SideQuest

@sidequest.osp

researching artist-produced-computer-games @juan_covelli + @david_blandy_ & @petra.szeman + @greencubegallery play quests @aceagrams supported
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SYBIL x A MAZE: a third way to game-dev On the 14th of May 7PM, we invite you to an evening discussion concerning the contemporary currents expanding and merging the field of gaming today. As part of A MAZE ( @a_mazefest ) we have organized a panel discussion at Sybil. The panelists are: Shuruq Tramontini ( @shuruqtramontini ), Rico Norwood ( @dr.puert0rico ), Elliott Burns ( @sidequest.osp ) and Beth von Undall ( @spleeding ). Throughout Sybil’s Arc 2 we have proposed the idea that the solo-dev - a post-2000s neologism with roots in 1980s conceptions of computer programmers as savant whizz-kids and enlightened loners - could be emblematic of a third way in gaming: A different strategy for the game-maker that doesn’t mean submitting to hierarchical AAA studio assembly lines nor vying for Indie incubator programs. What the solo-dev borrows from the traditional framework of “the artist” is the pursuit of self-determination. That is, a drive that is tied to a particular expression of an idea or a question in a practice, and this is what sets it apart from more commercially traditional strategies pertaining to both AAA and Indie-development. Adding to this is also an emerging understanding that the game industry is no-longer as off-limits to experimental and art driven developers as it once might have felt. With this as starting point the panel will discuss how technological changes and increasing access to game-development software is opening up new ways for games to made as well as for artists to develop their work within the context of the game industry.
203 5
12 days ago
How do you put your body on-the-line? With a shield cut from an oil-drum and festooned with feathers; by infusing non-violent protest with guaracha music; by lobbing smoke-grenade onions; or by bird-eye droppings. In Juan Covelli’s 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘢í𝘥𝘰𝘴 (2022-23) players can cycle between four avatars involved in the 2021 national strikes and a fifth non-human actor. You can be the Guerrera Misak, one of the country’s most prominent indigenous groups and a key player in many of the protests, or be El Capitan Colombia, a super-hero edition of the front-line protestors who defended others against police brutality. Dance and vogue against government oppression as La Cuerpa Trans, a figure modelled on the Toloposungo trans community. Or be the voice of the state and of corporate interest, an ESMAD (Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbios or Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron) officer of the police special forces. Alternatively, fly above it all as a pigeon, a knowing nod to the every present avian who has been eternal witness to past and present civic unrest. Read about the symbolism layered into all five characters in the latest 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview with Covelli, online now via the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 Substack. Link in the bio. #JuanCovelli #LosCaídos #SideQuest @juan_covelli @somersethouse @somersethousestudios @theturinginst @ual_cci @espacioodeonbog @arselectronica @elmamm @fotocolectania
105 2
1 month ago
Is 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘢í𝘥𝘰𝘴 (2022-23) by Juan Covelli a contemporary capriccio? In the latest 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview, the Colombian artist revisits his open world game and the 2021 national strikes that shook cities including Bogotá, Cali and Popayán. We discuss how Covelli’s process of composing multiple sites into a singular explorable landscape relates to a historical and often overlooked genre of painting that fictitiously unified key architectural structures into a single scene. But this time turning our attention to the toppled monuments to colonial figures. “At the time, I was not in Colombia… [so] I ended up asking people in Colombia, in the cities, to please go to these places and using photogrammetry tools to document the broken monuments and the empty plinths where the monuments had been. With the files I was sent, I rebuilt the statues from six locations.” Alongside an art historical lens, Covelli provides a deeper context for the strikes and talks about the symbolic clues embedded in his game that would be nearly indecipherable to Western audiences. We frame this impenetrable design language in relation to the flattening of Latin American countries in many commercial video game contexts. 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘢í𝘥𝘰𝘴 began with support from the Somerset House PATH AI commission programme with The Alan Turing Institute and UAL CCI, and was further developed in relation to Covelli’s nomination for the Premio Luis Caballero. It was first exhibited at Espacio Odeón in Bogotá and has since been shown at Ars Electronica, El Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín and Fundació Foto Colectania. Read the full interview via the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 Substack, link in the bio. #JuanCovelli #LosCaídos #SideQuest @juan_covelli @somersethouse @somersethousestudios @theturinginst @ual_cci @espacioodeonbog @arselectronica @elmamm @fotocolectania
