APRIL 22 2021/22 APRILE 2021

17:00 - 18:00

Online event

Università IULM (IULM 1, terzo piano)

Via Carlo Bo, 1 20143 Milan, Italy

To watch the full video, press PLAY/Clicca PLAY per vedere il video integrale

ARCHITECTURE AND MEMORIES IN VIDEO GAMES

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

Alan Kwan and Allison Yang Jing recently completed the experimental game Forgetter in collaboration with the French art collective DSL COLLECTION. In the game the player works for a tech company that cleans all the trauma or dark memories in dead artist brains, and then recycles and sells these artistic brains to parents who want their newborns to be super creative but pain-free artists. This project combines the form of walking simulator games with a janitor cleaning mechanic to create a weird yet artistic interactive experience. In this talk, Alan will share about how the game concept was developed, as well as some ideas and design strategies for crafting unique psychological and intimate spaces in video games.

ARCHITETTURA E RICORDI NEI VIDEOGIOCHI

LINGUA: INGLESE

Alan Kwan e Allison Yang Jing hanno recentemente completato il gioco sperimentale Forgetter in collaborazione con il collettivo artistico francese DSL COLLECTION. Nel gioco, l’utente è stato ingaggiato da un’azienda tecnologica per eliminare i traumi e i ricordi oscuri nel cervello di artisti deceduti, per poi riciclarlo e rivenderlo ai genitori che desiderano una prole super creativa, ma senza traumi. Questo progetto combina il formato dei walking simulator alle meccaniche del janitor simulator per creare un’esperienza interattiva bizzarra. Nel suo talk, Alan illustrerà il concept e lo sviluppo di Forgetter, nonché strategie di progettazione utili per creare contenuti videoludici inclassificabili.

Alan Kwan is an artist, technologist, and researcher. He is primarily interested in exploring new artistic and technical possibilities of real-time 3D technologies and game engines that depart from the traditional video game paradigm and typical tech fantasies of AR/VR. His projects, including VR experiences and experimental video games, were exhibited at international venues such as Ars Electronica Center in Austria, ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Germany, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai and were featured by Discovery Channel, Popular Science, and The Boston Globe among others. Alan was awarded the first prize of the MIT Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize, Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Award for Young Artist (Media Art). One of his video games was acquired by the Hong Kong M+ Museum as part of its permanent collection. Alan holds a Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently exploring the construction of impossible architecture and psychological spaces in the virtual world. He also co-founded the independent video game label Sometimes Monastery with Allison Yang Jing.

Alan Kwan è un artista, tecnologo e ricercatore. Tra i suoi principali interessi spiccano le nuove possibilità artistiche e tecniche delle tecnologie 3D in tempo reale e dei motori videoludici che si discostano dal paradigma dei videogiochi mainstream e dalle fantasie tecnologiche tipiche della AR/VR. I suoi progetti — tra cui le esperienze di realtà virtuale e sperimentali — sono stati presentati a eventi come Ars Electronica Center in Austria, ZKM Center for Art and Media in Germania, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, e altrove e sono state discusse da Discovery Channel, Popular Science e dal Boston Globe. Alan ha ricevuto il prestigioso riconoscimento MIT Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize, l’Asian Cultural Council Fellowship e l’Hong Kong Arts Development Council Award for Young Artist (Media Art). Uno dei suoi videogiochi è stato acquisito dall’Hong Kong M + Museum e conservato nella collezione permanente. Alan ha conseguito un Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology presso il Massachusetts Institute of Technology di Boston. Attualmente sta esplorando la costruzione di architetture impossibili e spazi psicologici nel mondo virtuale. Con Allison Yang Jing, ha creato lo studio indipendente Some Monastery.