Possession of Chess

On the browser as a stage

In the late 90s, early 2000s, as artists we entered a new kind of expression in art. The polyrhythmic abilities of web design tools infused an animation into the life force of an artist canvas, thus turning on the voltage of what art can be. Suddenly what we made could be published outside of the traditional gallery realm and reach a more widespread audience of like-minded people — and with that there was an intimacy between those in the role of art spectator and those as fellow artists. An introvert's cage placed on the grand stage.

On how Possession of Chess works

All of the gestures of both players are posed in a way similar to how a sculptor would build out a pose. Thinking, screaming, moving, considering. So as an artist all of these decisions need an emotive consideration and posture. Once this framework is in place, behavioral compositions that are driven by Stockfish.js — which is a JavaScript engine that allows for real-time chess play — all of the decisions of the machine trigger the pose of the artistic motivation, thus creating a living work of voyeuristic match watching and art viewing.

On real-time vs. video

Real-time always felt more alive than video. Video is fixed. Real-time has infinite variation. It breathes but has compositional control like a painting — this polyrhythmic timing allows systems that drift slightly out of sync, compositions that have a life of their own. And that tension between control and autonomy is where I feel like Dr. Frankenstein.