So i just noticed this… i’m not sure when this happened but i want to unpack it. First- what happened– I rezed on the island because Amy altered us to the controversy some artworks for Stephen Venkman so we could have a discussion about his artworks that were disallowed at SL5B. Then Stephen came and made them look better because i did a really half-assed job of it and added a landmark giver to send you to his sim. THEN…. some one ( Obscured Quandry clearly someone’s alt) put up a kind of cage around the work with the words “wake up” over it and (more…)

Virtual Worlds, art, social, theory | 25 Comments »

So Andreas Wantanabe (SP? — come post a comment here please) created this HUGE double diamond tube around the top of the tower and around Nebulosus’ work above. I returned it because it completely blocked out the ground from the point of view of the tower which is the default view that people see when Monet auto-returns there. However it looked really damn cool and because of its geometric nature. This is connected in my head to some other thoughts about why there is a future for formalism (hyperformalism) in SL and why DC Spensely and the others in the Kiss the Sky Exhibition (which i quite liked) are on to an interesting path. I’ll write more of my thoughts on this tonight- but in the meantime– Andreas Wantanabe- if you’re out there- can you recreate this piece somewhere else where it doesn’t block the view from the tower? (i know it really wouldn’t be the same but… it still could be cool to see.

art, theory | 10 Comments »

Here goes:

What is the role of the artist in Second Life?

I don’t mean this in the really dry, academic sense, where we all sit around and spin platitudes about what it means to be an artist and the struggle and all that stuff.

I mean this more in a direct sort of way.

In real life, an artist has to justify their work in contrast to nature, to design, to entertainment. If an artist says, “I want to make work that is beautiful” they must confront the question, “Well, then - why not plant a flower? What’s more beautiful than that?” If they want their work to be entertaining or engaging, they must contrast it to what’s on TV or in the movie theater at the time. The onus is on art to step up - to be something more; to signify, to represent, to point to something, somewhere. Even if it is its own history that it refers to or if it’s pointing back to itself - it still does something more than what we expect from other sources of beauty, entertainment, etc.

In SL, art has a much harder task before it. It exists in an environment that is made by someone - someone (probably a few people, working together) put that grass and sky there; it was a conscious decision from someone to have the island end right here and jut into the ocean (these things don’t just happen in SL). So what differentiates art from all the other created things in this space?

Curious to hear your thoughts…

art, arthistory, theory | 5 Comments »

Last week I Juria Yoshikawa invited me to his sim to view his artwork called Kaleidoscope Flowerchild Glowball. We talked for a while and I reprint here the chat log, with his permission, of our conversation:

You: howdy!

[2008/04/14 8:59] Juria Yoshikawa: need to have your sound on too

[2008/04/14 8:59] You: my girlfriend thinks i should get a viking hat in real life

[2008/04/14 8:59] Juria Yoshikawa: yeah nice look

[2008/04/14 8:59] You:

[2008/04/14 8:59] Juria Yoshikawa: is the glow working now?

[2008/04/14 8:59] You: ok, i’m in a coffee shop in brooklyn- i’m going to see if i have my headphones so i can hear the sound

[2008/04/14 9:00] Juria Yoshikawa: yes good idea

[2008/04/14 9:00] Juria Yoshikawa: i love those wireless coffee shops

[2008/04/14 9:00] Juria Yoshikawa: crank up the sound

[2008/04/14 9:00] Juria Yoshikawa: about 60% will do

[2008/04/14 9:01] Juria Yoshikawa: i think you have the same laptop as me

[2008/04/14 9:01] Juria Yoshikawa: is it 17in?

[2008/04/14 9:01] You: ok, hang on- i need to get SL to talk to my headset

[2008/04/14 9:01] Juria Yoshikawa: this is my sim

[2008/04/14 9:01] Juria Yoshikawa: it’s always night

[2008/04/14 9:02] Juria Yoshikawa: since most of my work is made for the dark
(more…)

art, theory | 1 Comment »

This one was of particular interest to me, Its a magic painting that changes when it’s owner speaks certain magic words to it. Over the course of its stay at Brooklyn is Watching this piece, also by DanCoyote changed many times as he came by to change it for us.

One of the things that is most interesting to me about this (more…)

art, theory, week one | 1 Comment »

SL Newbie, Hackworth Klaxon endures spotty Wi-Fi and and single-digit framerates to interview the infamous SL Artist.

(more…)

art, theory | 2 Comments »