GRAND FINALE for Second Libations

The time has come to begin preparations for the End of the World... 2012 is upon us. Second Libations will not simply be packed away on Dec 31. No way! Every stage of an exhibit is an opportunity to create something new. So a dramatic climax is in the cards.

The bots offer a final prayer, a ritual to the heavens asking for rejuvenation. Will they succeed?

The lm will take you to the audience platform, where you will be moderately safe, in case of flying debris.

TIME AND PLACE:

DAY: Saturday, DEC. 31, 2011

TIME: 2 pm SL time

CLICK HERE FOR TRANSPORT:

Please come to the audience platform by 2 pm SLT. You may arrive earlier to get a last look at the exhibit. I will be making preparations for an hour before the performance begins. My IM window will be closed as I ready the sim, so if you would like to contact me, please send a notecard which I can read after the event.

FILMS ABOUT SECOND LIBATIONS:

Following, are 3 very talented filmmakers who have presented their interpretations of the exhibit. Please click on the titles below to watch the films.

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Spiral Silverstar > SECOND LIBATIONS

Part One

Part Two

In two parts, Spiral gives a comprehensive overview of the installation. This finely crafted film builds to a most optimistic and engaging interpretation. The adventurous music and exquisite cinematography are masterfully bound.

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Chic Aeon > CHAINED

Click here to watch Chained

In Chic's films, grays become vivaciously delicious. Her lines of poetry recount ageless wisdom. In "Chained", a serious question is asked, one that is rarely heeded. Is the young man in the film capable of answering? Are you?

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Jjccccc > THE WONDERFULL CREATION OF HAVEIT NEOX

Click here to watch the film

Jjccccc uses Second Libations as a canvas, dazzling the screen with awesome added color and blending effects. Chopped into a hundred snippets, he composes a film collage that addresses the overlapping of time.

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New Film about 2nd Libations by Spiral Silverstar

FILM:

The very talented Spiral Silverstar created the film below which takes you on a comprehensive tour of Second Libations. It's in two parts.

Second Libations- Pt.1

Second Libations- Pt.2

DIRECTIONS:

Note that maps of the exhibition are available in distribution box 5, located halfway down the colossus, and also inside the main entry of the Temple of bots. They are handy references for getting around.

GRAND FINALE:

As mentioned before, there will be a dramatic end to Second Libations on New Year's eve, Dec 31. The year 2012 issues in at that moment... is it really the end of the world? Come see. I will post the exact time the adventure begins, but for now, to try to accommodate as many time zones as possible, the show will probably be set at 2 pm, SLT. (SL time is Pacific Standard Time). You may want to be there, and bring your camera :)

Second Libations. Progress on the exhibit. 11/11/11

I'm waiting till 11:11 pm before hitting the publish button for this day's blog. It's in celebration of 11/11/11. Today, in preparation for the Second Libations exhibition, I placed water bearers in the hands and along the arms of the Colossus statue. In addition, I finished sculpting the piece based after the painting 'The Ecstasy of Saint Francis' by Georges de la Tour. Only losely related to the painting, the original being diverted into my theme of bots attempting to resuscitate their human users. It is in the room called Banquet of Artists. Please read the notes below. There is now a film on Youtube titled "Exhibition" which is a preview to Second Libations. There is also an announcement about a dramatic event I'm planning for the end of the exhibit on New Year's Eve. And for now, happy 11/11/11 at 11:11 pm !

Below is the updated information about the Second Libations exhibit:

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“SECOND LIBATIONS” by Haveit Neox.

Dec. 3 - 31, 2011

Sim: at LEA6 (Linden Endowment for the Arts)

INVITATION to participate:

What if all life disappeared from the Earth’s surface? Could the virtual world of the bots* persist?

Have your idea (as a text) included in the ‘Second Libations’ art exhibit. I am most grateful to the LEA (Linden Endowment for the Arts) and the UWA (University of Western Australia) for having granted me the opportunity to show my exhibit in the Art Series. I have been given the month of December 2011 to install the full sim exhibit “Second Libations”. I am planning to display texts contributed by residents of Second Life as part of the show. If you are interested, please submit a paragraph (or more) describing your solution to the survival of the bots and their world. You may also send me a texture if you have something illustrated to accompany your text. The story line of the exhibition is in the following paragraph. Have fun with your ideas, or be serious in your creative efforts. Please send your text as a notecard AND an IM to Haveit Neox. This way I should receive it regardless of SL’s habit of discarding or capping communications.

