GAMESCENES

EVENT: WORLDGLIMPSING: ROLE PLAY AND THE DESIGN OF ALTERNATE REALITIES (OCTOBER 3 2025 - AUGUST 16 2026, STIOCKHOLM, SWEDEN)

Reinis Hofmanis, Britta Hoyer as Youa the Manwolf, LARP series, 2011. Courtesy of ArkDes. © Reinis Hofmanis

Worldglimpsing
Role Play and the Design of Alternate Realities
October 3, 2025–August 16, 2026

ArkDes
Skeppsholmen
Exercisplan
Stockholm
Sweden

Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10am-6pm,
Tuesday and Friday 10am-8pm

 

press release

ArkDes and Nieuwe Instituut are excited to announce Worldglimpsing: two exhibitions that shine light on the ways in which we inhabit our reality through designed worlds.

Across 2025 and 2027, Worldglimpsing invites you to envision and embody alternate ways of nurturing our identities, our communities, and the planet at large. From live action role play (LARP) and game design to film, animation and avatarism, the exhibition explores social and artistic approaches that are guiding us to other possible futures—today.

Engage with sophisticated worlding efforts that marshal the potential of empathy through speculation and serious play. Outlining an emerging creative field that blends visual art, design, architecture, performance, fashion and more, this participatory exhibition highlights forms of creativity that foreground role play and the design of alternate worlds as civic and political acts. Worldglimpsing introduces you to a series of extraordinary experiments—human, machine, and otherwise—at the bleeding edge of contemporary culture.

At the heart of the exhibitions: Our Brood
Conceived and created by OMSK Social Club, Our Brood is an expansive and embodied RGP (“Real Game Play”) experience. Combining immersive role play with AI interaction, it explores themes of motherhood and care in the context of ecological and technological crises. Here, the power of play becomes a tool to navigate complex contemporary scenarios. Envision alternate futures of yourself—and the worlds that you design.

OMSK Social Club is a stewarded practice of collective storytelling. It involves a specific immersive improvised methodology, which they coined in 2017 as “Real Game Play”, encompassing collective immersion and speculative worlding. From these live iterations, they harvest media relics such as films, scripts, and large-scale video installations invoking states and gateways that could potentially be fiction or an as-of-yet unlived reality. The living installations that they create examine virtual egos, popular experiences, and cautionary tales.

Worldglimpsing: Role Play and the Design of Alternate Realities is a collaboration between two national museums with a shared focus on investigating an expanded field of design. The first chapter of the exhibition, hosted by ArkDes in Stockholm, will open on October 3, 2025. The second chapter, hosted by the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, will open in Autumn 2026.

LINK: Worldglimpsing: Role Play and the Design of Alternate Realities

LINK: OMSK Social Club 

EVENT: ONE TETHERED BIRD (JANUARY 17 - FEBRUARY 21 2025, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON STATE)

Brent Watanabe: One Tethered Bird

The Behnke Family Gallery at Cornish

1077 Lenora Street

Seattle, WA 98121

Jan 17th - Feb 21 2025

 

Brent Watanabe's upcoming solo show at The Behnke Family Gallery at Cornish will include work covering the past two decades, including his Grand Theft Auto interventions (San Andreas Deer Cam, Community Cam, Possessions), several computer controlled installations, MINE VR, his Animal Crossing intervention, and the two new works.

 

Brent Watanabe, San Andreas Community Cam, 2017, studies for computer-controlled installation, Modified version of Grand Theft Auto V

 

Brent Watanabe, Possessions, 2018-19, animation, animation, modified version of Grand Theft Auto V

 

Brent Watanabe, Animal Crossing: All Mine, 2020, video game intervention in Animal Crossing: New Horizon

 

Stay tuned for more news about this monumental exhibition!

 

Brent Watanabe’s art practice defies categorization, fusing traditional techniques with cutting-edge technology to create installations that are at once visually arresting and intellectually engaging. Drawing on his extensive background in drawing and sculpture, Watanabe uses computer programming and electronics to create kinetic sculptures that are at the forefront of a new wave of digital art. Watanabe’s work has been recognized both nationally and internationally, with his groundbreaking 2016 project, San Andreas Deer Cam, receiving over 800,000 visitors in its first three months alone and being featured in publications such as New York Magazine, the BBC, and WIRED. In addition to his solo work, Watanabe has participated in group shows and screenings around the world, including Through Machine Eyes at the NeMe Arts Center in Limassol, Cyprus, Game Changers at MassArt Art Museum in Boston, and Playmode at the MATT Museum in Lisbon, Portugal. With recent solo exhibitions at prestigious venues such as SOIL Art Gallery, McLeod Residency, Jack Straw New Media Gallery, Gallery 4Culture, Anchor Art Space, and the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, Watanabe continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of digital art. 

