Digital Video& Computer Games

Machinima

What is Machinima?

Machinima is the use of real-time 3Dcomputer graphics rendering enginesto create a cinematic production.

Most often, video games are used togenerate the computer animation.

Machinima as an art interventionEx: Second Life Dumpster by eTeamEx: Work by Third Faction (art collective)Ex: Anne-Marie Schleiner (Velvet Strike)

Machinima as performance artEx: Work by Eva and Franco MattesEx: “Looks Very Tidy” by James Morgan and John BruneauEx: Work by Joseph deLappe (Gandhi project)

Experimental Use of Machinima

Third Faction – Art Collective• is a group of new media artists based in the Silicon Valley

• they create art within The World of Warcraft

• Third Faction’s focus is to develop a democratized, peaceful and non-hierarchical society

• this is a participatory practice that welcomes new membership

/hug project by Third Faction

http://thirdfaction.org/hug/

eTeam Art Collective • is the New York-based duo of German artists Franziska Lamprecht and Hajoe Moderegger

• often their work humorously touches upon the serious issues of consumption and the environment

• in 2008 they started the Second Life Dumpster project which monitors the levels of consumption in the virtual world by tagging pieces of garbage with a decay script written by the artists

Second Life Dumpster by eTeam

Dumpster project

John Bruneau & James Morgan• an art collective consisting of two local artists

• both have graduated from the CADRE program at San Jose State University with an MFA in Digital Media Art

• are part-time professors at the Art Institute and San Jose State

• specialize in interactive, video art and machinima

Looks Very Tidy Performanceby James Morgan & John Bruneau, 2007

Looks Very Tidy web site

New Media – Eva & Franco Mattes• were born in Italy in 1976

• since meeting in Madrid in 1994, they have never separated, living a nomadic life throughout Europe and the United States

• neither of them received art education; however, they are counted among the pioneers of the Net Art movement, and are renowned for their subversion of public media

Reenactment of Shoot

Reenactment of Chris Burden’s performance “Shoot” in Second Life by Eva and Franco Mattes, 2007

New Media – Joe de Lappe•  an art professor at the University of Nevada

• has been working with electronic and new media since 1983

• has exhibited work throughout the US and abroad - including Australia, the UK, China, Germany, Spain, etc.

Gandhi Project by Joe de Lappe

Reenactment of Gandhi’s Salt March

Gandhi Project by Joe de Lappe“Over the course of 26 days, using a treadmill customized for cyberspace, I reenacted Mahatma Gandhi's famous 1930 Salt March. The original 240-mile walk was made inprotest of the British salt tax.

My update of this seminal protest march took place atEyebeam and in Second Life, the Internet-based virtualworld. For this performance, I walked the entire 240 miles on a converted treadmill and online. My steps on thetreadmill controlled the forward movement of my avatar,MGandhi Chakrabarti, enabling the live and virtualreenactment of the march.” - joe de lappe

Going one step further…

Hacking – Cory Arcangel(American, 1978 - )

- uses the artistic strategy of appropriation, creatively re-using existing materials such as YouTube videos, computer games, etc. to create new works of art

- his work explores the relationship between technology and culture

Hacking – Cory Arcangel’s Work

Super Mario Clouds F1 Racer (Japanese Racing Game)

Hacking – Cory Arcangel’s Work

I Shot Andy WarholWas created by hacking and rewriting the game “Hogan’s Alley” for the NES.

Hacking – Anne Marie Schleiner- is engaged in gaming and net culture in a

variety of roles as a writer, critic, curator, and gaming artist/designer

- her work investigates avatar gender construction, computer gaming culture, and hacker art

Hacking – Anne Marie Schleiner

Velvet Strike (anti-war collection of sprays and recipesfor use in online shooter games), 2002

Art21 PBS Series:

Cao Feihttp://video.pbs.org/video/1281753428/