“The Game of Life: Junior”
Mixed Media, Room-Scale Installation
2020

Exhibited at
"Youth Takeover", Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai
October 2020

Inspired by mathematician John Conway’s cellular automaton Game of Life, this installation explores how complex systems such as consciousness and society can emerge from simple rules. The work translates this idea into a fictional children’s toy, using the visual language of consumer products, retail displays, packaging, animation, and play to reflect on the current political climate.

At the centre of the installation was a fully functional 3D printed game console built with real electronic circuitry and an Arduino microcontroller. Rather than being a static sculpture, the console allowed visitors to physically interact with and play the Game of Life, grounding the conceptual work in a functioning technological object. Surrounding it were product shelves, custom packaging, vinyl graphics, and a 3D animation presented on a television, creating an immersive room scale toy environment.

By framing governance and political decision making through the language of a children’s game, the installation critiques the increasingly childish and performative nature of contemporary politics. As leaders reduce complex social and political issues to simplified narratives and strategic moves, governance begins to resemble a game, fostering public distrust, disengagement, and the perception that political rhetoric is itself a form of manipulation.