Game Art: Ricardo Miranda Zuniga's "a geography of being: una geografia de ser" (2012-2014)

is an installation that reflects upon the dynamics of the undocumented immigrant youths in the United States. The installation consists of wooden kinetic sculptures with animated displays titled “Undocumented Drones” and a

hat places the player in the role of an undocumented youth that must face several challenges in the search for self-determination. The Undocumented Drones are networked to the game and help the player through the game. The project was developed by Zuniga in collaboration with Anthony Gonzalez (programmer), Olov Sundström (Communication protocol and microcontroller programming) and Ben Lerchin. The game was inspired by the experiences of Cesar and Vishal, two young men who immigrated to the United States as young children. As Zuniga writes:

"Their experiences and observations helped develop the game and determined the final goal of the game – self-determination. The conversations with Vishal and Cesar were incredibly revealing and extended the question of citizenry beyond civil status or politics to personal psychological realities."

A selection of the interviews with Cesar and Vishal are available

A geography of being can be played

.

A geography of being is a terrific project.

Born in San Francisco in 1971, Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga is an American new media artist who approaches art as a social practice that establishes dialogue in public spaces.