Guest Speaker - Antonin Fourneau

This Wednesday (March 5), Antonin came to speak about his work and process.

I thought a lot of Antonin's pieces used video games and game hardware in interesting ways. I find that the interactive pieces fit into two categories: 1. using existing game hardware to interact with new elements (IkeaStation) and 2. creating a new mechanism for interacting with existing games (Patch & KO).

The reference to familiar systems does the pieces a great service. It sort of relates to what my section of Max Dean's class was talking about at the gallery -- how does the form of the piece work to welcome interaction? In a lot of Antonin's pieces, there's an existing reference point that we are already comfortable interacting with. You see a PlayStation controller, and you already know how to interact with it. Or you recognize a fighting game and realize it needs your input if it's going to work. This familiarity provides a necessary bridge for engagement with the work.

There's also the interesting example of the non-interactive piece Ghostpad (the joystick that moves by itself). It uses the familiar form of an inherently interactive joystick, but subverts expectations by moving by itself. A lot of new media piece move by themselves, so that's nothing special. The interesting part is the subversion that comes from previous associations with the material.

IkeaStation

Patch & KO

Ghostpad