Monday, December 31, 2012

One Year Ago



Clip from the film.


One year ago today, was the final day of my exhibit Second Libations on the sim LEA6. After its month run, ending on Dec 31, 2011, I wasn’t alone when disassembling the builds. Friends and visitors gathered on a stage platform to observe the crumbling of Second Libations, which I portrayed in story form. My friend Lilia Artis helped me out tremendously by monitoring the local chat and pasting the story there as I applied the pages of text onto a board inWorld for the audience to read.

Here are two films showing a couple glimpses into that performance, parts one and two, by  NicoleX Moonwall. It documents some of the destruction.





Have a happy New Year everyone!





XXX

Sunday, December 30, 2012

PrimChords



As a yearend project, I decided to work more on my prim writing system, which I call PrimChords. A month or two ago, I reworked and simplified the grammar, then lost my notes. The final days of 2012 inspired me to work with it again. In order to figure out a system, it has to be used, so currently I’m slowly translating a book recently purchased about writing an artist’s journal. I had kept artist journals for years before, written in both English and a language I invented. The last few years, I let that fall aside, but feel now is the time to return to that practice. The author of the artist journal book has fresh ideas that are very inspiring. I’ve only reached the beginning of chapter two, because I’m following the exercises. This really isn’t a new year’s resolution, but something that could hold value for expressive needs.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12 12 12 at 12:12


Happy 12/12/12
It’s 12:12 pm SL time while I write this blog entry. Just wanted to celebrate the lineup of twelves. This may be the last time this happens for some mathematically long period of time. I enjoy it when numbers occasionally line up in rare repetitions. Perhaps I will build some kind of statue on my sim to commemorate the alignment of these five 12’s.
Progress on the Mediterranean sim is coming along. Two days ago, I made a quick map of their sim, so I can better acquaint myself with the intricacies of the town. Making a map really got me in tune with the space, seeing not only where surface textures define the look of the town, but how the creators arranged public facilities, and the extensive underground tunnels that riddle the urban setting.
I’ll post more about this as the project develops. (more info is in the previous post).

Saturday, December 8, 2012

DEC 8, 2012... my 3rd year rezz day

My friend Lilia Artis, sent me a happy rezz day gift... which I wear on my shoulder... and it quacks. Had it not been for her, I would not have remembered today is my rezz day.

The duck standing on my shoulder wears a sock over her mouth. 

I have a lot to celebrate. SL has been very good to me. In fact, I have received a very generous offer to set up a full sim exhibit right inside a gorgeous Mediterranean town. The builders of this three year old town periodically invite an artist to grow their exhibit from the preexisting city-scape, in a style that will complement the style of the town.  My contribution is due to open in March, 2013. This photo, to celebrate my rezz day is taken inside the Teatro of that town. None of my work is yet on their sim, but I'll post more information at a later date. In case the organizers of the town prefer not to make announcements until the nearing date, I'll hold back on naming the sim until I get their approval to do so. What I can tell you at this time however, is that the exhibit will have a curious twist on the alphabet.

Having a great rezz day :)

Friday, November 30, 2012

MAJOR LANDSLIDE


MAJOR LANDSLIDE ON NORTH SHORE


     The waterfalls inside the Library of Darkrodin gushed their powerful overflow now that a new tributary has increased its volume. Water built up tremendous pressure against the hill, and an ensuing mudslide swept through the weakened land covering the North Shore entrance to the Library. Only fragments of that structure peer through the new cliff side.

Two domes from the Weeping Gate peer through the mudslide deposits. The original building still lies behind the cliff, but the Reader statue has washed away.

     The Weeping Gate, having been entirely buried, is currently replaced with a natural tunnel that formed in the new land formation. Entrance to the Library from the North Shore is now gained by climbing among these sheer walls of rock into the cave passageway. The Library’s balcony was altered to accommodate access.

     Among treasures washed from the library into the cave is an ancient scroll that had been on display for over a year. It is now displayed au nature.

     To find the new waterfall cliff, simply fly to the north shore of ACC Alpha. You can’t miss it.






XXX

Monday, November 19, 2012

A MATTER OF ECONOMICS


     Even though most merchandise in the virtual world is fantastically inexpensive, Second Life has its own kind of ‘expensive’ economics for all we builders and residents. It’s called counting your prims. On my sim ACC Alpha, keeping the 15,000 allowed prims in mind is a constant challenge. Or should I say 14,000 since it is advised to have at least 1,000 unused prims on a sim to reduce lag for visitors. I’m often at a deficit (currently at 740 unused prims) because I rarely stop building new things and refining my older builds.



Interior of the Pen Temple, as seen after passing through the Generator Room.

PEN TEMPLE

     Such was the case yesterday when creating the Pen Temple. In order to build it, I needed to walk around the sim, storing other prims into inventory. First, let me tell you that a pen temple is not a new concept to me, as I have made one in real life too. I write and scribble a lot, and when the pens run out of ink, or the pencils are sharpened down to stubs, I never throw them out. Instead, they are dropped into a ceramic building I made. Hands together in prayer formation, and an informal bow, I acknowledge the usefulness of that implement, and watch it fall into the darkness surrounded by the company of many others. If in 2,000 years, this temple is unearthed, the archeologist will undoubtedly be rather stumped. So, a pen temple is my real life invention that I bring into SL.

