Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Ankenbauer, Clay Brooks and David Fraile.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We all took different paths which makes the collaboration more dynamic. We met while working on different projects in music, gaming, programming and circuit design and realized we could put our skills together in an interesting and compelling way.
Our work as a collective has been very eclectic so its difficult to pinpoint in broad terms like this. It is organically formed though. The idea that there is more than one way for the viewer to engage with the piece is important to us. Our work has utilized sculptural objects, generative audio and atypical physical interfaces in addition to the digital window of the screen.
Our games have recently lacked traditional objectives, we hope that by reimagining the “purpose” of a game they can be made accessible and interesting to both non-gamers and gamers. We don’t intend to keep ourselves restricted to one identity though, which is important for these collaborations. In a lot of ways, we use the name bearwarp as a mask to explore without much pressure.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our approach to the medium diverges significantly from traditional entertainment or business-oriented approaches. For that reason, we can avoid compromises, but on the flip side, we don’t earn a living from this work. We’re driven to make these objects and experiences and we want them to exist on our terms so we continue to put the time in.
Bearwarp – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We primarily make experimental videogames. We explore ideas as a group, bring our unique abilities to the table and somehow make it work. It tends to be pretty organic. We don’t have set rules, we just work on what we discuss. That said, our work is often recognizable by its use of custom-built “alternative” controllers, unusual intersections of analog and digital technologies, and bizarre sense of humor.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
We generally have similar ideas about what makes a work successful, although there are some compromises we make with each other. Typically it’s very contextual. How, why, and where something is shown influence how we approach a project and what we hope to achieve with it. With that said, something we try to offer with all our projects is an encounter with the unexpected through play.
Contact Info:
- Website: bearwarp.com
- Email: info@bearwarp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearwarp/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bearwarp
Image Credit:
Split photo by Justin Schaffer, GlassCodecs photo by Raymundo Munoz
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