The artist behind a Space Invaders-style installation that depicted the twin towers under attack has pulled the plug, saying the backlash against the tasteless exhibit was “immature.”
Douglas Stanley was ripped by everyone from gamers to 9/11 families for the artwork, which was displayed at a German show marking the 30th anniversary of the 1980s video game.
In a rant on his Web site, Stanley said he told organizers of the Leipzig Games Convention to turn off Invaders because the controversy had blurred the point of the piece.
“The American response to this work has been, frankly, immature, and lacking the sophistication and consideration that other parts of the world have so far shown the work,” he railed. “Contrary to previous reports, I am an American and it saddens me that we as a people remain so profoundly unable to process this event,” added Stanley, who lives in France.
Families of Sept. 11 victims were glad the exhibit was zapped.
“[Stanley] has absolutely no taste and no feelings for the people involved,” said Nick Chiarchiaro, whose wife and niece were killed on 9/11. “And I think if he had the experience himself, he’d think twice about this.”
I appreciate all the standard “artist independence”, blah, blah. I also think we’re only dealing with tasteless opportunism from a dude hoping for increased coverage of his exhibit.
Not so incidentally, the folks who own Space Invaders refused to sign off and endorse Stanley’s work.
[edit: see comments guide]
People need to get a grip.
I wonder what response he might have had were it Missile Command landing on Berlin, or the Firebomb Dresden video game.
The response from the US may be shrill and immature, but it shouldn’t be surprising that it hits a nerve.
The value in a piece of art is in the positive reaction to it. The same piece of art can have different meaning to different people and it is very immature of this artist not to get that. The reason why people in the EU didn’t react negatively is because they weren’t having a mockery made out of their loved ones being killed.
tasteless opportunism???
What about the psychotic Bush administration that wasted no time at all in using 9/11 as a pretext for expanding presidential power just for the sake of power???
In expanding presidential power, Cheney’s foremost agent was David S. Addington, his formidable general counsel and legal adviser of many years. On the morning of Sept. 11, Addington was evacuated from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House and began to make his way toward his Virginia home on foot. As he neared the Arlington Memorial Bridge, someone in the White House reached him with a message: Turn around. The vice president needs you.
Down in the bunker, according to a colleague with firsthand knowledge, Cheney and Addington began contemplating the founding question of the legal revolution to come: What extraordinary powers will the president need for his response?
You guys play the idiotic Americans to a tee on this blog, and are representative of much that’s wrong with this stupid country.
On the other hand, it’s a great way to get publicity for your art project.
#5 – “…Bush administration that wasted no time at all in using 9/11 as a pretext for expanding presidential power just for the sake of power???”
Are you saying that the administration’s response to 9/11 was solely for the purpose of expanding power and not a response to the threat itself?
When these questions have been put before the Supreme Court, which is the appropriate venue for Constitutional issues like Presidential power, the administration has acted according to the law. Isn’t that how things are supposed to work?
#7–geof==you are revealing yourself as a real greaseball. Is Karl Rove your fantasy task master?
STOP reframing and dumbing-down the topics on this blog. No one said or implied that BushCo’s response to 9/11 was “SOLEY” to advance his totalitarian/empirical presidency.
While I recognize this spinning of the post is a tacit recognition of the truth that was stated, it is tiresome to watch red herrings being dished out as any sort of contribution to the issues at thand.
For the love of God, get out of the mud and up the level of your play.
“The American response to this work has been, frankly, immature, and lacking the sophistication and consideration that other parts of the world have so far shown the work,”
That’s because in Western Europe you can make a film of a guy gutting a dog alive and then masturbate with his guts and still there’s enough a-holes who’d put him/her on a pedestal and worship as the next Jason Pollock.
“Contrary to previous reports, I am an American and it saddens me that we as a people remain so profoundly unable to process this event,” added Stanley, who lives in France.
Ooooh… That explains it. After all the French are well known to turn a blind eye to all those nauseating crimes as long as you make “art” they like (see Roman Polanski)
I almost forgot, his tantrum sound to me like the typical Mac user bitching.
Well at least he didn’t make a big budget movie out of it and charge people $8+ a person to see it…
#11 jccalhoun. Lambs for Lions?
#8 – OK, bobbo, “..using 9/11 as a pretext for expanding presidential power just for the sake of power???” Just for the sake of power sounded pretty exclusive, but I’ll take your word for it.
Greaseball? So, what? Am I supposed to be Italian or Mexican or something? Don’t see how the slur applies.
#7 – Jeffie
>>Are you saying that the administration’s
>>response to 9/11 was solely for the purpose
>>of expanding power and not a response to the
>>threat itself?
Pretty much.
A sense of humor, is a leading indicator of a patient’s mental health.
#10 – If this game was on the iPhone the story would actually get attention. Just because Apple rules the world is no reason to get pissy.
The artist calls his critics “immature”?
Maybe he could make a version of Frogger that depicts a “dirty” Frenchman trying to avoid flying bars of soap. I’m sure that would go over well in his current host country and cause everyone to marvel at his equally profound artistic message.
#16
How many “artists” that you know own a PC? the majority I know own a mac and boy, they are DRAMA queens. Throwing tantrums here and there even for the slightest minutia.
#18 – Are you such a whiney PC fuck because you can’t afford a Mac?
#13–geof==I agree with your restated point. We are so close now to having an intelligent discussion, but why do the first exchanges have to cut out the crap?
Greaseball as in I was going to use one of my standard slurs and decided to try something new. You are right again, the connotations don’t fit what you have posted so far.
But I won’t ask you to raise you game, and not do it myself.
BushCo did use 9/11 to expand presidential power beyond the limits of the consitution. Solely?==no. Wipe away the misleading horseshit and that statment is hard to disagree with. WHY you would want to mislead people is beyond me.
“it saddens me that we as a people remain so profoundly unable to process this event”
We did “process this event”! Heck, we attacked two countries already and will probably attack some more before we are done processing!
Wow, for once it feels great that it isn’t we religious people who are offended!
Is it just me, or did a posting about Michael Phelps disappear?
#23 – our servers were crashed by Digg on the Phelps post… It’s being sorted out.
Ugh. PHP and Apache can be so ugly. Have fun sorting that out on a Sunday night.
Oh man. Posts aren’t taking. These aren’t the scripts you’re looking for….
# 19
Ladies and Gentlemen, I rest my case.
Personally, I am not offended by the game. Nor am I offended by cars that several friends have died in. Nor am I offended by old age which has taken too many friends and family. Nor am I offended by airplanes, though I don’t know anyone who died in an airplane.
Shit happens. Get over it. If you can’t tell the difference between a video game and terrorists flying planes into the WTC you do have a problem.
Im with ya… James we need you back on the IGBL forums, please come pacify this wasteland