Rhizome.org
announced a call for commission proposals to examine the nature of “game” art
in 2004. In response to that call, I offered that I would be interested
in examining the meaning of game as it relates to the hunt. Thus, I spent
my time in the field, walking off-trail looking, searching, hunting for
lost bits of bone, fragments of fur and other forgotten animal
relics which
are incorporated within this piece that exists both online and as a physical
installation.
The relics are contained within a virtual reliquary taking
the form of a computer file native to game cartridges for Gameboy Advance
(GBA) that can be viewed online within a browser window or downloaded
to any actual GBA hardware. In this way, the relics can be viewed online
or taken away by anyone who would like to download them, although to
view them offline requires a GBA or GBA software emulator. Accompanying
the relics are the field notes of the curator of the reliquary
that also exist within the context of a web page.
In addition to the online aspects of this work, a physical installation
also exists consisting of a GBA with the reliquary preloaded onto it
as well as a leather-bound book containing the field notes of the curator
of the reliquary. This book is composed of handset, letter pressed
type on Rives lightweight book paper; it is case bound and the book block
is covered in soft calfskin leather. Viewers are allowed to peruse both
the book and the GBA freely – as the book and the interface of
the GBA are inviting and familiar, viewers tend to inherently gravitate
toward examining both.
This link will take you to the original proposal submitted for this work.
this link will take you to the other 2004 Rhizome.org commissions.
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