Matthew Keff
Pie in the Sky
about
Presented by Galerie Galerie
Matthew Keff (b.1985) pursues questions of emotion within digital culture using game engines and graphics. The work, realized in various forms, is presented through the Internet and in physical installations. This process explores fantasy and feelings through abstraction and experimentation. Recent exhibition participation includes A Maze Johannesburg ZA, Arcadia Dundee SCT and MoHA Austin TX.
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Pie in the Sky (2018) crosses sandbox, painting, and coin-clicker gameplay together in an abstracted 3D environment. In its own weird way, the game considers the emotional relationships between people, things and each other within the context of digital culture. In its fast-paced framework, Pie in the Sky invites players to explore how these mechanisms operate by way of nonsense and creativity.
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Fanfare and emotion fill the screen. Anthropomorphic characters fly and float about, they smile, laugh and cry; hearts, stars, fruit, clouds, beach balls and more. Sound effects triggered at random create chance-melody. Fountains and sparklers fire as various behaviors collide into one another. The player can build, paint, draw and create using mouse controls. Scoring happens by clicking to collect valuables such as jewels and coins.
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In many ways, much of the open internet use gamified reward patterns to inspire user engagement. Pie in the Sky is both critical and celebratory of this behavior as it allows players to break apart and mix it up, in their own manner.