Support the development of a new project by artist Ryan Heath

Join us in Broadway's Gallery to experience a new digital interactive artwork and share your useful feedback.

Book a 30-minute playtesting session to support the development of SOLID STATE DRIVE, a new project by Nottingham artist and Near Now Studio member Ryan Heath.

What is Solid State Drive?

SOLID STATE DRIVE (2023) is “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.

The aim of these playtesting sessions 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.