Safe Crackers Entertainment, CRUST SHMUP, 2023
Custom arcade cabinet on cinder blocks with customized controller and stool
Software: CRUSH SHMUP 2023, 8 minutes, made in Unity
30 ¾ x 31 ½ x 20 ½ in / 78.11 x 80 x 52.07 cm
Oliver Payne latest creation is titled CRUST SHMUP, an innovative video game, housed within a modified amp cabinet complete with a custom controller and drum stool, inviting gallery visitors to experience a unique blend of arcade gameplay and crust punk aesthetics. CRUST SHMUP draws inspiration from Napalm Death’s seminal album SCUM (1987), translating its anarchic spirit into a pixelated, black-and-white world reminiscent of gritty gig posters. Players navigate through relentless waves of enemies using missiles shaped like anarchy symbols, set against a backdrop of looping, bleak landscapes. Unlike traditional shoot 'em up games, CRUST SHMUP subverts norms by rewarding players for pacifism—offering extra lives for evading rather than engaging enemies. This inversion challenges players to navigate levels through evasion and stealth, reflecting themes of resistance and nihilism prominent in crust punk culture. The work was presented at Overduin & Co gallery in Los Angeles between May 11 – June 8, 2024. The exhibition featured collaborative artworks by Safe Crackers Entertainment, including silkscreens and banners, alongside individual pieces by Oliver Payne and Brennan Stalford. A live performance of the game’s intense sound, by Scott Eastwood and Kern Haug accompanied the exhibition’s opening.
Oliver Payne (b. 1977, London) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He received his BFA from Kingston University of Fine Art in London. Solo exhibitions have been organized by Nanzuka Underground in Tokyo, Meredith Rosen Gallery in New York, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Herald St in London, Frederico Vavassori in Milan, Aishonanzuka in Hong Kong, and 356 Mission in Los Angeles. Payne’s work has been exhibited internationally at the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Kunsthalle Zurich, The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, MoMA PS1 in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Payne’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Tate Britain in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo. Payne is also the publisher of Safe Crackers fanzine, and organizer of a series of performances titled, "Chill Out" in which he requires all mobile phone and internet systems to be turned off in order to allow the public to immerse in a listening session for “Chill Out,” the concept album by late-80s British house band KLF. The last iteration of “Chill Out” was hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
LINK: CRUST SHMUP (all images courtesy of Overdoing & CO)
