Wednesday 30 November 2011

Perchance to Day Dream



"Yoga is Union.
Yoga is first of all the union of the subject and the object of consciousness: of the seer with the thing seen.
Now, there is nothing strange or wonderful about all this.
The study of the principles of Yoga is very useful to the average man, if only to make him think about the nature of the world as he supposes that he knows it.
Let us consider a piece of cheese. We say that this has certain qualities, shape, structure, colour, solidity, weight, taste, smell, consistency and the rest; but investigation has shown that this is all illusory. Where are these qualities? Not in the cheese, for different observers give quite different accounts of it. Not in ourselves, for we do not perceive them in the absence of the cheese. All 'material things,' all impressions, are phantoms.
In reality the cheese is nothing but a series of electric charges. Even the most fundamental quality of all, mass, has been found not to exist. The same is true of the matter in our brains which is partly responsible for these perceptions. What then are these qualities of which we are all so sure? They would not exist without our brains; they would not exist without the cheese. They are the results of the union, that is of the Yoga, of the seer and the seen, of subject and object in consciousness as the philosophical phrase goes. They have no material existence; they are only names given to the ecstatic results of this particular form of Yoga."
from 'Eight Lectures on Yoga' by Mahatma Guru-Sri Pramahansa (orig. pub. 1939)
.:: DoL ::.
There is a subject that I have wanted to discuss for a while but exactly how to contextualise it didn't become clear to me until I visited the 'Daytime Dreams' region created by Dolphin Aeghin (.:: DoL ::.).
(click images to enlarge)
It concerns the relationship(s) between virtual art, education in virtual worlds, human relations expressed through an avatar and why some Second Life sims are clearly more "popular" and "successful" than others.
.:: DoL ::.'s work at Daytime Dreams manages to capture something which I think is important to the success of a sim and, by extension, important also to Second Life itself.
But before we address that issue, let us first take a detour and look at examples which empathetically are *not* what I am thinking of.
I remember being invited to one particular educational sim to listen to a lecture.
They had built a decent-enough auditorium in a semi-circle; seating was individual chairs.
Except...
Expect that the chairs hadn't got a "sit" in them. That is, it wasn't possible to actually *sit* in the chairs (except in a most deformed and ugly manner).
My point is, the educationalists who owned and built the auditorium didn't consider for a moment that avatars might actually want to *sit* in the chairs! To them, the chairs were architectural features necessary for a visual authenticity but, within a virtual world, totally redundant for actual usage.
So we all stood behind the chairs looking like vertically-stacked pilchards, watching and listening to the lecturer.
But the story doesn't stop there.
Because as the lecturer looked down upon us and pontificated about "the purpose of Second Life" and "how Second Life should be used" and "the future of Second Life and virtual worlds", I was thoroughly distracted by the fact that the guy looked like a complete fucking noob!
Worse in fact, because he had obviously attempted to do *something* with his avatar but had clearly decided "this just isn't worth the effort".
As I observed this lecturer's avatar and listened to his words, I realised that he had a massive "disconnect" between himself and his avatar; between the virtual world he purported to be an expert in and his actual existence within that world.
In short, it was clear to me that, although he was *in* Second Life, he wasn't actually *part* of Second Life - he knew nothing about its culture (or sub-cultures) or how people use it on a daily basis.
For me, he lost all credibility at the moment of that realisation.
Please understand, I am not talking here about some lofty point of philosophy like the "Augmentation vs Immersion" argument.
Rather, I am talking about much more down-to-earth things; I am talking about things that people do every day in SL, as normal activities.
I am pointing out that this educationalist lecturer was completely unaware that avatars *do* actually sit down in virtual worlds and that people *do* make judgements based on the appearance of avatars.
