In celebration of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Xbox teams have partnered up with Mexican artisans for own unique renditions of the Xbox controller.
Various artists hailing from three of Mexico’s indigenous communities joined the event in order to showcase their creative and cultural talents. The project specifically involves the creation of arts using the Xbox controller as the medium.
There is a total of 68 indigenous group of people in Mexico. But only three of these communities will make a representation during the annual event. They are Tinango in Hidalgo, Olinalá in Guerrero, and Huichol in Nayarit. With each group symbolizing a unique culture, the outcome of the special project has been unsurprisingly unique and amazing.
Huichol art
The Huichol artists made use of a child painting-like design, which overall features their culture’s religious beliefs. Leaving no space untouched, save for the buttons, the bespoke controller is vibrant and embodies many iconographies. Each symbol bears its own meaning, though may seem obscure to most people. For instance, corn is symbolic of prosperity; a butterfly is meant to characterize for good tidings; and an “eye” that represents a “God” who safeguard children. It seems like the overarching theme of the art is about kids and how they view their own culture through art.
To celebrate the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, three indigenous communities in Mexico honor @XboxMexico by using Xbox controllers as a canvas to show their art to the world.
Check out how these pieces came to life: https://t.co/SnZIHW2czp | #HispanicHeritageMonth pic.twitter.com/QFBchkbXI9
— Xbox (@Xbox) October 14, 2021
Hidalgo art
Equally as colorful and leaving no empty space, the Hidalgo artists showcased a masterfully crafted “embroidery-like” style. While not heavy into symbolism, the art in the output nonetheless displays high-level of creativity. One which likely entails lots of patience to make and is reflective of the artist’s mood while doing the project. Looking at the output, it requires no explanation as to why in that notion as it’s clearly obvious. That is, considering also the art’s painstaking process.
Guerrero art
Lastly, there’s the Guerrero rendition which demonstrated high-quality art involving a certain colored flower. Unlike the previous outputs, this particular flair allows for room for spaces. This is clearly evidenced by the unpainted black background that is the controller’s own default skin hue. Albeit quite minimalistic, the outcome nevertheless highlights the power of hand-drawn art, involving vibrant colors.
With inclusivity in diversity being the event’s main theme, it’s no surprise that Xbox has taken a huge effort to kickstart the project. The scope of the undertaking is certainly thin and could be denser. But it nonetheless shows appreciation to the people that’s often less representative of the video game community.
Image used courtesy of Xbox