Home > Exhibitions > Past > Art Hack Day: God Mode
Art Hack Day: God Mode
Feb 28 2013- Mar 02 2013
Opening Hours: 7:00PM - 11:00pm
Curated by 319 Scholes

What would you do if you were granted the power of invincibility? It’s an age-old question and one that game developers have been playing with since the early 80s by incorporating a feature called “God Mode” which offers players unlimited strength, seconds of invulnerability, a change in camera perspective, or access to previously unreachable areas. Since then, God Mode has reached beyond gaming and become pervasive in digital life. It’s the secret backdoor embedded in all our electronics, it’s the jailbreak, it’s how phone companies know where you are, it’s how ISPs know where you surf, and it’s how the NSA can eavesdrop on your communications.

Between February 28–March 2, sixty artists and hackers will inhabit 319 Scholes to explore the idea of God Mode and produce new, collaborative projects. Visitors are invited to engage and interact with the works as they are uploaded online throughout the hack (http://arthackday.net/god_mode) and join the teams on Saturday March 2nd starting at 7:00pm for an exhibition, live performances, and party.

Participants include: Ken Amarit, Erik Berglin, Will Brand, Allison Burtch, Crystal Butler, Paul Christophe, Sougwen Chung, CHiKA, Alejandro Miguel Justino Crawford, Jonathan Dahan, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Yu-Ting Feng, James George, Pablo Gnecco, Alexandra Gorczynski, Leonard Grey, Adam Harvey, Nick Hasty, David Huerta, Jason Huff, Chris Hunt, Wu Jiashan, Quin Kennedy, Katie Koepfinger, Ben Lacker, Greg Leuch, Daniel Leyva, Olof Mathé, Lauren McCarthy, Sean McIntyre, Joe McKay, Aaron Meyers, Jonathan Minard, Dan Moore, Aurelia Moser, Ramsey Nasser, Igal Nassima, Susan Ngo, Forrest Oliphant, Eszter Ozsvald, Luisa Pereira, Alexander Porter, Reed + Rader, Natalia Radywyl, John Resig, Chanpory Rith, Ivan Safrin, Toby Schachman, Alan Schaffer, Travess Smalley, Clement Valla, Addie Wagenknecht, Nick Yulman, and Jamie Ziegelbaum.

This event is sponsored by MailChimp, Google Chrome, Artsy, New Hive, Open(Art) by Mozilla/Eyebeam, 3D Systems, Fabricators Guild, and Sticker.fm.

Art Hack Day is an internet-based nonprofit dedicated to hackers whose medium is art and artists whose medium is tech. We bridge the gap between art, technology and entrepreneurship with grassroots hackathons that demonstrate the expressive potential of new technology and the power of radical collaboration in art. We believe in non-utilitarian beauty through technology and its ability to affect social change for public good.

Featured Press

“It’s a matter of our DNA trails.” – Fast Company

“It was just really interesting designing that system where you could talk in this very dramatic language but it would still be parsable and understandable by the machines.” – Fast Company

“Amazingly clever, rebellious, interactive and visually stunning art happenings ensue…..Just fantastic. Where is this stuff in the galleries? ” - Art Berlin

“Art Hack Day has established itself as an annual event of wonder in NYC.” – MAKE

“A giant crackling neon Cat God head is interesting. So is, literally, **everything** else.” - ANIMAL New York

“We are being watched” - New Hive

“I felt like a bona-fide hacker, intruding into a space where I knew I shouldn’t be.” – The Creators Project

“Someone Finally Made A Cat God For Us To Worship” – The Creators Project

“Place 60 artists and hackers over a strong God-inspired fire. Boil frantically for 72 hours. Serve in party mode for only one night in 27 distinct servings.” – Bushwick Daily

“For on the internet, we are all gods by the glory of our own code. Amen.” – The Verge

“It’s kind of like that scene in a movie where a guy puts a fake sticker on his thumb to trick a fingerprint scanner—but better.” – The Creators Project

“We just met, we’ve never worked this fast, and we can’t really believe something came together so well, something that we both want to keep working on. We went on a speed date, and three days later we have this weird baby that people think is cute, and we have to take care of it together. Strange but exciting.” – Hyperallergic

“It’s amazing to think about what artists can do in such a short time when they have to” – The Brooklyn Paper

“Long live IDDQD (pun intended)” – MAKE

“The big shebang — and the best time to see what the artists and hackers have come up with — is Saturday night.” – Hyperallergic

“Art Hack Day…where hackers will collaborate on projects exploring the idea of invincibility.” – L Magazine

“This time around, Art Hack Day has a theme—one that geeks, nerds and technophiles of all stripes are sure to appreciate…” – Core 77


Related Publication

Check out the #GodMode Art Hack Day site for a complete list of participants, projects, and press write-ups.


