Looking Outwards 08: Phazero

Christina “Phazero” Curlee is an anti-disciplinary game designer and artist specializing in conveying narratives through interactive environment and level design. They are a MFA candidate specializing in Game Design at the University of Los Angeles and possess a BFA in Digital Art from UT Austin. Currently based in Los Angeles, Christina’s passion for game creation originated from their background in fine arts; initially intending to create interactive installations but finding little success, they began shifting their practice to 3D arts and programming. Christina’s presentation at the EYEO Festival was, in short, eloquent and personable; according to them, what most attracted them to utilizing video games as an artistic medium is the element of play – through interactive, abstract environments and video media capable of evoking multiple sensory responses, they are able to effectively convey narratives that confront challenging topics in a non-explicit manner, taking the player through surreal yet personal experiences in the process. That’s also what I admire most about Christina’s work; not only are they visually captivating and fun to play, they are also narratively rich and artistically confrontational.

To see more of Christina’s work, visit her website: http://www.christinazero.com/