8-Bit to 5G

A collaboration with the City of Raleigh, Subnation and Red Hat to pay homage to the evolution of gaming graphics. Raleigh, NC 2023

Greater Raleigh is the first destination in North America to celebrate the culture of gaming and lifestyle of esports through a permanent art installation. The mural was designed to accommodate an Augmented Reality component.

As a tribute to the spirit of the medium, the mural chronicles the dynamic evolution of gaming graphics. At its inception, the piece roots itself in the nostalgia of 8-bit graphics, paying homage to the simplicity and ingenuity of early gaming, symbolized by elemental forms reminiscent of 'Pong'. As the viewer's eye traverses the expanse of the mural, it encounters the pixelated era of early Nintendo, where characters and worlds became more complex and stories began to unfold. Midway through the mural, there's a transition that reflects the leap into the 16-bit era, with a nod to games that inspired generations, evoking the essence of adventures akin to 'Super Mario Brothers' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. The characters are depicted not as they were but as they are remembered, with an energy and vibrancy that pulse through their abstracted forms. Finally, the mural culminates in a representation of the modern era of gaming—where the virtual and real worlds blend seamlessly, illustrated through abstract designs that hint at the complex graphics of contemporary games like 'Fortnite'. The flow of the design mirrors the connectivity of 5G technology, illustrating a world that is more interconnected than ever before.