Abstract

Other Theatres

‘Other Theatres’ is an interactive, multimedia installation of related works that are concerned with the commodification of contemporary warfare, the pursuit of varying forms of virtual combat by different social groups as a leisure activity and the separation between the virtual experience and the actual reality of conflict.
The installation consists of two pieces of work, plus supporting elements. The first piece, ‘Modern Warfare’ is an audio/video projection that utilises the British Army’s combat simulator, (available in the public domain as a free download). Veterans of the Afghanistan campaign will be invited to complete realistic combat scenarios on the simulator whilst they recount their personal experiences of conflict. Video capture software will be used to record the screen in real-time as veterans play/navigate a simulator scenario. The audience will see the same view as the participant(s) – a first-person perspective of the virtual environment of the simulation, as navigated by the participant(s). This real-time video capture will be layered with an audio monologue, recorded when the veterans are fully immersed in the simulation. The intention of this juxtaposition is to explore the separation between the virtual ‘augmented reality’ and the actual lived experience.

In addition to this, a computer - linked to the British Army’s ‘Start Thinking Soldier’ recruitment campaign - will also provide an opportunity for the audience to interact with the on-line version of the simulator, which has been devised to target and recruit male gamers in their late teens.

The second body of work, ‘Kill Zones’ is a series of large-format photographic works of ‘Mil-Sim’ (military simulation) gameplay arenas. The images will be exhibited alongside replica weapons, as used by the Mil-Sim gaming community.

The installation will also features two games consoles – a PS3 and Xbox - running first-person shooters, (‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ and ‘Medal of Honor’) where the audience can immerse themselves in contemporary virtual conflicts whilst interacting with other players from the on-line gaming community.