:: library infiltration ::
game saturday 6.3 :: 3p :: brown science library- 201 thayer st
phone 919-260-1872 for questions
Library Infiltration
is a game that takes place inside a large
public library (usually university) with multiple stories. It
originally emerged as a game at NC State's DH Hill library, which is 9
stories tall. The goal of the game is to "infiltrate" the library
by
collecting evidence (pieces of paper, pens, trash etc...) of travel to
each floor of the library and exit without being seen by anyone in the
library. Everyone in the library is "playing" the game by their
mere
presence and ability to look up and see you, though it is usually
assumed that these people do not realize they are playing. It is up
to the players to determine if they have been seen or not (being seen
is all-inclusive of all sideways glances, looks, etc...) The players
work as a team to collect the evidence from each floor and to
strategize in getting out of the library. Two fundamental rules for
library infiltration and the collection of evidence is that the normal
functioning of the library cannot be undermined and things taken from
the library must be things unable to be used by the library. If
someone from the team is seen they can become a ghost runner and help
the other players navigate their game playing and exits. On occasion,
ghost runners can also distract other library patrons to help the team
exit. Once every member of the team has been seen that round of the
game is over, and people can choose to start over again.
This game plays with
the space of the library (and the rows of books
that make good hiding spaces), while also preserving respect for the
functioning and importance of the library. It allows adventure to
take place in spaces oftentimes seen as stale or lifeless, and
transplants activities of strategy, competition, and the covert into
new locations. Participation in this game will hopefully encourage
the "adventurization" of other "every day" spaces, and
contribute to
the spirit of game playing within future "serious" contexts.
about the artist
Chase Foster has helped to plot and execute numerous political and social interventions. His current projects include complexifying conservative grassroots movements, re-examining the (geographical) boundries of ideology, experimenting with county-based documentation in rural North Carolina, local urban exploration, and community-based documentation.
