2004 Rockefeller New Media Foundation Proposal

Abstract

Since 2002, I collaborate with composer Chris Chafe, computer graphic (CG) artists Lorenzo Wang and Christine Liu, and with game theorist Jane McGonigal to create a simulation of human organs which unfolds in three media: print, recombinant cinema, and online gaming. The print version and recombinant cinema version premiere Oct 30, 2003 at the Berkeley Art Museum. I am seeking the support of the Program for Media Artists to complete the online Organum game. Organum plays in an online multi-player simulation of a surreal ecosystem inhabited by a cast of organs, including a brain, a lung, and a stomach, and a set of AI (artificial intelligence) cyborgs. The game involves up to 32 people playing together in one session of Organum. The goal of the game is for players to stay alive in the fragile ecosystem as long as possible by ensuring the well-being of both themselves and their ecosystem. If successful, the community of players advances to a higher level of cultural achievement. Unsuccessful players drop out and have to join another game session.