Info
Sebastian Schmieg (b. 1983) studied new media under Olia Lialina at Merz Akademie in Stuttgart, at the Berliner Universität der Künste in Advanced New Media Studio run by Joachim Sauter and Siegfried Zielinski, he is also a graduate of Networked Media at the Piet Zwart Institut in Rotterdam. He lives and workes in Berlin and Stuttgart, where he teaches new media art. He works with found objects and materials and custom software to create pieces that examine the way contemporary technologies shape our online and offline realities. His works have been presented at major international festivals, such as transmediale (Berlin), PixelAche (Helsinki), Stuttgarter Filmwinter (Stuttgart) and FILE (Sao Paulo) as well as exhibitied in such venues as Bitforms Gallery or Museum of the Moving Image (New York).
EVENTS WITHIN THE RESIDENCY (04.11-30.11.2014):
November 20, 2-6 PM: workshop Doing it wrong—Countergaming strategies
November 21, 6 PM: Gaming Night
November 26, 6 PM: Artist Talk / presentation of the artists’ works and results of the residency
* Sebastian Schmieg’s residency will be accompanied by the selection of video art works along with the documentation of installations and performances from the WRO collection inspired by games, which will be presented as a special thematical path in the Media Library.
WORKSHOP
Doing it wrong: Countergaming strategies
November 20, Thursday, 2-6 PM
Age of participants: +18
1. Networked computers everywhere: your fridge, your house, your car, your books, your glasses, your watch.
2. Be smart and use smart devices.
3. Monitor, analyse and optimise yourself.
4. Collect points, claim your rewards and reach the next level.
5. Now you know: this is “gamification”.
6. Probably it’s not much fun and it definitely isn’t gaming.
7. The good news: doing it wrong is doing it right.
8. Fun is back: in this workshop we will approach algorithmic systems – social media, apps, search engines, smart devices, etc. – as spaces for games and as games by themselves.
9. We will come up with our own games and countergaming strategies – digital or analog – inside those systems.
10. Who are the winners and who are the losers?
11. Who is smarter: you or your smart fridge?
12. Can you do it wrong?
13. More good news: no knowledge of computer programming is required (at all).
14. If possible, bring your laptop, tablet or smartphone. All other materials and tools will be provided.
15. Because games have to be played we will host an intense gaming night which will be open to the public!
16. Congratulations, you have successfully collected 16 bullet points!
Sebastian Schmieg
Doing it wrong workshop, lead by Sebastian Schmieg – the grant holder of the Goethe@WRO residency program, will be an opportunity to find out what gamification is. By using gaming strategies and patterns in everyday situations in a non-game context, the way of thinking of people involved in certain undertakings can be changed; they can also engage more in what they do. After a short theoretical introduction, we’ll continue with practical activities. The participants will design prototypes of their own games and gamification strategies with the use of analog (eg. cards, boards, scenarios) as well as digital tools (eg. apps, social media). The results of workshop will be presented during the Gaming Night on the following day (Friday, November 21, 6 PM).