This weekend Kristin McWharter is screening work in progress of the simulation software Football Practice with High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary.
Sunday, Feb. 13
11am - 2pm central time
*Artist talk at 12pm
Register Here
Game Day is a culmination a year of research during the Artist in Residence program with High Concept Labs in which the collaborative artwork, Football Practice was developed. A series of virtual workshops were held in which participants collectively imagined new football players for a speculative future team. Discussing the complex ways in which American football models and reflects cultural views of power struggle, masculinity, consensual violence, and group dynamics, the resulting speculative players designed in these workshops have offered an intimate view of the fantasies and social issues we role play as spectators of the sport. This crowdsourced imagining was then interpreted by a team of artists, designers, and developers to produce Football Practice, an experimental software and football simulator. Players trained throughout the year as new athletes were drafted onto the team with each workshop.
Over the course of 11 sessions, a total of 22 players were designed. Each crowd sourced player introduced complex power dynamics and strategic hurdles to how the virtual team has since learned to play. This event marks a milestone in the project where a full starting line up has prepared for the football simulator’s first full game. The simulation will be streamed live online in addition to screened in person at with and artist talk to take place during half time.
See you there!