Territories of Play - Mise-En-Scène

Abstract

The course stresses the scenographic aspect of game environments and their relation to architecture. Game sets –be it virtual or material– will be explored in their spatial behaviour and their prosthetic impact on the player: as décor or field, loaded with rules, limits and opportunities.

Objective

The course will look into the backdrop qualitites of various games and how they interact with the players. The course will be structured into three distinct and complementary moments: 1. Portraying of an existing game 2. Extrapolating of a specific feature of the game scenography. 3. Application on an real world situation. In “Junk Space” Rem Koolhaas unmasked the current condition of architecture on a global scale: The contraction into a hollow surface that is in constant transformation, with an overwhelming emphasize on effects, light, sounds and odours. Atmosphere without material. Games go even further as their scenography is liberated from architectures biggest burden: substance and gravity. What spatial phenomena take place in the ever more present game environments? The course is echoing a fascinating genealogy that runs through the history of architecture itself: Dematerialisation, Scenography, Limits, Thresholds, Gib doors, Hidden rules, Trompe-l‘œil, Illusions, Décor, Frescos, Marbleising, etc.

Resources