Before becoming a topic of discussion and debate, Invaders! was first presented at Eniarof#1. This installation is a physical video game that involves detecting the arms and legs of participants using a camera, in order to launch shots that defend the World Trade Center towers against an extraterrestrial attack in the style of the original Taito game Space Invaders.
The World Trade Center attacks mark a deep cut in our recent history that is still being processed. The French-American artist Douglas Edric Stanley has found an unusual — though obvious — metaphor with his work “Invaders!”, which is based on the 1978 arcade original. In his interactive large installation, the players must prevent the catastrophe by controlling the well- known cannon at the lower screen border with their bodies and firing it using arm movements. Like the original, this trial is ultimately unsuccessful, thus creating an articulated and critical commentary about the current war strategy. In this regard, Douglas Edric Stanley sees Space Invaders as “a social tale that can be related to historical tales without losing its poetic power”.
– Andreas Lange, Computerspiele Museum