116 10
1 month ago
“You are in an [[alternative reality]] game. You have been playing it your whole life.” Over the past week+ I joined forces with Kin Chui, Benjamin Ezequiel and Carmen Schnedidereit as part of the [[𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺]]: 𝘑𝘈𝘔 !, organised by the Shanghai based [[rect*repair]. The alternative reality game jam took place across six cities, with Gæmz running the Tokyo hub; Ferran Bertomeu Castells coordinating Taipai; Jana Romanova taking care of The Hague; Dan and Saki of Playfool organising London; and Brandon Liu, Queenie Wu and Cyrene operating activity in New York City. The jam kicked off on Saturday 21st March with presentations, ideation, rapid prototyping and a keynote talk by Matt Adams of Blast Theory. Over fifty alternative reality games were bashed together and published on Itch.io. On the following Saturday 28th March we gathered again to test out the results. Our contribution – 𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (2026) – plays upon the bug testing labour required to bring any AAA game to launch, where test gamers carry out a list of tasks to expose glitches and errors that can then be fixed by the developers. Applying this model of engagement to the real-world, our play testers used a web application to photograph mistakes in reality (e.g. misplaced assets and incorrectly applied textures) and post a communal report. After exploring the world and logging bugs, testers met to collectively rate each other’s results and produce a league table revealing the top employees. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the testing, bug reporting and scoring! Thanks to Dan and Saki for their massive commitment to the London alternative reality hub! Thank you to MØRNING for funding everything + hosting the development day and thank you to Newspeak House for hosting the playtesting day! London hub alt reality jammers include: Naomi Lea, Mao Lu, Rrushika Kadam, Yoshitsugu Kosaka, Wigy Ramadhan, Marcus Round, Sara, Symoné, Alex Taylor and Xinyue Yu. #AltRealityGame #GameJam #QualityAssurance
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1 month ago
Every year, in my role as a lecture on BA Culture, Criticism & Curation at Central Saint Martins, I get to deliver a lecture called 𝘌𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘢 that plays off of McKenzie Wark’s book 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 (2007) and their conceptualisation of gamespace. This year I decided to add an interactive visit to 𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 (2021) – the online deathmatch arena created by Riccardo Rudi and Superinternet – that was the setting for 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓 (2021) tournament organised by Greencube.gallery and Clusterduck. For fifteen minutes students dipped out of the false-meritocracy of the university and into a world governed by consistent rules. Moreover, the opaque systems of educational evaluation were replaced by a visible score system and on screen alerts as to who had killed whom. After the deathmatch we returned to blast through Johan Huizinga’s magic circle and its later application to video games by Eric Zimmerman, Frank Lantz and Katie Salem; traversed Wark’s gamespace and Jean Baudrillard’s simulacra; before exploring instances where the governmentality has infringed into the rules of MMOs. Always a great class and even better this year with a newly added competitive edge. Thanks to BA CCC Stage 2 students for jumping into the arena with such eagerness. @csm_news @mckenziewark3000 @greencubegallery @guidosegni @mtsrys @realclusterduck @riccardorudi @superinterneto #FondazioneSpara #McKenzieWark #CentralSaintMartins
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1 month ago
Now open, visit Chemist Gallery to play an alternate ending version of 0𝘜𝘙 6𝘏05𝘛5, 0𝘜𝘙 5𝘏3115 by David Blandy and Petra Szemán. Curated by Rebecca Edwards, the duo-show is the fourth time Blandy and Szemán’s RPG art game has been showcased, following developmental iterations hosted by Seventeen Gallery, FACT Liverpool and Two Queens. In a 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview with Blandy and Szemán, we talk about the multiple layers of dialogue that are present in the game and were essential to its creation; we discuss the two artists’ relation with the avatar selves Lone and Yourself and personal gaming histories; and finally touch upon the subject of nostalgia and pixel aesthetics. “It’s a lot of reflections on our experiences within those spaces, which is itself partly a dialogue with the creator of that game and also the whole team who made that game. Which raises the bigger question of who is the person that we’re having a conversation with? Sometimes it’s the fictional avatar itself.” - David Blandy Follow the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 Substack to receive interviews and articles direct to your inbox. Head to Chemist Gallery to see and play 0𝘜𝘙 6𝘏05𝘛5, 0𝘜𝘙 5𝘏3115 until Sunday 12th April, 2026. @david_balndy_ @davidblandyrpgs @petra_szeman @_rebecca.edwards @seventeengallery @fact_liverpool @twoqueensleicester @chemist.gallery @aceagrams #DavidBlandy #PetraSzeman #OurGhostsOurShells
