LEA Announces Round 4 AIRs!

Yooma Mayo’s previous LEA work ‘Dreaming Machine’. Yooma is one of a handful of returning artists this round.

The LEA is pleased to announce the fourth round of Artists-in-Residence, who will receive a full sim for six months on which to create and display their proposed projects:

Aequitas (Artist Collective)
Ambi bimbogami
Betty Turead
Cica Ghost
Ginger Lorakeet
Jack Mondegreen
Johnas Merlin
Mac Kanashimi
Mantis Oh
Marx Catteneo/Krakassus Jigsaw
Morlita Quan and Noke Yuitza
Newbab Zsigmond
Ole Etzel
Seraph Kegel
Sniper Siemens
Solkide Auer
thingiwishihadsaid
uan ceriaptrix
Vaneeesa Blaylock
Yooma Mayo

The LEA received nearly 50 high-quality applications, and it was a difficult decision, but those selected submitted truly outstanding proposals that represent a diverse range of virtual art. While a handful are artists returning for a second round, the majority will be exhibiting at the LEA for the first time. Projects range from full-sim immersions, to innovative builds geared specifically for multimedia works such as sound and machinima projects.

Artists will have up to four months to build their projects (though many have suggested they will be completed sooner), with all exhibits set to be open by mid-June. Many will likely open sooner, though, so keep an eye on this blog for announcements of exhibit openings and related special events.

The previous three rounds of LEA land grant artists-in-residence have resulted in some truly exceptional works, and we anticipate this next group to be just as fantastic. Congratulations to all the artists, we can’t wait to see your vision!

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Art for your Weekend

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

As a large chunk of the planet is at least grey, if not covered in snow, why not curl up at home with some excellent virtual culture! There is so much wonderful art opening this weekend in SL, and we’ve already highlighted three must-see exhibitions thus far:

Rose Borchovski’s ‘The Arrival’ opened yesterday at LEA 23, in which her Susas return for more misadventure. A multi-layered and multi-media work (sound on!), Rose’s installations just keep getting better and better in my view. And while you are there, many of the other LEA exhibits are open as well, so you can check the LEA blog for details on those.

Bryn Oh in her new exhibit ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

Bryn Oh’s newest Immersiva work ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’ officially opens today, so don’t be surprised if it is a busy sim. It is well worth the effort as Bryn delivers another intricate tale to explore. This is not a quick trip though, so make sure you have at least an hour to spare to fully enjoy this work (I believe it took PJ and I a couple, as we were so engrossed).

Winter Outlined by Fucshia Nightfire. Photo by PJ Trenton.

And Saffia gave us a jigsaw peek at Fuschia Nightfire’s new installation ‘Winter Outlined’, where you can pop in for some very unique skating fun!

If that wasn’t enough (and it’s never enough with great art), Stephen Venkman’s show ‘Past Present Future’ opens at the stunning Elephant and Seadryke Gallery at Eliza Wierwight’s Patron, today at 2pm SLT.

Stephen Venkman at Elephant and Seadryke Gallery. Photo by Rowan Derryth.

Venk tells us a bit about himself:

A resident of SL for  almost 7 years. I started taking images in SL to chronicle the people I met and the creations I encountered. Once I was introduced to Corel Paint and Photoshop, the realization of pushing the envelope with my images was born. A first life artist in music only,  I stumbled upon Second Life.  I have since been involved with many shows in-world and one real life show in Europe at the Museum of History in Florence Italy.  After being invited to show at Second Life’s 4th Birthday celebration, I was invited to show in the first multi- artist shows at “The Cannery” gallery owned by Rezzable and ran by Vint Falken and Shoshana Epsilon.  I was also asked to join Avatrait Gallery as a featured artist, then to their board of directors, and also gallery curator/manager.  I have since slowed down on my gallery curating to take more time creating . I’ve opened up a shop for male shapes, and continue expanding my line of in-world characters.  Resident photographer for a handful of magazines, I’m never in lack of something to do in SL.  I am very interested in environmental design and making my own textures. Currently residing on my Sim with fellow designers, creators and photographers as neighbor, along with a few virtual pets. Life is good!

And with so much wonderful art, Second Life is good indeed!

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Ekphrasis: Rose Borchovski’s ‘The Arrival’

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

THE ARRIVAL:

Explanation 1:
The Susa Bubbles have caught a fish, and while they admire how big it is, the fish dies. They wonder if they are to blame.

