Art: Controller: Artists Crack the Game Code

March 10, 2006, 10:25 AM

by mathew, via various -
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2006_03_10_tony.jpg Controller: Artists Crack the Game Code is an exhibition running until March 25th at the InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre (9 Ossington Ave.) in Toronto. Showcasing the works of artists currently working in the field of video game modification, artists include Myfawny Ashmore, RSG (Alexander Galloway), and Anita Fontaine and Yumi-co. As I expect the average reader won’t be able to take the trip out to Toronto to see what is basically a small room featuring five art installations, I'm including links so you can experience the installations online, albeit in a cut down form, should you so wish.

Prize Budget for Boys’ Calderoids, a fusion of the art of Alexander Calder and Asteroids is given a nice summary on GameSetWatch, that and Prize Budget for Boys’ companion work, PacMondrain (a fusion of Pacman and the works of Piet Mondrian, duh), available to play (experience?) online, Calderoids here and PacMondrain here.

You can view clips of RSG’s Tony Hawks Underground 2 glitch installation Prepared Playstation on Alexander Galloway’s homepage, though the piece itself is actually a live installation of three glitching Playstations.

Videos of Myfawny Ashmore’s Mario Trilogy (intriguingly also being played this month at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square) in which all level architecture and enemies are removed from levels of the original Super Mario Bros. can be seen here, though the pieces themselves are in playable form at the exhibition.

CuteXdoom.jpg Anita Fontaine and Yumi-co's CuteXdoom, an Unreal Tournament mod exploring modern cultures' addiction to cuteness, and can be downloaded at their homepage with a quicktime video also available for those who either don’t have the game, or don’t want to mess up their installation of UT2003 (which the mod appears to do).

And finally, clips of Tasman Richardson’s Atari glitch videos Apollo Shrapnel Part 1 and Restless < Wrath can be found mixed in with the rest of her work at her website, a direct link for Apollo Shrapnel Part 1 here and for Restless < Wrath here, each with a nice description.