63 1
1 month ago
Published today, in the latest 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview David Blandy and Petra Szemán speak about their RPG collaboration 0𝘜𝘙 6𝘏05𝘛5, 0𝘜𝘙 5𝘏3115 and how it developed through dialogue and over a succession of gallery exhibitions. First shown in a group exhibition at Seventeen Gallery – alongside pieces by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and John Powell-Jones – the game was subsequently expanded with additional levels and an unfolding story in two further shows at FACT Liverpool and Two Queens in Leicester. Now an alternative ending version of the project will be presented at Chemist Gallery in London, opening on Thursday 19th and running from Friday 20th March to Sunday 12th April, 2026. The project was guided and curated by Rebecca Edwards and supported by Arts Council England funding. “I like to think about this relationship between Yourself and me, especially in regards to how Yourself can have this body that’s made up of 24x48 pixels – I cannot do that – and so they get to have a different spatial relationship to the space of the game as I do as the player.” - Petra Szemán In our conversation, David and Petra recount the conversational writing process that generated their in-game exchanges and address their ongoing relations with their avatar selves Lone and Yourself. Read the full interview by following the link in the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 bio and sign-up to the Substack to receive all future texts direct to your inbox. @david_balndy_ @davidblandyrpgs @petra_szeman @_rebecca.edwards @seventeengallery @fact_liverpool @twoqueensleicester @chemist.gallery @aceagrams #DavidBlandy #PetraSzeman #OurGhostsOurShells
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1 month ago
Whittling down 32 artists across four qualifiers and two semi-finals, 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓 concluded with nine artists pitched against on another for a cash prize of €500. However, subverting expectations and tactically refusing the competitive logics of the wider art world, the remaining artists unified themselves in a spirit of utopian comradery and began to instead use their collective bodies to explore the limits of the arena. Until in the final few seconds the game changed. As commentator Wade Wallerstein had predicted there was ample opportunity for one player to: “come in at the last minute, snake the others and take the 500€.” In our 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview with Guido Segni and Matías Reyes of Greencube.gallery we discuss what took place in this final few seconds and how a decision of what to do unfolded in the coming minutes and weeks. Read the full interview on the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 substack. @greencubegallery @guidosegni @mtsrys @realclusterduck @riccardorudi @superinterneto @habitualtruant #sidequest #GreenCubeGallery #ClusterDuck #THESTRUGGLEISREAL #FondazioneSpara
42 1
2 months ago
Lucky this week to have had the chance for two studio visits. A big thanks to DMSTFCTN (aka Oliver Smith and Francesco Tacchini) and Playfool (aka Daniel Coppen and Saki Maruyama) for taking the extensive time to talk to me about their past practice and upcoming projects. Upcoming 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 articles are going to be focusing on the theatrical staging DMSTFCTN’s 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘔𝘖𝘋𝘌 (𝘦𝘱. 1) (2022), 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘨𝘪’𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 (2024) and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘴 (2025), that combine audience participation with gamic systems and narrative arcs that subvert agential expectations. Exploring the position and experience of AI agents trained on synthetic datasets, with heavy notes of Italian Opera dei Pupi. And in another article 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 will follow the development of Playfool’s new project 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘓𝘋 Ø-1 (2025-ongoing), an experimental game built on a heavily modded, neural recreation of Super Mario Bros. Through a real-time generative AI world model the studio aims to widen the agential space of AI models, provoking emergent agencies via a continuous dialogue between operator and machine. Slide 1: top: 𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘴 (2023); bottom: 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘔𝘖𝘋𝘌 (𝘦𝘱. 1) (2022). Slide 2: top: 𝘢 (𝘳𝘦)imitation 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 (2024); bottom: 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘓𝘋 Ø-1 (2025-ongoing). @dmstfctn @francescotacchini @studioplayfool @saki.maruyamaa #SideQuest #DMSTFCTN #StudioPlayfool