I am also suggesting that he had probably never danced in Second Life or hugged or had a blowjob or fucked.
Or felt the hurt and upset of one human being to another through the medium of an avatar.
Or comforted another human in distress simply by the act of two avatars cuddling.
Or broken another's heart.
Or had his heart broken.
He studies a tree but knows not the beauty of a forest; he knows the chemical composition of sugar but has never experienced its taste; he measures the distance to remote star-systems without ever being awed by its wonder.
Similarly, I was once in a club when a very rare bird indeed flew in - The Lesser Spotted Linden Employee.
A number of us said "Hi" or otherwise greeted her - no response whatsoever. I totally get that - she was at work and possibly studying region performance stats or whatever. Who knows what she was doing. But not a big deal regardless.
However, what was remarkable was she had absolutely no control over her avatar! She was walking into walls, bumping into people and even walked straight over a couch. One year in SL and she had no more ability controlling her avatar than a day old noob.
I kid you not.
It was stunning to see.
And as I watched her, I suddenly understood the attitude that must be so prevalent within The Lab that it resulted in the decision to remove surnames when registering for an SL account.
To them, Second Life is just a "technical" or "engineering" matter, a case of "instances of software and servers" or whatever.
They apparently have little or no understanding of the social implications of their decisions within Second Life.
The removal of avatar surnames has created a "class" or "caste" system in Second Life. This was predictable to anyone with any depth of experience of human relations. It is not nice or desirable nor indeed have any positive aspects at all - but it *was* predictable!
Expect, it seems, to The Lab. 
And worse, they show no signs at this time of either understanding or even caring about the negativity that that ill-fated decision has caused in-world.
How can this be?
I submit that the same malady that affects the aforementioned lecturer also affects some Linden Lab employees - they may well be *in* Second Life but they are certainly not *part* of Second Life.
There is nothing especially wrong with any of this, of course.
It just seems to me to be a very emotionally barren approach to virtuality in general and Second Life in particular.
Concretely, I am saying that these so-called "experts" are misunderstanding and missing out on experiencing the single most important aspect of Virtual Worlds - the capacity to conduct sincere and warm human relationships through the expression of an avatar.  
And that brings us roundly back to DoL's Daytime Dreams installation.
Because in most every aspect of this installation, we, as avatars, are able to express ourselves socially and emotionally.
This is not a "dry-as-dust" intellectual exercise  - it is sensual, moving and poignant excursion into avatar emotional expression.
In amongst the various individual artwork and installations on the region are discretely placed couples seating, couples poses and couples dance balls.
The overriding message is not so much "Please admire *my* work" as it is "Please admire *each other* while at my sim".
It is clear from spending quite a lot of time at Daytime Dreams (once before it was open to the public, twice since opening - a number of hours on each occasion) that .:: DoL ::. not only understands SL technically (building/scripting), and understands it artistically (as evidenced by this wonderful "newspaper rose", for example)...
 ...but she also understands it emotionally, socially and sexually.
And these things together - technical, artistic and socio-sexual - represent the runway to the zenith of experience in virtual worlds.
Frankly, I trust the opinions of an artist like .:: DoL ::. regarding SL far more than I do a lecturer or employee who can't be arsed to fully engage in the subject matter that they claim to be an expert in but nevertheless use to pay their mortgage.
You see, in my opinion, .:: DoL ::. has proven her credentials as an "expert" within virtual worlds by creating Daytime Dreams - I challenge the educationalists and Lab employees to prove theirs!
"Yoga is Union."
.:: DoL ::. has create a virtual space which successfully unites technicality, artistry and simple human connections and engagement.
She is to be applauded and thanked.
We sincerely hope that she will also be emulated.
Pixie xx

