Halcyon Atmosphere, 2009
Single-channel HD video
9 minute loop
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Halcyon Atmosphere is a video made from found digital 3D models of guns I downloaded from the Internet. The guns were originally made for shooter games. The work is part of a larger series of images and objects called pwn3d (pronounced “owned” or “powned”), which is a gamer term meaning appropriated or humiliated, usually referring to a defeated player or computer system. The pwn3d series investigates how masculinity is constructed in first-person shooter games, where the gun often replaces the body. Video games are an incredibly powerful cultural intersection between entertainment, art, warfare, and the market. I'm especially interested in how we assign value to objects and images, and the way this constructs identity.
BIO:
Shane Mecklenburger is Assistant Professor of New Media Art at the University of North Texas. He received his MFA in Film, Video, and New Media from SAIC in May 2009. He lives and works in Dallas.
More info: www.shmeck.com