47 1
2 months ago
Equipped with a streamlined machine gun and infinite ammo, 32 artists and designers were thrown into 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓 tournament, fighting for a €500 prize. Each was able to contribute a custom banner ad to promote themselves as a creative practitioner, doubling-down on the neoliberal model of competition and personal PR that now permeates the early stages of many art careers. Involved in the 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 were: @ragnanox , @nonsensebani , @bobbicknellknight , Dirk Paesmans, @domenicodombarra , @esbenholk , @zoccofabien , @federicadipiet , @federicodelfrati , @poni.js , First Last, @guildorgallo , @bibifenara , @jonashoeschl , @kamiliakard , @leggerostudio , @marcocadioli , @m_msantamaria , Matthias Schäfer, @_molmor , @parasiteparasite , @proyectouna_ , @the_philosophers_meme , @silvio.lorusso , @simona.andrioletti , @wassilychair , @studiotonnato , @the_coolest_couple , @the.hmm , @valeriodadaveneruso , @thankswillem and @zsoltfm . Only nine made it to the final. Read more about the project in the latest 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview with Guido Segni and Matías Reyes of Greencube.gallery. Co-curators of the project who worked alongside Clusterduck, Riccardo Rudi and Superinternet to bring it to life. @greencubegallery @guidosegni @mtsrys @realclusterduck @riccardorudi @superinterneto #sidequest #GreenCubeGallery #ClusterDuck #THESTRUGGLEISREAL #FondazioneSpara
56 0
2 months ago
Out now, the third 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 interview takes us back to 2021, to the COVID-19 national lockdowns and to a moment when the art world was becoming extremely online. Responding to these conditions the curatorial collective Greencube.gallery and Clusterduck came together with Riccardo Rudi and Superinternet to stage an online first-person-shooter tournament titled 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓. Employing the Milanese cultural landmark Fondazione Prada as their venue - which was rebranded 𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 - the battleground became: “a poignant manifestation of a crowded stage (both on and offline) in which artists are stimulated to dance at the rhythm of institutional calls and apparent possibilities” Speaking with Guido Segni and Matías Reyes of Greencube.gallery, this 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 reflects on the notions of meritocracy, the streamlined design of the game and the surprise ending. Read more about 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘜𝘎𝘎𝘓𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓 by following the link in the bio and signing up to the 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 substack. @greencubegallery @guidosegni @mtsrys @realclusterduck @riccardorudi @superinterneto #sidequest #GreenCubeGallery #ClusterDuck #THESTRUGGLEISREAL #FondazioneSpara
67 6
2 months ago
Many thanks to Clara Che Wei Peh for organising the 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 over the past over the past month, for bringing together members of London’s digital art scene for tailored close-door discussion and for inviting me to do a micro-presentation on 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 as part of the series closing event. In five minutes or less, I shared a general overview of what 𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘌 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘚𝘛 aims to do in the coming months and sampled an upcoming 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 article that will explore art institutions recreated through game engines and level designers. Briefly I touched upon five key pieces of this sub-genre: - Orhan Kipcak and Reini Urban (1995) Ars Doom. - Palle Torsson and Tobias Bernstrup (1996-1999) Museum Meltdown. - Lawrence Lek (2015) Unreal Estate (The Royal Academy is Yours). - Thomas Webb (2020) BETTER OFF ONLINE. - Green Cube Gallery, Clusterduck, Riccardo Rudi and Superinterneto (2021) THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. The full feature will include many more examples from this niche. And it was great to see other presentations from Abigail Miller, Tanya and Oscar of Compiler Zone, Bea of Peckham Digital, Jenn Leung, Shaheer Tarar and Katya Bryskina Ibraz, amongst many others. Best wishes to Clara for the upcoming Singapore season of the chatroom. @claralikesart @palletorsson @tobiasbernstrup @lawrencelek @webb @greencubegallery @realclusterduck @riccardorudi @superinterneto @abigailkmiller @compilerzone @peckhamdigital @jennnital @shaheer.info @katyabryskina
37 0
2 months ago