     An adventure movie might dramatize a temple’s entrance with dangers where the hero risks his life to reach the inner sanctum. By coincidence this is evident at the entry to the Pen Temple as well. A small, narrow room at the base of Medusa Locks has been an energy generator for over a year. (Medusa Locks is a Cliffside neighborhood). Suited with large moving cogs and a needle sharp giant clock hand, this is not a room you want to walk through. Nevertheless, the area in which I needed to build the temple was just beyond this mechanical nightmare. The whole was made phantom, so a visitor can easily pass through the machine if they realize there is something to see beyond it. And what lies beyond it? Is it a huge secret room like the Library of Darkrodin further down the Medusa Locks? Is it dark and mysterious? Actually, it is more than all that. It is common. The room is small. There is an old bed with a candle, and simple book shelves line the walls. Pens and pencils are appropriately scattered around. Why is it so small and simple? The message: in the world of ideas, not much is needed beyond the imagination. From this little room, anything can be written.



Looking into the Bookbinders work space. The centaur carries a needle to sew signatures.


BOOKBINDERS on the STEPS

     Immediately after completing the Pen Temple, I had another idea for the Medusa Locks. “Bakery on the Steps” was a fun place where you could knead dough with a view onto the bay, but with my friend, Lilia Artis’ “Cake Thieves Patisserie”, there was no longer a need for two pastry houses. What I really wanted was a book bindery. The furnishings of the bakery were taken into inventory to make room for the new establishment. It makes sense to have bookbinders residing so close to the Library of Darkrodin which is just a short walk from this cell.


BACK TO THE DEFICIT

     The only way to approach prim balance properly is to have a list of items that I am willing to remove from the sim in exchange for the new builds. It’s never easy. It’s never easy. It’s never easy. But every once in a while, I hit that 1,000 unused prims. There is an incentive: with the Renaissance Hunt beginning in December, I am hoping to reduce lag as much as possible for the visitors.




XXX

Saturday, November 3, 2012

"At the Beach"


Something quite wonderful and unexpected came from the recent gift I sent out to my Sparcurious group.



NicoleX made a film which includes that nautical build. The sculpture is shown in a world of enriched color and exotic beings. Click here to watch “AT THE BEACH”. Get ready for a ride!






XXX

Friday, October 12, 2012

BURN2 2012 Our Preparations


Post #1: 

“BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPY”



     Lilia Artis and I are collaborating together for a display at the Burn2 event, which will be opening toward the latter part of this month. Our piece for the moment is titled: “Be Fruitful and Multiply”… though there is a twist to this meaning, as the visitor will no doubt notice. It is an interactive exhibit with a bit of chill, and a bit of fun. When complete, you will be able to follow a mini hunt to acquire the gear needed to escape a very sticky situation.

     The scroll is drawn on photoshop… both on my computer and that of Lilia’s. The surface of the image was built up in turns… I would draw something, then send it to Lilia who added to it, who then sent it back to me to add more, etc, until we were both satisfied that it was the right complement for its surroundings. This was a very enjoyable art activity for both of us, sharing our designs in such a manner. The builds also fall within the vein of collaborative sharing. We work together to arrange the builds until it seems to fit well onto the site.

     When the even opens, I’ll post the landmark here for transport.



XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



Post #2: 

“RENAISSANCE WHEEL”



     I am hoping to be accepted into the Renaissance Hunt coming up in December. For that, preparations are under way to bring a few new changes to the House of ACCentaury where hunters would land. I removed the previous 2d to 3d illusion of golden people climbing flights of stairs, and reaching for boxes at the top. It was one of the more challenging illusions I’d made, but I made the decision to periodically change the display under the dome of the House of ACCentaury, so that it has something new to see for repeat visitors. This approximates to some degree the window display concept of shops. I woke up last week with an image in my head… a bicycle wheel with a collection of figures holding the spokes in place. (In RL, I love to ride a bicycle). After applying my poses to the wheel, I added a simple rotation script, then rode down a hill where there was a stretch of fine dirt, and rolling my bicycle tires into the fine sediment, I captured its print in a photograph. Then returning home, the photo was altered in Photoshop, and brought into SL. The dirt texture is animated, so as the tires turns slowly, the dirt trails behind it, giving the illusion that the wheel is actually travelling.

     CLICK HERE FOR THE TELEPORT to the Wheel. You can also visit by clicking on my profile, going to picks, and choosing MY SHOP. You can’t miss the slow spinning tire, it’s rather big!


XXX

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A Bridge twixt Sparquerry and ACC Alpha


     The link between the two sims, Sparquerry and ACC Alpha, has always been a bit unresolved. Sim crossings just aren’t easy to address. A string-like sand bank was one of the first attempts to join the islands, but the sight lines didn’t encourage people to risk the crossing. The later strategy of building a high suspension bridge connecting a cliff face in Sparquerry (now eroded away below the sea) to the upper stories of high structures in ACC Alpha was long lasting, but impractical. At least 50 percent of the time, a traveler would plunge into the sea below at the sim border.

