memory

VIDEO: THE POETICS OF GAME SPACES

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The poetics of video game spaces: On Fumi Omori’s Home Sweet Home

A video essay by Matteo Bittanti 


PART ONE

Fumi Omori’s latest project Home Sweet Home delves into the young Japanese artist’s intimate tapestry of personal recollections and her playful documentation of frequent relocations both IRL and within the virtual environments of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

Her nomadic history, characterized by a succession of relocations around the world in the past few years, finds solace in the poignant stillness of captured photographs, a portal to the emotional entanglements woven into past physical spaces. Nestled within the cherished folds of this beloved game, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing, which emerged as a sanctuary amidst the disquietude of the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic, the artist crafts bespoke chambers that bear testament to their very essence.

Home Sweet Home is an investigation into the ramifications of transposing corporeal abodes into the virtual landscapes of video game spaces, which are “inhabited” by around two billion people as we speak, at least according to the latest statistics. Employing the technique of photogrammetry, Omori undertook the playful reconstruction of her former dwellings within the game, thereby obfuscating the demarcations between reality and imagination, leaving the viewer awash in a sea of architectural reverie, both deeply personal and utterly generic, as these apartments evoke the classic IKEA principles of impermanence, interchangeability, and transience. The interplay that ensues between these competing ideas of domesticity but also between these planes of reality — one corporeal, the other intangible — affords a tantalizing glimpse into a distinct visual hacking methodology, a véritable trompe-l’oeil.

In an extensive interview, the artist mentioned that the genesis of this project took root at ECAL the prestigious École cantonale d’art de Lausanne, and was set into motion by the visionary digital curator Marco De Mutiis of Fotomuseum Winterthur as part of a workshop on Automated Photography. Notably, this marks the third installment - following the lauded contributions of Benjamin Freedman and Moritz Jekat, to grace the fourth season of VRAL — a testament to the platform’s unwavering commitment to championing burgeoning talents alongside their venerable counterparts, an approach advocated by both Bittanti and the discerning Italian emigré, De Mutiis. It is not by chance, then, that these three works share common concerns for such issues as memory, belonging, and loss.

(continues)

Matteo Bittanti

This is a Patreon exclusive video. To access the full content consider joining our growing community.

ARTICLE: A CLOSER LOOK AT FUMI OMORI’S HOME SWEET HOME (2 OF 2)

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“Now that she knows that she is herself, will she resume her game of ‘playing houses,’ will she return home, in other words, withdraw again into herself?”

(Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, 1958)

VRAL is currently showcasing Fumi Omori’s latest project Home Sweet Home, which delves into the young Japanese artist’s intimate tapestry of personal recollections and her playful documentation of frequent relocations both IRL and within the virtual realm of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

In our preceding exploration, we delved into the intricate interplay between the digital realm and its tangible manifestations, exemplified by the artist’s clever utilization of photogrammetry — a technique that involves capturing and measuring physical objects or environments through the analysis of photographs or digital images — in visualizing the meticulously reconstructed apartments within the landscape of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With a process that dances harmoniously between simplicity and intricate complexity, Home Sweet Home's essence gradually reveals itself.

In the second part of our deep dive, our focus shifts toward Omori’s ingenious employment of Animal Crossing: New Horizons itself, which serves as both a tool for reconstructing fragmented memories and an archival repository of lived experiences, deftly mediated through the artist's lens. The accompanying images presented in this page poignantly showcase Omori's recreated apartments within the realm of Nintendo’s 2020 best selling game. Reminiscent of The Sims, Animal Crossing: New Horizons provides a captivating interplay that merges the practice of dollhouse playing with the art of crafting personalized living spaces. Here, players become architects of their own imaginative interiors, meticulously curating furniture, decor, and layout to reflect their sense of style and self expression. With a plethora of design options and customizable elements at their disposal, players can explore various aesthetics, experiment with spatial arrangements, and create harmonious environments that evoke a sense of comfort, cuteness, and personalization.

(continues)

Matteo Bittanti

This is a Patreon exclusive article. To access the full content consider joining our growing community.

ARTICLE: A CLOSER LOOK AT FUMI OMORI’S HOME SWEET HOME (1 of 2)

Fumi Omori, Home Sweet Home, Photomechanical prints, 8.3 x 14.0 cm (3 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. ), installation view, ECAL, 2022

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

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PATREON-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT 〰️

VRAL is currently showcasing Fumi Omori’s latest project Home Sweet Home, which delves into the young Japanese artist’s intimate tapestry of personal recollections and her playful documentation of frequent relocations both IRL and within the virtual realm of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Her nomadic history, characterized by a succession of relocations around the world in the past few years, finds solace in the poignant stillness of captured photographs, a portal to the emotional entanglements woven into past physical spaces. Nestled within the cherished folds of this popular video game, Animal Crossing, which emerged as a sanctuary amidst the disquietude of the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic, the artist crafts bespoke chambers that bear testament to their very essence.

Home Sweet Home raises a fundamental inquiry into the ramifications of transposing corporeal abodes into the virtual landscapes of video game spaces, which are “inhabited” by around two billion people as we speak, according to the latest statistics. Employing the meticulous technique of photogrammetry, Omori undertook the playful reconstruction of her former dwellings within the game, thereby obfuscating the demarcations between reality and imagination, leaving the viewer awash in a sea of architectural reverie, both deeply personal and utterly generic, as these apartments evoke the classic IKEA principles of impermanence, interchangeability, and transience. The interplay that ensues between these competing ideas of domesticity but also between these planes of reality — one corporeal and the other intangible — affords a tantalizing glimpse into a distinct visual hacking methodology, a véritable trompe-l’oeil.

In an extensive interview with the curator, the artist mentioned that the genesis of this project took root at ECAL, the prestigious École cantonale d’art de Lausanne, and was set into motion by the visionary digital curator Marco De Mutiis of Fotomuseum Winterthur as part of a workshop on Automated Photography. Notably, this marks the third installment — following Benjamin Freedman and Moritz Jekatrecent shows, to grace the fourth season of VRAL — a testament to the platform’s unwavering commitment to championing burgeoning talents alongside their venerable counterparts, an approach ardently advocated by the discerning Italian emigré, De Mutiis.

It is not by chance, then, that these three works share common concerns about memory, belonging, and loss.

(continues)

Matteo Bittanti

This is a Patreon exclusive article. To access the full content consider joining our growing community.