Parsons Takes On The Sims

This spring, Parsons The New School for Design will present The Sims™: In the Hands of Artists, an exhibition exploring the world of Electronic Arts’ popular video game, The Sims, April 19-May 12, 2007, at the Chelsea Art Museum.

Works on view by students in the Communication Design, Design and Technology, and Illustration programs at Parsons will range from machinima (using a game engine to produce animations or films), physical computing, interactive media, and three-dimensional printing to painting, drawing and even toy design.

The exhibition is organized by Parsons Communication Design and Technology Department with support from Electronic Arts (EA). An opening reception will be held on April 19, 6-8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“A primary focus at The New School is the way design impacts society. The innovative social aspects of The Sims make this game an ideal springboard for our students to creatively explore these issues,” said Parsons Communication Design and Technology Chair Colleen Macklin. “Our students will push the envelope, and come up with sophisticated responses to this creative challenge.”

Developed by EA game designer Will Wright, The Sims was the first in a new genre of simulation games that engaged players in the day-to-day activities of virtual people. While Sims have a certain amount of free will, players are responsible for the lives of the characters in this virtual world, from social interaction and job employment, to health and personal development.

The game comes equipped with pre-made characters; however, players are encouraged to create their own. The game has become the world’s best-selling computer game, with entire websites devoted to The Sims.

“While we have supported and encouraged our users to test the creative boundaries of The Sims in the past, our In the Hands of Artists program is our first effort to take the game to a new level of exploration, and we couldn’t be happier partnering with Parsons The New School for Design for its debut,” said Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager at Electronic Arts. “We selected Parsons because of its reputation as creative mavericks, and we look forward to seeing the resulting artistic responses.”

Parsons Communication Design and Technology faculty member Sven Travis, who is organizing the exhibition,emphasizes that “fun” is an underlying theme of the show. “People play games to be entertained,” says Travis. “This show will be entertaining in some pretty unique and unpredictable ways.”

The Sims exhibit is one of a series Parsons CDT Department will be mounting at Chelsea Art Museum April through and June 2007. Kicking things off April 5-14 will be “10 Years Running” a 10th anniversary retrospective of work by faculty and alumni of Parsons Design and Technology program, featuring Graffiti Research Lab (http://graffitiresearchlab.com), Large Animal Games (http://www.largeanimal.com), Zach Lieberman ’02 (http://www.thesystemis.com), and many more. In addition, thesis exhibitions for Parsons Communication Design and Technology programs will be presented at the museum May 17-26 (BFA) and May 31-June 9 (MFA).