Long March: Restart2008
Medium: Video game (color, sound), custom computer software, and wireless game controller
Feng Mengbo created this piece, and it is supposed to stem from actual historical events in China. The “Long March,” was the punishing flight of the Communist Red Army from the national KMT government, in which few survivors were left. The actual game does not represent this exact event but instead you play as a Chinese red soldier and shoot fireballs at aliens. The actual work of art is an interactive game, which anyone could play at the actual scene of the installation. The medium that Mengbo uses plays into his message as well. Mengbo was trying to reach and almost teach the youth that grew up without knowing about the “Long March,” through creating a game that would ultimately make these kids interested in learning about the actual history of the event. The game has political elements and also shows western influence. The actual piece is not meant to be accurate in representing any historical event, but is supposed to clearly show it is influenced by it. The game also has various elements that show western influence like throughout the game there are various Coke cans, adding to the complexity of the piece. The piece is fairly large, as seen in the picture above it is displayed on two big walls almost functioning like a hallway made up of video games on both sides. The actual piece first was at PS1 in Long Island City, which is an exhibition branch of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. I think this is a super effective piece of art. I never had heard of the “Long March” until I read about this piece and I bet that is the same for many people. Mengbo as an artist is successfully teaching a history lesson while creating a very modern work of art with this piece.
Sources:
Chayka, Kyle, et al. “Feng Mengbo’s Video Game Epic ‘Long March.’” Hyperallergic, 31 Dec. 2010, hyperallergic.com/15898/feng-mengbo-long-march/.
Mengbo, Feng. “Feng Mengbo. Long March: Restart. 2008: MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/works/122872?artist_id=36090&locale=en&page=1&sov_referrer=artist.
This piece is extremely interesting right off the bat due to the medium it used. It reminded me of my artist in a way because both are using materials that are atypical in the art community (at least in my knowledge of it). Before seeing my own artist’s work I never would have thought of gunpower as art and before seeing your artist’s work I never really considered video games to be art. I think that is what makes pieces like these so powerful is that they communicate with the viewer (or in this case, the player) in a way they are not used too, potentially making the message they send resonate differently.