Playing Outside

Playing Outside is an innovative digital art performance by ODEE, executed in December 2020. In this project, ODEE projected video games onto the facades of several prominent buildings in Reykjavík, including the Alþingi (Parliament House) and Háteigskirkja (Háteigur Church). Described as “digital graffiti,” the performance transformed these formal structures into interactive canvases, blurring the line between art and vandalism. The project served as a commentary on the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging people to think outside the box—literally and figuratively—by taking indoor activities into public spaces. The work also subtly critiqued the formal nature of these institutions, playfully subverting their seriousness by overlaying them with images from popular video games like Mortal Kombat and Doom. The performance drew significant attention, with some viewing it as a bold artistic statement, while others questioned its legality and appropriateness.