Communion through Architecture

- by Magellan Egoyan


I was privileged, earlier today, to be shown a fascinating new gallery by an unusual artist whose name is Keystone Bouchard. Keystone is an architect who has a real life practice, but after discovering Second Life he's turned his talents increasingly towards the virtual world. His interest is in developing what he calls "reflexive architecture", but this is related to what I have been calling "reactive sculpture". Essentially, he is developing buildings that respond to avatars in interesting ways, enhancing their sense of space or their perceptions of themselves via interactions.

He has constructed a large gallery which is breathtakingly beautiful, a kind of "sculpture in light" (see the photos to get a sense of this). Within the gallery are about a dozen separate installations, each a gorgeous construct with its own lines and movement. Do not take these photos to be representative, however - the true beauty and power of these installations comes when one engages with them, bodily. Furthermore, although they are interesting for a lone visitor, they are designed to be responsive to groups, so take a few friends with you when you go. The experiences these architectural wonders provide will haunt your waking hours, even perhaps your dreams. Not only do they engage our senses (there is sound and some movie elements as well as the dynamic objects which make up the installations), they also engage our sense of play. One feels a desire to run and jump, even sing around these constructs which seem to know and echo how we feel. Each installation has a different behavior, and so it is worthwhile taking time to explore and engage with each one.

Keystone mentionned that the gallery is located above an island he won as a prize for one of his installations. Rarely has a prize been used so aptly to the common good. This awesome gallery is not to be missed, it is one of the most impressive and engaging kinetic experiences I have encountered, inside or outside of Second Life. (Location within Second Life : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Architecture/198/112/601). Also for another viewpoint on this work (and more information), please consult Bluewave's review.

Best in SL Art

Krystal Epic, in conjunction with SL Reports, has teamed up to create the Best in SL Art Awards! This project is an opportunity for the patrons of the art community of Second Life to nominate who they think are the most influential avatars in our digital art world. Likewise, this is a chance for the driving forces of our community to be recognized for their astounding contributions. The award will be fame and publicity for all of the winners-- something that does not hurt when you're involved in the Second Life art community.

This is a great opportunity to get your name and/or the names of your comrades and colleagues out there! Anyone can be nominated, and you're certainly welcome to nominate yourself-- in fact, I would highly recommend you do so, since the nominations are done it blog format, and it's a great way for you to assess your role in the Second Life art community and give yourself a pat on the back for your contributions!

The Schedule for the Project is as follows:

• September- Nominations
  
• October- Voting
  
• November- Interviews
  
• December- Announcing Winners

Be sure to get your nominations in, and don't forget to vote when the time comes! This is a community project, and depends on the participation of everyone-- so get on the site and participate!

Burning VAA!

written by Cyanide Seelowe

The VAA logo looms in the distance, begging to be burned alongside its Burning Man counterpart.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce the official registration of the Virtual Artist Alliance Theme Camp for Burning Life 2007!

We currently have 500 prims at our disposal, and I'm looking for a handful of people (three, maybe four) to help me build one large, cohesive piece on the land. We will be working together under a theme to create a space for all of the members of the VAA and any Burning Life passers-by to use and to have fun in.

The Theme

This year's theme for the Burning Man Festival (the RL festival that inspires Burning Life) is "The Green Man". The Green Man, as copied directly from the Burning Man website:

"Peering outward from behind a mottled screen of vines and leaves, the Green Man does not speak or sleep; he waits. His meaning and his origins are largely lost to time — the Green Man wasn't named till 1939. We know, however, that this type of enigmatic figure was the work of artists, anonymous craftsman whose unsigned work adorns the crevices and walls of medieval cathedrals. This year we will appropriate the Green Man and the primeval spell he casts on our imaginations for a modern purpose. Our theme concerns humanity's relationship to nature. Do we, as conscious beings, exist outside of nature's sway, or does its force impel us and inform the central root of who and what we are?"

The Virtual Artist Alliance will also be utilizing this theme to the best of our abilities to make our plot of playa beautiful for all to see. To read more about this year's theme, click here.

The Principles

The Burning Man Festival has brought together countless numbers of people who all get together in the name of art, humanity, and nature. As such, this community of people has put together a set ten of principles which are to be followed by all participants, and will apply to us and our endeavors as well.

Please take the time to make yourself familiar with the principles, as they will factor heavily into what we build.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Teamwork- The success of this project will depend heavily on how well we work together as a group- the purpose of the VAA and Burning Man alike is to share and create together as a community, so there will be no room for stand-alone projects. Communication is a key part of teamwork as well, so please be prepared to keep in touch with your comrades throughout the month.
  

• Commitment- We only have one month to pull this project together, so making yourself available to work with your teammates is imperative. While it will not be required for you to build with someone at all times, if you don't think you'll be present to contribute a significant amount of time to the project and communicate with your team mates on a regular basis, then it might be wise to wait until next year to participate.
  

• Have Fun!- This is not a competition of any sort-- the reason I claimed this bit of land is because Burning Life is a perfect opportunity to get together, make new friends and have some creative fun! Since this is our first year participating in the festival, we don't have any expectations to set forth-- so by default you will exceed all expectations!
  

Important Dates

And finally, these are the important dates that you should know in regards to building with us-

• Duration of the Event: Sept. 24th-Oct. 1st
  
• Plots Assigned: DURING WHOLE EVENT
• Land Must be Claimed: BY THE TIME GIVEN BY THE TERMINAL
• Burning the Man: Sunday, September 30, 2007. (3:00 PM)
• Burning the Temple: Monday, October 1, 2007. (3:00 PM)
• Land Reclaimed: Friday, October 5, 2007.

Relevant Links

• Official Burning Man Website
• Official Burning Life Wiki
• Official Burning Life Blog
• SLURL to VAA Theme Camp
  

Burning Life: Sept 24 - Oct 1, 2007

by Rezago Kokorin

On a vast plain of white desert, the Burning Man stands alone. Soon this will change as the Burning Life grid officially opens on August 24th at 6pm SL.

I wasn't in SL for last year's event and I'm eager to see what will happen, and to dive in and participate. The VAA didn't exist this time last year and many of it's members were not yet inworld. So lets get out there and create some awesome builds! The theme for this year is "the Green Man."

News and information about the event is at the Burning Life Wiki HomePage. Below, I've copied and pasted from the Wiki but be sure to visit the site for more.

There will be three sizes of camps, the largest of which requires the submission of a proposal. The others may be had by finding an empty site and claiming it by clicking on the terminal. Art installments won't be on plots but on any of the sims with the name "playa". "Art installs will be limited to a max of 50 prims per art install with a max of 5 art pieces per account."

There Is No Registration Process For Art Installments So Go Build Something!

In addition to the camps and art installs there will be Mutant Vehicles.....
What are Mutant Vehicles?
At burning man, a collection of strange and extreme vehicles cross around the terrain. Their basic function is to serve basically as 'taxis' between the different parcels and art objects.
In burning life. The Mutant Vehicles will basically offer the same function as they do at Burning Man. Allow people to go from one spot to the other AND be a sight and experience to enjoy.


Important Dates To Know About:
The following dates are in order from top to bottom:
o Land Goes Live For Registration/Taking: Friday, August 24, 2007 at 6pm PDT. (Don't Worry There Will Be Land/Space For Everyone)
o Deadline for Proposal Submissions: Friday, September 7, 2007 at 4pm PDT.
o Plots Assigned: DURING WHOLE EVENT
o Land Must be Claimed: BY THE TIME GIVEN BY THE TERMINAL
o Burning the Man: Sunday, September 30, 2007. (3:00 PM)
o Burning the Temple: Monday, October 1, 2007. (3:00 PM)
o Land Reclaimed: Friday, October 5, 2007.



Links:

Burning Life Wiki : HomePage

Landmark to Burning Life

Art theme of the 2007 RL Burning Man

Artist Self-Promotion

written by Cyanide Seelowe

Due to a surge of First Life activity and a general urge to be lazy before my latest school semester goes underway, I've been lax in my duties for Second Life. To make up for this, allow me to introduce to you (for the first time on the VAA blog, anyway...) the Artist Self-Promotion Website.

This website was created to address the problematic issue of Second Life being recognized only for its accomplishments in business, sex, and the extermination of gambling. What non-residents don't realize (and a disturbing number of active residents, as well) is that Second Life, just as any other culture on this earth, is supported by its art community. When I expressed my interest to further the exposure of the Second Life art community to Krystal Epic CEO Enniv Zarf, he jumped immediately on board and provided a webspace through which I could launch the project.

The website is bountiful with articles and insights in regards to the Second Life Art community, as well as a number of "how-to" articles that were written to help artists and gallery owners in Second Life better promote their content and expose it to the public. It is a free service to all who would venture to use it, and is open for user commentary in order to improve its content and make it more useful for everyone.

Enjoy!

Animated Sculptie Sculptures & A New Video Series

- by Magellan Egoyan



Check out the animated sculptures that Vlad Bjornson has developed using a special process. For those who are technically inclined, he provides details of the method used in the "Building Tips" Forum under the heading "Animation of sculpties". For those of us struggling to make sense of how to work with sculpties and get elegant results from our efforts, Vlad's method represents a gift from heaven.

Also, for those of you interested in my video series, I have begun a second series, called "Second Life Geography". In some ways, I view Second Life as a whole as a kind of work of art, and just as I find it interesting and useful to explore the work of bona fide artists within Second Life, I believe the place as a whole warrants the same kind of attention. My first video in the series is Second Life Geography - An Overview. I did actually manage to slip in a few artistic references, since my maps are annoted with the location of several galleries :)

SLCC Art Exhibits

Looks like there will be an interesting mix of artists and art exhibits at this year's SLCC. Check out details here and here

Current list of participants:
Rachel Breaker - Drawings and Digital Art
Grimfiddle Dogpatch - Painting
Filthy Fluno - Abstract Narrative Drawing
Wade1 Jya - Painting
Gracie Kendal - Collage and Mixed Media
Spider Mycron - Mixed Media Collage
Tuna Oddfellow - Wandering Magician
Tap Quentin - SL Photography
Static Schultz -Mixed Media and Collage
Esch Snoats - Abstract Digital Print
Sonia Stardust - Comic Art

These people will be showing their artwork in the in-world portion of the art exhibit: (More to come)

Dancoyote Antonelli - Hyperformalism Manifestation
Shoshana Epsilon - SL Photography Portrait
Half Moxing - SL Photography with a Furry Focus
IanLee Patton - Drawings
Karen Schreiner - Digital Abstract
Juria Yoshikawa - Sculptures/Installation