MAD Arts
481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004
Artist Samuel Lopez De Victoria will give a workshop around his latest work Platz followed by a public lecture on Saturday, September 20th. The workshop will be held from 4-6 PM, with the lecture right after.
Video games and tabletop games are an ever-growing, relevant, and important creative element within our culture. Unlike film, books, or other popular media, when trying to understand and discuss games as an art form, there are not many accessible or known resources easily available. In this artist-focused workshop, you will learn how to build a basis for fundamental media literacy in games through resources, concepts, interactions, practice, and philosophies while also forming your own knowledge base to build from.
Platz is a video game art project with a peaceful narrative based on a post-human far future, where natural plants have merged with digital computer code to create new sustainable forms of constructive power. Players are tasked with the job of a Scaper, an individual responsible for the growth and cultivation of these unique plants, to hack into and repair the state of the world. Players will do this using a combination of gardening and ethical hacking tools while working and communicating with other advanced animal Scapers living in the world.
Platz was created with the support of the Artist Innovation grant from the Broward County Cultural Division.
Workshop participation is free with museum admission. Due to limited capacity, RSVP by sending an email with the subject line: Tools for Artists Workshop to art@yeswearemad.com.
The lecture is free; no RSVP needed.
Samuel Lopez De Victoria's artistic practice centers on creating video games with interactive digital artwork infused with vibrant, neon aesthetics and soundscapes. Inspired by 90s Miami, Samuel combines bold vector illustrations with innovative game technology to develop immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences that engage players in acts of thoughtfulness and empathy. His work is characterized by its bright, eccentric visual style and is deeply influenced by childhood experiences with PBS shows like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
His practice is driven by a core philosophy of empathy, kindness, and genuine care, which permeates both his interactive art and his efforts to inspire and educate the next generation of digital artists. His work has been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Margulies Collection, The Girls' Club Collection, and the Borsch Film Festival. Lopez De Victoria received an MFA in Art and Technology at the University of Florida, and he currently serves as a professor at Florida Atlantic University, specializing in Video Game Studies and Development.
