Matthew Kaney: Making an American Arcade

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As a part of Momentum OKC 2013, Erin Latham (Norman), Zachary Presley (Durant), and Matthew Kaney (Norman) received $2,000 Momentum Spotlight commissions to create new artwork. They are working with the guest curators PLUG Projects (KansasCity, MO) and Taryn Chubb (Ada, OK). 

Matthew Kaney, mock up for Trickle Down, digital video game, 2012.

Matthew Kaney, Norman American Arcadewww.mindofmatthew.com
See Kaney’s artist profile video.

Matthew Kaney: Project Description:In my installation, “American Arcade”, I intend to use the form of 1980s-era arcade games to comment on contemporary political issues. Since the rise of video arcades, the distinctions between “real” and “virtual” have degraded. Computer programs rapidly trade stocks, robotic drones undertake armed strikes by proxy, and the military uses first-person shooter games for training. In short, much of modern life is now a video game, a prospect that raises both ethical and existential questions.  To explore this melding of the real and virtual, I plan to develop a series of arcade-style games, each addressing a real-world issue through pixel graphics and 8-bit sound. The games will be playable in a mini arcade within the exhibition, each installed as a flat-panel monitor in a custom frame and a control panel mounted to the wall in a space designed to resemble a 1980s arcade.
This Spotlight project will be part of Momentum OKC, which opens March 1 & 2 at the 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City. View, experience and purchase art by Oklahoma emerging young artists. Learn more at www.MomentumOklahoma.org.