An architect and a game designer walk into the Hayden Tract. … No, it's not the start of a highbrow joke, it's what's up with Interference, an extremely interactive, multiplayer, performance-art game presented by LACE at Track 16's fancy new digs in the architecturally enhanced Culver City neighborhood known as the Hayden Tract. Architect Nathalie Pozzi and game designer Eric Zimmerman won the Interaction Award at IndieCade 2012 with this work, and it's being shown in conjunction with the 2013 festival. (Yes, there's a thing called IndieCade; it's a festival hosted by Creative Media Collaborative, an alliance of producers and gaming leaders.) Instead of a game board, there's a vertical grid of thin steel walls throughout the gallery, on which a multitude of object-shapes are manipulated by teams of players. Rules for winning and losing are ambiguous, but the strategy is all about interference. Players are encouraged to steal game pieces from other ongoing matches, with games bumping into one another in a sea of motion. Watching the proceedings would be not unlike viewing the tides or the shifting sands, as the elements remain in constant, player-propelled motion — like Pollock playing Pac-Man with The Matrix on in the background. After opening night, the games continue across five subsequent public-play dates, no quarters required, so get in on the action. And make sure to stop by Thursday through Sunday for the rest of IndieCade, which will feature arcade games, virtual games, body-immersion games, board games, ancient-inspired games and futuristic games, too. More than 150 creations will be available for the industry to recognize and the public to enjoy. Interference is at Track 16 Gallery, 3571 Hayden Ave., Culver City; Wed., Oct. 2, 8:30-10:30 p.m. Exhibition continues through Oct. 26 but is open to the public only from noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 5, 6, 12, 19 and 26; free. (323) 957-1777, welcometolace.org. IndieCade takes place in several venues; main hub is IndieCade Village, Downtown City Plaza, 9300 Culver Blvd., Culver City; Oct. 3-6, times vary. See schedule at indiecade.com for details; $20-$450.

Wed., Oct. 2, 2013

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