     At the end of 2011, the great earthquake shook most of the terrain of Sparquerry into the ocean, destroying over 90% of the city. The sim was rebuilt over a mostly fresh terrain. The oldest surviving structures from pre-earthquake times are entombed in cells of the Sparcurious Gallery. The new city was built for the exhibit “Second Libations”, and was then recently altered for the current exhibit “Stirring the Dreams”. When I noticed that not many people visiting ACC Alpha travelled to Sparquerry to see the exhibit, it occurred to me that I needed some kind of intriguing link, a bridge that would offer an interesting sight line, and be wholly evident that the two sims are meant to be seen together.

The Rusted Arc seen from the House of Curiosities

     On September 17, right after returning from a trip in RL, I was anxious to start building again and  knew just what to do. A low lying bridge would be supported by land underneath the planks near the sim crossing, so that the usual token bits of lag avatars experience at borders wouldn’t sink them through prim structures. For the sight line onto the jungle, I lead the wooden bridge through the base of a large arc standing proud in the shallow sea. As you walk across the bridge, the arc frames the view of Sparquerry. The arc itself is from “A Rusted Development”, the exhibit I built on LEA1, but which will soon be dismantled there. To preserve parts of that Development, I have copied some of the builds. Under the sea, the multi-columned entry is a pavilion from the Development, now home to an octopus and fields of seaweed. The façade to my main build at Development now completes the East wall of the House of Curiosities on ACC Alpha, which also serves as a border post between the two sims. The access to the sim crossing is now very simple and plain to see, with an inviting view onto the next sim. 




XXX

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

“Dreams of an Artist”: an interview by Quan Lavender

This photo by Seashell Dench shows the landing spot for "Stirring the Dreams"

I have the great honor of recently having been interviewed by Quan Lavender in SL’s ‘Avenue Magazine’. Views of my installation, “Stirring the Dreams” were captured for the article in the photography of the talented Seashell Dench. Please click HERE to arrive to page 244 of the magazine where the article begins. When you arrive on that page, just click the page and it will enlarge. (Note: Quan also wrote a great article about the artist Trill Zapatero. Trill’s interview is immediately before mine. Hers begins on page 234.)

You can also access the magazine by going to "Quan's Travelogues". It is a very fine resource for checking out events, developments, and philosophies in SL. Here is the LINK about 'Stirring the Dreams' on her blog.



                                                                    XXX

Monday, September 3, 2012

"FLEETING CAPTIVITIES"




Yesterday was the opening to “Fleeting Captivities”. A two artist show being exhibited at Space 4 Art. Asmita Duranjaya, the owner of the Space, had invited Lilia Artis and myself to do an installation together. Asmita asked us to build in two of her domed galleries. Each gallery’s walls were decorated in the bright palette of our hostess, and that gave me the incentive to try to fit within her parameters of color and glow. That was fun, and a new stretch to use so much of it. There was an extra challenge: to complete the whole exhibit within a 50 prim limit each. Lilia and I actually used fewer to our surprise. This means giving prim generator a good shake, and filling in detail with textures. The two of us gave our photoshop programs quite a workout. The opening was thrilling to me, because one of the qualities I cherish about Lilia is her wonderful story telling voice. She read the fable we wrote together in both English, and then German.



Thirza Ember wrote a very cool article about the exhibit in her blog “Arts Parks”. She took some photos that reveal the saturation of the colors. Lilia’s dome contains her marine environment for the octopuses, and my dome shows the enclosure of the monkeys in an urban setting.


The Fable:

Fleeting Captivities

On that most unfortunate day when the day and the night collided, both falling backwards into the opposite time zone, there arose for certain diurnal and nocturnal animals a bit of a shock. The octopuses must now hunt in the light, and the monkeys straining to find food in near darkness, collect bananas by moon light. Both creatures’ existences perturbed in such a manner, they wish to get back to where they once were. A passage spans the distance between night and day, and it can be traversed, however a greater problem ensues. There has never been accord between monkeys and octopuses. Their rivalry is bitter. In order for the monkeys to arrive in the day, and the octopuses into the night, they would need to pass each other on the expansive sky bridge. Facing each other at the half way mark on the structure, one monkey and one octopus met. Neither would let the other pass. The monkey found this most annoying since he knew that octopuses can fly very much like a helicopter when they spin their many arms around. “Octopus, why can’t you just fly over to the night, so we monkeys can walk on the bridge?” The octopus responded that the bridge is equally for the octopuses, and for this reason, the monkeys cannot take sole possession of it. Very angered by this, the monkey yelled “stupid octopus! Take this!” and the creature bit one of the octopus’s arms. Shrieking, the octopus snapped one of his other arms to whip the monkey’s behind which resulted in a scream of pain. They both hurried back to their camps to tell their own inflated versions of the story. And so, war became inevitable. But the monkeys always felt so tired by the constant night, and the octopuses were exhausted by the ever present daytime. No one had the energy for war. So they both waited a very long time. No one used the span that linked night and day. Of course one day it had to happen, all architectural constructions need maintenance, and this one received none. So, the ropes started weakening, plats loosened, and some of them tumbled down through the infinite space below. Both monkeys and octopuses realized that soon, with the bridge gone, neither would be able to visit their days and nights. And so it was, the days rolled on for the octopuses, and the nights rolled on for the monkeys.

     The yearning grew. One monkey braved the bridge. He recognized the importance of diplomacy and walked cautiously along the creaking structure. On reaching the other side, he extended a friendly upturned hand, and let it come gently to the ground in a gesture for an octopus to rest upon it. One octopus swam forward, aware of the mammal’s humble gesture, and lay in the monkey’s hand. “I will carry you to the night” he said. He brought her up into his arms, and turned to walk back across the bridge. Everyone on both sides of the bridge watched in awe, as the two ambassadors negotiated the dangerous bridge. It swayed, it creaked, and lost pieces of wood. The broken fragments fell so far, they were soon invisible, and one never heard a crash to ground, for there was none. Both octopus and monkey hearts beat quickly. And still, more wood fell, the rope less sure each moment. Suddenly, over half way across, there came a terrible snapping sound. The rope on one side of the bridge had strummed itself like a broken string on an instrument of gigantic proportion. The bridge swayed violently, throwing large amounts of planks into oblivion. The other ropes could no longer tolerate this jarring, and they too gave way, snapping in painful whips against the two defenseless beasts. All observers watched in horror, as this long expanse of bridge took an elegant twisted dive in slow motion. Its enormous body turned in graceful hair-like descent thru the air; a work of calligraphy, becoming ever smaller and fine with distance, while the monkey and octopus were merely dots fading quickly from the sky’s blank page.

Each creature watched in silent shock. Not a sound. All was empty. All was lost. Then, from far below, they saw a new shape rising. It was the monkey riding on the back of the straining octopus, swimming higher and higher in the air regardless of three of her wounded arms. She swam everywhere carrying her simian passenger, from night to day, and day to night. The air was filled with howls and bubbly marine enthusiasm. As if a gun had signaled the beginning of a race, the octopuses unanimously swam to the monkeys’ night, but not to relish in the darkness, rather, to offer the monkeys a ride on their backs to the daytime. It was a most beautiful flock that swam across the sky, thick with populace like migrating birds, and charged in newfound companionship.  The octopuses and monkeys never rebuilt the bridge, for they came to cherish their partnership.

But it’s not the way of Nature to settle in one place for long, no matter how well balanced it may be. There is in the animal kingdom, a creature capable of great cruelty. A descendant of the monkey, this being called human, has histories brimming with enslavement and avarice. And so it was, that a band of humans came into the forest to capture hundreds of monkeys, and deep into the sea to capture hundreds of octopuses. The tension between octopuses and monkeys was popular folklore. And though it was no longer based on truth, legends have no intention of dying. The organizers arranged for this circus, having placed the marine creatures in a giant aquarium within view of a large enclosure of the monkeys. What a violent spectacle it would create, so they thought. It was an unwelcome outcome, as the captives showed not a trace of animosity toward the other, so the humans tried to incite them by tapping the aquarium glass in torturous rhythms, and scaring the monkeys by throwing rocks in their direction. While the creatures reacted to the stress, their animosity was directed toward the humans, not toward their fellow prisoners.

The authorities had built large drains to the sewer lines in order to keep the circus clean, for as all humans know, animals are filthy. The circus staff refused to enter the enclosures to clean, since it appeared to them that the creatures were dangerous and unpredictable. So, in both cases, huge amounts of water were dumped onto the enclosures to simply wash all surfaces with a flush. They knew the monkeys would never venture down into the sewer since they can’t swim, and the octopuses would never get too close to the drains for fear of washing away. This practice continued for some time, before a daring octopus allowed herself to wash down the drain. She swam in many directions, and nearly became lost in the maze of huge pipes extending all through the city. But having an excellent sense of space, she found her way around, and returned to tell the other octopuses what she had discovered. They were ecstatic, and began dancing for joy. The human observers misinterpreted this, and believed the thousands of waving arms to be a sign of hostility. An authority said “Finally, a good show of anger toward the monkeys! Let’s put on a spectacle tonight by dumping some of those dirty primates into the aquarium and watch them fight it out. We can charge triple the entry fee for such a show!”  While the humans began arrangements, the octopus swam back down the sewer pipes to the drain opening of the monkey prison, and whispered to one of them who was nearby and above the drain. She told him that she had swum via the sewerage, and believed that the water must eventually empty into the sea. “Tell the other monkeys that tonight we flee, that all monkeys shall ride on our backs to the coast”.  The octopus only hoped there might be an issue to the sea.

A crowd of people began to gather for the big night event. Tickets were sold out. Before opening the doors to the park, the authorities decided to wash the animals’ compartments prior to the show for a sparkling presentation. Flooding both the aquarium and the monkey enclosure with extra large doses of water, the animals this time allowed their bodies to flow with the water without any resistance, and down they went, every one of them, through the drain into the open sewerage. The octopuses lost not a second in swimming to find each monkey, and support them so that their heads were above the quick twirling currents in the pipes. Around they went in dizzying paths, but at a liberating distance from their prison. Unsure where the waters would carry them, each creature hoped for the sea.




