AM Radio Seminar at Burniversity - The Artist's Perspective

What:    AM Radio Seminar: the artist's perspective

 

When:  December 27th, 2009 at 2PM SLT

 

Where: Burning Life - Afterburn Art Project

 

 

Earlier this month AM Radio helped us to launch the Burniversity educational program with two very technical seminars designed for experienced SL artists and builders.  You can find the transcripts of those classes at the Afterburn plot.

 

On December 27th, 2009, at 2 pm SLT AM Radio invites you to his third, final Burniversity presentation.  For this session no knowledge of scripting or building is necessary.  Interest in Arts is a prerequisite, as always.

 

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From AM RAdio:

 

"I will be hosting a discussion this Sunday at Afterburn. I'll be taking questions. Below are some thoughts which relate directly to the Burning Life afterburn graffiti project. We can discuss these topics or go with the flow. This Sunday is for discussion about creativity in Virtual Worlds, but for fun to. There are no requirements for attending. I hope to see you there.

 

-AM

 

 

Why Explore Art experiences in a Virtual World

 

Second Life is a popular choice among virtual worlds. Second Life is unique in that it allows residents of its virtual world nearly unrestricted control over content subject matter creation and presentation. Second Life is a full 3d virtual world using openGL technology to present a game like, simulated 3d environment. This is a leap from previous flat virtual worlds, and so-called 2.5D virtual worlds which used isometric 3d allows artists to create full environments. The goal of artists using 3d environments is often to immerse the viewer in an environment and engage them through 3 dimensional spaces. The result is often cinema like, with the artist taking in considerations such as the screen, and the viewer’s relationship to it. Art created and presented within a Virtual World falls somewhere between film, performance art, theater, public art and installation art. 

 

Some view Second Life and virtual worlds as a game, or a toy. Artists however are approaching these simulated worlds in much the same way the military or flight training might immerse soldiers and pilots in computer simulations, utilizing the senses to immerse the viewer in a virtual situation which requires decision making, task completion, and direct input which engages, manipulates and changes the virtual world environment in real time.

 

The primary problem for virtual worlds in Fine Arts today is the question of validity and integrity of Virtual Worlds as an expressive medium. Secondary problems such as discovering methods and techniques which create a successful art experience are explored as artists continually test the validity of the medium. The Arts in the Virtual World space contains a massive range of possibility and approach. The past few years have seen artists experiment with completely controlled cinematic experiences, massively scaled 3D sculpture, to full immersive environments that range from realism, to impossibly dimensional abstract experiences.

 

My purpose in the use of community created art in Second Life is to explore the relationship between the viewer and the three dimensional space. One of the more exciting possibilities within a virtual world is the ability to allow users to manipulate, define, even control their environment. In real life, walking into a gallery or museum and leaving an object on the floor would seem rude, out of place and frankly prohibited (unless as an act of performance art itself). However, as seen in much Second Life press (http://www.businessinsider.com/2008/10/second-life-offers-business-teleconferencing-now-penis-free), users yearn to understand their relationship with virtual 3D space, building their own environments, architecture, vehicles, identities and Art. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_ke0WOAHE). The user is constantly testing their boundaries, authority and depth of their presence. By manipulating the environment they seek to understand its limits, to understand the boundaries of their own ability, and discover the radius of the sphere of their own influence upon the world. This search might be likened to graffiti art, the medium of generations with little understanding of their role in dystopian like inner cities, and now modern, anonymous suburban living. 

By exploring the relationship between the user and the virtual space I seek to close gaps in our understanding of what is acceptable. The primary gap is currently what Second Life sim and virtual world owners might be missing by disallowing deeper creation and manipulation interactions. By locking down a sim, disallowing users to create, the experience is reduced to tourism. While tourism may in fact be the primary experience of massive virtual worlds, I seek to challenge how spaces are experienced, remembered, and transformed by those who dwell within the space. One needs only to tour Flickr for a few minutes to find the thousands of tourist like images produced within Second Life by users every day (http://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlife/).

 

My work traditionally utilizes realism and surreal environments which engulf the user in a complete experience. No facet of the environment is left unconsidered, with careful attention to detail which might affect the viewer’s suspension of disbelief (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief), unless otherwise explored (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall). I base my environments on known landscape design theory, specifically Jakle’s Visual Elements of Landscape (http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Elements-Landscape-John-Jakle/dp/0870235672). Jakle presents a theory of Refuge and Prospect. Jakle writes, “In landscape, the sightseeker seeks views that compose involuntarily in the mind’s eye as satisfying place images. Sightseeing is a search for scenes by which the objects of place can be effectively discovered and related.”  Once in these discovered places or refuges, the viewer seeks prospects for more. Jakle writes, “Effective views contain prospects that enable the viewers to survey considerable distances over several successive horizons.” Jakle explains that some prospect opportunities are arbitrarily constructed or pointed out as vistas, photo opportunities, and known panoramas within the landscape which are discovered and shared. Environments in a Virtual World are at an advantage in that vistas and panorama, the sense of place can be purposefully constructed, manipulated and even act as a tool which guides the user in way-finding through the space by enticing the user into ever more promising potential refuge. The title and theme of my Second Life work is The Space Between these Trees, a title which exemplifies the possibilities of space as defined within the boundaries the users of a virtual world construct.

 

Once in the space and immersed, I will present the users with tools to affect that environment. I seek to find out how the space might evolve as a haven, a recognizable and familiar space for regulars, or a potential target for users who wish to understand the limits of the control users have over the space.

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To stay informed about Afterburn Art program make sure to remain in Burning LIfe group or join the Subscription board.

 

The Seminars are presented by the Burniversity, Burning Life/Burning Man

 

White Lebed -  the Burning Life Art Department Lead; the Curator of Afterburn Art Program

white.lebed@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/white_lebed

 

 

Virtual Ability Presents Information on Windows and Mac Accessibilty Options

On December 28th at 1 pm PST/SLT and again of December 30th at 6 am PST/SLT, a presentation on "Windows and Mac Accessibility Options" will be hosted at The Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island in Second Life. Information on Window s and Mac Accessibility Options will be presented by Edmondo Barbosa and will be in both text and Voice simultaneously. Gentle Heron of Virtual Ability provided the following summary:

 

"Windows and Mac computers have several built-in options to make computers more usable for people with disabilities.  This presentation will cover options to adjust the keyboard, mouse, visual display, and system sounds.  Assistive technologies provide alternatives to standard ways of interacting with the computer (keyboard, mouse, visual display).  We will discuss some built-in assistive technologies in Windows and the Mac operating system, and briefly review types of assistive technologies which are available as third-party software and accessories."

 

 

 

Author Convention and Exhibition 2010

The following came to me by way of Jilly Kidd, of the Written Word Group:

 

Go to our social network for writers to discuss the convention in the Author Convention and Exhibition Group on Written Word Ning

 

The first Author Convention and Exhibition will be taking part in the early months of 2010 on the London School of Journalism Island. In the run up to the Convention we're inviting authors and publishers who would like to take part to have a free display area in the Orb Space Station above the island.

 

As well as having a display opportunity in the Space Station, authors and publishers will be able to collaborate on how they would like the Convention to be organised. Everybody will be able to help organise and work together for a calendar of events. Perhaps authors in the same genre will get their heads together for panels etc. Readings, talks, book signings and sales will all be part of the Convention. Highlights of the Convention will be filmed and broadcast, including whole events. There will be no cost involved in taking part in the Convention.

 

If you would like to take part, contact me and I'll invite you to the London School of Journalism group so you can set out your display in the Orb Space Station. There will be an easy TP or TurboLift from ground level to the Space Station, and also the Convention can use all of the venues at ground level - an Amphitheatre, the Southbank Theatre, tutorial/discussion cabins, outdoor campfire seating, an ice rink which will be a London Park, offices and a beach area which will also have an outdoor stage over the water.

 

This is sure to be a wonderful and well promoted event and will get a lot of interest. I'll be writing about it myself for RL press and publishers in Publishing Talk. So let's get our heads together to plan a really good first one, and it will then run every year.

 

To take a look at the venues come to the Orb Space Station:

 

And take a look at the island:

 

For more information contact Jilly Kidd in Second Life.

 

How Many Avatars Can Fit Inside a Phone Booth?

My finger was poised on the mouse button to click on quit Friday evening, when an urgent instant message arrived inviting me over to help out with an experiment. With a naturally inquisitive mind set, I’m generally open to learn something new, so I replied with a “Send me a TP.” I arrived at the NC WeBIEE 2 SIM to find myself standing in front of a phone booth that had several avatars stuffed inside. As I arrived and the site began to rezz full, my friend called out.

“I’m in the back with my butt up in the air. See if you can click on the phone booth and sit.” She said.

“I thought I recognized the butt.” I replied with a grin and did as she instructed. With a left click, the sit option came up in the pie menu and I was soon stuffed inside the booth.

“I thought you would ... with Nazz that makes ten and if John returns, that will be eleven.” She said when I did then added; “Everyone, IM your friends.”

I moved my camera view around to see from the front and found the virtual me at the front of the booth, seemingly with both arms stretched across the opening holding the rest of the avatars from spilling out onto the street. I moved the camera view around to the back of the booth for a look. There were now eleven avatars stuffed inside and several more had just arrived.

“I’m taking a few pictures.” Someone called out and several others chimed in with similar comments.

“OMG! Nazz, do you have your head up her skirt?” I was asked. So I moved the camera view back around to the front of the booth to find that the virtual me was now partially obscured by a pink poodle skirt which covered my head and shoulders. My outstretched arms still held the now fourteen avatars inside.

“I’m not looking … honest … my virtual eyes are squeezed tightly shut.” I said in chat to the woman perched on my shoulders.

“Well that adds a new dimension to the poodle skirt.” My friend called out and then laughed.

“We’re now at fifteen with Jup on top.” Someone called out and we all let out a virtual cheer.

My virtual arms had grown tired from holding everyone in and I clicked on the “stand up” button. We all spilled out of the booth in a fashion reminiscent of the stateroom scene in the Marx Brothers movie, “A Night at the Opera”.

Afterward, I found out that the instigator of “How Many Avatars Can Fit Inside a Phone Booth” and the lady who sat on my virtual shoulders were one and the same, Lorraine Charron. After apologizing I asked, “I hear that you are the originator of the stuffing the phone booth. Where'd you get the idea?

“Just by reading online about the 50’s” She replied.

“Was the phone booth here or is it something you built?”

"The phone booth was built by DrJohn Lane." She replied.

"This SIM is a great build, is it yours?" I asked

“Yes me and Tayren … my alt … she makes the clothes too.” She replied and then added; “My clothing store is in Blue City.”

With everything and everyone sorted out, we all began to TP out. So how many avatars can fit inside a phone booth, fifteen.

Merlina Rokocoko Exhibition at Tanalois Art Gallery

I stopped in to view the latest exhibition of artist Merlina Rokocoko, the exhibition opened on Sunday, the 20th of December at Tanalois Art. Well known in Second Life for her work with the PIRats Art Group, Ms Rokocoko is also an accomplished artist in real life. On exhibit are eleven pieces, ten of which are new. They are digital works based on her real work. The exhibition will be open for one month.

A Fundraiser for the Central Asia Institute

A Fundraiser for the Central Asia Institute
Originally uploaded by Nazz Lane

I stopped in at Trill Zapatero's Central Asia Institute (CAI) event Sunday evening held at the Untold Art Gallery. There are twenty artists and over sixty works of art on display and sale, all for the benefit of educating girls in the Pakistan/Afghanistan regions. CAI is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The art will be displayed indefinitely, so stop in enjoy the art and donate to this worthy cause. She also told me she has an incredible line of afghan inspired fashion, HIMALYALA and BOHO HOBO, some of which is on sale here as well.

MachinimUWA: The UWA Machinima Challenge

WHAT: MachinimUWA : The UWA Machinima Challenge

 
 

WHEN: Submissions are open 18th December 2009 - 31st January 2010

All entries will be displayed on the University of Western Australia (UWA) Second Life Blog.

 
 

Winners will be announced during a ceremony in February

 
 

WHERE: In front of Winthrop Tower (Main SIM of the UWA presence) & starting point of all Machinima

 

THEME: Architecture, Teaching, Research & Arts on the UWA SIMS

 

THE CHALLENGE

Create a Machinima between 2 and 5 minutes in length that captures the 4 main elements that make up the heart of the University of Western Australia SIMS. These elements are the RL architecture, the teaching, the research and the arts. The purpose would be to show that UWA's presence in SL is comprehensive and covering all these areas, creating true bridges between SL & RL for prospective students, current students, staff, alumni & the community (this is the snapshot - more details below). Note that there are 3 SIMS making up the UWA presence, namely UWA, Uni of WA & WASP Land, and this challenge covers all 3.

 
 

Method of Entry:

* Load the Machinima anywhere, and provide the link to both Jayjay Zifanwe & White Lebed (co-hosts of MachinimUWA)

 
 

Closing Date:

* Midnight 31st January 2010 (winners' announced in Mid-Feb 2010)

 
 

OVERVIEW OF UWA (RL)

The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a leading Australian research university and has an international reputation for excellence, innovation and enterprise. A member of the Australian 'Group of Eight' research universities, it is also among Australia's leading research universities. Sitting on the banks of the Swan River, the UWA Crawley campus is the oldest in Western Australia and among the most picturesque in the nation with its grand sandstone and terracotta buildings sitting among elegant heritage-listed gardens.

