Production 4

Production 4:

Game Proposal

Focusing on the work of Alex Janvier, an Indigienous artist from Alberta who creates gorgeous works incorporating Denesuline iconography with western iconography and technique to create stunning artworks rich in colour. His work is a testament to how multiple cultures can converge and coexist within an art piece, with his imagery referencing Kandinsky and Miro, while never faltering to be uniquely Denusuline. Janvier was taken from his home at 8 to be educated ina residential school where he says he found art to be his escape.

The fact that he was stripped of his culture, lamguage, and family at such a young age and indoctrinated and steeped in western culture and sensibility, makes his reference to Kandinsky and miro as influences interesting because Kandinsky is generally revered for being the first abstract painter. Kandisnky is also credited with the first truly abstract painting and for him, painting was always a spiritual journey meant to use image and colour to explore the depth of human emotion and experience. Janviers work is not only visually reminiscent of Kandinskys work, but it also shares the stress on emotional depth.

Given the unique group situation that I am in, I requested Sebastian to provide for me some information about the project he wants to work on. His focus is on creating a new program at mcmichael gallery that collaborates with survivors of the residential schools to create a learning space. My own interest in creating a game before learning about this project was to create a game that subjects the player to be at a disadvantage and leads them through scenarios that are intentionally designed to watch you lose, while progressing you regardless through the next aspects of the game. The concept for me, was to take the idea of intersectionality and how it effects individuals in job markets, in getting ahead, in feeling welcomed in society and navigating a complicated world. I want a game you can’t win, but continues to progress you through levels and is visually appealing.

Given my partner already has particular goal for this project, I wanted to work out of that premise this week. I think an art game that moves the player through different levels of artists work could be interesting, especially if we could link the artwork to the artists context at the time. Since a great majority of thw work focuses on his time in residential school, and this is meant to be educational, I think blowing up the painting and making the user “walk through” the painting and using sounds elicted by the painting to tell a story about its context, and make the user feel uncomfortable, or inspired, based on how the images and additional elements interact would be interesting. Using Janviers artwork as a maze that the players walks through, I would want there to be different points in which the players can open up secret doors or boxes and play puzzle games that solve other artists and influences and open up the abstracted artwork. Abstract art can often feel inaccessible and impossible to understand other than thick with theory and expression as they often are. I would hope that the objective is to move through different levels and puzzles that act like a mystery to solve what an art piece is about, without just telling you. Especially when considering artwork like Janviers which grapples with such difficult matters as his experience in the residential schools.

My positionality in creating this type of teaching method needs to consider how the visuals are used and created without inappropriately co-opting stories that are not mine to tell as a white person. I think its also important to consider the ways that visuals frame stories and tell them, using the imagery of Janvier’s artwork to introduce and teach his work without co-opting his story and work to enact violence on indigenous communities all over again. I think the goal of the game should be focused on how janvier has created a voice as an artist, and the game can be a teaching space for how creators can find their own voices and identities in creative expressions.