 

Read an interview about MINE VR

 

Read an interview about Animal Crossing: All Mine

 

LINK: Brent Watanabe

 

LINK: The Behnke Family Gallery at Cornish

EVENT: MALITZIN CORTÉS (CNDSD) AND IVÁN ABREU (OCTOBER 1 - 10 2024, ONLINE)

AUTOCONSTRUCCIÓN

digital video (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 13’ 52”, 2024, Mexico

created by Malitzin Cortés (CNDSD) and Iván Abreu

vral.org

 

Originally conceived and performed as a live-coded audiovisual concert and real-time video game animation, Autoconstrucción was collaboratively created by Malitzin Cortés (CNDSD) and Iván Abreu. The project, executed through algorithms and unfolding across four distinct chapters, was performed in Mexico City (2022), Madrid (2023), Utrecht (2023), and Shanghai (2023). The segment presented on VRAL features a generated version of episode 2, entitled Floating City - Floating Population. This episode explores the concept of a transient population inhabiting cities, with AI creating hybrid architectural facades that reflect the empty character of many peripheral cities during the day.

Malitzin Cortés (CNDSD) is a renowned musician, live coder, and creative technologist. Her multifaceted work encompasses live coding, live cinema, installation art, virtual reality, creative coding, sound design, experimental music, and sound art. In 2020, she was awarded the Latin American Prize for Virtual Reality “Realmix” for her immersive piece “Hyper_D.” Malitzin is currently a workshop instructor in live coding with functional programming using Tidal Cycles on the educational platform of CMMAS. She has showcased her work at prominent venues and events including the Multimedia Center, Alameda Art Laboratory, Ex-Teresa Arte Actual, Digital Cultural Center, Medialab Prado, Spain Cultural Center, CMMAS, Vorspiel, Spektrum Berlin, Transpiksel, Aural, Transmediale Berlin, ISEA, CYLAND MediaArtLab Saint Petersburg, ADAF, Ars Electronica, Currents, as well as MUTEK in Mexico, Montreal, and Japan. CNDSD’s soundscapes are crafted for experimental environments, characterized by granular landscapes, algorithmic vocal experiments, hypnotic noise improvisations, live coding, and asymmetric patterns, pushing the boundaries of musical and sonic exploration. Cortés lives and works in Mexico City.

Iván Abreu is an esteemed audiovisual artist and creative technologist based in Mexico City. His interdisciplinary practice spans a diverse array of media, including digital graphics, photography, electronic devices, software development, music and sound experimentation, expanded film and video, and industrial design. Abreu's innovative work has garnered numerous accolades and support from prestigious institutions. These include the Prix Ars Electronica (2012, Linz, Austria), the CINTAS Foundation Award in Visual Arts (2011-12, New York/Miami), and the ZKM Production and Research Residence – Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany (2021). He has also been supported by the National Fund for Culture and the Arts, through the National System of Art Creators (2012-2014, 2017-2019, and 2022-2025, Mexico). Abreu's audiovisual creations have been showcased at prominent international festivals dedicated to sound art, experimental music, and media art. His work has been featured at the International Conference of Live Coding in Madrid, Aural, Transmediale Berlin, MUTEK in Mexico and Montreal, the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), and the Asia Culture Center in Korea.

WATCH NOW

EVENT: NINA DAVIES’S GLITCH GUISERS (AUGUST 23 2024, LONDON)

Nina Davies: Glitch Guisers

04:00pm - 07:30pm, Fri 23 Aug 2024

The Photographers' Gallery

16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW, United Kingdom

 

London's The Photographers Gallery is hosting a free outdoor performance by Nina Davies, titled Glitch Guisers, in the streets of Soho Photography Quarter. This event builds on the fictional narrative from Davies’ film, Never Let Them Know Your Next Move, which will be screened on the Gallery's third floor throughout the evening.

Glitch Guisers features five dancers engaging in 'glitch guising' as they move through the streets to a central point where they will freeze, evoking the 2016 viral Mannequin Challenge. This performance reflects the film’s themes, where protagonists discuss the automation of labor. Workers at a distribution center reclaim agency by performing glitch-like movements, confusing the system and allowing themselves a break. Click here to learn more about Davis' practice.

