Generation ZX(X)
In 1993 the TIMEX Factory in Dundee closed its gates after more than 7 months of painful strikes. 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of this departure from Dundee, a timely moment to look back and reconsider its impact on the city.
TIMEX is still remembered for those bitter last months rather than the near five decades of economic growth and activity. In the 80’s, on the TIMEX assembly lines, the ZX 81 and the ZX Spectrum computers were manufactured. The ZX Spectrum made its way into the houses of Dundee, its capacity to be programmed eventually gave rise to the phenomenon known as bedroom coding.
Despite the fact that it was the women of TIMEX who worked on the assembly lines, building and testing the computers, it was their sons and husbands who learned how to work them: the vast majority of early game developers were men. The event is a thank you, from our generation to the ladies of TIMEX, who through their labor, and often unaware of their contribution, gave Dundee a new future: the video game industry.
The event brings together performance, historical accounts, video and arcade games, and live music.
The title draws attention to three core aspects surrounding the TIMEX factory in Dundee: the gender dynamics (the vast majority of the assembly line workers were women whereas the vast majority of early coders and game makers were men), the heritage of the ZX Spectrum (the manufacturing of the ZX Spectrum in Dundee contributed to the city’s strong video game industry and education), and its contribution to the rise of the technology-savvy generation Z (Abertay’s video games courses are the first and one of the best programmes in the world).
Event date: 4th May, 2018
Event time: 8PM-10:30PM
Event Location: Camperdown Park. Event starts with registration at 7:30 in front of Camperdown House.
The event is free but ticketed. Tickets available here
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The project would not be possible without the help and support of:
NEoN Digital Arts Festival, Creative Scotland, Weave by Abertay, Abertay Game Lab, Abertay University, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Laura Bissell, Alistair MacDonald, Dundee City Council, JTC Furniture Group, We Throw Switches, TIMEX History Group, Charlie Malone, Alice Marra and Loadsaweeminsinging, John Gray (Public Art) – Dundee City Council, Douglas Community Centre and Library Communities Department – Dundee City Council, Dighty Connect’s Mosaic Group, John Carnegie and Alan Spence, Hot Chocolate Trust, The Dundee Rep, The DC Thomson Archives, Dundee City Council – Dundee’s Art Galleries and Museums, STV, Paul Farley, Douglas Hare, Danny Parker, Philip and Andrew Oliver, Mike Dailly, Chris van der Kuyl, Erin Stevenson, Robin Sloan, Lynn Parker and all the lovely ladies who shared their stories with me.
Creative Team
Mona Bozdog, Clare Brennan, Susie Buchan, Robert Clark, Dan Faichney, Dayna Galloway, Robin Griffiths, Kayleigh MacLeod, Alice Marra, Niall Moody
Projection Art: Robin Griffiths
Breaking Through the Frame Development: Niall Moody, Kayleigh MacLeod
Assembly and She-Town Development: Retrospect
Joy Ajuong, Marc Philippe Beaujean, Robert Clark, Sean Connaghan, Courtney Kirk, Phillip McCafferty, Cara Pearson, Jordan Ross
