Abertay supporting DCA summer exhibitions
Abertay University is supporting two exciting summer exhibitions just announced by Dundee Contemporary Arts: Small Wars and CD-ROMS, which will run from Saturday 16 July to Sunday 4 September.
The exhibitions explore the cultural impact of computer games, with playable artwork and installations by artists Eddo Stern and Theresa Duncan. They have been programmed and curated in partnership with Dr William Huber, Head of the Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at Abertay University. The exhibitions also coincide with Abertay’s hosting of the First Joint International Conference of DiGRA and FDG 2016, a landmark exchange of ideas for academics and educators within games research and with Abertay's annual Dare to be Digital computer games design competition.
The programme begins with an Exhibition Introduction on Friday 15 July where there will be the opportunity to hear about the work on show from exhibiting artist, Eddo Stern, alongside Graham Domke, Exhibitions Curator at DCA and Dr Huber from Abertay University.
On Thursday 18 August, local video games writer and creator Emilie Reed (aka net.gal), co-curator of Blank Arcade at AbertayUniversity, will give a talk in the gallery. Emilie has previously written on exhibiting artist Theresa Duncan and writes extensively about art, technology, games and museums.
During the final weekend of the exhibition, DCA will hold the latest in its series of Drop in and Play gaming events (Saturday 3 September), in partnership with Abertay University. Visitors will be able to try a range of brand new games before they’re widely available, speak to local games designers and let them know what they think after trying out their work. There’ll also be a chance to explore the art of games design in depth with local company Future Fossil. DCA is currently running an open call for participants: games developers interested in taking part should visit www.dca.org.uk for more information.
Graham Domke, Exhibitions Curator at DCA, said "It feels apt to present exhibitions by Eddo Stern and Theresa Duncan in Dundee at this time. Both artists have harnessed the digital age to produce accessible and intelligent games people can play. The radical invention in their work transcends any outdated thoughts that computer games cannot be art.” Dr William Huber, Head of the Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at Abertay University, said: “Digital games have moved on from being a relatively minor form in the mid-twentieth century to being ubiquitous, part of the lingua franca of a culture built on computing. Artists like Eddo Stern and Theresa Duncan work with the aesthetics and interactive literacies from digital game to create work that is, at turns, compelling, charming and provocative.”
The picture is a screenshot from Eddo Stern's "Vietnam Romance" exhibit in the Small Wars exhibition.
