Simon Sellars: Sleepy Brain Archives

by Rebecca Cannon

all images © SelectParks

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When new architecture is erected in a city with which we have become familiar through the years (learning its alleys, underpasses and shortcuts as we learn the secrets of a friend), it becomes a labyrinth for exploration. Within us arises a desire to map this complex structure into our memory, for it to take place beside our older memories, to become enmeshed in the matrix of neural patterns through which memories are stored inside the brain. With new memories, it has been discovered, all associated older memories alter.

Various architects have exploited cravings for exploration, designing ever more natural layouts in ever less cubic structure – layouts that defy needs for spatial economy, or logical navigation.
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The Queen Victoria Shopping and Life Style Centre in Melbourne places alleys at strategic points along the bordering streets. These alleys induce pedestrians into an inner food court sanctum, one that is strangely lacking in the suffocating protective bubble that stifles most artificial public arenas. Rather, dangerous looking metal cages keep electrical wiring and piping at bay. Although one cannot see the outside, one feels as though outdoors. There are no glass partitions along the entrance caves; high ceilings encourage strong breezes for natural air flow. Without a visual cue, we feel isolated from the outside, but this breeze reminds us of nature’s proximity. A craving arises to seek the source. We explore the subterranean shopping malls, seeking the source in wonderment.

Similarly, Federation Square in Melbourne has been designed to reign the visitor into an arena of architectural exploration. It is not surprising that, at FedSquare, many people complain of being lost when they first arrive: FedSqaure is home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI; the world’s first gallery dedicated to the moving image). It’s also home to the National Gallery of Victoria’s Indigenous Art Collection; the ACMI lending collection (where the public may borrow films, videos and DVDs from the National archive at no cost); and SBS Independent television and radio stations. Even after several familiarising visits, new architectural niches constantly arise.

Computer game designers also embrace a design logic that encourages exploration. These design principles reach a zenith in the artistic project AcmiPark, where exploration itself becomes a motivation for computer-based play. Commissioned by ACMI, and produced by the SelectParks creative team (Julian Oliver, Chad Chatterton, Andrea Blundell and programmers), AcmiPark is a virtual environment that contains a replication of the real world architecture of FedSquare. Following both the lineage of computer games (the interface and keyboard commands are based on those of games), and the visual and aural arts (particularly Artistic Computer Game Modification), AcmiPark extends the real world architecture of FedSquare into a fantastic abstraction. Subterranean virtual caves hang below the surface, and a natural landscape replaces the Central Business District in which FedSquare actually resides.

AcmiPark is the first multiplayer, site specific games-based intervention into public space. Contextualised within an art exhibition, it provides a non-threatening introduction to computer-based play for people who are not yet familiar with this entertainment form. AcmiPark is a multiplayer world, and can be accessed at the ACMI gallery (where it will be installed for the next three years), or via a client application that can be downloaded for free online. It can hold up to 64 players at any one time, who may communicate via in-world chat with their friends in a local area, or globally within the entire space.

Bounce pads are situated around the buildings, encouraging players to jump on top of FedSquare. This provides players with previously impossible perspectives of the architecture, and reflects the recent trend in architectural design to make use of 3D engines, (even 3D computer game engines) as design and planning tools. Many of the design elements that arise from this method cannot be executed in real life, thus AcmiPark provides players with an opportunity to re-evaluate this innovative architectural landmark in the more conceptual form from whence it came.

To reflect the diversity of the population that inhabits the real world FedSquare, player characters can be adorned with various skin colours, and the non player characters span a large age bracket – elder people inhabit this virtual world. Non player characters are programmed to travel in groups around the world, allowing ‘tourists’ to follow them to new locations. The t-shirt designs are adorned on the back with customizable images by local artists.

Although AcmiPark stems from the digital art form of Artistic Computer Game Modification (both Julian and Chad have produced Mod Art works, and SelectParks.net hosts the world’s only archive of Mod Art works) – it does not actually run on a game engine. A new engine was developed for two reasons, firstly to allow ACMI and SelectParks to distribute the client for free. But more importantly, no other game engine could accommodate the highly innovative sound components of AcmiPark.

The Scratch Rink is an area of the surrounding virtual park that allows players to jam live with sound. The sound track is affected by players’ xyz coordinates. The coordinates feed real time into the audio engine to alter audio waveforms. Moving and jumping in the Scratch Rink becomes a method of composition, transforming virtual, physical performance into musical performativity.

In the Loop Rink, geometric, floating objects speed through tunnels (these tunnels reference the underground train station on which FedSquare has been built). Players can use their avatar to obstruct these speeding objects, which then triggers an additional library of audio samples, creating a form of collision based composition.

One of the inspirational objectives of AcmiPark was to answer the question “when you take away the violence and competitive elements of games, what do you have left?” For example, when you take away the violence of a first-person-shooter gun, when the gun is no longer a weapon of destruction, what is really happening? You have a sound and you have a bright light flying off in a certain direction. You have a user-defined audio-visual dynamicism. Although the motivation of game play might appear to be to win, the aesthetic affects of game play maintain a much larger portion of our sensual input than do final scores and competitive adrenaline. Attention to aesthetic content may occur beneath the screen of conscious input, but it is registered in a way that has a profound impact on a player’s biological systems.

In AcmiPark, a gun is used to shoot light and sound, but cannot be used to harm other players. There is no point scoring system. The sound emanating from the gun changes throughout game play, providing the user with additional proviso for audio composition. Similarly, the lights change colour and are used to enhance surface textures and illuminate the subterranean caves.

AcmiPark is an incredibly accessible and innovative game based installation that puts Australia at the forefront of innovative interactive design. – Rebecca Cannon © 2004

..:: LINKS
>> ACMIpark
>> SelectParks