i am 8-bit

So how about we get this party started?

For the second year in a row, Jon Gibson tasked blik with designing and installing a classic-video-game-inspired window mural for his I AM 8-BIT Art Show. What's the show about, you ask? Artists submit original pieces of work inspired by their love for and memories of video games from the 8-bit era of gaming. The fittingly-named Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight hosts the grand show at 7020 Melrose in LA, California. It was such a big hit last year that IGN hopped on the bandwagon and held a contest for readers to submit artwork, with some of the winners' pieces to be displayed (and possibly sold) at the art show this year.

Last year, the show was held in conjunction with ACME Game Store, and the window graphics incorporated more elements from actual games.

Our concept this year was to mainly utilize the original pixelated sprites I AM 8-BIT uses in their logo, varying their sizes for dramatic effect. The only artwork borrowed from an existing game are the energy pellets from Capcom's blue bomber, Mega Man. There's also a greater sense of movement, as if one's joining, even entering and becoming a part of, a retro game already in progress.



With the final design approved by Jon and Katie (co-owner of Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight), we set about creating the custom graphics. And a day before the show was to open, two members of blik's all-star installer team, Chris and Jeremy, headed to the gallery to install. They began by installing all of the energy pellets first, then the white sprites, and lastly the prominent lemon I AM 8-BIT logo.



For lunch, Chris and Jeremy shot across the street to Pink's for their world-famous hot dogs, for their hard work built up quite an appetite. The line took a good half hour to wind through, and they made the wrong burger for Chris, but in the end the food was oh-so-good!

With all of the graphics fully installed, the finished project was a fitting indication of a retro gamer's paradise:



And then it was time to party!! On Tuesday, April 18th, the twitchy-fingered gamers and art connoisseurs alike came out in full force to support an era in gaming never forgotten, a time of wide-eyed 8-bit innocence. The gallery was packed inside and out, with a line of eager players winding down the block. After viewers had their fill of the amazing art (a lot of which was already sold), those of legal age could head to the back for cocktails, retro gaming sponsored by Capcom and Foundation 9 Entertainment, and the rockin' tunes of 8-Bit Weapon.



As avid gamers ourselves, it's a tremendous honor to be a part of the I AM 8-BIT Art Show, and hopefully we can be there to show our support for 80's gaming in the years beyond when the show is bound to be even bigger and better.