Rose Borchovski’s new work ‘The Arrival’, at LEA 23, is a continuation of her Susa saga, in which these mischievous and sometimes malevolent childlike beings find themselves in another spiritual and philosophical quandary, brought on by the simple act of catching a fish.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

Those familiar with Rose and her work know that certain symbols appear repeatedly, and the fish is chief amongst them (her gallery and group are both called Two Fish). If you’ve ever wondered why this is so, one of Rose’s explanations for this exhibit (she offers us a sampling) is enlightening:

Explanation 2:
I grew up in a small village on the edge of the sea. Once every few years a big fish (small whale) would strand itself on our beach. And that was an enormous happening event: the arrival, this giant big fish lying on the beach, its weight made it impossible to breath, longing for the water, overheated by its own fat, trapped in the sand, slippery and smelly. We would climb all over it, standing on top of its belly, poking it with sticks, jumping up and down for pictures, while the whale was slowly dying under our feet. The beach would turn into a fancy fair, good business for local kibbling (warm fish) and hot chocolate sellers.

When the fish was finally dead, there was a grand finale. Men with big boots, shiny yellow raincoats and sharp knives would chop the bubbling and the now very smelly fish up into pieces. Looking at it made our hair smell for weeks.

As a child this left a huge impression on me. Why were we not able to carry the fish back into the sea?

I wondered if we were to blame.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

The Susas wonder the same thing, as they repeatedly chant in haunting tones – and you must make sure to have your volume up as you wander this installation. ‘The Arrival’ exemplifies Rose’s continued move away from her earlier tableau-like installations (although sounds were always an important component of those too) towards an increasingly immersive approach in the form of the dynamic use of space, and interactive components achieved through collaborations with the talented scripter Caer Balogh.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

With a teleport from the landing area, your journey takes you on a somewhat precarious path down the back of this very big fish, which is essentially a massive virtual sculpture. But that is perhaps an over-simplification, as from a formal perspective, this twisted playground exhibits Rose’s increasing mastery in the use of mesh to relate her narrative. The forms and their composition are skilful and beautiful, even if a bit disturbing.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

But what the hell does it mean?

Explanation 3:
Christian explanation: do we need the fish to take over our sins?
Do we take more then we need, are we to blame?

The Susa story is multi-layered, and the Biblical themes and analogies are rather clear, if you look for them. I was struck by this the very first time I wrote about Rose’s work, and it is why I still find visiting her installations so very exciting. While they are certainly understandable for a broad audience, art history nerds like me find a wealth of symbolic material and references to ponder. Some of them incredibly direct, as Rose states in her fourth explanation:

Explanation 4:
Inspired by a painting: “Big Fish Eat Little Fish” by Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
Grandibus Exigui Sunt Pisces Piscibus Esca.

Big Fishes Eat Little Fishes, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Pen in grayblue on paper. 215 × 302 mm. Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina (inv.no. 7875).

I wondered how many of these choices were conscious ones, particularly when pondering a jumbled mix of letters floating on the water that, when puzzled out, spell ‘freedom.’ For me, this referenced the Futurist artist Marinetti’s groundbreaking typographic work ‘Parole in Liberta’ (Words in Freedom). Rose responded: ‘I love layers… in the end we all borrow from the giants that went ahead from us.’ I agree, but the very best artists, in my opinion don’t just borrow, they reinterpret and reinvent, which is why I find Rose’s work so compelling.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

However, explanation number 5 underscores the fact that neither my nor Rose’s ideas about ‘The Arrival’ should shape how this work is viewed:

Explanation 5:
Your story and enjoyment to discover the Fish.

‘The Arrival’ opens tomorrow (Saturday the 11th of January) at LEA 23. Go fish for your own story.

The Arrival by Rose Borchovski at LEA 23. Photo by PJ Trenton.

—

Note from Rose:

I thank you all for supporting and visiting my art in SL. After some initial hick ups I had a lot of fun making this installation. Of course it is not finished. I will keep tweaking it until it has to die. I’m grateful that the LEA committee granted me this sim to create this installation.
Thank you, Rose ❤

CREDITS:
Installation and concept by Rose Borchovski
Scripts: Caer Balogh
Song at the end: Susanne Sundfør

Rose Borchovski Amongst her Susas. Photo by PJ Trenton.

