Orthogonal/Diagonal

“In Orthogonal/Diagonal LA based artist Nova Jiang uses regional variants of chess found in Asia and elsewhere as seeds for digitally generating 3D printed playable games.

Unlike Western chess, many of these Asian games are little known outside their region. Treating each chess variant as a unique iteration of the same ancient system, Jiang reimagines the games as sculptural ensembles of related forms. Can a digital sculptural system generate game pieces that convey their rules of movement and capture? Interested in both redesigning the surface of these games and engaging with their underlying systems, Jiang presents eight games for visitors to play.”
– Enjoy Gallery

During the exhibition at Enjoy, local game players participated in a tournament where they were required to play as many variants as possible. Three former New Zealand chess champions competed in the tournament.

Tournament Photo: Amanda Rogers
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Support: Asia New Zealand Foundation

Exhibition History:
2016 – Now Play This, Somerset House (London, UK)
2015 – UCLA Game Art Festival, Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, US)
2014 – Orthogonal/Diagonal, Future Innovators Summit, Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria)
2014 – Orthogonal/Diagonal, Enjoy Public Art Gallery (Wellington, New Zealand)

Tournament | Photo: Amanda Rogers
Installation View
Installation View | Enjoy Public Art Gallery
Makruk
Makruk (Thailand)
Shatar
Shatar (Mongolia)
Sittuyin (Myanmar)
Shogi
Shogi (Japan)
Janggi
Janggi (Korea)
Xiangqi
Xiangqi (China)
Xiangqi Closeup
Xiangqi Closeup | Photo: Mark Wilson and Enjoy Gallery
Xiangqi Closeup
Xiangqi Closeup | Photo: Mark Wilson and Enjoy Gallery
Chess
Chess
Shatranj
Shatranj
Tournament
Tournament | Photo: Amanda Rogers
Game of Shogi
Game of Shogi | Photo: Amanda Rogers