EXHIBIT SCENE:

The great cosmic storm swept up the last of Earth’s water molecules. On the lifeless planet, the only remaining intelligence flickers on computer screens. In the absence of human maintenance, bot scipters, bot artists, and bot teachers scramble to rescue their resources before the impending threat of blackout.

Like the sorcerer’s apprentice, they begin flooding their world by rezzing buckets of virtual water, hoping to rehydrate their users. Their strategy appears to be failing. Not having been programmed for an unforeseen event of this magnitude, the bots plea for your solution in securing their virtual world.

The Second Libations await your offering. Your participation in the ritual is eagerly anticipated.

For any questions, please contact me. Thanks for your attention,

Haveit Neox

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DATE OF EXHIBIT: Dec 3 - Dec 31, 2011

LOCATION: LEA6 - LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES

DATE DUE: It would be helpful to get texts delivered to me by November 25, giving me time to print them and set up the arrangement.

BOOK: A book covering the event is planned to be published in SL. By sending in your idea, it is possible that your text may also be included in the book.

YouTube FILM:

A short 3 minute preview film is now up on YouTube. It's titled "Exhibition". Please watch to get an idea about "Second Libations" The link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMJd2zBCUgg&hd=1

NEW YEAR'S EVE:

2011 becoming 2012

A dramatic end to SECOND LIBATIONS is planned for new year's eve. Midnight will bring a fiery event to the LEA6 sim that will occur only once during the exhibit. Please check http://accalpha.blogspot.com/ to keep updated. I will be posting details about the New Year's Eve event on that website toward the end of December.

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*Bot (definition): A bot is a robot controlled by a computer program. This is different from an avatar, who is directly controlled by his or her human user.

LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES: "Second Libations"

The pictures show my progress in the exhibit "Second Libations". The temple's architecture is based loosely on the Meenakshee temple in Southern India. Since childhood, I marveled at photos of the towers clad in human and godly forms. I am nearing the half way point of production. Developing an exhibit that spreads over a whole sim is an honor, and equally a challenge. With only two months to accomplish this, my computer, mouse, and plans are getting a full workout. Please read the announcement below, I want you to be a part of the exhibit!

<< Click here to see the trailer film about the exhibit >>

“SECOND LIBATIONS” by Haveit Neox.

Dec. 3 - 31, 2011

Sim: at LEA6 (Linden Endowment for the Arts)

INVITATION to participate:

What if all life disappeared from the Earth’s surface? Could the virtual world of the bots persist?

Have your idea (as a text) included in the ‘Second Libations’ art exhibit. I am most grateful to the LEA (Linden Endowment for the Arts) and the UWA (University of Western Australia) for having granted me the opportunity to show my exhibit in the Art Series. I have been given the month of December 2011 to install the full sim exhibit “Second Libations”. I am planning to display texts contributed by residents of Second Life as part of the show. If you are interested, please submit a paragraph (or more) describing your solution to the survival of the bots and their world. The story line of the exhibition is in the following paragraph. Have fun with your ideas, or be serious in your creative efforts. Please send your text as a notecard AND an IM to Haveit Neox. This way I should receive it regardless of SL’s habit of discarding or capping communications.

EXHIBIT SCENE:

The great cosmic storm swept up the last of Earth’s water molecules. On the lifeless planet, the only remaining intelligence flickers on computer screens. In the absence of human maintenance, bot scipters, bot artists, and bot teachers scramble to rescue their resources before the impending threat of blackout.

Like the sorcerer’s apprentice, they begin flooding their world by rezzing buckets of virtual water, in the hope of rehydrating their users. Their strategy appears to be failing. Not having been programmed for an unforeseen event of this magnitude, the bots plea for your solution in securing their virtual world.

The Second Libations await your offering. Your participation in the ritual is eagerly anticipated.

For any questions, please contact me. Thanks for your attention,

Haveit Neox

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DATE OF EXHIBIT: Dec 3 - Dec 31, 2011

LOCATION: LEA6 - LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES

DATE DUE: It would be helpful to get texts delivered to me by November 25, giving me time to print them and set up the arrangement. However, I will be accepting texts all through the month of December during the exhibition itself.