—

Don’t miss Rose’s other wonderful installations:

The Inevitability of Fate: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cariacou/194/78/172

Echoes in the Garden: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rosas/36/73/1801

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Preview: Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’

Bryn Oh in her new exhibit ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

Rebirth™ Life Encryption
Jesus saved… and so do we

As in most of her narrative installations, Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’ opens with a mystery hinting at catastrophe. Her sim, Immersiva, has been made a dry, dystopic wasteland, riddled with artefacts that conjure a story. What was this ‘Rebirth Life Encryption’ organisation… and why does it immediately fill us with dread?

Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

Tonight PJ Trenton and I had a chance to preview this new full-sim immersive installation, which opens this weekend, but as we attempted Bryn’s shifting and tumbling staircase (a visual introduction to her narrative), we were met with an even more challenging and fearsome obstacle: lag from hell. Even after a reboot of the sim, everything seemed, as they say, ‘borked’. But it was not Bryn’s carefully managed scripting that was the trouble, as we quickly learned when complaints popped up in groups and all over plurk. Tonight, SL was utterly f*cked.

Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

In some ways this was a good thing for this article, as I won’t be tempted to spill the beans about this new story of Bryn’s. Instead, I can simply tease a bit… I hadn’t even met poor Imogen before I had to give up, though I did see hints of her story in the receiving room of an incredibly creepy ‘Therapist’. I also noted creatures which appear repeatedly in her work as symbolic motif: rabbits and butterflies in particular.

We were also able to see that from the start, ‘Imogen’ has all the hallmarks of Bryn’s excellent immersive style – interactive components, multiple complex spaces, atmospheric sound, ‘clickable’ objects which take you to related machinima on the web, and her simple-yet-eloquent poems that allow the tale to unfold. All of these reflect Bryn’s wish ‘to challenge the way the SL resident experiences 3d space and also to immerse them within a engrossing narrative.’

Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

I am very excited to return and continue the journey I began, which had just led me into some kind of asylum, where I was meeting the characters in this dark tale of heartbreak and madness (at least that’s how it seems so far). Before I departed, I asked Bryn a little more about what she hoped visitors might experience at ‘Imogen’, to which she revealed: ‘each piece to this build.. each character and scene is a facet of my personality. In the end I would mostly just like the mood to linger for a few days… the feeling of meeting someone who perhaps stays in your mind for a reason you can’t quite put your finger on.’

Bryn Oh’s ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’. Photo by PJ Trenton.

I’ve no doubt this will be the case, and as such, I confess a small hope that the story ends somewhat brighter than it begins. But either way, I suspect it will be another riveting – and successful – work from this virtual virtuoso.

Six months in the making, ‘Imogen and the Pigeons’ opens this Sunday, the 13th of January, on Immersiva. The sim is closed to visitors until then, but mark this page for your slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersiva/15/125/22

Until then, here is Bryn’s trailer for this exhibit (and I love that she makes trailers!):

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Invade Real Life at EXTRACT/INSERT this week!

EXTRACT / INSERT

A live Installation happening at

The Herbert Art Gallery (Coventry UK) and Second Life

Opening Times 10am – 4pm (UK) 2am – 8am (SLT)

Sunday 12pm – 4pm (UK) 4am – 8am (SLT)

We avatars often struggle to explain our existence to those that dwell only in the physical world. But now, a new exhibit at LEA 24 helps us do what we aliens do best: INVADE!

EXTRACT/INSERT is a unique installation in both Second Life and at the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry, UK. It is a collaborative effort between internationally renowned performance artist Stelarc, lecturer and actor Joff Chafer and artist and technologist Ian Upton. With support in SL from the LEA, and in RL from the Arts Council of England, they have been able to create an environment where avatars can co-mingle with real people visiting the Herbert!

All week, a team of volunteers have been interacting with visitors of all ages, chatting with them about anything from where they are all from, American politics, to what it means to be an avatar. And these volunteers should be commended – many of them have been awake at all kinds of ‘unsociable’ hours to meet and greet the UK visitors. And Stelarc himself stopped in the Herbert last week for an artist talk, and logged in to SL for a performance, ‘Involuntary and Improvised Arm’:

 

Unfortunately, the Herbert exhibit is only open a very short time, but Upton has already been discussing further incarnations. However, YOU can still be part of it this week! If you would like to volunteer and chat with Herbert visitors, you need to know the following:

• To experience the work you will need a Second Life Client capable of displaying ‘shared media’ (V3 recommended).
• You will be able to communicate with the physical world using ‘voice chat’. Text chat and avatar names are not visible in the physical installation.
• Second Life is being projected on a large screen in ‘Stereo 3D’. Your avatar will appear ‘life sized’ and ‘floating within’ the physical gallery space. As such, only a certain number of people can be accommodated at a time, and avatars should not be TOO large (but creativity is welcome!)
• The Herbert is rated ‘general’. The physical audience can include children. We ask you dress and moderate behaviour accordingly.

To access the ‘live area’ you will need to apply for membership of the EXTRACT / INSERT group. Please contact Ian Pahute or Joff Fassnacht in world for details of being part of this experience.

This is a very fun, and dare I say historic, exhibition – do join in the fun! And if you live in the Coventry area, you should make plans to see it from the ‘other’ side! In fact, rumour has it yours truly might be visiting alongside a certain Cheeky-Pea-like creator next weekend… The live exhibit will close 25 November.

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Invention/Reinvention Opens Today

Invention/Reinvention
New work by emerging artists Jessica Belmer, Isla Gealach, Rikku Yalin
Private View today, 23 September 2010, 2-4pm
Avalon Arts Initiative
Music by DJ Walt Vieria

At long last, the Avalon Arts Initiative will reopen today in a new building designed by our competition winner, Winter Nightfire, with an aptly named exhibit Invention/Reinvention.

Avalon resident artist Winter Nightfire won the competition to build the new space earlier this year with this gorgeous open plan build that takes advantage of both virtual and virtuo-physical considerations of art viewing.

‘Woody Robot’ by Rikku Yalin. Image courtesy of FreeWee Ling, UWA.

The AAI continues its mission of giving exhibition space to emerging artists whose work shows considerable promise in using virtual media. While the three artists in this show are not new to SL, they are relatively fresh in using it to make works of art.

Those who have visited the LEA art sandbox might be familiar with the work of French artist Rikku Yalin, who has been leaving her rather delightful robots on view in the self-curating gallery. Yalin has been a sim designer for three years, creating atmospheric spaces such Amancio, Hope, and Cocoon. Yalin states that with her landscapes she likes to ‘create special and poetic atmosphere’, and that with her new venture into sculpture, she hopes to give a sense of life and emotion to her beautifully crafted automata.

Just off from her first exhibition, Jessica Belmer was originally showing her strangely beautiful images via flickr only. I stumbled across her work there, some of which subtly evoke the work of her German Surrealist namesake, Hans Bellmer (although in a decidedly less disturbing fashion).

‘Ghost Bride’ by Jessica Belmer.

The title for this exhibit was in fact inspired by the name Jessica chose for her own selections, ‘Reinvention’:

Reinvention.

During a conversation with a friend, she made the chance comment that she would rather be a character in a novel than a real person. I got to wondering just what the difference was.

Who do we think we are. In Second Life, The Self, that cherished idea of a unique personal identity, is also a blank page for truth and fiction. This creates an open-ended opportunity for intrigue and narrative that I try to exploit by making images. I hope my pictures blend and coalesce beauty and mystery with a dash of uneasiness, and serve as a nice reminder that appearances and narratives are deceiving and regardless of the virtual world we all participate in, we only have dominion over things of which we have direct sensual knowledge.

All my work functions and is steered within this narrative architecture.

jessica belmer

Finally, in perhaps what might be a surprising addition, I asked the incredibly talented Isla Gealach of Cheeky Pea to contribute a small selection of her virtual photography.

‘Self-portrait [A Rusted Development]‘, by Isla Gealach.

While many Prim Perfect readers know Cheeky Pea (and Isla) for incredibly high-quality and beautiful virtual home and garden furnishings, creating images that reside more in the realm of art than design is a new foray for her. In fact, to me, there are many incredible designers who may not be considered to be ‘artists’ by the wider community (or even by themselves), but which to my eye make some truly stunning images and objects which certainly fall into that category. I hope that we can feature more of these creators in the future, to perhaps see them in a new light.

So please do join us today at 2pm for the opening of this strangely beautiful new exhibit, and an equally stunning new gallery.

Poster by PJ Trenton, with art by Jessica Belmer, Isla Gealach and Rikku Yalin.

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Round Three of LEA AIRs Announced!

Eupalinos Ugajin’s [Kou!] will return to the LEA in an expanded version with new collaborations.

The LEA is pleased to announce the third round of Artists-in-Residence, who will receive a full sim for six months on which to create and display their proposed projects:

Arrehn Oberlander  

Artistide Despres

Chic Aeon

Cica Ghost

Daco Monday

Emily Darrow

Eupalinos Ugajin

Fae Varriale

Giovanna Cerise

Gracie Kendal

Ian Pahute
jjccc coronet

Lorin Tone

Nessuno Myoo and Kicca Igaly

Nino Vichan

Noke Yuitza

pixels sideways

Rose Borchovski

Seraph Kegel

Tony Resident

The LEA received nearly 50 high-quality applications, and it was a difficult decision, but those selected submitted truly outstanding proposals that represent a diverse range of virtual art. While a handful are artists returning for a second round, the majority will be exhibiting at the LEA for the first time. Projects range from full-sim immersions, to augmented reality installations, to innovative builds geared specifically for multimedia works such as sound and machinima projects.

Artists will have up to four months to build their projects (though many have suggested they will be completed sooner), leaving a full two months for public exploration of the completed works. Keep an eye on this blog for announcements of exhibit openings and related special events.

The previous two rounds of LEA land grant artists-in-residence have resulted in some truly exceptional works, and we anticipate this next group to be just as fantastic. Congratulations to all the artists, we can’t wait to see your vision!

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Final Weekend for LEA Art Sims!

The second round of the LEA artist-in-residence programme will be closing this Wednesday, August 15, so there are just a few days left to see the fantastic builds this group of artists have created. And really, there is something for everyone here from dreamlike beauty to surreal landscapes. You might wish to simply explore on your own, or work your way through the list of all the open exhibits, with slurls, at the end of this post.

Wednesday is also the deadline for applications for the next round of land grants, and all levels of experience are invited to apply to be an LEA artist-in-residence. The application and guidelines can be found here.

Finally, there will be a closing party for the artists – and anyone else who would like to join – this Sunday at 10am SLT at LEA 4 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA4/82/113/20, with the “Ultimate Pink Floyd Virtual Reunion Concert”. The effects planned for this visual and aural masterpiece will blow you away and inundate your eyes and ears with entertainment candy.

So do plan to catch these exhibits before they disappear, and join in to celebrate the success of these fantastic artists!

CURRENT LEA ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE, CLOSING AUGUST 15TH
Photos Courtesy of PJ Trenton

Art Screamer: Markus Inkpen, ‘The Returning’
LEA17: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA17/229/33/23

Alana Pyara, ‘Mail Art’
LEA21: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/85/124/20

Arrehn Oberlander, ‘The Inspiring Orientation’
LEA26: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA26/125/132/21

Artistide Despres, ‘Huxley, Orwell & Ivory Towers’
LEA22: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA22/183/117/21

Pol Jarvinen, ‘Passages’
LEA25: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA25/134/125/26

Eupalinos Ugajin. ‘[Kou!]’
LEA23: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA23/131/121/110

Maya Paris, ‘Celebrity Blow Your Tits Off!’
LEA10: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA10/74/133/3407

mcarp Mavendorf/Aley Resident, ‘MCarp Land & Sea of Aley’
LEA11:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA11/134/179/44 – mcarp
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA11/117/101/22- Aley

Mikati Slade, ‘Pico Pico Life’
LEA19: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA19/79/181/21

Pirats Art Gallery
LEA28: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA28/134/175/22

Oberon Onmura, ‘Kinesis’
LEA20: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA20/24/244/24

Caerleon Isle at LEA 24
LEA24: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA24/215/132/52

Rod Mandel, ‘Variations of Incomplete Open Cubes’
LEA16: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA16/224/146/22

Sea Mizin, ‘Symbiont Host’
LEA27: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA27/150/236/54

Tony Resident/Xineohp Guisse, ‘Limina’
LEA18: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/85/124/20

typote Beck
LEA29: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/72/172/22

Tyrehl Byk, ‘Almost Flat Land’
LEA13: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA13/100/130/650

Yooma Mayo, ‘Dreaming Machine #1’
LEA15: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA15/223/20/22

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Prim Perfect Talks for the last day of SL9B – and Birthday Bear News!

Prim Perfect are continuing our series of talks and discussions at SL9B.  Today we have the following in the Auditorium:

2pm – Meet the Designers: Saffia Widdershins will be talking to Vivienne Daguerre of Black Rose about the excitement of being able to create with mesh.

3pm – Ekphrasis – Meet the Artists: Rowan Derryth will betalking to Rose Borchovski. Rowan says that they will: “talk about her new work – which has received rave reviews – ‘The Inevitability of Fate.’ A new direction from her previous Susa Bubble series (and some readers will recall that ‘The Kiss’ was infamously banned from SL7B), Rose’s new story of ‘Angry Beth’ has a similar visceral and compelling impact, perhaps made stronger by the artist’s use of the ‘new’ virtual medium of mesh. We’ll chat about how mesh has transformed her work, as well as her recent forays into augmented reality exhibitions.”

4pm – Pooky Amsterdam hosts The First Question! Pookymedia/Treet.TV’s show The First Question will be coming live from SL9B!.

6pm – Meet the Community: The Steamlands
Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, Consul from Europa Wulfenbach, and Frau Annechen Lowey, Vice Consul, will speak on Steampunk and Gaslamp Fantasy, the Steamlands in Second Life and how they intereact in ‘First Life’ as well.  There will be a photographic display, and a question and answer session as time permits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Birthday Bears have spread!  You can now collect one from the Cheeky Pea Community Garden, the Treet TV centre, and the Welcome Area.

SL9B Bear, made by Sway Dench

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Ekphrasis Live @ SL9B!

I am very excited to interview some of the movers and shakers of the SL art world at SL9B this week. I’ll be out there Tues – Sat talking to some incredibly talented and hard-working people who are shaping the course of virtual art.

On Tuesday I’ll be talking with Trill Zapatero about her work, with a special focus on how she uses art as a force for socio-political awareness. For example, her most recent work, ‘The Apocalypse Will Not be Televised’ at Split Screen, includes an old oil rig transformed into a pleasure garden.

Rose Borchovski joins me on Wednesday to talk about her new work – which has received rave reviews – ‘The Inevitability of Fate.’ A new direction from her previous Susa Bubble series (and some readers will recall that ‘The Kiss’ was infamously banned from SL7B), Rose’s new story of ‘Angry Beth’ has a similar visceral and compelling impact, perhaps made stronger by the artist’s use of the ‘new’ virtual medium of mesh. We’ll chat about how mesh has transformed her work, as well as her recent forays into augmented reality exhibitions.

Thursday brings something a little different, as I sit down with four people who are not artists, but who I think are integral to the success of the art community: Dividni Shostakovich of Split Screen, Zachh Cale and Chestnut Rau of Art Screamer, and blogger Quan Lavender. We will be having a ‘state of the virtual arts’ chat about virtual curation, preservation, and thoughts on the future of SL art.

Friday is for film buffs as I am joined by Machinima pioneers Chantal Harvey and Tony Dyson. Chantal and I had a fascinating talk about this topic last year, and she is returning to talk about the new production company, Scissores, she has launched with Tony (who is the creator of R2D2 amongst other wonderful things, if you didn’t know!).

Finally, on Saturday, I’ll be chatting with one of the most talented immersive artists on the grid: Marcus Inkpen. Much of his work is done with his partner Sharni Azalee, and Marcus & Sharni are amongst the few artists whose work crosses into – and is loved by – many communities, making their art a thematic ending to this week of talks!

So please join me each day at the SL9B auditorium at 4pm SLT (we’ll either be in circle C or D, slurl here). All talks will be in voice, so have your sound enabled!

**
The beautiful Ekphrasis @ SL9B poster is by PJ Trenton, stop by the Prim Perfect booth to grab a free copy for your home! Poster image credits:

Grail Quest by Trill Zapatero
Burn 2 (2011)
Photograph by PJ Trenton

The Inevitability of Fate by Rose Borchovski
Photograph by PJ Trenton

Spirit by claudia222 Jewel
Exhibit at Art Screamer
Photograph by PJ Trenton

Adagio by Blue Tsuki
Exhibit at Split Screen Installation Space
Photograph by PJ Trenton

Scissores graphic
http://scissores.com/

Dark Mirage sim by Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee
Fantasy Faire 2011
Photograph by PJ Trenton

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