Games

Computer games by artists

The exhibition Games sought to display the varied range of artistic approaches to the phenomenon and modifications of computer games. Thus, it addressed a subject, which has intensely occupied the young media art scene over the past few years.

All works shown in the exhibition display a constructive rather than simply reactive approach towards the hardware and software of the rapidly expanding computer games industry. The artists utilise the given standards, whilst at the same time deconstructing them with subversive gestures and infusing them with new meanings. They take up a trend which has been established in game culture since the producers have been adding editors for changing the standardised game design according to personal taste.

The range of artistic strategies displayed in the exhibition spanned from the adaptation of the programming code to the manipulation of the hardware through to the ”translation ”of digital scenes and motifs into the language of analogue visual media and objects: like Norbert Bayer aka Mr. Ministeck who transforms icons of computer games into ”Ministeck mosaics”. In addition to games that can be played on computers and consoles the show also encompassed installations, videos, objects and graphics.

From 11 October - 30 November 2003 the Reserveteillager at Phoenix West in Dortmund was host to the exhibition. It was curated by Tilman Baumgärtel, Iris Dressler and Hans D. Christ. The [link 01] hartware medien kunst verein was responsible for the concept and presentation.

The exhibition was awarded the Innovation Prize of the Fonds Soziokultur. And the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) recognised it as ”a special exhibition of the year 2003”.

Interviews with the organisers:

Tilman Baumgärtel, curator:

[link 02] [Windows Media | 3,06 Min.] | [link 03] [Real Media | 3,06 Min.]

Iris Dressler, head of the hartware medien kunst verein:

[link 04] [Windows Media | 3,03 Min.] | [link 05] [Real Media | 3,03 Min.]

Video tour through the exhibition:

[link 06] [Windows Media | 2,20 Min.] | [link 07] [Real Media | 2,20 Min.]

Artistic works in the exhibition:

Yang Zhenzhong
[link 08] 922 Rice Corns
A video about a ”competition” between a cock and a hen
2000

Vuk Cosic
[link 09] The ASCII Unreal
Modified level of the computer game ”Unreal”
1999

Arcangel Constantini
[link 10] Atari-Noise
A modified Atari as an ”audiovisual noise pattern generator keyboard”
2000

Leon Cmielewski und Josephine Starrs
[link 11] Bio-Tek Kitchen
A modified video game with virtual kitchen utensils
1999

Mongrel: Richard Pierre-Davis et al.
[link 12] BlackLash
Computer role plays with a political message
1998

Lucien Alma, Laurent Hart
[link 13] Borderland
A video game with everyday ”heroes”
2001

fuchs-eckermann: Mathias Fuchs und Sylvia Eckermann
[link 14] fluID - arena of identities
A multi-user game about identity and its (de)construction
2003

Aurélien Froment
[link 15] Fury
A video work in between the genres computer game and action movie
1998 - 2000

Jodi: Joan Hermskeerk, Dirk Paesman
[link 16] Jet Set Willy Variations ©1984
A computer game with abstract graphics
2001 - 2002

Margarete Jahrmann, Max Moswitzer
[link 17] LinX3D
A multi-user game with a form of integrated surveillance
1999

Mister Ministeck: Norbert Bayer
[link 18] Mister Ministeck
The Series Tetris Advanced, Live Forever and TouchScreens
1999 - 2003

Pash Buzari
[link 19] modificazione ps1
An installation with a video loop and photographs
2000

Volker Morawe, Tilman Reiff
[link 20] PainStation
A video games as a”modern-day duelling artefact”
2001

Tom Betts
[link 21] qqq
A modified ”Quake” game and video installation
2002

Jan-Peter E. R. Sonntag
[link 22] ratio agendi#3 - PONG
Interactive Teletennis in real space
1999 - 2003

Joan Leandre
[link 23] retroYou nostalG
A modified flight simulator
2003

Beate Geissler und Oliver Sann
[link 24] Shooter
A video and photo documentation of ”Lan-Events”
2000 - 2001

Jodi: Joan Hermskeerk, Dirk Paesman
[link 25] SOD
A modification and graphic abstraction of ”Wolfenstein 3-D”
1999

SF Invader
[link 26] Space Invader
Artistic strategies for occupying public space
Since 1999

Cory Arcangel
[link 27] Super Mario Clouds
Graphic reduction in a modified video game
2002

Olaf Val
[link 28] SwingUp Games
A computer game as a moveable light installation
2001

Jon Thomson und Alison Craighead
[link 29] Triggerhappy
Deconstruction by means of a video game
1998

Anne-Marie Schleiner, Brody Condon und Joan Leandre
[link 30] Velvet-Strike
Pacifistic ”Spray paints” for the game ”Counter-Strike”
2001

Lars Zumbansen
[link 31] X and Directional Button UP
A video loop about ”Tomb Raider”
2000 - 2002

Exhibition Catalogue:

BAUMGÄRTEL, Tilman (Ed.): Games: Computerspiele von KünstlerInnen / Computer games by artists. Ausstellungskatalog, hartware medien kunst verein, Dortmund 2003. Frankfurt a. M.: Revolver Verlag, 2003.
Book orders: [link 32] Revolver

computer/game/film

Lectures and Films about Computer Games and the Moving Image

A lectures and film program computer/game/film was organized for the Games exhibition, in which media and film scientists discussed the relationship between computer games and the moving image. This transmedial approach is based on the idea of computer games as a hybrid medium that has absorbed various elements of other sign systems - from architecture over painting to film. At the same time the aesthetics and logic of computer games influence a growing number of other media.

Lectures

Karin Bruns

Professor for Media theory und Head of the Institute for Media, University of Artistic and Industrial Design, Linz
”Alice im Wunschmaschinen-Land. Computer-Games zwischen Filmadaption und künstlerischer Subversion” (in German)
[11/21/2003]
[link 33] Video [Windows Media | 45 Min.]
[link 34] Video [RealMedia | 45 Min.]
[link 35] Database Entry

Serjoscha Wiemer

Media Scientist, Frankfurt/Main
”Von Massacio zu Metal Gear Solid. Fragen an die Perspektive in Film und Computerspielen” (in German)
[11/21/2003]
[link 36] Video [Windows Media | 52 Min.]
[link 37] Video [RealMedia | 52 Min.]
[link 38] Database Entry

Andreas Lange

Director of the Computer Game Museum, Berlin
”Homegames. Wie die Computerspiele unsere Wohnzimmer eroberten” (in German)
[11/22/2003]
[link 39] Video [Windows Media | 70 Min.]
[link 40] Video [RealMedia | 70 Min.]
[link 41] Database Entry

Francis Hunger

Artist and Junior Curator, hartware medien kunst verein, Dortmund (since 2005)
”WarGames - Hacker spielen” (in German)
[11/22/2003]
[link 42] Video [Windows Media | 63 Min.]
[link 43] Video [RealMedia | 63 Min.]
[link 44] Database Entry

Krystian Woznicki

Freelance Curator, Berlin
”Sim Cinema wants you” (in German)
[11/22/2003]
[link 45] Video [Windows Media | 65 Min.]
[link 46] Video [RealMedia | 65 Min.]
[link 47] Database Entry

Joan Leandre

Artist and Member of the ”Unknown Frame Observatory” and the ”OVNI Archives”
”Babylon Archives. Documents from the darkest side of the Empire. A media archaeology project 1999 - 2003” (in English)
[11/22/2003]
[link 48] Database Entry
The video documentation of this lecture with numerous video and film extracts cannot be published here because of copyright restrictions.

[link 49] hartware medien kunst verein recorded the lectures and kindly gave permission to publish them on the platform.