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CHICAGO, September 26 - When games, the internet, and mobile phones converge, real and virtual worlds collide in this powerful Chicago premiereperformance. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, presents Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now?, November 2-5,2006. A chase game where the players are online and the chasers are on the streets of Chicago, Can You See Me Now? is a fascinating cutting-edge interactive work which blurs the line between public and private places, and the presence and absence of people, by using the omnipresent handheld technology of cell phones and global positioning systems (GPS).
An unorthodox interactive performance, Can You See Me Now? is a game that happens simultaneously online and on the streets. The audience consists of people playing either online at public computer terminals at the MCA, or from any online computer anywhere in the world. During the game, players are represented by avatars (virtual people) in a virtual city. They play against their chasers (performers from Blast Theory), who are physically on Chicago’s streets. The game begins when the online players are dropped at random locations into a virtual map of Chicago.
Blast Theory chasers are tracked by satellite and appear online next to the players’ avatars on a map of the city. On the streets, they each have handheld computers with GPS showing the positions of the online players to guide them in tracking them down. The game ends when the online players are caught by Blast Theory, who then take a photo of the exact spot of the apprehension. The photos of all of the locations where people are caught are subsequently posted online. With up to 20 people playing at a time, players can exchange evasive tactics with each other, as well as send text messages to their chasers. An audio stream from Blast Theory's walkie-talkies allows the players to eavesdrop on their pursuers: getting lost, cold, and out of breath on the streets of the city.
Drawing upon the near-ubiquity of hand-held technology (which now brings constant internet access, location-based services, and massive bandwidth into this equation), Can You See Me Now? attempts to establish a cultural space on these devices. Blast Theory looks to identify the wider repercussions of this communication infrastructure: when games, the internet, and mobile phones converge, vast new possibilities arise.
Blast Theory is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists' groups using interactive media. Led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr, and Nick Tandavanitj, the group is based in Brighton, England, where they explore interactivity and the relationship between real and virtual space with a particular focus on the social and political aspects of technology. Confronting a media saturated world in which popular culture rules, Blast Theory creates groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art, joining audiences through the internet, live performance, and digital broadcasting. In 2005, Adams, Farr, and Tandavanitj were presented with the Maverick Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Blast Theory won the much coveted Golden Nica for Interactive Art at Prix Ars Electronica in 2003, and has been nominated for many other awards including four BAFTAs. Internationally, the group has been represented at art fairs and festivals throughout Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Can You See Me Now? has been presented in England, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and Canada.
Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? is performed from 1-4pm, Thursday-Sunday, November 25. Participation is free with registration through the MCA website, www.mcachicago.org, or directly from the game site, www.canyouseemenow.co.uk. People can participate on public computers at the MCA or anywhere in the world with internet connection. The geographic area of play is around the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Avenue, and the performers themselves can be seen leaving from the MCA at the designated times. For more information, call the MCA Box Office at (312) 397-4010. For more information on Blast Theory visit www.blasttheory.co.uk. The program is supported by the British Council USA.
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ABOUT THE BRITISH COUNCIL USA: The United Kingdom's international organization for educational and cultural relations, the British Council USA increases recognition of the wide array of learning opportunities available in the UK and facilitates educational cooperation between the US and UK. The organization also showcases British creativity by introducing the American public to high-quality, groundbreaking artistic achievement, and highlights the UK's scientific innovation in disciplines ranging from biotechnology to planetary science. Through its work, the British Council USA endeavors to promote an image of the UK that is up-to-date, vibrant, in the vanguard of new thinking and fully representative of the country’s geographic and cultural diversity.
CONTACT: Stacy Hope
(202) 588-7849
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