Maarten Vanden Eynde

Game Changer I  is a graphic translation of one of the iconic mesolithic signs from Fontainebleau, France. Similar forms are found around the world and resemble a well known game that is still played today which is also used to teach mathematics, called Morabaraba, Merels, or Nine Men's Morris. The drawing is made by etching a printed circuit board (PCB) with ferric chloride (FeCl3), a technique normally used in making copper circuits for electronic appliances. The chemical process is interrupted and frozen with varnish, creating an unpredictable variation of the “natural” background in contrast to the graphic human intervention of creating ideograms. They can be interpreted as mnemonic memory devices that function as analogue computers.
Game Changer II and III are based on the same drawing but without the “natural” background. Instead, stones and minerals of varied origin are added and placed like pawns on a board game. Ranging from malachite, the source of copper for the circuits, to silicon, which is used for the production of microchips, and spodumene, where the lithium comes from, they all represent part of the production and powering of electronic devices.