I have just completed a new Turbulence Commission for a project called “Playing Duchamp,” where based on records of his chess games, I have programmed a chess computer to play like Marcel Duchamp. You can play Marcel Duchamp here.

During my childhood, I was a chess whiz and spent many hours playing against a primitive chess computer my father bought me. I reveled in the infinite possibilities on such a small board. When playing firends, I learned about imagination and deception: how to set traps, feign weaknesses and when to attack. After university, I became a computer programmer and in later years, I transitioned into the contemporary artworld as a new media artist. Fascinated by paradigm shifts such as those created by Duchamp, I wanted honor his legacy as a both an artist and chess player — the two are inseparable. Combining my early love of chess with my algorithmic skills and a current passion for creating conceptual media artwork, this piece serves this purpose.

Thanks to both New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. (Turbulence.org) and  <terminal> at Austin Peay State University for funding and support.