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James Clar

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Beyond the Uncanny Valley by James Clar
Beyond the Uncanny Valley by James Clar
Beyond the Uncanny Valley by James Clar
Beyond the Uncanny Valley by James Clar
Beyond the Uncanny Valley by James Clar

Videos

Discussing reality and dreams from the perspective of some of Japan's top professional videogamers. Each person was placed into a fictional movie setting yet told to speak from their own experiences.

Question - “Have you ever dreamed you were in the videogame?” RJ Yuki - “Sometimes I have. It’s as though I’m practicing the game.” Question - “Are you ever aware you are dreaming when you dream of the videogame?” RJ Yuki - “No, not really. I think regardless of the type of dream, I usually don’t recognize that I am in a dream.”

Scarz Laz - “Increasing human abilities through games is a really good thing, I believe. The video game requires a special level of concentration than normal. And when I play it can change my mental state. It’s like I escape from reality. I feel refreshed. It helps me to forget unpleasant things.”

Momochi - “In fighting games, it’s very important to sync up yourself with your character. I use a variety of characters, and I do have a particular “soul” character which I use for winning matches. ChocoBlanka - “My favorite character is Blanka in Street Fighter. She moves exactly as I intend. She feels like me inside the screen. I love her.”

  • James Clar
  • Beyond the Uncanny Valley, 2018
  • 20 Minute Multi-Channel Video with Sound. Edition of 3 + 2 AP.
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Beyond the Uncanny Valley, features Japan’s top professional video game players who were filmed in a Tokyo penthouse and told “You are in a potential near future where eSports is as common as World Cup. You’ve just finished a match and are now relaxing at your hotel. You are a character in a movie but answer as yourselves.”

Shot like a narrative film, the videogamers are placed in dreamlike settings (in a bubblebath, in a bed, etc.). The videogamers talk about
the mental effects of functioning through computer systems. They describe how their dreams are of the video games they play, making their subconscious space a creation of a virtual environment.

Momochi - “In fighting games, it’s very important to sync up yourself with your character. I use a variety of characters, and I do have a particular “soul” character which I use for winning matches.
ChocoBlanka - “My favorite character is Blanka in Street Fighter. She moves exactly as I intend. She feels like me inside the screen. I love her.”

Question - “Have you ever dreamed you were in the videogame?”
RJ Yuki - “Sometimes I have. It’s as though I’m practicing the game.”
Question - “Are you ever aware you are dreaming when you dream of the videogame?”
RJ Yuki - “No, not really. I think regardless of the type of dream, I usually don’t recognize that I am in a dream.”

Scarz Laz - “Increasing human abilities through games is a really good thing, I believe. The video game requires a special level of concentration than normal. And when I play it can change my mental state. It’s like I escape from reality. I feel refreshed. It helps me to forget unpleasant things.”

Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Ed 1 - Available

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Exhibited:
"The World Never Ends", solo exhibit, Jane Lombard, New York, 2018
Art Dubai, 2021

  • Duration: 0:20:00
  • Collections: "The World Never Ends", Jane Lombard, New York, 2018

Other Work From James Clar

A New Dawn by James Clar
Foreigner by James Clar
Portal (NYC to MIA) by James Clar
Gravitational Collapse by James Clar
Aokigahara / The Sea of Trees by James Clar
Jeffrey Pine, Yosemite National Park / Jukai, Mount Fuji by James Clar
Tibetan Book of the Dead (Chapters 1, 2, 3) by James Clar
The Path Traveled by James Clar
Tokyo near Aoyama Kumano Shrine by James Clar
Time Compression (A Light at the End. A Light at the Beginning.) by James Clar
See all artwork from James Clar