Places Between is an ongoing project in which Hansen explores how video games fit into a larger art history. See photos from Hansen's first solo exhibition.
Using my photographic background, I explore how the history of photography and video games can inform each other. Video games inspire me because I often see aspects of my own life reflected in them, whether that be in an emotional or visual way. As with any other art form, they invoke themes such as memory, time, space, and emotional significance. Many contemporary games provide a setting called “photo-mode” that allows the player to control the settings of the in-game camera as one does a real camera and take “photos.” This allows me to examine games using an established photographic language. As my archive of game “photos” became larger, I compared that to my archive of traditional film photographs and found recurring visual and emotional themes in my work. Using these themes to inform each other, I collage together images that are sourced from both my traditional and virtual photography archives to create meaningful imagery. I then print the collage as a wet plate collodion tintype in my home darkroom, breathing further life into the image beyond my camera and the screen.
