International Visitors Programme
Leonard Menchiari, an Italian film and video game director, was in the Netherlands from 23 to 26 June as part of the Nieuwe Instituut’s Visitors Programme. MaMA, and programme maker Sebastiaan Hoogstraten, invited Menchiari to visit the MACHT VAN WIE! exhibition project, which was on show in the MaMA showroom from 29 April to 26 June.
The focus of the visit was the newly developed level, Woonopstand Rotterdam, for Menchiari's game RIOT: Civil Unrest, based on the Woonopstand demonstration of October 2021 in Rotterdam. MACHT VAN WIE! – about positions of power, police violence and the right to demonstrate – showed that the game world can be understood as a culture where ownership, representation and participation are distinctive qualities that make it a critical social forum.
As the creator of the game, Leonard Menchiari's presence was of great importance. In addition to Menchiari’s participation in the finissage, he met a number of Dutch tech/game professionals and enthusiasts, with visits to places such as Codeglue, the Piet Zwart Institute, and the Nieuwe Instituut.