Ryan will share insights into the making and ongoing development of SOLID STATE DRIVE (2023), “an existential arcade machine: a non-game, a relic of retail and a new interactive work of fiction".

It explores the birth, life and death of a retro racer — a gaming experience commonly found in bygone brick-and-mortar arcades. While these spaces have shrunk in the face of an increasingly digitised world, our racing simulator has had time to contemplate. Instead of competing, our vehicle takes us on a journey off-course to the back end of its software. Roaming through these cavernous networks, our program delivers a monologue questioning the relevance of both itself and the experience it is supposed to provide.

Can't make it in-person? Watch the livestream or recording on YouTube later.

Link coming soon.

Book a 30-minute playtesting session to support the development of Solid State Drive.

The aim of playtesting is to test the concepts behind the project and to evaluate whether it is something that people would want to engage with more. During the playtest, you will be asked to experience the game and provide feedback by answering a few questions.

Solid State Drive is an outcome from a period of self-led research and development, supported through Arebyte's Hotel Generation, providing mentoring for the next generation of UK digital artists during the critical early stages of establishing a career in the arts.

Ryan Heath is an artist and facilitator based in Nottingham creating moving image, painting and sculpture. His work often blends critical urbanism with mysticism. He explores the histories and futures of specific spaces, framing new possibilities for them.

He has exhibited in the UK and internationally, receiving commissions from organisations including LEVEL Centre, UK New Artists and Ignite Futures.