Coinciding with the performance is a presentation of Nina Davies’ For An Imaginary Page. Glitch Guisers will take place on the hour from 4pm to 7pm in Soho Photography Quarter. Attendees are encouraged to film the performances and share the content online to celebrate the artist's work.

Additionally, Never Let Them Know Your Next Move will be screened on a continuous loop on the Gallery's third floor. The film is 10 minutes long. All exhibitions in the Gallery are free to enter until 8pm as part of the Friday Lates program.

Nina Davies (b. 1991) is a Canadian-British artist who considers the present moment through observing dance in popular culture. She questions how it is disseminated, circulated, made, and consumed.

LINK: Nina Davies

LINK: Glitch Guisers

EVENT: FILE 2024: QUBIT AI (JULY 3 - AUGUST 25 2024, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL)

FILE 2024: QUBIT AI

July 3 - August 25 2024

Centro Cultural FIESP

Avenida Paulista, 1313 Em frente a estação Trianon-Masp do Metrô

Bela Vista, São Paulo - SP, 01311-200, Brazil

 

In the heart of São Paulo, at the FIESP Cultural Center, the FILE 2024 festival unfurls a groundbreaking intersection of art and technology through its latest exhibition, QUBIT AI: Quantum Computing and Synthetic Artificial Intelligence. Curated by Ricardo Barreto and Paula Perissinotto, the exhibition, running from July 3rd to August 25th, promises to redefine the boundaries AI-inspired/co-generated digital art.

At the core of QUBIT AI is the revolutionary potential of quantum computing. This avant-garde technology, characterized by quantum superposition and entanglement, introduces novel creative avenues for artists. Barreto and Perissinotto articulate this paradigm shift in their curatorial text, emphasizing that quantum computing heralds an unprecedented frontier for both computer science and the arts.

For the first time, an art exhibition features a fully operational Quantum Computer. This cutting-edge inclusion is complemented by two pioneering Brazilian projects: Quantum Photography by Gabriela Barreto Lemos and Sounding Qubits by Eduardo Reck Miranda. Lemos’ work explores the visual possibilities inherent in quantum phenomena, while Miranda's installation translates the enigmatic behaviors of qubits into an auditory experience.

While quantum computing represents a nascent technological revolution, synthetic artificial intelligence is already reshaping artistic landscapes. Synthetic art, produced through AI in collaboration with human creativity, parallels the radical shifts of early modernity, offering new methods of creation across diverse media.

The exhibition's synthetic art section is divided into four thematic areas: Sound Synthetics, Aesthetic Synthetics, Cinematic Synthetics, and Architectural Synthetics. One of the standout installations, INTERATOR, is a three-dimensional cinema without VR glasses. This immersive experience allows viewers to navigate a space filled with simultaneous synthetic video projections, creating an interactive dialogue between the audience and the art.

Highlighted artists within Sound Synthetics include Dennis Schöneberg, whose works such as Bodydub and Transparenza blend visual and auditory stimuli to craft a multisensory narrative. The Spanish collective Iskarioto's dystopian AI films, paired with AI-generated music, further push the envelope of what synthetic art can achieve.

QUBIT AI’s interactive installations invite visitors to become active participants in the art. Klaus Obermaier's EGO uses the concept of alienation from psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to distort the viewer's reflection, examining the tension between reality and symbolism. "The Forgettable Art Machine" places the visitor at the nexus of art and technology, turning each interaction into a personalized masterpiece.

Elizabeth Kolbert's influence is evident in Speculative Evolution, Prototype 1, an AI-driven simulator that allows visitors to create new species within a speculative ecosystem. Marc Vilanova’s Cascade immerses viewers in the hidden frequencies of waterfalls, transforming auditory experiences into a sensory exploration of environmental soundscapes.

Seph Li's Everything Before, Everything After transforms collective touch into a dynamic digital painting, capturing the fluidity of interaction in a visual symphony. Holly Herndon’s AI voice model, Holly+, stars in the music video Jolene, featuring Sam Rolfes, which showcases the capabilities of synthetic performers and their impact on contemporary music.

Complementing QUBIT AI, the FILE LED Show 2024 illuminates Fiesp's facade with innovative creations from USP Visual Arts Course and IED São Paulo students. Under the guidance of Dr. Silvia Laurentiz and Daniel Grizando, these collaborations highlight the interdisciplinary nature of design and the transformative power of university partnerships

QUBIT AI at FILE 2024 is not merely an exhibition; it is a visionary journey into the future of art. By integrating quantum computing and synthetic AI, it challenges and expands our understanding of creativity, inviting us to explore the uncharted territories where art and technology converge.

