Artist Statement
Game Designer
Video games and virtual spaces are not independent spaces. Virtual spaces operate as an extension of the tensions of our sociopolitical climate. As such these spaces need to be normalized as areas of play for diverse populations and audiences. This practice, however, must go beyond the calls for diversity and inclusion, by not putting the onus on the underrepresented bodies and instead on the systemic problems reflected in gaming content and companies.
In my work I strive to educate and advocate for marginalized voices that are not often represented in mass media. I do this through utilizing digital games as a communicative medium. Digital games function as epistemological artifacts that allows for myself as the game designer and the player to have an open dialogue about the existing relations of power at the intersect of race, gender, and sexuality. I center my personal experiences navigating the many spaces I inhabit and seek to capture the nuances of my intersecting identities through creating a complex narrative through the storytelling; while also fostering a since of self through creating characters and levels that place the player as a central component of the game. I explore the politics of space and gender in different environments, through creating art that explores and experiments with the limitations and affordance of digital games as a different epistemological device.
The medium of digital games is important to me because playing video games have been a major part of my social development and understanding my many intersecting identities through my lens as a black woman. Digital games, as a medium, was an accessible resource available to my siblings and I. Being immersed in an interactive world, such as a video game, when I was a child, allowed me to explore and ultimately enhanced my cultural understanding and perception of people. Video games in the early 2000' rarely featured a person of color as the main character, unless they played into a stereotypical trope. People of color with an active role in the plot are not positively represented in video games or mass media. Because of this I began actively seeking out positive representations of people who looked like myself. This instance of self-reflection was the starting point for my academic research interest and passion for what inclusivity and diversity mean in a digital game and the politics of the spaces I disrupt with my art and my presence.
In my work I strive to educate and advocate for marginalized voices that are not often represented in mass media. I do this through utilizing digital games as a communicative medium. Digital games function as epistemological artifacts that allows for myself as the game designer and the player to have an open dialogue about the existing relations of power at the intersect of race, gender, and sexuality. I center my personal experiences navigating the many spaces I inhabit and seek to capture the nuances of my intersecting identities through creating a complex narrative through the storytelling; while also fostering a since of self through creating characters and levels that place the player as a central component of the game. I explore the politics of space and gender in different environments, through creating art that explores and experiments with the limitations and affordance of digital games as a different epistemological device.
The medium of digital games is important to me because playing video games have been a major part of my social development and understanding my many intersecting identities through my lens as a black woman. Digital games, as a medium, was an accessible resource available to my siblings and I. Being immersed in an interactive world, such as a video game, when I was a child, allowed me to explore and ultimately enhanced my cultural understanding and perception of people. Video games in the early 2000' rarely featured a person of color as the main character, unless they played into a stereotypical trope. People of color with an active role in the plot are not positively represented in video games or mass media. Because of this I began actively seeking out positive representations of people who looked like myself. This instance of self-reflection was the starting point for my academic research interest and passion for what inclusivity and diversity mean in a digital game and the politics of the spaces I disrupt with my art and my presence.
Artist
I am primarily a game designer however I have been recently focusing on my work as a conceptual painter and artist. My works focus on self-reflection and critical making. As a game designer I center my personal experiences navigating the many spaces I inhabit and seek to capture the nuances of my intersecting identities through creating a complex narrative through the storytelling; while also fostering a sense of self through creating characters and levels that place the player as a central component of the game. I explore the politics of space and gender in different environments, through creating art that explores and experiments with the limitations and affordance of digital games as a different epistemological device. In my art I seek to encompass these same themes through different mediums. I do this through exploring how the medium affects the message. Art and works of art are seen by many as intimate pieces that require a connection between the viewer and artist. I use my work to document my environment and experiences. One of the most seemingly simplistic approaches to art is pen and ink drawings. In my art I begin with the question of which tools and forms at their simplest form allow me to dynamically express multiple themes. My body of works is an exercise in emotional vulnerability through abstracted connection that allows me to explore the range of my emotions.
My current drawings and paintings are narrative driven. In viewings and critiques of my works they are often described as sharp and detailed. This semester I have worked on limiting my color palette and tools to better encompass the intended emotion as well as varying the size and material used in the pieces. Most of my works are abstracted from the original subject. The different patterns and lines winding through my works visually represent my thought process. Through the usage of just pen and paper as well as simplified color schemes I have been able to explore and respond to current socio political movements happening across the united states through not only the lens of a black woman but also catalogue and document the range of emotions that have been occurring within myself due to prolonged quarantine and social distancing. Many of the overlapping fluid patterns in my works seek to encompass the duality of productivity and my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
My current drawings and paintings are narrative driven. In viewings and critiques of my works they are often described as sharp and detailed. This semester I have worked on limiting my color palette and tools to better encompass the intended emotion as well as varying the size and material used in the pieces. Most of my works are abstracted from the original subject. The different patterns and lines winding through my works visually represent my thought process. Through the usage of just pen and paper as well as simplified color schemes I have been able to explore and respond to current socio political movements happening across the united states through not only the lens of a black woman but also catalogue and document the range of emotions that have been occurring within myself due to prolonged quarantine and social distancing. Many of the overlapping fluid patterns in my works seek to encompass the duality of productivity and my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
