vibrant city.

Filmmakers and video artists engaged in the practice of appropriating, repurposing, and remixing video games are encouraged to send us their work for consideration. All submissions will be judged by an international panel of jurors comprising scholars, curators, and critics. A Critics' Choice Award will be awarded to the most groundbreaking work.

Screenings of selected machinima will be curated around different themes and presented in different sections. The most interesting submissions are those which seek to capture or highlight a specific facet of contemporary life, from politics to art, from violence to creativity, from technology to ideology, through the aesthetic lenses of digital gaming.

The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2021

The full program will be announced in February 2022

Please carefully read our simple submission guidelines and requirements below before sending your work.

INTERNATIONAL OPEN CALL FOR NEW MEDIA ARTWORKS GUIDELINES:

The MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL defines machinima as any digital video made using video games technology (game engines, game tools, assets such as characters, items, environments etc.).

Submissions must feature machinima made with specifically with video games (not virtual worlds, e.g. Second Life).

Submissions must be 10 minutes or less in length. The minimum duration is 2 minutes.

Submissions must have been produced between January 1, 2021 and December 15, 2021.

Multiple versions of the same machinima will not be considered.

Acceptable submission formats: Digital video files only.

Acceptable exhibition formats: mp4, avi, mpg, Quicktime file (ProRes 422).

All applicants must complete the official festival submission form located on filmfreeway.com

One-time, nominal submission fee: 15 euros payable via PayPal to the festival organizers. Submissions that have not been accepted will not be refunded.

The applicant holds the sole responsibility of copyright clearance of any copyrighted material in the machinima.

The submission must include an accompanying artist statement/description and a biography no longer than 500 words.

The MMF is under no obligation to provide comments regarding submitted machinima to any applicant.

Submission deadline: December 15, 2021

Click the button to begin the process

LINK: MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL