Brandon Edgar Allen — Toronto Artist & Photographer - Deconstructed

Gaming has been around for as long as most of us can remember. Often, gamers are defined by the games they play and the tools they use. The controller is a pivotal tool in gaming; each console comes with its own controller, designed to maximize the experience of the system. As we play, these controllers become an extension of our own movements. They transform the way we play, influencing our actions and interactions. They become extensions of ourselves, and over time we grow attached to their touch. They break language barriers and connect people across continents. As we use them, they take on our characteristics, just as we take on theirs.

Deconstructed is a series of dissected controllers collected from the gamers who owned them. Each controller was used, often until it was no longer operable. Some have been physically altered, while others were damaged in attempts to repair them. This is their autopsy, an opportunity to compare our growth and commitment to the tools we use to play.

Xbox360 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Wii (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNES (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Sega Genesis (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

PlayStation 3 PS3 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Xbox (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Sega Master System (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Sega Saturn (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Play Station 2 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Nintendo Entertainment System NES (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Nintendo Gamecube (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

PlayStation PS1 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Nintendo 64 N64 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Colecovision (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Atari Jaguar (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Panasonic 3DO (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Atari 2600 (gamepad) deconstructed into all of its individual components.

Select Exhibits:

2013 Jouons: Expositions Sur Le Jeu Vidéo, Le Centre Culturel Pôle Sud Chartres de Bretagne, France

2013 Deconstructed, Bit Bazaar, Toronto, On

Select Publications:

Gizmodo, VICE, io9, A Parliament Of Owls, Beautiful Decay, Bit Rebels

Archival pigment print, 11×17in. Prints $85, Framed $160 USD plus shipping.

Order Prints

Thank you!

↑Back to Top