BOOK: A book covering the event is planned to be published in SL. By sending in your idea, it is possible that your text may appear in it.

Please send text to Haveit Neox

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SCULPTURE IN A MIRROR

Sat. Aug 20,2011

“Binary Stable”, the submission I turned into the UWA Art Challenge for August, now has a variation with a 3D mirror.

A mirror is more than a mirror in Second Life. I wanted to stretch the idea of its virtual possibilities. A painter’s gimmick that has been popular with artists for several hundred years is to have the character(s) in the composition face the viewer so that the eyes meet. This draws in the viewer. We museum goers may first notice the character(s) in a painting if they lock eyes with us. I’ve done the same with the centaur. Instead of having him look a little down to the man in his arms, he has turned his head slightly up and to the right, so he stares directly at you, the viewer. This is not an accurate position for the otherwise faithful reversal of poses inside of and outside of the mirror, but in a virtual mirror, you can be so invited.

I’ve experimented with mirrors before. It’s a trial and error process. This is the most convincing one I’ve made. If you observe the mirror while walking around the area, you will see that it is indeed 3D, and the image is far from being static. Included below is the landmark for “Binary Stable” in Second Life so you can come and reflect on the phenomenon!

Click here to see the mirror at Binary Stable

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BURN2, in Preparation for Burning Man

Currently, I am preparing a project for BURN2 which is due to be placed on the sim for Burning Man on Aug 25. My theme is journeying from real life into a virtual world. This section of the sculpture is called Binary Stable, which will be submitted as a variation to the UWA Aug challenge. The yellow figure, only shown in frontal view and above the waist, is a centaur. As I finish textures and bring the build into a more finished stage, I'll post more pictures.

Truman Capote

From Truman Capote's "A Blue Cove"

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The only scenery that bores me is any that I can't imagine purchasing a part of: usually, if a place provides the slightest uplift, I instantly consider buying or building a house. The hundreds of properties I've constructed mentally!

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Truman, if only you had known Second Life, the hundreds of properties you would have constructed virtually!

A BIT OF DARKRODIN SLIPS INTO THE SEA

July 27, 2011

Since July 25, there have been big changes around the Darkrodin jut. Large chunks of land leading to the pier sank into the ocean. The 1 1 11 Room along with the the pier supporting it crumble into inventory. In their place, rises the new Medusa Pavilion, still under construction.

Currently, the pavilion is around 160 prims in size. The floors are being fitted for shadow and light effects. To create these shadows, I plot the shadow shapes on the floor by way of bars set at the angle of incoming light. This was an idea offered to me by Derek Michelson, and it works quite well. I then take an aerial screenshot of the floor with the bars delineating the coordinates for the shadow. In Photoshop, the next step is to draw in the shadows, slice into as many textures as I will be needing to cover a given area, and upload the alphas into SL.

BIBLIOTHEK L. ARTIS July 11, 2011

Today, I placed the shipwrecked Pelican galleon, that had been beached in the sands of the port, into the cliff face of Medusa Locks. It is the front half of the ship which now juts out into the airspace, meshed into the complex of village pathways and stairs. The Parcheesi game table was moved onto the new extended deck, affording an unimpeded view onto the bay. Below deck, I cleaned out the space, and while thinking about how to use the little room, my friend Lilia spontaneously recommended: a hammock and books! Echoing the bookshelves of the nearby Library of Darkrodin, the walls were thus squared off, to highlight the central hammock. Lilia, on seeing this also asked for there to be a beam of light descending onto the hammock. As she was the inspiration for this space, I named the cabin after her in her native language of German. Bibliothek means ‘library’.

MEDUSA LOCKS... retexturing. (Since late June, 2011)

Medusa Locks, which used to be a glare of white marble, has for the past two weeks been undergoing resurfacing mostly with my new texture from a Washington, D.C. trip.

Plâteau of Man Park expands... June 29, 2011

The Plâteau of Man Park was expanded a bit more to the South, causing an overhang above the entry of Paperback Pixels Café. It was a partial import of a park I had made at Hidden Hollow. The centaur statue was tinted darker, and moved from its western point of origin to the east. The space thus opened up, allowing the western portion a clean lawn and improved sight lines.

