Josephine Starrs and Leon Cmielewski, still from Plaything

Plaything

Dates: 9 March – 21 April 2007

Opening: Thursday 8 March, 6-8pm

Artist: Josephine Starrs & Leon Cmielewski, Programming, Adam Hinshaw

Plaything is a screen-based interactive electronic artwork by Leon Cmielewski & Josephine Starrs.


Plaything is a series of screen-based games that negotiate two-dimensional space in different ways using line, colour, shapes and simple gameplay.

• Defend Repel the invading force
• Wander You acknowledge no border
• Escape Flee from the area
• Colonise Grab the unprotected territory
• Petition Sway opinion towards your own position

This creative work evolved from an Australian Research Council Discovery Project investigating digital game culture and gender. The work includes the results of surveys asking young women about their attitudes towards digital games carried out as part of the research project. Once a game is played out video of these survey results appear on screen.


The artists wish to thank
Australia Council
Australian Research Council
Zina Kaye (research assistant on the ARC Discovery Project)
Katherine Berger
Jai McKenzie
Sarah-Jane Allen
Chimene Farhat
Samantha Findley
Cecelia Huynh


This research project was supported by the Australian Research Council and the Australia Council for the Arts.