Whoever said video games are not educational must never have set foot inside an art
studio.
Senior metals and jewelry design major Veronica Keymel will open her senior showcase,
entitled “Riveting Start,” from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday in Bacon Gallery at Upton Hall.
The showcase features work inspired by various video games.
Keymel’s metal works have been included in many local exhibitions, and she has received
several awards from Buffalo State including the Margaret E. Bacon Best of Studio Award
in Metals/Jewelry, JPHii Jeweler’s Award, and the John Jauquet Award for Excellence in
Metals/Jewelry.
This exhibit combines her unique talents with a subject she has taken a deep interest in.
“I have extensively researched the history and nature of video games, as it is a fascinating
subject to me, and (I) greatly admire those who use games as a medium to create art,”
Keymel said.
She is impressed with the concept and work that goes into video games, and the impact
these games can have on an individual’s mind.
“Video games are utterly fascinating for the sights, sounds and spirit of nostalgia we
associate with them over time,” she said. “For example, retro games that are encountered
years later frequently conjure up happy memories of the fun had when they were first
played.”
She describes her exhibit as a place where one can find a variety of sculptural and wearable
metalwork that incorporates colorful found objects in board games, alongside handmade
metal elements.
Keymel identifies the elements she finds in video games and applying them in her
metalwork to create a finished product.
“I suppose the conceptual process has always been to look at what makes existing games
tick, and take elements from them that strike me as interesting,” she said. “I combine these
referential elements with my metalworking skills to create the final piece.”
The pieces in the exhibit have been created over a couple years of work at Buff State.
Individually, most of the pieces took a few weeks to complete. One piece in particular
involved 18 hours of hand sawing an intricate, pierced pattern.
“Inspiration” is a word Keymel used a lot to describe her relationship between video games
and her metalworks.
“Often it is a specific glitch, design element, or theme in a game that inspires me to craft an
art object about it,” she said. “In particular, dissecting the mechanics of video games and
why they work (or don’t) has always been a special interest of mine. After all, there is no
place to go deeper into a game program than the coded logic that comprises it.”
Her goal is and always has been to let the audience see her work and view it as art, nothing
more. She stresses that knowing what video game she is alluding to in her piece is not
important.
“The end goal is that while the art I have made was inspired by a specific video game
element, the viewer does not need to know this specific game reference in order to
appreciate the work,” Keymel said.
Working with such unique materials can be troublesome, and Keymel said that possessing
adequate drive is a key trait in being a successful artist.
“So far the chief struggle is stamina,” she said. “Many pieces are more complicated than
expected to construct, and finding the reserves to keep going and solve these design issues
is a necessary part to being a successful artist in the field today, no matter whether or not it
is a craft or fine art.”
Keymel is looking forward to the opening, but she knows a lot will be expected from her,
considering this is her senior showcase.
“I am very excited, though pleasantly nervous, for the opening,” Keymel said. “Many people
have seen bits and pieces of my art work before and they are expecting a top notch senior
show from me. It does however push me to bring the best I can to this event.”
She hopes her work will leave a lasting impact and help establish herself even further as a
metal design artist.
“I hope to instill a sense of wonderment with the exhibit as to the meaning and theoretical
function of the art objects I have made,” Keymel added.
Caitlin Kupiec can be reached by email at kupiec.record@live.com.