The Claw
The Claw was a 2022 presentation of 8 customized art claw machines in Lexington, KY at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center. This was a part of RunJumpDev’s Rules and Play series of alternative controller shows.
History
In 2020, RunJumpDev acquired 8 claw machines from an auction in Beaver Falls, PA. These cabinets were then transported back to Kentucky. Due to the pandemic, work was stalled for a little bit before proposals were accepted for what the cabinets would become. This was cataloged in this video.
Featured Cabinets
One cabinet was returned to factory settings and functioned as a standard claw machine throughout the main event, dispensing random plush animals as well as local goods. The remaining seven machines were constructed into six projects.
| Name of Cabinet | Developers | Physical Description |
|---|---|---|
| Replications Only Mimic the Whole | r25th | A claw machine made up of 9 miniature claw machines |
| Player 2 Has Entered the Game | John Meister, Shea Rembold, Lori Meister, Amanda Throws Rocks | Two cabinets placed back to back, with the intention to blow balls at each other. |
| Astray in the Woods: An Interactive Performance | Shylo Silvenar | A visualization of 3 dimensional objects in a black box. |
| Claw Creatures | Shea Rembold | A virtual claw machine cabinet. |
| Oasis from a Dying Empire | r25th & Amanda Throws Rocks | A white cabinet with the claw replaced with an implement to move sand in a rock garden. |
| Project: Theo | Amy Hudgins & Amanda Throws Rocks | A haunted teddy bear talks back to the player, who communicates via keyboard. |
Special Appearances
In addition to their time at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, the claw machines made appearances at other shows, including two years at Super MAGFest.