The title of this project comes from a text-only computer game called Zork, first released in 1980. The opening sequence of the game reads:
West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
The game proceeds as you type instructions like "open window" or "get lamp," and eventually explore a great underground empire filled with such items as a jeweled sceptre, a clove of garlic, a skull, a golden egg and an inflatable boat. The discovery and appropriate use of each object allows you to advance through the game.
Created before computer graphics were possible, Zork relied on the player's creativity in visualizing an imaginary world. My interest is to take a similar low-key approach to interactive virtual reality by introducing nearly invisible elements of fiction into the so-called real world.
Look for antique keys with silver ribbons in Frankfurt from June 14th through the 20th (hint: you‚ll see keyfinding.com stickers nearby). If you find one, it's up to you to decide what should be done with it. You may keep it or pass it along to someone else who could use it. The key may bring you good luck, or possibly bad luck, or it might lead you toward a door in your life that's waiting to be opened. . .
This project‚s website, www.keyfinding.com, will be active as of June 10th. There you‚ll be able to post comments and describe any keys you‚ve located. Also, if you bring a found key to the Free Manifesta lounge, you'll receive a small gift. . .
HOW TO LOCATE
by chance and on the web: www.keyfinding.com [link no longer available]
VISIT ON THE WEB [link no longer available]
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Christina Ray is an artist and co-founder of glowlab, a Brooklyn-based art, music and writing collective. Her work explores how conscious experience shapes and is shaped by physical space, memory and perception. Ray's works in photography and painting have been exhibited in the U.S., Japan and Europe; current projects involve interactive digital media and interventions in public spaces. Collections include those of the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, New York's Consul General of Mexico, and the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Born in San Diego, California in 1969, Ray spent several years studying and working in Japan, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
ARTIST'S WEBSITE
CONTACT THE ARTIST
VIRUS ON FOOT: GENERATIVE PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY IN FRANKFURT
THE ZERO
