Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Matthew Martin, Jenna Gavin, Charles Walker

Abstract:
The Makin’ Cake installation is a skill-based competitive single player game with a twist. Players type-in 1950’s cake recipes as fast as they can and get points for every word. The twist is extra points are given for swearing. The installation demonstrates that media are transparent to the point of being empty. They do not contain fixed messages that (only) need to be uncovered, recognized or identified, but meaning is always constituted or produced by media users in context. This is an active, creative, on-going and fluent process between the audience and the work. The installation calls for participants to recognize the possibility and, in effect, the necessity to take control, decide what things mean, appropriate media for their own purposes, subvert them, and play with them.