WATERFALL AT LIBRARY OF DARKRODIN. June 30 2011

The waterfall was added inside the library on June 30th, causing the librarians enormous effort to keep the books dry in the highly humid conditions. The librarians, a mouse and a monkey, await any of your questions at the base of the falls.

WATERFALL AT MAZE GARDENS. July 5, 2011

The transition between the running stream on Plâteau of Man Park, and the white waters of Maze Gardens, has been a long lasting problem spot. On July 5, after seeing the ideal water fall at a friend's sim, I acquired the same landscape feature. Fitting it into place required minor terraforming. The transition between the two streams visually flows better now. The pool at the base of the falls reminds me of the Japanese baths at outdoor springs. It's a tranquil hidden spot.

THE WEEPING GATE & THE LIBRARY OF DARKRODIN

May 17 + 18, 2011

THE WEEPING GATE

The removal of the upper floors to the Library of Darkrodin

Due to the low number of prims available for use on the sim, the upper floors of the Library of Darkrodin were taken into inventory today. The old build had been the first location of hunts on ACC Alpha, housed a display of readable books, and a collection of artwork. The Library which sprawled over the Plateau of Man park, now affords open sky above the gardens.

The complex build of over 800 prims was collected in 31 linked batches for inventory. The original camel tour was also removed. But the price to pay was for a reason. As I’ve been participating in the UWA art challenges, I need the prims for my sculptures. Having rezzed my most recent work on the calm North Shore of the sim, I built a large stone background to help frame the piece. The frame became so intriguing to me, that I kept developing it until a viable architectural build in its own right emerged. The new gate was so large and inviting, that I wanted to see if I could make some interior space for it, even though the structure hugs the side of a cliff. The solution struck me to hollow a tunnel thru the cliff into the interior space of the subterranean level of the Library of Darkrodin. The link was challenging but successful. Terraforming in such a densely developed area presented numerous barriers. There was no land to see over the city when in bulldozer mode, so I had to go to the bottom of the sea. Placing cube prims over the city scape to delineate a path for the tunnel, I then sunk them on Z axis below the sea to mark where the land needed to be chiseled away. It was a sandwich: ocean and land below, city and park between, and rezzed cubes above to show the path necessary to cut the tunnel. Next, I lined the walls in crystal, and refer to this tunnel as the Ice Cave.

Ironically, the placement of my sculpture “Immortal Blue” (which used 100 prims, and was the cause of my need to take drastic measures in recycling prims), was soon after replaced by another statue I’d purchased of a woman reading books... appropriate for the entry to a library. To commemorate the architecture of the library, the original dome was placed atop the new Weeping Gate. (Weeping refers to the giant old weeping willow tree that has always been in this area, combined with the sadness I felt at removing the original library). In this way, the old style is partially preserved, and gives an interesting look, as it hovers above the first dome I’d made for the gate. It produces a semblance of layering of domes.

Click this link to teleport to the Weeping Gate

"HISTORY IN CREAM" façade for the House of ACCentaury

The installed façade near completion,

at the House of ACCentaury.

“HISTORY IN CREAM”

Teleport to House of ACCentaury

The UWA Art Challenge inspires me to further certain projects on my sim ACC Alpha. I decided to make a piece of sculpture with a practical use for the April 2011 contest. The piece titled “History in Cream” forms a section of the main entrance of the House of ACCentaury. It is an old structure which has undergone a series of remodels. As such, the building is perpetually a work in progress. The same applies to the seasonal landscape, which nurtures a rolling field of flowers and bamboo leading up to the House.

ACC Alphabet of Prims on the sail of the boat.

A narrative based on centaurs is spontaneously emerging across the ACC Alpha sim, and so they naturally figure into this new composition. As the artwork and writings encourage one another, the centaur becomes a ubiquitous element of the sim. The developing ACC Alphabet of Prims is the written code of these inhabitants. It is built with SL prims to form the alphabet and the hieroglyphs of the script. Described on the sail held in the hands of the centaurs is the dedication of arrival to ACC Alpha from Sparquerry. The texture with the text is shiny and crisp for the reason that it represents language. Unlike corrosion which over time eats into buildings, the ideas of language do not tarnish... or so a legend bases its hopes.

A painter and ceramist in real life, I import examples of my work into SL. Most often, this entails making modifications via Photoshop until the desired effect is achieved. The compositions are most frequently my own, though I occasionally borrow ideas from other artists. In this piece for example, I included a wobbly village scape that is influenced by the artist Soutine. It’s a sketch I did in pastels and charcoal a few years ago. Along with that, I collage textures from my sketch pad that fit the theme. Now an exciting challenge begins: figuring out in 3 dimensions where the shadows fall per the centaurs’ body positions, and factoring in the play of light cast onto the assemblage of characters and props. The texture on the accordion wall and the floor have undergone many transformations. Just as an artist spends many sessions applying layers of paint onto the canvas while composing a painting, the process I used for this piece is quite similar. After applying a texture to the 3d sculpture, I assess its effectiveness, and determine what else is needed. I go back and forth between Photoshop and SL until the effect is complete.

You may take out of the imagery whatever comes to mind. There is no specifically assigned determinant. The architecture of the House of ACCentaury is deconstructive in nature. The clotted painting is literally leaking from the panels onto the ground, soaking the hooves of the centaurs in the very painting for which they belong. In contrast, the back of the sculpture reveals a clean, smooth translucency. This sets off the silhouettes of the centaurs, as were they the inked words on a page of a history book. On site in ACC Alpha, they frame the Southern border of the color saturated Otter Quilt fields. To the North is the ancient darkened colonnade of ACC Builds, which additionally situates the centaurs into context. The process of history, the juices of its conquest, the passing of stories... these are the routes of exploration my centaurs must virtually travel. They assimilate the motif of history.

Thank you for reading,

Haveit Neox April 11 - April 19, 2011

VENISON OPTERA at the Museum on Cranberry Dock

Venison Optera

Currently showing at the North Wing of the Museum on Cranberry Dock.

On the ACC Alpha sim.

Visit the Museum (

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ACC%20Alpha/34/196/23)

Several months ago, a friend sent me an lm to see the works of Venison Optera. Enthralled with her carefully worked illustrative style and subject matter of an imaginary and psychologically rich animal world, I found myself standing for a long time before her small gem-like works, taking a journey into the art, letting my imagination go free. Below is a statement written by the artist about her connection to her work. I wish you a fine adventure of 'creative play' throughout Venison's exhibit.

Haveit Neox

Artist Statement:

A few years ago I had the sudden urge to set aside serious art practice in order to try my hand at illustrating my many morbid childhood preoccupations. As a professional artist who rarely had the occasion to draw or paint, I often had to explain myself to people who did not understand that some artists are not image makers. It's while exploring these more amusing aspects of traditional artmaking that I slowly rediscovered the pleasure of creative play, something which had been discouraged by a formal art education that no longer considered illustration a relevant artform. How fitting it is to have found a home for these works in Second Life where the ease of a virtual lifestyle lends itself so perfectly to simple childhood joys.

- Venison Optera

New Café : Paperback Pixels

A date such as 1 11 11 brings out the creative impulse in me. I wanted to have my new Paperback Pixels café up and running for guests at What’s The News Hunt by today - and I did! The first discussion group held on my sim was high in the sky, now I am bringing it down to earth... quite literally, as most of the build tunnels into a hillside, joining the cliffside village to the subterranean library. Enjoy coffee, snacks and drinks. If you are interested in such discussions as poetry or the visual arts, please let me know and I’ll keep you posted.

To visit the Paperback Pixels café, check ACC café. It’s in my picks (Haveit Neox). And remember to pick up your free gift for the What’s The New Hunt at the Museum Shop on my sim. Happy 11th !

The One One Eleven Room, at Darkrodin Pier

I remodeled a skybox purchased at Abiss, and placed it atop the Darkrodin pier. Being that it is the only build in ACC from which I didn't start from scratch, I have been working to make the large square prefab room fit upon my older build: the smaller rectangular ground floor room that supports it. I bought the room because it has shadow textures baked into the interior walls, floor and ceiling. Next came breaking open some walls, retexturing the exterior, and furnishing the space. Enjoy the views which give onto the Bay, onto Heralds' Knoll, and onto the sunken jungle of Canopy Maze.

The room contains posters of venues outside of ACC Alpha. This is like a travel agency in that respect. Landmarks and/or web links are generally available when clicking on the posters.

Because I completed the basis of the new room on 1/1/11, I call it the 1 1 11 room. The four pillars at the entry are evident of this nomenclature.

Below is the URL to the ONE ONE ELEVEN room.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/ACC%20Alpha/219/90/34