Comments on: Virtual Artists’ Immersive Discoveries in a Virtual 3D Frontier

By: A TEDxNYED Afterthought « SL Art HUD Blog Thingie:

A TEDxNYED Afterthought « SL Art HUD Blog Thingie: — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:38:56 +0000

[...] I still connect with many of those students through Facebook and Twitter, among the other Web 2.0 offerings. One of my former computer animation students is quite active in Second Life and has invited me to a group he’s a part of. They throw a lot of dance parties in SL and love to come see what I’m doing in virtual 3D space. [...]

By: transreal.org » Art21 Article features my and elle’s collaboration, technesexual

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:54:16 +0000

[...] of areas, has radically extended the conventional media of time-based, or 4D work. Following Virtual Artists’ Immersive Discoveries in a Virtual 3D Frontier, I interviewed several Second Life artists who evoke time in their [...]

By: Performative Interventions: The Progression of 4D Art in a Virtual 3D World | Art21 Blog

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:15:23 +0000

By: Nettrice Gaskins

Nettrice Gaskins — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:05:16 +0000

Azdel, I also met students in the Digital Performance Initiative at Georgia Tech who have been exploring Mixed Reality and performance in SL: http://dpi.gvu.gatech.edu/breakdance.html. I look forward to 2010!

By: azdel slade

azdel slade — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:59:46 +0000

Thanks for the reply Nettrice! I hadn’t heard of DC’s group. I’m looking forward to the next article! I agree, there’s a lot to be said, and that’s definitely a strength of work in SL…

By: Nettrice Gaskins

Nettrice Gaskins — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:42:42 +0000

Thank you. Someone recently asked me: Why art in virtual worlds? My answer (from New Media in Art by Michael Rush): In his ‘02 essay, “The Time Will Come When…”, media-curator and theorist Ross Gibson suggests that artists of the future ‘won’t be fabricating objects so much as experiences — they will offer us intensely “moving” immersion in (or perhaps beyond) the objective world…People will partake of this new art in order to be differently in themselves.” This new art is doing what art has always done: “invite us to transcend, transform, and change the way we inhabit the world.”

By: Sasun Steinbeck

Sasun Steinbeck — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:07:47 +0000

Fantastic article. After reading so many “news” articles that focus on the darker, more sensationalistic sides of SL, it’s so great to see one zooming right to the heart of what makes SL so great – all the exciting art and creativity that’s been blooming like crazy over the years. I’ve watched the art community grow from a mere handful of galleries to well over 650 on my list and it’s been an amazing ride that never ceases to surprise; the innovation just doesn’t end – as soon as you think you’ve seen it all, someone blows your mind with something completely new and exciting, influencing yet another batch of creative minds, open to new possibilities, to take it another step further. Good job!

By: Nettrice Gaskins

Nettrice Gaskins — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:00:33 +0000

Semaj, I will and thanks for the encouragement.

For the “uninitiated” immersion (virtual reality) may seem strange, even scary but taking a leap often opens up worlds of opportunities.

By: Semaj

Semaj — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:50:38 +0000

Caught up as I am in the inner/outer workings of my daily responsibilities (job, family, yada, yada) the world of art touches me primarily as a commercial product. That said, a year ago at an educational conference I slipped into an avatar to explore this world’s realms. Bryn Oh’s “Immersiva” was my first “here it is” moment of SL. I’ve imprinted to these builds, movies, stories, poems, creatures, etc, like a gosling to its mother. The initial fervor of my “SL” experience has subsided somewhat but this place leaves frequent traces, thought tags, idea streams, and reveries in waking ruminations as much as they do in dream. Though more discoveries are here, the artistry of Bryn Oh is some of the most thoughtful and compelling work I’ve seen/experienced in any medium of expression.

Immersiva is immense in minuscule and monumental wonders that grow ripe in both heart and mind. The transcendent majesty of art, of the imagination, of creation, has always managed to shake us free from the rigorous and stupefying dogmas of daily physical existence. Art (movies, books, paintings, immersive virtual worlds) does awaken emotional centers and pathways that allow us to more fully embrace, rejoice, cry, and laugh on our earth bound sojourn.

If you spend any time in SL, it doesn’t take long to surmise that for many this worlds possibilities are merely reflective, one cult of cookie cutter personality replaced for another, but since falling here in this amazing land of abandoned machines, exquisite nano-bugs, mannequin soul-mates, rare Rabbicorns, and poignant stories, the collective scent of imagination and expression has borne me, set me afloat as a spore on the wind, alive again with mystery and hope in the transformative possibilities of expression and communion. Thank you for bringing the light/darkness of these lands to the world out there and keep it up.

By: Nettrice Gaskins

Nettrice Gaskins — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:10:39 +0000

Alfred, this issue has been bandied about and debated, both in-world and in real life for a while now. Can the “in-world” experience be brought out into the actual world? Of course and it’s already happening. Several SL artists have done Mixed Reality shows and Brooklyn Is Watching, a show I mentioned in my write-up, is an example. The debate rests on the purpose and intent of the artist and the form of art he or she creates in virtual 3D space. Some works are clearly, intentionally meant to be experienced in Second Life, for example, and any attempts to bring the work into material space would somehow lessen the impact or experience of being immersed in the work (as an avatar).

Plasticity or the synthesis of virtual and real art bends the rules of how we define reality and how artists create images/objects. One of the qualities of immersive 3D art that would be difficult to re-create or simulate in material space is flight. DC’s Tower of Light is hundreds of meters tall. SL artists are encouraged to push and revise the fundamental constructs of plasticity through the use and control of the avatar. The plasticity of the brain replaces real life action with avatar movement to create real feelings of flying or falling while in virtual 3D space.

Of course this experience could be simulated using various devices but some might ask: What is the point of doing that in material space? Wouldn’t it take more time and resources (money) than in virtual 3D space?