Milan 20121
Italy
In the framework of the 23rd Triennale Milano International Exhibition Unknown Unknowns: An Introduction to Mysteries (until December 11, 2022), Triennale Milano produced the second edition of Triennale Game Collection.
Curated by Pietro Righi Riva of game production studio Santa Ragione, the Game Collection contributes to the reflection on “what we don’t know that we don’t know” that is the central theme of the International Exhibition, explored throughout the works of 400 artists, designers, architects, scientists from more than 40 countries and 23 international participations.
Triennale Milano invited some of the world’s most renowned independent game designers, from diverse parts of the world, to interpret the facets of the Unknown Unknowns.
Yijia Chen and Dong Zhou—respectively 3D artist and game designer at Optillusion (China/USA)—who designed WADE, a stroll along the shore of a wide river that flows into the underworld. As the player ventures deeper, the scenery starts to shift and they may encounter oddities or curiosities. The artist and designer Fern Goldfarb-Ramallo (Argentina) created We Are Poems, a swim through the queerest region of deep space. Its inhabitants float in joyous explosions of light, embracing the void as a place to thrive. Nina Freeman of Star Maid Games (USA) designed Nonno’s Legend, a game about imagining places you’ve never seen. Nina's grandfather shows her a magic globe that can reshape the planet. The Ghanaian game designer Akwasi Bediako Afrane realized MINE, that ushers the audience into an “open-mine” and deals with the unknown relationship between raw materials and the virtual spaces that we inhabit. The Irish designer Llaura McGee / Dreamfeel conceived Contact, focused on the search for life in the universe and identity in oneself. Players interact with onscreen interfaces to decode the signals received from outer space.
The involved authors present, with a variety of approaches and themes reflecting the cultural diversity of each, five games, the common thread of which is reflection on the mysteries of outer space as a key to understanding ourselves.
After the launching of Game Collection Vol. 1 in 2016 for the 21st International Exhibition, Triennale Milano produced a new downloadable virtual gallery of video games conceived to be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s own home.
The five games of Triennale Game Collection Vol. 2 are available on Steam, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store.
