Connor Gottfried is a Canadian visual artist whose practice blurs the boundaries between sculpture, technology, and play. Working in acrylic, aluminum, and electronics, he creates illuminated objects that are not only artworks but also functioning game consoles. Oversized and candy-colored, these sculptures invite viewers to rediscover a sense of wonder through interaction, dissolving the gallery’s long-standing rules of distance and preservation. Instead, Gottfried places nostalgia and play at the center of the viewing experience, transforming the act of remembering into a participatory event.
Technology as Memory
Gottfried’s work is rooted in the idea that technology is more than a tool—it is a vessel for memory. His sculptures reanimate gadgets of the past, from handheld consoles to early game systems, and in doing so, conjure personal and collective histories. Each illuminated piece recalls the formative moments when technology was new, playful, and deeply social. The asymmetric forms and vibrant surfaces transform these once-ordinary devices into psychedelic centerpieces, inviting audiences to reconsider their cultural and emotional weight.
A Unique Artistic Process
The creation of a Gottfried piece begins with digital design. Using Photoshop and 3D modeling software, he maps out intricate compositions that will later take shape in physical form. These designs are printed onto acrylic or aluminum composite panels and then precisely cut with CNC routers or laser cutters. Layers are stacked, separated by spacers, and bonded with adhesives to produce a three-dimensional, sculptural surface. The final step—installing working screens, wiring, and controls—completes the transformation, turning each artwork into a playable object that merges visual aesthetics with tactile experience.
From Childhood Fascination to Artistic Practice
Gottfried’s fascination with technology began early. As a child, his home was filled with computers and consoles, and he spent countless hours exploring the games that defined his generation. This formative exposure to interactive media laid the groundwork for his current practice, where nostalgia becomes both subject and medium. By embedding actual games into his artworks, he creates a bridge between personal history and contemporary art, reminding audiences that cultural memory is inseparable from the technologies that once shaped it.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Gottfried’s interactive sculptures have been featured in exhibitions across North America and Europe. His solo show Play II at StolenSpace Gallery in London showcased large-scale aluminum wall sculptures with integrated retro games, offering viewers the chance to reconnect with childhood play in a gallery setting. At the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in New Hampshire, his works emphasized the intersection of art, music, and technology, highlighting their ability to transform everyday electronics into cultural artifacts. These exhibitions demonstrate his growing recognition as an artist who redefines the role of interactivity in contemporary practice.
Breaking the Velvet Rope
One of the most striking aspects of Gottfried’s work is how it subverts the traditional codes of museum behavior. Galleries typically separate viewer and artwork with physical and psychological barriers, enforcing a culture of preservation over participation. Gottfried challenges this by encouraging direct interaction with his pieces. In doing so, he reframes art as an experience rather than an object, one that is incomplete until activated by play. His practice dissolves the velvet rope and invites the public to engage without hesitation.
The Poetics of Nostalgia
Nostalgia runs through Gottfried’s work as both subject and strategy. His sculptures embrace the imperfections of outdated technology, celebrating the clunky designs and pixelated graphics of a pre-digital age. Yet these are not simply monuments to the past. By enlarging, reimagining, and reframing these devices, Gottfried casts them as symbols of resilience and creativity. They become portals into memory—reminders of the joy, irreverence, and imagination that defined early encounters with technology.
A New Language of Play
Connor Gottfried’s art opens a fresh dialogue between viewer, object, and memory. By transforming retro technology into immersive sculptures, he demonstrates that play itself can be a serious artistic language. His works are not nostalgic for the sake of sentimentality; they are radical reinterpretations that challenge how we interact with art and how we remember our past. In an age where technology evolves at unprecedented speed, Gottfried slows us down, asking us to pause, play, and reflect on the moments when machines felt magical.