LINK: FILE 2024: QUIBIT AI

EVENT: IP YUK-YIU'S LEVEL 66 - THE ARCADE PROJECT (JULY 28-AUGUST 4 2024, HONG KONG)

 

 IP YUK-YIU'S LEVEL 66 - THE ARCADE PROJECT

The Box Freespace

West Kowloon Cultural District 18

Museum Drive Kowloon, Hong Kong

Ip Yuk-yiu’s latest venture, LEVEL 66 – The Arcade Project, transforms The Box into an immersive theatre experience where the boundaries between gameplay and performance blur seamlessly. Known for his innovative integration of computer games into artistic practice, Ip Yuk-yiu once again challenges conventional narratives by inviting the audience to become active participants in a dynamic, interactive environment.

LEVEL 66 – The Arcade Project is not merely a performance; it is a participatory theatre experience where the audience steps into a human arcade game lab. The project presents a liminal space, an ambiguous midpoint in a convoluted and possibly manipulated process, where participants are faced with various scenarios and actions. The central question posed to each player is deceptively simple: to play or not to play.

This intriguing premise serves as a vehicle for exploring deeper themes. The project utilizes game mechanics as both method and metaphor, dissecting the interplay of choice, agency, and the inherent conflicts within a structured yet unpredictable system. By engaging with these scenarios, participants confront the underlying mechanisms of control and decision-making, mirroring the complexities of real-world interactions.

Developed in collaboration with students, teachers, and graduates from the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, alongside the Technical and Production Team at West Kowloon Cultural District, LEVEL 66 – The Arcade Project epitomizes a collective effort in pushing the boundaries of experimental performance. This collaboration enriches the project, incorporating diverse perspectives and expertise, and fostering an environment where creativity and technology coalesce.

LEVEL 66 – The Arcade Project is presented under the aegis of TechBox, a collaborative platform established by West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) and the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. TechBox is dedicated to merging the realms of media art and theatre design, encouraging experimental creations within a technological context.

IP Yuk-Yiu is an acclaimed experimental filmmaker, media artist, art educator, and independent curator. His diverse body of work spans experimental films, live performances, media installations, and video games. These creations have been widely exhibited at prominent international venues and festivals, including the European Media Art Festival, New York Film Festival (Views from the Avant-Garde), the Image Festival, FILE Festival, VideoBrasil, Transmediale, NTT ICC, ZKM, and the WRO Media Art Biennale. With over two decades of curatorial experience in film, video, and media art, IP Yuk-Yiu is a pivotal figure in the contemporary art scene. He is the founder of the art.ware project, an independent curatorial initiative dedicated to promoting new media art in Hong Kong. His efforts have significantly contributed to the visibility and appreciation of media art within the region. Currently, IP Yuk-Yiu serves as an Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. His recent artistic endeavors explore hybrid creative forms that draw inspiration from cinema, video games, and contemporary media art practices. His innovative approach and substantial contributions to the field were recognized in 2019 when he was awarded the Artist of the Year (Media Arts) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

LINK: LEVEL 66 – The Arcade Project

LINK: Ip Yuk-yiu

EVENT: CHOOSE YOUR PLAYER. GAME WORLDS FROM DICE TO PIXEL (MAY 17 2024 - APRIL 27 2025, FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY)

Choose your Player
LuYang, Arcade Liverpool, FACT Liverpool, 2023 Installation View
© LuYang, Foto / Photo: Rob Battersby

Choose your Player. Game Worlds from Dice to Pixel

17.05.2024 – 27.04.2025

Opening: Thursday, 16.5.2024, 6 pm, free admission

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen

Seestraße 22, 88045 Friedrichshafen, Germany

 

The exhibition Choose Your Player: Game Worlds from Dice to Pixel at the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen in Germany, running from May 17, 2024, to April 27, 2025, focuses on the multifaceted role of games as a cultural and artistic medium. This exhibit showcases the evolution of gaming from simple escapism to a significant force in shaping future societies and emerging communities. By adopting the persona of one of five unique characters, visitors can deeply engage with the gaming world.

The showcase underscores the diversity of human gaming behavior, enhanced by rapid advancements in technology that continually redefine the ways we play. From traditional board and dice games to cutting-edge computer, console, and virtual reality games, the exhibition provides a comprehensive view of the cultural significance of gaming. It examines the narratives and mechanics embedded within games and their reciprocal influence on society. The exhibition also explores the artistic dimensions of gaming, featuring immersive artworks that entertain, critique, and expand viewpoints.

