Madison Schoellhorn
BA: Studio Art
Artist Name:
Madison Schoellhorn
Work Title:
Maladaption
Medium:
Sculpture, Video art, Video game
Artist Statement:
Monnie and their game is largely based on my experience with identity and how I dealt with certain aspects of life growing up. Reflecting on everything as an adult has inspired me to make this game as a love letter to myself. Monnie copes with their reality by fictionalizing it inside their head and daydreaming life away, but what happens when they lose control of it? Life doesn't stop for anyone, and things aren't always going to stay so dreamy up there. Monnie's encounters will be uncomfortable, nonsensical, and sometimes a bit funny as players guide Monnie through the strange worlds their head has concocted. The play style is inspired by RPGMaker horror games such as Ib and Yume Nikki. Drawn in a mostly 2bit style, and animated in Aseprite and then imported to RPGMaker for coding.
Artist Bio:
Madison is a versatile digital and traditional artist who hones in on a creepy/cute style for most of their works. A huge aspect of their practice is not keeping any medium off the table, whether it be music, sculpture, web design, or games. They're also not afraid to pull from past works to repurpose or inspire new ideas, even if it's a silly Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends fan character they made at age 7. Madison’s work subjects can range from a dark animation about the existential dread of life's expectations to a bombastic color filled website fit for a Myspace scene queen. Their art is a way of showing their innermost self to others while also pushing people to be more inspired in their art and how they go about creating it.