Grand Theft Photo [2007]

Grand Theft Photo was an interactive subversion of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a video game notorious for its simulated violence, and an extension of earlier experiments dealing with photography in gamespace. The user views and photographs the game world through a display on the back of the camera-shaped controller, which can be tilted and moved to change the direction the camera is facing in virtual space. Normally, the player would be at liberty to participate directly in the narrative of the game and interact with its characters and props, but due to modification of the game’s code, they can only observe and photograph them.

Each day of the exhibition, I would select a few of the photos visitors had taken & have them printed, then hang them up in the installation space.

User-created photos from the installation: