Beyond play: the art and design of Asian games

Abstract

"This exhibition explores how design and art affected the development of games--how they are shaped into structured systems with beginnings and ends, strategies, as well as pieces and boards. No less significant are the cultures and communities that evolve around games: here we consider games which began in Asia, many of which have spread around the world. Games often become works of art: cross-cultural objects that encode the values and pleasures of both competition and cooperation. Two aspects of game design concern us here: the structure of rules and the artistry of objects. Elegant rule-sets which balance luck and skill, speed and restraint, give games their distinct identities and enduring appeal. Meanwhile, the design of gaming paraphernalia reflects the artistic traditions that elevate leisure into material culture of the highest order"-- Introduction (page 10).

Contents

Foreword -- Introduction : the art and design of Asian games / Clement Onn -- Recounting congkak : four centuries of play across island Southeast Asia / Noorashikin Zulkifli -- Chaupar : the people's game / Malvika Agarwal -- The games of shuanglu and ban-sugoroku / Clement Onn -- Games of chance -- The surrounding game : the global art of go / Clement Onn -- Xiangqi : from the margins to the mainstream / Kevin Lam -- Mahjong : across the four winds / Louise Lui -- Japanese card games: the beauty of pairs -- Space to play : void decks in Singapore / Pan Jia Qi -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgements.