Young artist awarded for virtual replica of Kimball Jenkins Estate
Eighteen-year-old Clark Todd was recently named the winner of the very first Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health Artrepeneur Award, given by the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts. The award was created to recognize artists who use technology to expand their creative practice and collaborate with other artists and organizations. Todd built a replica of the Kimball Jenkins Estate, a historic building in Concord featuring high Victorian gothic architecture from 1882, on the popular building video game Minecraft. The replica has been used as a promotional piece to raise awareness of the Estate’s fundraising campaign for a $400,000 restoration of the original slate roof of the building. See a video of the replica at vimeo.com/417753858.
What is your connection to Kimball Jenkins?
My mother has been working there for a few years. During that time I took some art classes and went to the summer camp for a year. I’ve also done volunteer work there, including role-playing Amos P. Cutting, the original architect of the house, during historic tours.
Why did you decide to do this project?
I’d said to my mother that the house might be good to build in Minecraft, and she suggested that it might be an interesting showpiece. We never thought in the beginning that it would be as useful as it is now. So, I built it for my own entertainment and as a sort of tribute to the house itself.
What inspires you about Kimball Jenkins’ architecture?
The craftsmanship, the attention to detail in the design, the floorplan, and the build quality are all incredibly good. It feels wonderful just to be in there.
Describe the process of building the replica.
My brother Glen set up the ‘realm’ that the replica is built in, and our friend Nathan got it all ready for exhibition. I did most of the actual building and all the design work. I had copies of the original floor plans, so I recreated them on the ground in-game by placing blocks. Then I dug out the foundation, copied the basement floor plan into it and built up the walls. Next I did the same thing for the first, second and attic floors. At this point I had all the interior walls, window holes and doorways, so I sort of wrapped the whole thing in brick blocks and did some detailing. Then I built the roof, which was at least as hard as working out the floor plans. I built the porches, detailed the interior and exterior and, with a bunch of small alterations, it was done. I don’t know how many hours I put into it, but I ended up working on and off for about four months.
How can people interact with the replica?
You can watch a video of a walkthrough of the build. The realm is currently private, but we’re working on making it possible for people to log in and tour it. Minecraft is three-dimensional, and you can control your in-game character from a first- or third-person perspective. You can move freely, either on the ground or through the air, and can view the exterior of the house or go through the rooms inside.
What would you like people to understand about video games and architecture?
This is difficult to answer. It is true that adults, including people connected to Kimball Jenkins who have seen the video of the replica, showed great interest and maybe gained appreciation for the game. It’s also true that kids who toured the replica during events may have had something familiar to compare the real house to when they went through it. But at the end of the day, Minecraft is just a game. The real structure is infinitely more important. I feel like that’s true with many things. It’s my opinion that the world needs less games and entertainment and more good work and tangible things.
How did it feel to be the recipient of the first Artrepeneur Award?
I was surprised and felt honored. I’ve never been given an award like this before. I’m pleased that my creation was so appreciated.
How long have you been playing Minecraft? What do you enjoy about it?
I’ve been playing about six to eight years, on and off. I mostly enjoy building houses of my own design in the game.
What other kinds of video games do you enjoy?
I’m not into many other video games. I play Minecraft mostly because I’m interested in houses. My real-life interests are greater than my interests in any game. I’m interested in vehicles, tools and machines. I like creating things. Lately I’ve been making masks to donate.
What are you doing now? What are your future plans?
I home-school, and since kindergarten I’ve been pretty much self-taught. I have many interests, and I’m not sure yet what work I’m going to do in the future.
