107 Aesthetics & Dying Well | Benjamin Gardner

This episode explores the intersection of creativity and mortality. Ben Gardner discusses his artistic journey, the philosophy of aesthetics, and the value of embracing slow, intentional living through play and self-reflection.

Benjamin Gardner is an artist with a unique vision of what success looks like. Go slow, do less, and focus on quality, not quantity. His work resembles vibrant medieval manuscripts of secret rites long forgotten from times before written language had fully formed. www.benjaminagardner.com His message is to slow down, turn off your electronics, and embrace silence, the haunting beauty of the natural world, and accept that there are things of great value that we will never understand.

OUTLINE

00:00 Collaborative Creativity and Game Design

27:11 The Intersection of Art and Technology

31:21 The Philosophy of Slowing Down in a Fast-Paced World

38:39 The Beauty of Imperfection in Art and Life

42:04 Cultural Insights and Personal Growth

44:32 Driving Philosophy and Personal Reflection

47:11 Gaming Mechanics and Personal Preferences

50:29 The Impact of Teaching and Personal Connections

53:04 Exploring Masculinity and Personal Development

58:17 Closing Thoughts and Future Connections

In the discussion, Ben and Dave bring up the artist, Simon Stålenhag, who is a Swedish artist who paints retro-futuristic works. A specific group of paintings completed under the title "Tales from the Loop", inspired both a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) and a board game games as well as a Television series on Amazon Prime, all by the same name. "Tales from the Loop" by Simon Stålenhag. https://www.simonstalenhag.se/tftl.html

Ben discusses a game based on dying well, called Trophy - A roleplaying game of tragic fantasy https://trophyrpg.com/

Ben states that the game he plays the most is Stardew Valley. Here is a video by PlayStation on that compelling game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A7A1X1TVNc

David Kolmer evokes the message of the book Art and Fear by David Bayles. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187633.Art_and_Fear

Ben shared he is developing a collectible card game loosely based on the feeling of the podcast TANIS by Public Radio Alliance. https://open.spotify.com/show/20bYGRH6GLgtAs5WSDO5DR?si=9af1717b5858430b

Ben also mentions another podcast by the same production called Rabbits about a mysterious nameless ancient game the players refer to only as “Rabbits.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pTM0EByPr6Moc0wjJmkFG?si=KmEbV1sbRvSlxfzkJuSMBQ

Ben stated that he is not a "Luddite", and David didn't know what that word meant, so David looked it up and pasted the definition in the show notes:

Luddite Lud·dite/ˈləˌdīt/

noun

1. derogatory

a person opposed to new technology or ways of working.

"a small-minded Luddite resisting progress"

2. historical

a member of any of the bands of English workers who destroyed machinery, especially in cotton and woolen mills, that they believed was threatening their jobs (1811–16).

Contact Ben Gardner

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-gardner-b9878b252/

https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/about/staff/index.html

The Stone Tape (1972) Iain Cuthbertson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnDerD1lacw

CREDITS

GAMELAYER RADIO is found wherever you get your podcasts. Transcripts and swag at Gamelayer.fm

Theme Music by Caleb Willitz. calebwillitz.com/ calebwillitz.bandcamp.com/music

Interlude Music

Blissful Feeling www.pandabeatsmusic.com

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