So far the past week has seen a whole tableau of stuff emerge at the Winkleman Gallery – I commented in my previous blog on the general to-ings and fro-ings. I was though, a wee bit preoccupied, if you like with my own contribution last Sunday afternoon/evening (depending where you were). Over the next couple of weeks though (until March 20th) I will post a bit more in depth on things that catch my eye.
What I have seen so far via the web cam has been very illuminating, interesting and thought provoking to the point I wished I was actually in the gallery to join in real time, but they seem to have things set up so that tweets, emails and the like can contribute from all over during and after the discussions take place.
So this post is mainly about my foray into the hashtag class project…via Second Life. I did do a blog recently on the pros and cons of this medium if you want more detail you can find on ‘More Social Internet Site Crumblings’. But the upshot is; its bound to evolve and other 3d virtual spaces may or may not take its place, but basically the scope is there for visual creativity on line.
I made a short film in SL also relaying these sentiments and more, which was shown at the gallery before we tried a live-virtual-link-up in SL.
Film lasts about 12 mins
Pessimists Optimists and Skeptics from DeborahAinscoe on Vimeo.
Now for the Fun Bit!
So mini talk over, cup of tea in hand, and link up here we go…into… organised chaos…no it was organised…to a degree but SL has a habit of – well being SL – bit like first life really only with technical gremlins –Ok that’s first life as well! – no difference there then.
Gallery talk aside we embarked on a virtual delve into 3d ‘art’ and representations of that.
And that’s about as serious as it got, it being the most bonkers art walk-talk I’ve ever been on, the crew being Jennifer Dalton, William Powhida, Ed Winkleman, Zachary Adam Cohen, Art Whirled and C-monster ..Oh and me, plus a couple of others who were trying to find us from the open invite to join up in SL on the #class blog. (if I’ve missed anyone let me know and I’ll add here).
So first port of call a trip to a sand box to get the idea of 3d build… William was straight off in an ‘activist- doing’ kind of way and promptly built a blue balloon dog (aka Jeff Koons’) I’m not sure, but I have a sneaky feeling this was maybe not a compliment to Koons. But an impressive, nay outstanding, balloon dog none the less!. Ed Winkleman got to grips with the edit appearance menu (I’m saying no more, but he chose a very fetching pair of shorts – well due’s due – it was a sand box!) then we took a hike to a 3d gallery. All this with the backdrop of the in world voice chat swinging from borderline ok – to a feedback Jimmy Hendrix would have been proud of. God knows how it sounded in the stream but believe me it was much worse for us!. Anyway taking in the images and the general feel of the in-world landscape reminded me of the kind of art that Roger Dean has been doing since time began…..and the moving sculptural images (see below) akin to the fractally kind of stuff of, well, not much later.
I know Roger Dean is still producing and that he has done loads of art work for games starting with Tetris. But I still don’t see any movement with this 3d animated art (in SL) beyond that – maybe somewhere there is – I shall definitely be putting a 3d scout search on my radar until I do.
I think I heard Ed mention colour, through the epic feedback, which is a big point, like in animated film the colour can be sooo vibrant to the point of sensory overload – even when merged or put together well, can lose its meaning through lack of subtlety?, taking on (no offense to Roger’s landscapes) an other-worldly surreal detachedness.
So nuff of the 3d art and we teleported onward to more traditional art – a virtual reproduction of Dresden Kunstsammlungen – I didn’t know at the time, but it is apparently one of the most successful SL projects. They have, in minute detail reproduced the gallery in world.
Trying to Navigate the grandiose staircases and taking in Kings of Poland and other Hapsburgy dignitaries of the bourgeois centuries – I didn’t get to any of the Vermeers or Titians…..I crashed – too much laggy stuff, but one reboot later I was back in the mayhem of sound checks and bumping into walls.
So all that literal feed back in one afternoon required a more ear soothing taxi back to Irie Vibes (and my virtual gallery space) where we started.
Full circle, plus no feedback (relief) and some choons heading from the dance floor…. Ed was right in there with some serious dance moves….. and so the courageous hashtag crew took to the floor ….and with the palm trees waving and the sun setting over the sea (if you had your environment set to sunset that is)….and kicking to the beat ….I think I can say a good night was had by all.
Suffice to say if ever in NY I would definitely cut a rug (sans feedback a must though!) with the hashtag class crew….. Art Rools! WOooooOOt!
More on coming hashtag class events on Sundays and mid week posts
Oh! and a link to Iries very useful guide to 3d build and tips