Wednesday 23 November 2011

When Is a Shopping Trolley, Not A Shopping Trolley?

Recently I was given a gift from Bryn Oh - a copy of the shopping trolley that she created for her "Anna's Many Murders" installation.
(click images to enlarge)
I am very grateful and honoured.
I hold Bryn's work in the highest esteem.
I think you will agree, the shopping trolley looks just perfect between the latrine and the sack of dung.
I had originally planned to write a long treatise on the philosophy of art - a "What Is Art?" type of article using Bryn's trolley as the central object of focus.
This article would have discussed the nature of art itself and how certain artists have taken everyday items and presented them as art, with Andy Warhol's 'Campbell's Soup Cans' being one of the most well known examples.
I thought it might be interesting to consider what makes Bryn's shopping trolley a "work of art" - is it the prim? the sculpty map? the union of prim and map maybe?
I would have considered the possibility that the shopping trolley in and of itself is not a "work of art" at all but merely one of a number of components which work together to finally form the artistic installation known as "Anna's Many Murders".
But for completeness sake, it certainly would have been necessary to consider the shopping trolley as a "work of art" in its own right, and further, ponder if we should not then similarly consider *any* textured prim as a "work of art".
If not, why not?
If I right-click 'edit' the shopping trolley, I see the Creator is listed as "Bryn Oh" and the Owner "Pixie Rain".
But what if I linked a new root prim created by myself to it? "Pixie Rain" would then be shown as both the Creator and Owner.
Have I just forged a piece of art?

Or have I created something entirely new - a "Genuine Pixie Rain" so to speak, irrespective of any "artistic" claims or merit, or indeed any "history" that may be inherent within the prim, the XML or the asset server database.
What would be the legal and moral implications of such an act?
It certainly would have been interesting to examine what we mean by the phrase "3D Artist".
Surely most any work in most any medium is "3D", ie: having length, width and depth.
Why do we apply the term to those working in artistic software generally and virtual worlds particularly?
All these are interesting and valid questions.
The answers to these questions may provide some insight to the future evolution of software-based art but, after due consideration, I decided to leave these lofty matters to others and simply present these pictures to you, and thank Bryn Oh sincerely for her generosity and kindness.
Pixie
xxx





Sunday 20 November 2011

MachinExpo 2011 - A Worldwide Phenomena

185 machinma entered the contest. 61 were selected for screening. 11 were selected to compete. But there would only be 4 prize winners...
Tikaf Viper, Iono Allen, Pixie Rain, Tutsy Navarathna
MachinExpo 2011, probably the most important of all the machinima festivals, is being held this weekend.
A significant point about MachinExpo is that there are entries from numerous digital media, not just Second Life (SL). In fact, in the top entrants, SL machinima entries are easily outnumber by other forms of machinima.
Iono Allen, Pixie Rain, Tutsy Navarathna, Tikaf Viper
In a few weeks I hope to do a review of 3D cinematic tools such as MovieStorm and iClone - popular and *effective* alternatives to using SL for making machinima.
You'll see examples how these applications can be used in the film links below or by visiting their web sites.
Chantal Harvey, Pixie Rain, Tutsy Navarathna
MachinExpo is broadcast live across the internet from purpose built studios within SL.
Although there is a small studio audience, most avatars watch the broadcast from the UWA Theatre.
But even that doesn't really tell the whole story because, by far, the majority of the viewing audience watch over the internet.
Many of the viewers would never have even been in SL.
Chantal Harvey, Pixie Rain
I was asked to attend with Tutsy Navarathna whose UWA III winning 'A Journey Into the Metaverse' was one of the eleven machinima selected to compete in the contest.
My role was to answer the audience's questions about Tutsy's film and his film making techniques, on his behalf - due to language difficulties and chat lag caused by 
bandwidth deprivation.
The questions that the audience posed were intelligent and knowledgeable - and ranged from machinima techniques, software and aesthetics.
Tutsy's role was to provide much needed eye candy (joke!!).
Pixie Rain, Tutsy Navarathna
All eleven of the competing films are screened at the festival and each Director participates in a Q&A session.
The standard of these eleven films is really quite daunting. The Q&A was very interesting but what stuck me deeply is how machinima really is becoming a worldwide phenomena - and SL just a small slice of the bigger picture.
From the eleven competing films, there are four prize winners.
I have to tell you, all four are sensational.
But what is truly interesting to me is that only one of those four is actually filmed in SL - the others were filmed using alternative software.
"Mastermind" - the 2nd Runner Up - was particularly surprisingly to me personally because I had absolutely no idea that such incredible film making could be done within video games like Grand Theft Auto - even through I was familiar with Ian Chisholm's 'Clear Skies' series, filmed in EVE Online.
All four winning films are definitely worth watching and, imo, *should* be watched and studied by anyone serious about the emerging art of machinima.
In traditional reverse order, then....the MachinExpo 2011 winners are:


