Habiba El-Sayed


Unstolen



Video games take us from passive observers to creators of worlds, explorers, adventurers. They can be an escape from reality or help us get closer to it. Particularly with the introduction of AR and VR, they allow us to  explore reality in new and layered ways. We can now interact with objects and sites that we are unable to see or touch in the physical world, explore artifacts at the scale of buildings, and get informational pop ups when we approach objects. In this way, video games can be an extremely valuable tool for exploring archives, artifacts and cultural sites in a safe, ethical and guided way.

In this game, House Group Effigy serves as the main map. Like the original object, each area of the map is connected through tunnels that can be accessed through a portal in the middle. It is likely this object was modeled after Los Guachimontones, a Teuchitlán ceremonial site in Jalisco, Mexico.
As an homage to the Mesoamerican beliefs that likely informed the design of the object, the game has 3 planes that the player can explore. First, the heavenly plane which is represented by the floating island of the main map. Next, the earthly plane is each of the 4 main areas the player will have to clear. Finally, the underworld which be accessed by entering through the central portal and will only unlock once the other 4 areas are complete.



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A  vehicle for narrative, video games provide an arguably far more immersive way to tell stories than most forms of traditional media. They allow us to explore complex and sometimes even difficult subject matter in playful and comforting ways.  Over the years these narratives have become increasingly diverse,  however many video games still rely on stereotypes, saviour complexes and colonial themes.
  As game developers and artists, it is our responsibility to critically examine who’s stories we tell and how we tell them. That is why Unstolen does not posit the player as someone who has come to save a world and its inhabitants, rather the player is there to explore and assist with a celebration through the completion of minigames and returning talismans. 
A cut-scene in the beginning of the game will place me in the narrative as an observer who connected with the object at a museum. Drawn to it’s communal and architectural form, I attempted to learn more about it. However, looting has made the object’s history hard to pinpoint and left open to misinterpretation. As a Guyanese-Egyptian person, colonialism, looting and the literal objectification of our bodies hits very close to home. I began to connect to the object on a more personal level and hope to respectfully approach House Group Effigy as a way to tell this shared story.



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The game consists of 5 levels that represent the things that cannot be stolen from a culture. Each level will consist of a mini game that are AR/VR interactable. These levels are still in development but click the GIFs for some key themes!


 Food:

An ever-expanding table, passed down recipes, abundance.

Resilience:

Once All 4 main areas are cleared, the level in the centre of the map will unlock, allowing the player to enter the underworld. More challenging mini games that can be completed with the help of game characters met along the way. 

Storytelling:

Vessels for stories, mythologies, and familial tales.











House Effigy Group ( 300 BCE - 300 CE) by unknown maker(s) Jalisco or Colima culture, Jalisco, Mexico, earthenware








Habiba El-Sayed, Unstolen (2023), Concept Art Renderings



Referencing the House Group Effigy (Jalisco, 300 BCE - 300 CE) from the Gardiner Museum collection, Unstolen is a series of concept art renderings and animations for an upcoming sculpture-meets-video game installation that will illustrate the detrimental effects of looting while also celebrating the aspects of a culture that can never be stolen. 

Using cozy game aesthetics, nostalgia and simple minigames, the installation is geared towards children and adults looking for a low-stress gaming experience. The final iteration of this project will consist of AR-interactable sculptures and a map that can be explored in VR.



About  the  Artist:  Habiba  El-Sayed








Inspired by Islamic architecture and human vulnerability, Toronto-based artist Habiba El-Sayed combines clay with a variety of materials, performative and temporal techniques to illustrate her concepts. Habiba holds an Advanced Diploma from Sheridan College in Ceramics (2014) and a BFA in Ceramics from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (2016). El-Sayed's work has been shown in galleries and museums across North America and has been featured in publications such as Craft is Political, BlackFlash Magazine, Fusion Magazine and Studio Potter. El-Sayed was the recipient of the Chalmers Professional Development Projects grant (2022), and due to the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council, is currently studying VR/AR development as she begins to integrate new technologies into her practice.








PROJECTS

Mending the Museum (2023)
Workshop Series:
   Narrative Charm
   Blackout Poetry
   Play it Forward
   Cloning and Paper Clay
   Clay|Sound|Powah


INFO

About the Collective
Members of the Collective


Mending the Museum is a collaborative duo comprised of Karina Román Justo and Camila Salcedo. Together, their intent is to work as a bridge between artists, communities, regional museums, and craft objects from their collections, to reflect on ancestry and speculative futures within the framework of cultural belonging.


For all inquires, please email mendingthemuseum@gmail.com


Brand identity, website design and development by Natasha Whyte-Gray, 2023.