XXX

Sunday, August 26, 2012

The CUBE PROJECT at LEA


The CUBE PROJECT



I made the above film about the Cube Project. I shot it in HD, so you can watch it at better quality on YouTube if you choose that button in the screen above.

The Cube Project is a one week temporary, but huge exhibit sandwiched before the next batch of scheduled installations on the LEA sims. It was a wonderful way to let artists play in a common theme of cubes during the intermission just before the new exhibits go up. The technique of using a limited palette is applied here, where instructions requested everything to be made by a cube, and in black and white. Of course, artists will be artists, and evidence of stretching the limits is evident throughout the 16 or so sims which make up this unusually beautiful collaborative composition. Some cubes have been stretched into rectangles, some are textured with print, and I myself applied cube textures onto alpha spheres, but in all cases, the essence of the cube is preserved. The limited palette unites all the artists’ works successfully into a cubic culture. With so much area to cover while filming, I only hope I included most of the pieces on display. My installation is the landscape with giant spiders in their webs made of cubes. I have two elegantly long legged spiders residing just outside my window. They were the inspiration for my build. The exhibit continues until Sept 1, 2012, after which time, thousands and thousands of cubes will vanish into the infinite void beyond cyberspace.

Here is a list of participating artists:
(Please note: I will update here when I find out any artist's name I may have missed at the time of making the film. The list I have below was taken from Bryn Oh's blog. I add here Rebeca Bashley who made a sweep of finely crafted cubes in a pose similar to a cobra.)

Bryn Oh
Cajska Carlsson
Charlotte Bartlett
Dancoyote Antonelli
Giovanna Cerise
Haveit Neox
Kicca Igaly
L1 Aura Loire
London Junkers
Maya Paris
Misprint Thursday
Nessuno Myoo
Oberon Onmura
PatriciaAnne Daviau
Pol Jarvinen
Rag Randt
Rowan Derryth
Sea Mizin
Secret Rage
Solkide Auer
Remington Aries
Solo Mornington
Tony Resident
Werner Kurosawa
Xineohp Guisse

Added to the list:
Rebeca Bashley



MUSIC:
“The Cannery” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
“Potential-15” by Denys Rybkin  (musicloops.com)
Sewer sound effect. (findsounds.com)

Thanks for watching!
Haveit Neox 


+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---+++---

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mesh Centaur




I haven’t yet been successful in transferring my textured sculpture into Second Life. I run into every technological road block along the way. Until I learn the procedure, here are some snapshots of a centaur still in the program Zbrush. I sculpted it from a ball in Sculptris, imported it to Zbrush where I added the texture. The painting you see on this piece is from a ceramic sculpture I created, and a new Photoshop piece I made of leaves at my doorstep. From photos I took of the glazed surfaces, the design was transferred onto the 3D sculpt in Zbrush. Derek Michelson has been extremely helpful in the technical instruction, and very patient.  I couldn’t have understood any of the processes involved without his help. While I do not want to cry for help 24/7, he has been most generous with his schedule. 




Working in Zbrush is new territory for me, so it may be a while before both my mesh model and its texture arrive in Second Life. In the meantime, I continue to sculpt.



XXX

Sunday, July 15, 2012

STIRRING THE DREAMS a video tour


The past week, I worked on this film which centers on my exhibit of nightmares. It was finished on Friday the 13, in the year of the end of the world 2012. This timing in the heart of the superstitious realm was an appropriate coincidence. Fortunately it was of no consequence. Uploading to YouTube went smoothly and my computer didn’t crash, even though the internet connection threatened to do so.



The film is in HD. You will see more detail if you opt for that setting. 
Here is the link on YouTube where you can choose your settings:


My film is made as a visual tour of “Stirring the Dreams”. It starts at the landing point of the exhibit, and takes the viewer down a sequential ‘path’… or as close to that as I could get. From the seabed, we travel up to the land, and then ever higher into the clouds.


JULY 21 update: PJ Trenton set up a photographic tour of the exhibit as a slide show. Please make sure to click the link to see his incredible perspective of Stirring the Dreams:

Photographs by PJ Trenton



PLEASE MAKE SURE TO READ THE PREVIOUS POST BELOW THIS ENTRY, WHERE THERE IS LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXHIBIT. 

                              |
                              |
                              |
                              |
                             \ /




>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Friday, June 15, 2012

EXHIBITION MAPS


SPARCURIOUS GALLERY


This photo of the Sparcurious gallery's facade was taken
in the NB Misty Day wind setting in Second Life.


The large edifice originally built as the Temple of the Bots for the story of Second Libations, has undergone a major remodel. Only the shell of the older structure remains, with a handful of previously viewed art pieces. Most of the rooms and art in the Sparcurious Gallery are new… and there is a lot of it. If you had visited Second Libations in the past, the new factory-like galleries will feel disorienting.

