Smooth edges: Video games & theater and spectatorship

Smooth edges: Video games & theater and spectatorship

Facilitated by Hanaa Safwat

We find ourselves transfixed in the position of the spectator, endlessly scrolling, as the line between the real and the virtual grows increasingly thin. This workshop interrogates that condition: how the paralysis of witnessing might be challenged, how immersion exerts control, and how we might cultivate agency and critical reflection.

Participants will engage with poetics from Greek and Islamic traditions, alongside contemporary theories of spectatorship. We will trace concepts of alienation and emancipation through the lens of video games, examining how viewers and players interact with virtual worlds. Sessions will combine theoretical discussion with close analysis of games, considering design, writing, gameplay, and the material conditions of their production. We will also reflect on what these modes of spectatorship mean for artists, art workers, and the ways images are both presented to us and by us.

The workshop meets twice a week for six weeks, alternating between reading discussions and collaborative gameplay. Regular attendance is essential. Sessions will be held in both English and Arabic, lasting between two to three hours.

*Note: Not all texts are available in translation. Participants will be supported through a collective effort to navigate challenging or unfamiliar material.