[ISEA2022] Artist Talk: Aaron Oldenburg — Night Walks Through Asynchronously-Networked Space

Artist Statement 

June 10, Remote Artist talk. Session: Creative process, performative expression and perception of reality

Keywords: memory, sound art, videogame, network, multiplayer

Night Walks is a series of distinct software objects connected to one another asynchronously through a private server. The intent is that these objects function together to form one videogame, distributed throughout multiple players and play sessions. This talk will discuss the benefits and challenges of using this as a form of artistic process. The author will discuss the creation of different software objects that commu- nicate with one another indirectly and interpret one-another’s communications abstractly. It will demonstrate how this leads to an iterative and expansive creative process, with novel forms of inspiration and constraint.

For the video recording of the talk see: Amalia Creus — Intro and video: Creative process, performative expression and perception of reality

  • Aaron Oldenburg (USA) is a Baltimore-based game, interactive and video artist. His work has exhibited in festivals and galleries in New York, Johannesburg, London, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Los Angeles, including SIGGRAPH, A MAZE. International Games and Playful Media Festival, the LeftField Collection at EGX Rezzed, Slamdance DIG, Game On! – El arte en el juego, and FILE Electronic Language International Festival. His games have been written about in Kill Screen, Baltimore City Paper, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
    He teaches game design as a Professor in University of Baltimore’s Simulation and Game Design program and has an MFA from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His writing on games has been published in Game Studies, Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, and the proceedings of the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA). In October 2003 he finished two years as an HIV Health Extension Agent for the Peace Corps in Mali. http://aaronoldenburg.net