Currents 2012, the New Media Festival at Santa Fe opens June 22. See the previous post for more specific information about my participation there. As I scurry to finish last minute preparations on the sim of Sparquerry, I have good news to report. I set aside a few small areas within my own exhibit where I will be showing some superb artwork made by a few other artists. The focus of this entry is to provide the visitor with a guide including simple maps, and a list of highlights to see. My installations are usually complex, the Sparcurious Gallery being no exception, so I have made these maps to assist the reader. Click on the map images below to enlarge them.

 I will be updating this post as additions or changes are reported.


Lower Level. Beneath the sea. When you transport to the Sparcurious Gallery, you will land in a room called Chamber of Planets. The Transitional Stairwell will take you up to the next level. 


Land Level. These galleries give the visitor the option to walk up the Labyrinth Staircases into the exhibit higher up in the sky, or to exit into the jungle which fronts the Sparcurious. 


Aerial View of the Sparquerry Sim with the Sparcurious Gallery, Tree House, and Satellite Hub.




PERFORMANCE ART

The date is not yet confirmed when Lilia Artis and Hypatia Pickens will be reading their poetry. I will be posting the time for the performance here in the near future.


Iono Allen's film: "Recursivity"
Click here to watch


Iono Allen’s film “Recursivity” addresses life and death, in their inevitably infinite cycle. From the first prolonged note of music, in the dark, we are dressed in the mood.  The theme and effects are handled in Iono’s highly sensitive palette of color, composition, and collage. Each special effect is summoned from the essence of the moment portrayed, and integrated into the whole, as our limbs are part of our bodies.
Six artists’ works are portrayed in the film. Iono treats each with care. Much of the latter half of the movie is filmed at Sparquerry, as the embodiment of death. We slowly climb the stairway toward the light, as images gently overlap our unimpeded progress forward. The play of continuity both visually and thematically, remind us that we are on this multifaceted yet recursive journey. 




......................................................................................


JJCCC's film: "Skillex I Love You"





JJCCC made a wild painterly film on the sim of Sparquerry, which also includes the neighboring sim of ACC Alpha.  His style jumps quickly from shot to shot, but the viewer can catch the feel of the location due to repetition at different angles of those places. It can almost feel cubist at times. The colors are richly saturated, JJCCC reaches for as much paint as his editing program can afford.  Please indulge. Find the link above to see his film.

......................................................................................

Larkworthy Antfarm's: "Lewiston Factory Girls"

Just updated today, July 29: Larkworthy Antfarm made a film about the exhibit where she bases the theme on escape from the factory. The lyrics guide you toward escape, while the scenes are graced with luminous artistic effects. It's a collage of dreams, and makes me think that the regions of freedom come in waves. You can watch Larkworthy's film by clicking the link just above this text.

......................................................................................




LIST OF ARTWORKS ON DISPLAY AT THE SPARCURIOUS


Above scene at the Court of Libations


LEVEL BENEATH THE SEA:

Chamber of Planets:       “Planet Installation” by Haveit Neox

Hall of the Planets:          “Drowned City Installation” by Haveit Neox
                                                “Dream Climbers 2D” by Haveit Neox

Sanctuary:                           “Green Dreams Installation” by Haveit Neox

Transitional Stairwell:     “The Hunted” by Stephen Venkman
                                                “untitled” by Stephen Venkman
                                                “Dream Climbers 3D” by Haveit Neox


   
LAND LEVEL

Binary Court (ground):   “Floating Along the Drift“ Installation by Lilia Artis
I requested Lilia Artis to make her self portrait at her installation
"Floating Along the Drift"
  
Binary (mezzanine):        Three paintings by Katz Jupiter:
                                                “Approach of the fire 1”
                                                “Approach of the fire 2”
                                                “Approach of the fire 3”
                                                Authors of the ‘Second Libations’ texts on display:
                                                Ambrosius Resident
                                                Apmel Goosson
                                                Auryn Beorn
                                                Hazart Monday
                                                Hypatia Pickens
                                                Katz Jupiter
                                                Lilia Artis
                                                Neva Black
                                                Strat Inshan
                                                Temi Sirbu

Court of Libations:           “Orange Factory Installation” by Haveit Neox
                                                “Body Shop” by Haveit Neox
                                                “Rehydration” by Haveit Neox
                                                “Flies in Tribute of Louis Pons” by Haveit Neox

DaVinci Court:                   “Tribute to Da Vinci’s Vetruvian Man” by Haveit Neox


Dormitory:                          “The Dreamer” by Haveit Neox
                                                “Ship of Fools” by Haveit Neox

Labyrinth Staircases:       “Dogman Wizard” by Haveit Neox


SKY LEVEL

Bridge of Quests:             Series of 8 paintings by Ziki Questi which line the bridge:
Self portrait at her display of art on the bridge in Sparquerry. 
My thanks to Ziki for making her self portrait at my request.

"Zigana at Sea Salts 1"
"Humanoid 17"
"Empress and Hierophant 2"
"Humanoid 2"
"Roche 10"
"Gulf of Lune 1"
"Chouchou 4"
"Felona e Sorona 4"

Lyrical Skywalk:          Poems by Lilia Artis
Self portrait by Lilia Artis, standing amid her poetry
on the Lyrical Skywalk. With my appreciation for her
artistic contributions as well as valuable feedback and suggestions.


