Founders Rules; 2017; UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm, UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Settlers of Catan” game pieces, 3D print, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 120×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Game of Life: Collective vs Individual / Das Spiel des Lebens Box Lid Overprint; 2017; UV print on unfolded Das Spiel des Lebens board game box lid: 65×45×1cm, UV print on unfolded Das Spiel des Lebens board game box lid: 65×45×1cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Ascent: Above the Nation State Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Descent – Journeys in the Dark” game pieces, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Rules; 2017; UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm, UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Rules; 2017; UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm, UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Rules; 2017; UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm, UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Box Cover Projection; 2017; Royalpainting.com commissioned painting (oil on canvas), UV print on canvas, custom stretchers: 115×115×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Founders Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Settlers of Catan” game pieces, 3D print, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 120×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Ascent: Above the Nation State Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Descent – Journeys in the Dark” game pieces, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Ascent: Above the Nation State Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Descent – Journeys in the Dark” game pieces, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Ascent: Above the Nation State Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Descent – Journeys in the Dark” game pieces, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, LEDs, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Game of Life: Collective vs Individual Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Das Spiel des Lebens” game pieces, 3D prints, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, customised LED lamps, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Game of Life: Collective vs Individual Board Game Display Prototype; 2017; Customised “Das Spiel des Lebens” game pieces, 3D prints, UV print on Butler Finish Aluminium Dibond, UV print on card, customised LED lamps, moulded electronic wiring, Dell PowerEdge 1950 server casing, Linoleum, MDF, powder coated steel, Plexiglas: 105×103×103cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
Game of Life: Collective vs Individual Rules; 2017; UV prints on Canvas: 110×80×2cm, UV prints on Canvas: 100×80×2cm.
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.
The Founder’s Paradox; .
Photo by Field Studio.
Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett.

MoCA, Cleveland, 2018:

Simon Denny: The Founder’s Paradox presents newly prominent mythologies about the entrepreneurial “founder” and the role of the nation state in a libertarian future that collides with fantasy imagery, expansionist ambition, and political ideology. These narratives are present within innovations like Bitcoin and emergent platform monopolies enabled by the effects of big data and Web 2.0.

Reflecting on the popularity of board games, and resonant with game theory’s influence on the technology sector, these works remap board games with narratives from radical and influential texts like Peter Thiel’s Zero to Oneand the libertarian book The Sovereign Individual. For example, Settlers of Catan, the favorite board game of tech entrepreneur and founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman is re-imagined as a story of expansion where players “settle, trade, and build” from a decaying earth to New Zealand, then out to international waters to found an ocean nation, and finally into outerspace.

This project also includes collaborative works that explore the intersection of technology and management through a seminar and workshop led by Denny and Youngjin Yoo, Professor at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, with Patrick Barrett, Adjunct Professor at The Cleveland Institute of Art. With MBA students and Design students Denny will produce designs for board games that investigate the impact technologies might have on industries —transportation, healthcare and housing as they meet Augmented Reality, blockchain and big data.

Projects