Multimedia

#GodMode: 48 Hours Art Hack Day at 319 Scholes
Works (In Order of Appearance)
  • Artist: Sougwen Chung
  • Description: Abstract sculptural interpretation of the immortal jellyfish, an installation with projections
  • URL: http://sougwen.com
  • Keywords: 3d, projection, live, multimedia, video, sculpture, installation
sougwen
  • Artist: Joe McKay
  • Description: When the viewer steps on a mat in front of the piece, Superman flies around the globe. As he flies, a digital clock spins backwards and the superman theme plays. This piece is an homage to the ultimate "God Mode" moment - Superman saving Lois by spinning the world backwards.
  • URL: http://joemckay.net
  • Keywords: 3d, interactive, live, installation
joemckay
Refractor, 2013
  • Artist: Toby Schachman
  • Description: A touch-based tool for refracting and distorting images using directly manipulable mathematical transformations.
  • URL: http://tobyschachman.com/
  • Keywords: interactive, software
Refractor
  • Artist: Nick Yulman
  • Description: A sound installation that uses spatial sensing and a grid of electromechanical sound modules to create a rain storm that follows visitors as they move through space.
  • URL: http://nysoundworks.org
  • Keywords: interactive, sound, live, installation
yulman
~CATGOD~, 2013
  • Artist: Reed + Rader
  • Description: Projection mapped 3D cat head, because cats are our gods.
  • URL: http://www.reedandrader.com
  • Keywords: 3d, projection, sculpture, installation, fabrication, software
catgod
  • Artist: Forrest Olliphant
  • Description: Bring paper to life with a paper-to-projection powered by Meemoo.org. Cam → chromakey → animation → particles.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: 3d, interactive, projection, live, multimedia, video, installation
meemoo
  • Artist: Erik Berglin , Clement Valla
  • Description: Iconoclashes use the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s digital image collection. We searched for images tagged with ‘God’ or ‘Religion.’ These selected images are then fed into Photoshop’s ‘Photomerge’ script, creating a mashup of deities, talismans, stellae, gods, scribes and statues.
  • URL: http://iconoclashes.com
  • Keywords: installation, print
iconoclashes
God.js, 2013
  • Artist: Will Brand, Ramsey Nasser, Ivan Safrin
  • Description: God.js is a programming language that emulates scripture. As you surf, it enforces your expressed edicts, such as "Thou shalt not visit 4chan."
  • URL: https://github.com/nasser/god.js
  • Keywords: interactive, live, multimedia, net art, HTML, software
godjs
  • Artist: Katie Koepfinger, Burcum Aybike Türkmen
  • Description: Three small robots are activated by human interaction, placing the role of "God Mode" into the viewer's hands.
  • URL: http://katiekoep.me/
  • Keywords: interactive, installation
tumblr_mj3qzjcP101rlcnubo1_500
  • Artist: Nick Hasty, Jason Huff
  • Description: False Gods drop from the sky and into the sand in this meditative web-based piece. As an installation, the work extends beyond the screen and into the physical space, with 8ft. tall masks.
  • URL: lifelessthings.com
  • Keywords: projection, installation
tumblr_mj3rhlMvIW1rlcnubo1_500
Pious Web, 2013
  • Artist: Sean McIntyre, Natalia Radywyl, Alan Schaffer, Jonathan Dahan
  • Description: An Internet experience approved by Jesus. Questionable web images are covered by pictures of the Lord and religious commandments are injected into your surfing.
  • URL: github.com/boxysean/PiousWeb
  • Keywords: HTML, software
tumblr_mjqg38anv21rlcnubo2_r1_500
Pantheon, 2013
  • Artist: Olof Mathé, Chanpory Rith, Dean Hunt
  • Description: Symmetrical backdoor browser access: When you opt into this piece, any new tab you open in Chrome will be opened as if you were another person.The catch, anyone else with the same browser plugin might be impersonating you via the new tabs they open.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: software
tumblr_mj75y9re451rlcnubo2_500
  • Artist: James George, Alexander Porter
  • Description: cryogenic photobooth that makes a 3D bust of the viewer, holding their image in a jar and promising to release them once life gets better.
  • URL: https://vimeo.com/61262225
  • Keywords: interactive, projection, net art, performance, installation, software
Wake me
  • Artist: Nick Johnson, Jonathan Dahan, Dan Moore