Satellite Hub:         

Photo courtesy of Stephen Venkman

 “My Road Less Traveled” by Stephen Venkman
                                                “Drowned Vision” by Stephen Venkman
                                                “Circle of Dreams Installation” by Haveit Neox

THE SIM OF SPARQUERRY
Built by Haveit Neox.



EXHIBIT COVERAGE

Film:

RECURSIVITY by Iono Allen
(Most of the latter half of 'Recursivity' was filmed at the exhibit in Sparquerry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhhJxfpFzo&list=UUau2uwcAq_piedjavtmqp9A&index=1&feature=plcp

..............................................

"Skillex I Love You" by JJCCC
(Most of the latter half of 'Recursivity' was filmed at the exhibit in Sparquerry)


................................................







Blogs:


Quan’s Travelogues

Ziki’s Blog



                                               
                                               
                                                



NOTE: Please check back to this blog for further updates.






................................................................................................................................................


Thursday, May 31, 2012

the santa fe international new media festival


I have the great pleasure to announce that I will be one of the artists showing at currents 2012. Please read on...

currents 2012, Santa Fe's annual citywide event, will feature the latest developments in the New Media Arts by over 80 artists from throughout the United States and around the world.

Among installations made of light, the virtual world of Second Life will also be shown at the new media festival. Four artists from our virtual world (Bryn Oh, Artistide Despres, Tyrehl Byk, and yours truly Haveit Neox) will exhibit on the sims they have developed by way of a computer monitor set up at the installation in Santa Fe. Plans are to project this onto a ten foot wall. Wish I could travel there to see SL on such a large scale!
   
In December, I was invited to participate in currents 2012 after one of the curators saw my exhibit called Second Libations. I have preserved some of the elements from Libations, but furthered it into quite another concept for the upcoming festival, like a modern civilization resting upon the ruins of its past.

My contribution is called “Stirring the Dreams” a full sim installation on the sim of Sparquerry. Tomorrow is June 1, which gives me 22 days to finish up before opening day. This is the exciting part of the installation process where I begin to see a coherency in the works as I fill the spaces. I will be updating this page as new developments are readied.

The story:

STIRRING THE DREAMS

     Our nights are filled with dreams - good and bad ones. But a nightmare that persists over months or years may leave a dreamer feeling helpless to escape it. Haunting dreams set the stage for this exhibit at the Sparquerry sim, in the virtual world of Second Life. The scenario takes place in a factory-like structure and I try to match the somber atmosphere of nocturnal disturbances in this artwork. Second Life, this vast 3D computer world where I’ve built my own little corner, is a valuable tool for constructing a three dimensional environment. In such a format, I stir in a new element of light and hope. Now with an equatorial jungle outside the factory walls, and coiffed with a perched ship amid its canopy, the visitor may travel beyond the original dark space into more optimistic outcomes. Experiences and the people we encounter have an influence on our dreams. Therefore, inside the front entrance of the factory, I have installed some poetic works written by my friends in Second Life. Arranged like a Cabinet of Curiosities, they are a collection of pieces whose creators weave a common path, thus keeping my own display company. As a dreamscape is not easily navigated, the visitor may also take a little time before finding the verdant world just outside.



Surfacing above the nightmares, the visitor emerges into a jungle. The factory temple is to the right, and the ship perched among the trees is to the left in the above photo.






The drowned city



Court of Libations




The photo above is a detail from a green dream. It was shot using sunset wind setting.




This section of my installation is near the landing point. From this
area under the sea, visitors will climb up to land then onto a stairway
leading to the sky... if they can find it!



CURRENTS 2012 opens June 22, 2012. The schedule of events and full list of artists are listed on the currents website. Please visit them HERE.



LANDING POINT: Click here to transport.


.........................................................................................

Saturday, May 26, 2012

PRIM ARMATURE LANGUAGE


PRIM ARMATURE LANGUAGE

     Over the past couple of months, when I have spare time, I have been developing this abstracted language of prims for my city of ACCentaury. Look at the banner that tops my blog page, and you see its precursor. That graphic prim language used shapes in a concrete fashion. In the current system I’m inventing, you won’t actually see any prims, but you will know they are there! It will become clear as you read this entry. 
     My urban center employs prims not only for building structures, but three among their shapes also serve as an armature for the language. They are the SPHERE, the PYRAMID, and the TORUS. I chose each shape for its unique features. A sphere has no specific beginning or end, as it is perfect roundness. It rolls, spins, turns. The pyramid is composed of planes and points, giving angularity and sharp edges. It sits with stability. The torus weaves in and out of itself like a circulatory system, a pathway ripe to be journeyed within.
     I apply these three building blocks into the English language. But how is that done? The first order of business is to determine which qualities of the shapes listed above apply to the sentence you wish to translate. When the shapes are chosen and set in position to support your sentence, it is called an armature. Here’s an example, first shown in conventional English:




1.       The sim crashed when the count exceeded 45 avatar visitors.

     In this sentence, I might represent the armature as a sphere atop a pyramid. The sphere cannot balance on such a small point at the top of the pyramid, and would roll off. (This assumes of course, that the prims are always physical, in deference to gravity in the Real World). This instability of how one prim interacts with another shows an abstract correlation to the sim which cannot balance a count of 45 or more avatars. At this point, I will insert the first principle of Prim Armature: Prims always come in pairs. They show an interaction. (The only time you don’t use more than one prim is when the pair consists of the same prim, such as two spheres, two tori, or two pyramids. In this case, it’s considered that the single prim is doubled. This language economy saves space and time). Principle two, is that prim armatures are only used when they have cause to be ‘on stage’. A paragraph is usually delineated by the development of a theme, and so the frequency of using the prim armature approximates this ratio, and in so doing, usually only needs to center on the one basic theme for all the sentences in each paragraph. In other words, an armature is typically only used once per paragraph.

ATTRIBUTES of the three prims.

     Inserting a prim armature into a given sentence requires that the writer or speaker assesses the nature of the sentence. Is the feeling one of balance, growth, instability, nurturing, etc? Below are the prims with a brief sampling of their possible attributes. Remember, when you combine them into pairs, they will further hone the abstract quality you wish to convey.

SPHERE:  round, planet, roll, wheels, turn, etc.
PYRAMID: point, blade, slice, stand, cut, plain, field, etc.
TORUS: tube, circulate, journey, flow, system, etc.

SETTING UP the pairs.

     As mentioned above, regarding my interpretation, I chose to place a sphere onto a pyramid where gravity will cause it to roll off. This is the first stage in bringing the armature into the sentence. Find words that fulfill the attributes of the prims you will use (I gave a couple examples in the paragraph above). You will be marrying your appropriate attributes to the original words of the sentence you are translating. Let’s look at it again:

1.       The sim crashed when the count exceeded 45 avatar visitors.

     I’m going to choose the SIM and the VISITORS as my key words of the sentence. I could just as easily have chosen CRASH and COUNT, so it is highly subjective with how you feel on any given day. Today, I gravitate to the sim and visitors, so I’ll demonstrate that version. Now that I have my vocabulary pair selected, I must match them with the attribute vocabulary I wish to assign from their armature prims. SIM is paired with the first prim which is the pyramid. VISITORS is paired with the second prim, which is the sphere that will roll off. My choice for SIM’s partner might be “field” because a sim is a span of land, and for VISITOR, I might choose “turn” because the sphere is readying itself to fall.

So far, this will give us something to work with: The sim + field crashed when the count exceeded 45 avatar visitors + turn.

That’s making progress. Now let’s position them.


POSITION.

     There are only two positions. Horizontal (in a line), and vertical (stacked). I intend to use verticality to show that the sphere is instable on the pyramid’s tip. Grammatically speaking, this is demonstrated in a practical manner. To make something vertical, you add vocabulary that will indicate an upward or downward concept. To make something horizontal, you think in terms of lining up. Here are a few examples:

HORIZONTAL: along, line up, lean against, propel, forward, etc.
VERTICAL: atop, over, balance, up, climb, stack, topple, etc.

     Being that our sample is vertical, I’ll insert “topple”. Position needs to match both the dynamics of the armature prims, as well as the original sentence vocabulary.

NOTE: The default position is horizontal. If you do not insert any qualifier into a sentence, it will be understood as being horizontal.

COMPOSITION

     The last step is fitting the armature prims with the original English sentence in a way that preserves the original sentence, but with an armature inserted. The grammar should also be as close to conventional English as possible. You may wish the sentence to signal itself with just enough quirk so that the listener or reader is aware they are presently facing an armature.
     There is more than one way you can assemble the parts, but here’s what I composed:

1.       The sim crashed when the count exceeded 45 avatar visitors.

     Now I’ll support the original English sentence with the new armature: (+ field, topple, turn). This gives:

“The sim field crashed when the toppled count exceeded the turn of 45 avatar visitors”.


Here's another example sentence:

 2. The birds are flying high in the sky.


I'm choosing two tori and aligning them horizontally to represent a flock of birds in the sky. The torus gives a sense of movement in the context of a path, such as the birds' flight could be described. Since I am doubling up the tori, I only need to refer to it once as described in the economic rule I mentioned earlier. Because a horizontal format is chosen for this sentence, I also can choose to dismiss position, since it is automatically understood by the rule of default: If no position is added to the armature, then it is horizontal by default. So this sentence is really easy to compose. Which word, then, stands out most prominently? This is a sentence about birds, so we already know that. And the word sky is almost unnecessary, because we can assume that's where birds fly naturally. So the most prominent word here, in my opinion, is 'high'. This is in contrast to birds that fly low, a more common sight in my neighborhood. My very simple armature then is condensed into one torus that is affixed to the adjective 'high'. I assigned the circulatory attribute of 'orbit' from the torus. Adding the armature into the original English sentence now yields:

"The birds are flying orbit high in the sky".

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a slice of a fun journey stacked with this! 

- Haveit

May 26, 2012