"Space Invader"

The Frontier Spirit refers to a certain kind of American idealism based on the spirit of optimism towards the untapped West — an attitude that had or has been inspiring the Americans to overcome the limits.

The “Space Invader” invites the public to face the other side of this phenomenon – the trespassing on the spirit. The installation robs the lights and thereby usurps one’s attention. This kind of spatial invasion is electronically staged by switching off the lights while turning on the neon title “Space Invader” when a spectator enters the installation space. The viewer is imposed on the rules that can not be ignored, thus bringing him or her to an unavoidable involvement in the process.

“Space invaders” – is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978.  It is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible. The pixelated enemy alien has become a pop culture icon, often used as a synecdoche representing video games as a whole.

Aistė Valiūtė & Daumantas Plechavičius   2011

This work was made for the exhibition "Frontier Spirit" in Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania