Sculpture and Installation

Aim High

Ogden Contemporary Arts solo exhibition, Aim High. Historical Space Invaders video game projected and created in collaboration with Profe Rafael Fajardo. Window vinyl created in collaboration with Mariah Johnson. Ogden, Utah. Photos by Austin Luckett

Colonial Space Invaders is a re-interpretation of the classic arcade game Space Invaders. The original eight-bit arcade game developed in the 1970’s is played by shooting and destroying columns of aliens that march down the video screen. Rafael Fajardo, an artist and academic who practices in emergent digital practices, collaborated with me to reprogram and re-adjust the perspective of who is an “Space Invader.” I redesigned and we replaced the original extraterrestrials game icons with new ones that included conquistadors, cannons and cathedrals. The 8-bit look and archaic feel of early video games is all still there. When projected on a large scale on a gallery wall, the game taps into nostalgia which attracts new and older generations. This reinterpretation of Space Invaders creates an opportunity for players to reposition their present day understanding of immigrants and think critically about the actual historical alien invasion by colonial powers. .

Monarch Building. Ogden Contemporary Arts

Monarch Building. Acrylic mural and window vinyl installation.

War Games Tactical Media Collective: Discharged

In collaboration with Plug-in Studio [Steve Ciampaglia + Kerry Richardson] is a socially engaged new media artist duo. Discharged is a video game designed by veterans in reaction to the first-person shooter video games that are sponsored by the military and glorify warfare. In Discharged, players experience veteran life stateside, after being deployed. Try to maneuver through the obstacles of addiction, physical and mental trauma to make it home.