Feral Futures: Exploring Digital Cooperation in Hostile Game-Based Spaces

WHAT: Discussion/Panel with Theo Triantafyllidis, Julia Kaganskiy and Jamin Warren  WHEN: October 3, 6 - 8 PM WHERE: 161 Water St, Floor 3 - Entrance on Water & John St.

Join artist Theo Triantafyllidis, curator Julia Kaganskiy, and Gameplayarts executive director Jamin Warren for a provocative exploration of Triantafyllidis' groundbreaking work, “Feral Metaverse.” This conversation will expand on how the project challenges our understanding of virtual interactions and proposes radical alternatives to dominant digital paradigms.

The trio will begin by situating “Feral Metaverse” within the context of contemporary internet culture and gaming communities. They'll discuss how the work critically reflects existing virtual platforms while imagining new possibilities for inhabiting digital spaces.

“Feral Metaverse” subversion of traditional gaming tropes and tech industry priorities will be central to the discussion. Triantafyllidis will share insights into the game's unique mechanics, which strip away language and familiar social cues, centering instead on physicality, interpersonal dynamics, and collective action. The conversation will explore how these elements foster a sense of disinhibition and cooperation among players, celebrating the joy of togetherness in defiance of typically competitive gaming environments.

The talk will examine the fascinating contradictions within “Feral Metaverse”: how a seemingly hostile and post-apocalyptic environment ultimately encourages tender, convivial gameplay and how primitive interactions can lead to sophisticated forms of communication and fellowship. Triantafyllidis and Warren will discuss how these dualities challenge player expectations and create inspiring, transformative experiences.

About Theo Triantafyllidis: 

Theo Triantafyllidis (b. 1988 Athens, GR) is an artist who works with digital and physical media to explore the experience of space and the mechanics of embodiment in hybrid realities. Utilizing algorithms and game engines, virtual reality headsets and experimental performance processes, he creates interactions within immersive environments. In Triantafyllidis’s worlds awkward interactions and precarious physics mingle with uncanny, absurd and poetic situations, inviting the viewer to engage with new realities. Through the lens of monster theory, Triantafyllidis investigates themes of isolation, sexuality and violence in their visceral extremities. He offers computational humor and AI improvisation as a response to the tech industry’s agenda. He tries to give back to the online and gaming communities that he considers both the inspiration and context for his work by remaining an active participant and contributor. Triantafyllidis holds an MFA from UCLA, Design Media Arts and a Diploma of Architecture from the National Technical University of Athens. He has shown work in museums, including House of electronic Arts in Basel, Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and NRW Forum in Dusseldorf and galleries such as Meredith Rosen Gallery, The Breeder and Nagel Draxler. He was part of the 2021 Athens Biennale: Eclipse, Berliner Festspiele 2021, Sundance New Frontier 2020 and Hyper Pavilion in the 2017 Venice Biennale.

About Julia Kaganskiy: 

Julia Kaganskiy is a curator and cultural strategist working across art, science, and technology.Most recently, she served as Curator-at-Large at LAS Art Foundation in Berlin, curated exhibitions at Matadero Madrid and Haus der Elektronic Kunst in Basel. Julia was previously the founding director of NEW INC, the first museum-led cultural incubator, an initiative of the New Museum in New York. Her curatorial work explores the potential of art as a key interlocutor of emerging science and technology, facilitating critical inquiry and aesthetic exploration. She has curated numerous exhibitions and realized new art-science commissions with 180 the Strand (London), Borusan Contemporary (Istanbul), Fundación Telefonica (Madrid), Matadero (Madrid), Science Gallery (Dublin), Nokia Bell Labs (New Jersey), Accenture Labs (Dublin), and Eyebeam Center for Art & Technology (New York).

About Jamin Warren: 

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an organization dedicated to the research and practice of game-based arts and culture. He has produced events such as the Versions conference for VR arts and creativity, in partnership with NEW INC. Warren also programmed the first Tribeca Games Festival, the groundbreaking Arcade at the Museum of Modern Art, and the Kill Screen Festival, which Mashable called "the TED of videogames." Additionally, he has served as an advisor for the Museum of Modern Art's design department, acted as cluster chair for the Gaming category for the Webbys, and hosted Game/Show for PBS Digital Studios.