 
 

MORE on the CHALLENGE

As follows will link some of the key areas that could be looked at in the preparation of the Machinima. The Machinima should start with a view of the Winthrop Clock Tower & the Reflecting Pond which is an icon of the state of Western Australia. Graduation ceremonies are carried out here, and it is named after UWA's founder, Sir John Winthrop Hackett.

 
 

Start Point of Machinima : Winthrop Tower & Reflecting Pond (RL & SL location)

 
 

The rest of the following areas can be used (or not) as you see fit, and in any order you choose.

 
 

UWA Sunken Gardens (RL & SL location)

This is a place of great significance to the staff and alumni of the University. Many many people get married in this location in RL every week, and it is a place of nostalgia, and quite a few people who got married in RL at the sunken gardens, have been here looking at the SL version of the place they exchanged vows.

 
 

UWA Sky Theatre (SL only location)

This is a theatre we have created for use by Professor Wade Halvorson of the School of Business and Professor Mark Pegrum of the Graduate School of Education. Profesor Halvorson ran an entire 2nd year Bachelor of Commerce Unit using this as his primary location. It was run for the first time ever this semeter, in a unit called Electronic Communications Strategy.

 

 
 

UWA Square Kilometer Array - SKA (to be created in RL)

Now, these are replicas of telescopes that will be built in the Australian Outback, at a place called Boolardy station. 40 of them will be built for a smaller project caller ASKAP, or the Australian Square Kilometyer Array Pathfinder. Currently the final telescope design is presented in SL and the unique characteristic of these dishes is illustrated, namely the three rotational axes where most telescope dishes only have 2. Australia is in a battle with South Africa to secure the rights to the Main SKA, which will comprise 4000 radio telescope dishes. This will be the biggest land based science project in the hsitory of mankind.

 
 

Visualisation Research @ The West Australian Supercomputer Programme (WASP), UWA

Visualisation Research is being run by Tranguloid Trefoil (RL - Paul Bourke). A critical component of this is the automatic representation of data in SL, rather than manually modelling. There are a number of examples of this such as the volume rendering of a human cortex. Among other things, Paul has an interest in fractals and how they may be used to describe and model real world objects. There are a number of fractal objects on the WASP land, one is the famous Menger sponge. For more information.

 

3D Art & Design Challenge

UWA runs an extremely successful 3D art & architecture challenge, with some of the greatest artists and architects of SL displaying their works for the challenge. This has been one of the most important components of UWA's SL offering, and has been listed as an SL Destination for Arts.

 
 

THE PEACOCKS, THE DUCKS, THE GALAHS, THE RAINBOW LORIKEETS, THE PARROTS ad other fauna are a significant part of the RL campus, and these are represented on the SL campus. These are found mainly on the Uni of WA SIM

 
 

The Wonders on the Ground of the UWA SIM

Wonderful art by quadrapop Lane, Soror Nishi & Glyph Graves (seek out 'Strangers also Dance'). This is here to give the UWA presence a mixture of the RL aspects of Second life, as evidenced by the recreation of the RL buildings as well as the truly out of this world aspects of SL, as evidenced by what is found here.

 
 

OTHER AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Physics Building

Hackett Hall

The building housing Astronomy, HR & Facilities Management

 
 

PRIZES

A first and a 2nd Prize will be awarded for this. These prizes come courtesy of the University of Western Australia, VR Shed Pty Ltd (Dr Chris Thorne) and other benefactors.

 
 

1st Prize - $35,000L + a UWA T-Shirt

2nd Prize - $15,000L + a UWA T-Shirt

 
 

JUDGING PANEL

1. Professor Alan Robson (RL) - Vice-Chancellor, The University of Western Australia

2. Professor Ted Snell (RL) - Director, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia

3. A/Professor Wade Halvorson (RL) - Lecturing in Marketing, Business and Electronic Commerce, The University of Western Australia

4. Colin Campbell Fraser (RL) - Principal Adviser (External Relations and Advocacy),

Vice-Chancellery, The University of Western Australia

5. Kelly Smith (RL) - Director, International Centre, The University of Western Australia

6. White Lebed (SL) - Lead of Burning Life Art Department, Curator

7. Jayjay Zifanwe (SL) - Owner of The University of Western Australia (SL), Creator & co-host of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge