The debate as to video games are art is tired. Either you think they are or that theyâre not. Turns out the controllers used to engage with games can become sublime, too.
Who knew decades-old wired video game controllers could be so beautiful? The lines of insulated copper and aluminumâis that what they were made of?âthat connected the Nintendo Entertainment System for the most part are a fond memory for most people. But artist Erika Iris Simmons made them into something extraordinary.
Simmons focuses on taking found objects and reconfiguring them into hypnotic images of people and things. I say hypnotic because I canât stop staring at the artwork sheâs made of NES gamepad wires. My eyes follow along the contortions that Simmons shapes into images of Mario, Link and Pac-Man. These constructions belong to a series of works called âGhost in the Machine,â where Simmons does stuff like unspooling old cassette and VHS tapes into details like Julesâ jheri curl from Pulp Fiction or forming a portrait of late comedian Bill Hicks from old amusement park ride tickets.
If youâre really into the NES wire art above, Simmons has those pieces up for sale at her website. Might make a great birthday/Christmas present for a special someone.
