11-06-2020
Architecture and video games, Game On exhibition in Madrid
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- Architecture and video games, Game On exhibition in Madrid

In Madrid, the exhibition opened its doors in November 2019 and closed during the lockdown. It was hosted by Fundación Canal, the primary corporate social responsibility (CSR) tool of Canal de Isabel II, Madrid public water utility. Fundación Canal is committed to defending water as a cultural asset, a source of life and as a scarce and vulnerable resource, promoting research for its most efficient and sustainable use. For this reason, the exhibition was located in a unique space in the underground water tank situated in the Cuarto Depósito Park of Canal de Isabel II, which is also used as an events venue. Following its environmental commitment, Fundación Canal incorporated the sustainability criteria since the beginning of the exhibition project. The museography developed by the Smart & Green Design studio under the guide of Fernando Muñoz minimised the use of raw materials, committing to light, modular systems of standardised dimensions, which can continue to be used without generating waste. All the materials were selected for their highly environmentally friendly characteristics, and any polluting element was discarded from the outset.
The design concept of Game On in Madrid connects with the eighties, the Golden Age of videogame design. That was the time of the first experiments in design with vector graphics, with the creation of 3D environments, despite the technical limitations of the period. This vector aesthetic is a key point of reference on the videogame scene and is the starting point for the spatial conception of the project by Smart & Green Design. A series of LED light coloured lines in sync with different rhythms and geometries creates the identity of each exhibition area. They skilfully connect with the industrial archaeology of this underground space featuring large arches and exposed brickwork. This is transformed by the artistic lines of light and a few additional architectural elements to craft an impressive setting worthy of any self-respecting videogame - an enchanted place. The images shot by the photographer Javier de Paz García allow us to see this stunning transformation of the underground tank that teleports the visitor into a lived-in retro fantasy world. Javier considers it to be one of the most engaging, beautiful places that he has photographed this year.
Christiane Bürklein
Exhibition: Game On
curated by the Barbican Centre, London
29 November 2019 to 31 May 2020
at Parque Cuarto Depósito de Canal de Isabel II, Madrid
Exhibition design: Fundación Canal with Smart & Green Design http://smartandgreendesign.com/
Images: Javier de Paz García http://www.estudioballoon.es/es/
Find out more: https://www.fundacioncanal.com/24122/game-on/?par=exposiciones#None