3rd Runner Up: The Goalkeeper and the Void by Marta Azparren (Pro Evolution Soccer 09)


2nd Runner Up: Mastermind by Ezequiel Guerisoli (Grand Theft Auto)


1st Runner Up:  A Journey Into the Metaverse by Tutsy Navarathna (Second Life/Real Life)


Grand Prize Winner: Haunter of the Dark by Phil Browne (iClone)




I accepted Tutsy's award on his behalf - electrical storms in India having decimated his broadband connection - and gave the following acceptance speech for him:


"I am so honoured to be presented with this award.
The quality of the entries are stunning in their scope.
It is humbling to be compared amongst them.
Machinima, as an emerging art form and as a form of social expression, is starting to find its own definition.
As early adoptors we are casting the foundations but, it is the future of the form and the changes ahead which are truly exciting! Thank you."


After the Award Ceremony, Bobo Puddlegum & I moseyed on down to the After-Event Party and boogied away with DJ Hathead to '70s dance music.
Bobo Puddlegum, Pixie Rain

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Making Dick Trickle - Virtual World Tour

Andy Dennis plays the blues live at Old Lar's House every Sunday 11am SLT.


The combination of his guitar, mouth organ, cheeky personality and funny double entendres have made him a firm favourite and won him lots of new fans.


Although he claims to have backing musicians playing along with him in the studio - namely Tony the Terrible on bass guitar and Dick Trickle on drums - they have never actually materialised on stage in Second Life.


Many of us are now doubting their actual existence and until they appear on stage at Lar's, a shadow will forever hang over Andy.


This is very sad because Andy probably has no idea just how much we'd love to make his dick trickle and tony terrible...


See for yourself...


Tuesday 15 November 2011

UWA IV: $L20,000 Audience Participation Event

Tutsy Navarathna Joint-Winner UWA III - Photo by PJ Trenton
MachinimUWA IV has attracted over 80 entries. Pretty impressive!

$L20,000 prize pool has been allocated to the three audience members who most closely decide the order of the top ten finalists as decided by the judging panel.

Simply email your top ten to jayjayaustralia@hotmail.com or drop a notecard on Jayjay Zifanwe in-world.

Here is my personal Top 10 (listed alphabetically by film name)  Two of the entries have already been posted on this blog:
1. Tutsy Navarathna's Welcome to the Other Side (which I am proud to appear in!) 
2. Iono Allen's Virtual Love.

I believe each one of the machinima listed below have something valuable to offer - for learning from and for improving our own work.


All are definitely worth watching, if only because they are good films!

What order I finally rank the ten will forever remain a secret between JayJay & I!


Before I get to my list, I especially wanted to draw your attention to the entry from Nina Camplin (Fuschia Nightfire in Second Life). It is both unique and stunning.


Nina is a mural artist from the UK. Her UWA IV entry had her deconstruct "the art of the artists" and reconstruct them into RL paintings. She filmed the painting process as it progressed and used the footage to create this truly amazing machinima.


If you decide to watch only one of the eighty entries, then this is the one I would recommend. The soundtrack, incidentally, features  the singing voice of CoMa whom we blogged in June 2011.







My Top Ten (Alphabetical by Film Name)


Good luck to all contestants!

Friday 11 November 2011