The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Professor’s protest is not just a game
American artist, activist and academic Joseph DeLappe tells Michael Alexander why Dundee already feels like home
As a native of San Francisco, Joseph DeLappe is no stranger to the smell of sea air and the sight and sound of gulls. So perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that just three months after taking up the post of Professor of Games and Tactical Media at Abertay University, the 53-year-old already feels more at home than he did during his previous 23 years in the high deserts of Northern Nevada.
Prof Delappe arrives with a hugely impressive portfolio as an artist, activist and academic.
He has worked with electronic and new media since 1983 and his ventures in online gaming performance, sculpture and electromechanical installation have been shown throughout the world.
From 17ft polygon sculptures of Gandhi and a weeping Statue of Liberty cardboard creation to a project highlighting American military casualties in Iraq, he has never shied away from controversial subjects and he is looking forward to being in a place where “amazing things happen”.
“I’ve found Dundee to be a welcoming and friendly place,” he said.
“I was very attracted by the incredible concentration of artists and scholars who are engaged in mediabased practices.
Cool place “It’s a really cool place going through exciting times.
“I’m also thrilled to be here at Abertay. I see a university that has taken a leadership role in games education and research.
“I hope to add my energies to this equation.”
Prof DeLappe came to prominence in 1999 when he began creating The Mouse Mandala, which wove broken or discarded computer mice –bought by the hundreds from electronics surplus stores in Silicon Valley – into a growing spiral.
The work was inspired by contemporary work cultures, while paying a wry tribute to the weavers and craftspeople whose lives were upended by the industrial revolution.
He is probably best known, for the 2006 project, Dead In Iraq, which saw him consecutively type all the names of America’s military casualties from the war in Iraq into the American Army first person shooter online recruiting game.
From 2007 to 2009, he worked on three of his Cardboard Gandhi creations.
Standing 17ft high, the polygon sculptures were created in tribute to the statesman’s 248-mile Salt March across India in 1930, protesting against UK taxes.
Prof DeLappe built the statue after recreating the march over 26 days with the help of a treadmill and the online community Second Life.
Long ride In 2013, he rode a specially-equipped bicycle to draw a 460-mile long chalk line around the Nellis Air Force Range – setting out an area large enough to create a solar farm that could power the whole of America.
And in 2015, he co-collaborated on Liberty Weeps, a 9ft cardboard sculpture commissioned for #ManifestJustice, a pop-up exhibition in Los Angeles.
And with Donald Trump now in office as US president, there could be more mileage in the theme yet.
“I’ve always been very political as a person,” he said. “But for me it was the atrocities of 9/11 and the response of the US and subsequent invasion of Iraq that has inspired my work to be something of a cultural critique since the early 2000s.
“I suppose I want to change the world. To create a dialogue.”
In his new position at Abertay, he plans to continue his own creative research in computer games and new media and lead efforts to highlight and coordinate research.
He also aims to raise the profile of Abertay through public events, such as visiting artist lecturers, screenings, festivals and exhibitions.
Prof DeLappe added: “I’m also interested in continuing to work in computer gaming of course, particularly after the impact of Killbox made with local game designers Mal Abbas, Tom Demajo and Albert Elwin.”
Killbox is an online game and interactive installation that explores the nature of drone warfare, its complexities and consequences.
It was nominated for a Scottish Bafta as best computer game.