It’s the end of the World (of Warcraft) as we know it
Featured in the Neo Avant-garde program of the Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIII, Babak Ahteshamipour’s In Search of the Banned Dictionaries that contain the Words for the Things You Wish you could Express but You are Unable to With Common Words (2022), appropriates and repurposes one of the most popular massively multiplayer role playing games of all time, World of Warcraft. Ahteshamipour’s video is the outcome of a lengthy and intricate production phase, beginning with the creation of an alter ego, a Blood Elf Warlock, which was then “evolved” through the process of leveling up. This was necessary for the artist’s avatar to access all areas of the game, allowing the player-director to explore different scenarios, regions, and dungeons, and capture footage. The absence of a recognizable body onscreen makes the experience both disembodied and immersive, allowing the viewer to project their identity onto the protagonist.
In the video, Ahteshamipour comments on escapism, particularly the idea that gaming is a form of entertainment that provides players with alternative situations, “fun” challenges, and entire worlds to their ordinary lives. In today's world, this tendency to escape real life is becoming increasingly popular as the planet deteriorates due to climate change, environmental catastrophes, air pollution, and micro-plastics rendering Earth increasingly inhabitable. Silicon Valley companies have been pushing for metaverses and simulations, while video game companies and social media platforms have been encouraging users to drop out and log in. The planet is dying, but this simulated world looks so good on the screen.
The video shows pristine vistas, stunning sunsets, purple skies, and outstanding forests devoid of humans, making it a modern kind of folklore, a cult-like system of beliefs in which legions of gamers venerate virtual gods. In Search of the Banned Dictionaries that contain the Words for the Things You Wish you could Express but You are Unable to With Common Words is part of a larger installation featuring paintings, sculptures, and objects, much like Ahteshamipour's previous work, Paleontology of non-existence.
Matteo Bittanti
Read an interview with the artist
Work cited
Babak Ahteshamipour
In Search of the Banned Dictionaries that contain the Words for the Things You Wish You Could Express
Digital video/machinima, color, sound, 9’ 16”, Iran/Greece, 2022
