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Board Games in Academia V
Abstracts
Tony Bloom
Gameboards as Sculpture - an Artist's Approach
As a counterpoint to the rules and strategies of games play, the visual,
material, and audible aspects of games are what engage me as a sculptor. I
draw inspiration from games in various cultures and various times,
utilizing references to the natural, the historic, the intellectual, the
ecclesiastical, the mysterious, and the emotive. How the gameboards,
pieces, determinants (dice, spinners, etc.) and tally boards present
themselves and how they are transposed into our culture is what intrigues
me. How I incorporate them into my sculpture is what challenges me.
The visual aspect is both engaging and compelling. The movement away from
the organic to the geometric or hierarchic array is one of the pivotal
points of games development, as is the experimentation with symmetry,
sequence, colour, and patterning. The materials from which the boards and
pieces are made are critical to the appeal or engagement of the game.
Moving a gold or ivory marker "feels" different than moving a wooden one --
therefore it is different. (As well, the material makeup of the games and
pieces determine whether they endure for future generations to know of and
study them.) The sounds associated with the pieces being manipulated or the
game being played also contributes to the "theatre" of the game. The
"clack-clack" of Backgammon pieces, the hiss of the sticks in American
Indian Ka-tande games, or the slamming of the pieces in a Mah Jong parlor
all are factors integral to the playing of the game and the mindset of the
players and audience. And all are in mind when I am developing sculpture
based on games.
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