Butler Down And Out Apr 2026

: Butler treats the simulated environment of Los Santos—a parody of Los Angeles—as a legitimate site for documentary photography, highlighting that the "vista has to be full of things we are not even looking at" to feel real.

Butler's project is a modern digital homage to George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London . Rather than following the game's intended violent or criminal narratives, Butler spent months treating the simulation as a physical reality, exploring the "ambient reality" that often goes unnoticed by players. Butler Down And Out

In this work, Butler uses "in-game photography" within the video game Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) to document the lives of homeless non-player characters (NPCs) in the fictional city of Los Santos. Project Overview and Intent : Butler treats the simulated environment of Los

: He captured over 1,500 photographs over five months using the game's built-in smartphone camera tool, "Snapmatic". In this work, Butler uses "in-game photography" within

: The work exposes the embedded social violence and limitations of the digital world, reflecting real-world socio-economic structures.

: By photographing poverty and social marginalization within a high-budget commercial game, Butler challenges the game's neoliberal framework and "monetary logic".