game night
Jaehyun Kim
in collaboration with Michelle Calabro and Jimin Song June 29, 2016 | 7-9pm
left
Jaehyun Kim and Jimin Song
Left is a 2D side scrolling game with a character that revisits the memories of the past. The game investigates our ability to manipulate time and space. Normally, most side-scroll games are right scroll but in this work, the character can go both ways. In the opening scene, players are presented with a choice, one option goes from the present onward to the future, and the other option goes to the past.
The paradox between the irreparability of past decisions and unpredictability of future aspirations is narrowed down to contemplative minimalism, while the meditative nature of the game promises a retreat from the complexities of everyday struggles.
Soft-landing
Jaehyun Kim
The game attempts to fit a house between other houses. Set in a pristine neighborhood filled with row buildings, the player seeks out an empty space that will accommodate their home. If the home does not fit, it will continue falling until you come across another open lot. Born and raised in South Korea, Kim has struggled with feelings of loneliness and displacement while living in the United States. The house then becomes a metaphor for the artist’s perpetual state of alienation she has endured while residing in America.
The Forger
Jaehyun Kim and Michelle Calabro
In every round there’s a “real” artist, a “fake” artist and a registrar. The registrar works for the gallery and decides which art will be placed on the walls. Both the “real” artist and the “fake” artist will make a drawing then proceed to talk about the inspiration behind their work. It will then be up to the registrar to figure out which work was made by a trained artist versus a gallery goer. All works selected by the registrar will be placed on the walls of the gallery.
Biography
Jaehyun Kim received her MFA in Art and Technology from School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a focus on game-making and physical computing. Prior to diving into the world of game design, she studied film-making in South Korea.
Michelle Calabro is an artist who deploys documentarian, interventionist, data-driven, and poetic approaches to investigate the possibility of the design artifact as an intrapersonal, interpersonal and intercultural interface. Calabro is interested in the possibility of design to negotiate language amongst people as a communicative tool to bridge barriers –both physical and psychological.
Jimin Song is a game designer with a background in film and interactive media. Song received her master’s degree in Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon University; she began working in game design for mobile games. In her personal projects, Song explores the intersection of art, design and technology. She is specifically interested in using the framework of gaming as a means to convey an interactive form of visual storytelling.