A welcome message from our curator: Raghav Bashyal
FALL ARCADE 2020: SCREENSHOT EDITION captures the raw process of game designers at work. It features a collection of works that reflect – in strange yet apt ways – the way the world was in 2020. The spotlight is on the ephemera of the artists’ process, rather than on the final product. The inquisitive viewer is invited to take a peek at the artists’ screens, sketchbooks, code editors, and notepads, through which it is possible to witness them responding, reacting, and reflecting on the act of creation – that ancient ritual of finding and releasing the voice within. A new generation of interactive media artists emerges from the doldrums of the pandemic having confronted unfathomable darkness; they return from the depths with humble confessions about their mistakes and humorous and insightful reflections on what they discovered along the way.
With the lab closed due to the pandemic, we created a virtual gallery for this year’s show. Our inspiration was the lab itself; we set out to recreate it but, during that process, solid walls gave way to abstract spaces. That transition from physical to surreal is reflected in the layout – which will take you from an arcade-inspired gallery all the way to outer space! There are three spaces to explore: HELLO WORLD, ZOOM ROOM, and SPACEPLOITATION. The design of each room is defined by the works featured within.
Download the catalogue of the show (with the games, introductions to the rooms, artist’s bio and more) and visit the Game Lab Fall Arcade 2020 itch.io bundle with all the game of the show available for download.