  • Description: When you press a red button, the machine sends a text message from "God" to everyone in the system.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: interactive, software
tumblr_mj5lf0Pjbh1rlcnubo1_500
  • Artist: Quin Kennedy
  • Description: A receipt machine pulls every phrase from Twitter that begins with "Thou Shalt" and prints it. Each receipt is numbered.
  • URL: http://quinkennedy.com/
  • Keywords: interactive, installation
tumblr_mj5sc6R2F61rlcnubo1_500
God Game, 2013
  • Artist: John Resig Leonard Grey
  • Description: Battle other gods to institute your master plan while your pixels live, breed, and die.
  • URL: https://github.com/jeresig/god-game
  • Keywords: interactive, live, multimedia, game, software
God_Game
  • Artist: Mauricio Giraldo, Jonathan Dahan
  • Description: This interactive artwork tracks tweets from across the globe using religious keywords and allows the player (god) to punish or reward people, send them to heaven or hell, based on the content of those tweets. It's controlled by hand gestures via the LEAP sensor.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: projection, game
tumblr_mj5lhqqVv31rlcnubo1_1280
God's Eyes, 2013
  • Artist: Aaron Meyers, Lauren McCarthy
  • Description: "God's Eye" is an iPhone app that allows the highest scoring player to become God. The objective is to keep God's attention for as long as possible by showing him/her interesting content.
  • URL: godsey.es
  • Keywords: interactive, game, software
God's Eyes
  • Artist: Addie Wagenknecht
  • Description: The goal of GIRLS vs _root is to present an experience on websites typically dominated by male contributors. Currently the add-on works by replacing every username on sites such as github.com with a female username (example: Sarah212) and female avatars. Additionally, Pirate Bay becomes 'Princess Bay" and the typical breast laden-porn ads while searching are replaced ads for 'David Beckham for H&M'. To contribute code visit: http://github.com/wheresaddie
  • URL: http://placesiveneverbeen.com
  • Keywords: live, net art, software
GIRLS vs. _root
  • Artist: Alan Schaffer, Alejandro Crawford, Ken Amarit, Pablo Gnecco
  • Description: This video game allows you to reshape land and create new terrains using the Kinect. The viewer can select brushes, tools, etc, on the iPad and create windpower by blowing into a microphone.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: game
tumblr_mj3p7yZtZi1rlcnubo7_1280
Heavenly, 2013
  • Artist: Alexandra Gorczynski
  • Description: "Heavenly" is a physical interpretation of the Aurora screensaver. With lasercut acryclic cut outs, projection, and light, the idyllic screensaver becomes an installation.
  • URL: http://www.alexandragorczynski.com/
  • Keywords: projection, sculpture
tumblr_mj3qowr0ws1rlcnubo1_1280
  • Artist: Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Aurelia Moser, Allison Burtch, Adam Harvey
  • Description: DIY techniques for counteracting genetic surveillance.
  • URL: https://vimeo.com/60928966
  • Keywords: projection, multimedia, video, performance
DNA
Elysium , 2013
  • Artist: Jonathan Minard
  • Description: A video game with no objective other than to find your way through various afterlives, each one based on different religious interpretations.
  • URL: http://www.deepspeedmedia.com/category/about/
  • Keywords: video, game
tumblr_mj5lwlFznF1rlcnubo2_500
  • Artist: Quin Kennedy
  • Description: A globe that shows security footage from around the world.
  • URL: http://quinkennedy.com/
  • Keywords: live, installation
tumblr_mj3p7yZtZi1rlcnubo8_1280
instagodit, 2013
  • Artist: Sue Ngo, Eszter Ozsvald, Vuokko Aro
  • Description: Instagodit takes your instagrams and superimposes onto them your public personal information to create a Jesus-friendly photo montage.
  • URL: www.link.com
  • Keywords: net art, photograph
tumblr_mj5lkhXW0U1rlcnubo1_500
  • Artist: Ivan Safrin
  • Description: A sound installation that reads from various Terms of Service as if they’re the Ten Commandments.
  • URL: http://www.ivansafrin.com/
  • Keywords: sound
Terms_of
twetr, 2013
  • Artist: David Huerta, Dan Moore, Jonathan Dahan, Pablo Gnecco
  • Description: The official unofficial app to enhance your ArtHackDay: GOD MODE experience
  • URL:
  • Keywords: interactive, live, multimedia, software
twetr