"The purpose of Polybius is to explore the relationship between fiction and reality by creating a feeling of losing your senses. The concept is derived from the myth about the 1980s arcade game Polybius which was said to create a sensory and cognitive deprivation. By combining line-vector aesthetics with video manipulation and 8-bit technology we want to induce feelings of apophenia, amnesia and panic.We want to develop a new media identity dialogue by playing with human perceptions of incompatible symbolism and representations. The Polybius experience – Sinneslöschen (German for “sense deleting”).
Being part of the generation that grew up with videogames, we know the escapist feelings they can produce. It can result in procrastination; postponing actions because of anxiety. Agoraphobia is another so called disorder that connects to our project, as the fear of public and/or unfamiliar places can lead to difficulties in leaving “your safe place”. In Polybius aims to destroy safe places, creating feelings of fake reality and no escape: you either play the game or you die.
Raquel and Anders have previously used videogames as social metaphors with the web-game Illegal Heroes (2005). Much of the work is centerred around a critical perspective on the relationships between videogames, art and society. But with their backgrounds in 8-bit demoscene culture and punk rock our work is not about nostalgia or machinima, but rather an aggressive negotiation of symbolism and technology." (Racquel Meyers)
link: Raquel Meyers (All images courtesy of the artist)
Submitted by Matteo Bittanti (via The Escapist)
Comments