Point Of View

at Babycastles, New York City
Feb 20. – April 10, 2015,
Show statement

‘Point Of View’ questions the current paradigm shift of perspective. What is the role of the hand held screen framing our everyday life? How has gaming shaped the representation of our digital self?

Over the past 100 years the screen has moved constantly closer to our eyes. Most people today spend significantly more time looking at smart-phone screens than at computer screens or TVs (not to mention the cinema screen Games have been an important driving motor for the development of digital culture in the past four decades. The first person view popularized by early computer games like Doom and Duke Nukem has now entered the real world with the growing popularity of head-mounted cameras. GoPro and Google Glass users generate a constant stream of pictures with their hands in view like a digital avatar. A whole range of digital glasses are poised to enter the market. The Oculus Rift promises the classic idea of cyberspace an immersive reality, while people in public extend their body with a selfie stick. Is the view leaving our body now? Will the picture frame finally disappear?

Let’s enjoy the last years of looking at each others screens in public transportation or over the shoulder in Let’s Play gaming videos. The point of view is changing.

Aram Bartholl 2015

Aram Bartholl: Point Of View at Babycastles

Supported by the Berlin Senate Cultural Affairs Department