Specifically, the exhibition focuses on four thematic areas, each represented by a major art installation:

• Playgrounds: This segment illustrates how games serve as a versatile platform for experimenting with various skills and perspectives. It encourages visitors to challenge conventional views on identity, nationality, and gender, prompting a reevaluation of human existence. Installation: LuYang - LuYang NetiNeti Arcade

• Power Games: Highlighting the profound social and political commentary within games, this section examines their impact on historical perceptions and the reinforcement or subversion of stereotypes. Games are shown as mirrors and molders of power dynamics, often aligning with or questioning mainstream narratives. Installation: Larry Achiampong - Mama’s Bootleg Fight Club

• Expanded Horizons: Exploration remains a central theme and a pivotal game mechanic across numerous video game genres, with survival games often emphasizing endurance within perilous settings. In these narratives, airships frequently appear as a vital resource for navigating apocalyptic landscapes. Installation: Afrah Shafiq - Where Do the Ants Go?

• New Communities: Beyond mere gameplay, certain video games transform into vibrant hubs for creativity, social gatherings, and even entrepreneurial ventures. These platforms foster innovative ideas about the future and alternative modalities for living and community engagement. Installation: Keiken - Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1 – Omoiyari

Choose your Player
Keiken, Morphogenic Angels, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2023
Installation View
© Keiken

These segments of the exhibition illuminate how video games transcend entertainment, acting as catalysts for cultural reflection and evolution. Each installation not only enhances the thematic exploration but also invites deeper interaction and contemplation from visitors.

LINK: CHOOSE YOUR PLAYER

EVENT: MMF MMXXIV (MARCH 11-17 2024, MILAN, ITALY)

press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV unveils groundbreaking programs for 2024 edition

Milan, Italy - The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated programs for the 2024 edition, showcasing the best in machinima art from around the world. The festival will feature four unique programs: Auteur Theory, Game Video Essay, Made in Italy, and Slot Machinima.

This year, a concurrent event is FOTOLUDICA, the first Italian conference on in-game photography (March 14-15 2024). Both are free and open to the public.

The Game Video Essay program will present thought-provoking pieces by Cat Bluemke and Jonathan Carroll, Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier, and Quentin L'helgoualc’h, Gina Hara, and Yemen Liu that explore the intersection of gaming and critical analysis. These works delve into the cultural, social, and political implications of video games, offering fresh perspectives on the medium and its impact on society. The program aims to foster a deeper understanding of the potential of video games as a tool for artistic expression and social commentary. The Game Video Essay program will be screened on Thursday March 14, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

Made in Italy will celebrate the ingenuity and craft of young Italian machinima artists. This program features three films that showcase unique aesthetics and styles, highlighting the vibrant and thriving Italian machinima art scene. The featured filmmakers, Alberto Calleo, Simone Fiorentino, and Elia "marasma" Strazzacappa, utilize real-time computer graphics engines to craft artworks that challenge traditional notions of cinema and transgress the boundaries between virtual and real-world spaces. Made in Italy will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

The Auteur Theory program will highlight three exceptional works by leading machinima creators — Jacky Connolly, Lawrence Lek, and Total Refusal — examining the role of the individual artist in shaping the medium. This program celebrates the unique visions and styles of these artists, emphasizing their distinctive contributions to the field of machinima. The Author Theory program will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024 in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).

The Contemporary Exhibition Hall will host Slot Machinima, an immersive program featuring eight video installations that will be presented in a loop from March 11-15, 2024, featuring works by renowned artists such as Adonis Archontides, Steven Cottingham, Kara Güt, Thomas Hawranke, Andy Hughes, Carson Lynn, Stephan Panhans and Andrea Winkler, and Bram Ruiter. This special program is designed to immerse viewers in often absurd and deranged virtual environments within the video game imaginary, showcasing the incredible range and depth of avant-garde machinima.

“We are excited to present these groundbreaking programs that showcase the incredible talent and diversity within the machinima avant-garde community,” said festival director Matteo Bittanti. “The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV aims to push the boundaries of what is possible with this medium and inspire both artists and audiences alike. Through these four distinct programs, we hope to foster a deeper appreciation for the art of machinima and its potential to shape our understanding of the world around us.”

These year’s submission were judged by an international panel of scholars, critics, artists, and curators: Marco De Mutiis, Henry Lowood, Jenna Ng, and Martin Zeilenger.

