The clicking of controllers and the buzz of an old television, accompanied by a hum of chatter amongst pairs of people while they waited in line for coffee, filled the 1078 Gallery’s 8-bit August exhibit.
The gallery’s back walls were lined with 28 works in various mediums and four interactive displays, all involving iconic retro gaming iconography.
Iconic franchises of gaming history, such as Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda, made multiple appearances in the works. Graphite, colored pencils, fabric and wood were some mediums used to showcase the characters and their respective worlds.
Casey Fay, an art professor at Butte College, proposed to do 8-bit August in Chico after doing similar shows in the Oakland area.
“It was a big hit and always super fun,” Fay said. “So I was just hanging around here one day, I was like, ‘What am I doing here this month? Nothing. Put on an art show.’”
Fay entered his work, “Mario Garden,” which featured the iconic piranha plant enemy from “Super Mario” with a few other enemies and items hidden within the foliage, rendered using colored pencil.
The works as a whole included nostalgic color schemes and a diverse amount of styles, from hyper-realistic oil paint to stylized cartoons.
On a small stage to the far left, three desks were decked out in LED Pac-Man ghosts and old promotional merchandise. These allowed gallery goers to experience firsthand how retro games were played.
The games were played through the famous vintage gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, with four controllers available. Alongside this, there was the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator computer software that preserved the technology used to run retro games.
Tech Toss, a local nonprofit that aims to make technology as accessible as possible, provided some of the technology used in the displays.
Dakota Rose, a Chico native and founder of Tech Toss, heard of the gallery and asked to bring in consoles and Fay enthusiastic agreed.
Aside from the concept and production of the flier, Fay takes little credit for putting on the gallery.
Erin Wade, acting treasurer of the gallery and art professor at Butte College, helped provide the gallery space.
“I’m telling you, I get credit for this; I don’t deserve any of it,” Fay said. “I emailed some people and made an art piece. The flier was hard; that was the hardest thing I did.”
Along with the desks and displays from TechToss, members of the board of directors, Dan Schneider and Zak Elstien, crafted a large Tetris console that was available to play.
The person who gets the highest score takes a selfie with it and must defend it until Sept. 1 to be declared champion and take the console home for free.
As of Saturday, the high score was 490.
“All these guys are like, ‘Hey, can I do this random thing?’ Someone wanted to make a weapon out of some kind of Mario thing, but he didn’t get it done in time,” Fay said. “So it’s pretty neat. I was like, ‘Hey, does anyone want to do this?’ The response has been amazing.”
After people grab their coffees, they wander through the pieces to any open display to test their skills. Sydney Milan, a gallery goer, tried her hand at the Tetris console and loved how interactive the exhibit was.
1078 Gallery is closer to the heart of Downtown Chico. It is staffed entirely by volunteers, and with a café, plant nursery, and rotating gallery exhibitions — it is the perfect spot to grab a friend and relax.
Anne-Marie Snider, a Chico State professor and gallery volunteer, said she sees her time there as the perfect opportunity to see local art.
The 8-bit August exhibition closes on Sept. 1, with multiple works sold and tons of local praise.
“The reception was packed; we sold a bunch,” Fay said. “People came up and talked to me about it, who I don’t even know on the street. So yeah, it’s pretty neat.”
For future exhibitions at the 1078 Gallery, the First Annual Northern California Mock Cat Show will be open Oct. 4-27. Submissions are open to all. Any medium and style will be accepted.
If you want to read this article in Spanish, go here.
Nadia Hill can be reached at [email protected]