The poster of the 2024 edition was designed by artist and musician Babak Ahteshamipour. Babak’s vivid new poster design epitomizes the festival’s ethos of propelling machinima into unmapped creative frontiers. Electrifying colors and fantastical shapes blend gaming visuals with mysterious organic shapes, suggesting unexpected artistic dimensions virtual worlds could unlock.

For more information about the Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV and its programs, please visit the official website at https://milanmachinimafestival.org

About Milan Machinima Festival:

The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is an annual celebration of the art of machinima, featuring works by established and emerging artists from around the world. The festival aims to promote the creative potential of real-time computer graphics engines and foster a global community of machinima creators and enthusiasts.

Contact:

Artistic director: Matteo Bittanti

Communication Manager: Colleen Flaherty

IULM Eventi: Caterina Angeretti

Directions to IULM University

News:

For updates, follow us on Patreon, Instagram, Twitter/X and the Festival’s website.

More:

Would you like to get involved? Drop us a line!

EVENT: STEFAN PANHANS AND ANDREA WINKLER (JANUARY 5 - 18 2024, ONLINE)

4K video, single-channel-projection, color, sound, 16’ 13”, 2016-2017, Germany

Created by Stefan Panhans and Andrea Winkler 

January 5 - 18 2024

Introduced by Matteo Bittanti

vral.org

 

Freeroam À Rebours, Mod#I.1 is a 16-minute video work combining experimental film, music video, performance, and contemporary dance which examines the stilted behaviors and motions of avatars controlled by humans in video games. The avatars demonstrate awkward gestures, repetitive motions, and failures to perform actions. Groups of live dancers and actors physically reenact these movements in a series of situations. Their bodies recreate the avatars’ gestures and repetitions. The performers interact with constructed sets and environments that resemble video game aesthetics. The scenes cut rapidly between the choreographed reenactments and footage excerpted from the games, literally juxtaposing the human and the post-human.

Stefan Panhans and Andrea Winkler explore contemporary media and its effects on the mind and body through video, photography, installation, and text. Panhans (born in Hattingen, Germany) undertakes a mental archaeology of hyper mediatization and digitalization, examining their influence on the mind and power relations in society. His work also engages with racism, celebrity worship, stereotypes, and diversity. He studied at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg. Winkler (born in Fällanden, Zurich, Switzerland) examines similar themes through sculpture, video, and installation. She studied at Slade School of Fine Art in London under John Hilliard and Bruce McLean, after completing a degree in Visual Communication at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg under Wolfgang Tillmans and Gisela Bullacher. Together, the duo create interdisciplinary works that critically investigate contemporary media culture and human-technology interactions through experimental aesthetics. Their collaborations take the form of video, performance, and installation.

WATCH NOW

EVENT: VIRTUAL TEXTUAL (OCTOBER 6 - DECEMBER 17 2023, LEICESTER, UK)

 

Virtual Textual

6th October – 17th December 2023

Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre
4 Midland Street
Leicester
LE1 1TG

press release

The exhibition Virtual Textual, explores the digital aspects of game-based poetry, bringing together artists from across the globe in an exhibition that champions innovative, but also careful uses of technology. All the pieces in the exhibition employ lower impact technology – low draw graphics, limited palettes, local-only connections – and easily accessible interfaces across a collection of ludic digital poetic works.

The works in Virtual Textualconsider the ways in which the reader is an essential part in how a text exists in space, and how that text can shift, becoming entirely new with each instance that it is encountered. Participants will discover that reading is no longer a passive act but a dynamic and immersive experience.

At the heart of the exhibition is the Playing Poetry and Phoenix co-commissioned work Wood Wide Web, a lo-fi cottage-commodore-core poetic walking simulator that senses its surroundings. Audiences can become co-creators in an ever-growing piece of poetic nature writing that alters itself depending on the happiness of the plants around it.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of workshops from visiting and local artists, opportunities for audiences to make their own games, and a published pamphlet delving into the exhibition and collecting new game-based works that readers can explore beyond the space.

The Playing Poetry team has emerged from many years in poetry publishing, producing live literature, and developing experimental games, with exhibitions at Somerset House, and commissions from The National Poetry Library, The Edwin Morgan Society, and Edgelandia. Led by Nick Murray, Playing Poetry has launched with Poetry Games, a poignant exhibition in partnership with the National Poetry Library in the Southbank Centre and a game poetry course with the Poetry School.

Check out the amazing projects on display

LINK: Virtual Textual

LINK: Playing Poetry