MachinimUWA IV: Hypatia Pickens' 'Yeah'

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"Yeah", is Hypatia Pickens sublime creation submitted to MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists, which unites the powerhouses of virtual worlds, Artists and Machinimatographers!

Entries to the L$300,000 MachinimUWA IV close on the 10th of November and looks for the creation of machinima featuring artworks that are part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge.

In Hypatia's words:

A story about how art is the only way a man who has been deprived of speech or understanding it can express the vivid images he has in his head. My tribute to University of Western Australia's MachinUWA IV challenge in Second Life and all its artists.

Here are the artists with full titles (order of appearance in the film):

Typote Beck, "Dream of the Cold Sleeper"
Nino Vichan, "Piume di Pavone"
Typote Beck, "The Superhero's Breakfast"
June Clavenham, "Living Fractal"
Thoth Jantzen, "Great Balls of Fire"
Artistide Despres, Petite Etude sur Olivier Messiaen
Lollito Larkham, "AminimA"
Sledge Roffo "Here Comes the Sun"
Betty Tureaud, "Light Tower"
Gingered Alsop, "Shattered"
Fae Varriale, "Daughter of the Wind"
Capcat Ragu, untitled (woman washing her hair)
Barry Richez, "Body Space"
Soror Nishi, "Majestic Shade Tree"
Meilo Minotaur, untitled (floating island with faces)
Romy Nayar, "En el agua"
Gingered Alsop, "Welcome to our Parlor"
Josiane Sorciere, "l'Impatience"
Secret Rage, "Tribute to UWA artists"
Gleman Jun, "Desperation"
Gingered Alsop, "Welcome to our Parlor"
Dusty Canning, "Read My Lips"
Simon's artwork: yours truly

MachinimUWA IV: Carl Velde's, 'The Artist's Mind'

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"The Artist's Mind", is Carl Velde's creation based on Josiane Sorciere's remarkable work, "L'Impatience", submitted to the September round of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. This machinima is now part of MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists, which unites the powerhouses of virtual worlds, Artists and Machinimatographers!

Entries to the L$300,000 MachinimUWA IV close on the 10th of November and looks for the creation of machinima featuring artworks that are part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge.

MachinimUWA IV: Bleu Oleander's 'Better One, Better Two'

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"Better One, Better Two", is Bleu Oleander's creation based on Harter Fall's award winning 'Behind Columns' creation that was part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. We see it here now for MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists, which unites the powerhouses of virtual worlds, Artists and Machinimatographers!

Entries to the L$300,000 MachinimUWA IV close on the 10th of November and looks for the creation of machinima featuring artworks that are part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge.

UWA SKY SIM SERIES - OCTOBER: jjccc Art

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The UWA SKY SIM Art Series, in effect the 'little brother' of the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES, both offspring of the UWA FULL SIM ART SERIES  kicks off in October with jjccc Coronet's self titled, "jjccc Art"

jjccc Art a 'Featured Event' on the Linden Lab Destination Guide

In his words, "This dynamic collection of abstract art taps into the sub consious mind, it tells a story that will talk to your soul, if you endevour to look at it deeply. The art has been created over a number of years and is a testiment to a miss spent youth into adulthood.

I hope you enjoy my art and i hope in a way you  get it too, as it does actually mean some thing, What exactly i will let you decide."

jjccc Art Officially launches from 7pm slt Saturday 1st October at the UWA WASP SIM. CLICK HERE FOR LOCATION.

Stay tuned for Rebeca Bashly's 'Inferno' which will kick off on the same day!

THE LEA FULL SIM ART SERIESOCT 2011: Rebeca Bashly's 'Inferno', inspired by Dante Aligieri's Divine Comedy, Inferno
NOV 2011: JOINT, Tyrehl Byk's "~(Not-A-Knot)" and The Pink Tutu Ballet Group's 'Forgiving' inspired by Desmond Tutu (Group Members: Marmaduke Arado, Kikas Babenco, Sca Shilova, Cat Shilova, Saveme Oh, Eupalinos Ugajin, Luce Laval & Rose Borchovski)
DEC 2011: Haveit Neox's 'Binary Green' where bots take over the earth
JAN 2012: Artistide Despres 'Research on Musical Instruments'
FEB 2012: Romy Nayar & Ux Hax 'An Interactive History of Life'
MAR 2012: Kicca Igaly and Nessuno Myoo's 'The Labyrinth of Absurdity'

THE UWA SKY SIM ART SERIES

OCT 2011: jjccc Coronet's jjccc Art
NOV 2011: RazorZ's 'Forest'
DEC 2011: Luna Metamorphia's 'Interactive Zoo of Endangered Species'
JAN 2012:  Asmita Duranjaya, Chapter ChapTer Kronfeld & Louly Loon's 'Between Orient and Occident'
FEB 2012: Giovanna Cerise's 'Cyborg -Nature' where Nature rebels against the thoughtlessness of  man
MAR 2012: Fiona Blaylock's tribute to the poetry of Samuel Coleridge (Kubla Khan, etc.)

UWA PEOPLE"S CHOICE VOTING - CLOSES 30th SEPTEMBER!

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Come experience the 65 amazing entries for the September round of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. Choose your favorites for the People's Choice Awards.

VOTING ENDS Friday 30th September at noon SLT.

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY: 6:00AM SLT Sunday 2nd October.

RECEIVING OF ARTWORKS IS NOW OPEN AS WELL FOR OCTOBER. OCTOBER IS THE FINAL MONTHLY ROUND OF THE CHALLENGE!
Vote for as many entries as you like, on a scale of 1 to 3. Note that ANY VOTE is a POSITIVE vote. If you don't like something, don't vote for it. It's important that you look at all the works and to vote for all the pieces that truly speak to you. You are, of course, welcome to encourage your friends to come see the show and to vote for their favorite pieces. But please don't ask them to just come and vote for yours. It's about the art, not the artist!

Blogs & New Sites on the September Round:
Apmel Goosson Blog
Temi Sirbu on the September Round
Alexandra's Choice Blog
Spiral Silverstar Machinima (See 4:30 onwards)
Victoria Lennoire's Review of the September Round
FreeWee's Meshed & Confused
Virtual Outworlding (Mixture of Aug/Sept)

65 ARTWORKS FOR SEPTEMBER
1 Artistide Despres The Twelve Dwarves (mesh)
2 Asterion Coen Paris's metro station "George V" at champs Elysees
3 Asterion Coen Paris's metro MF67
4 Betty Tureaud Cancer Man
5 Blunt Fhang Life in Balance (mesh)
6 Cherry Manga Seduction
7 Cherry Manga Bird in love
8 CHUCKMATRIX Clip Razed
9 CHUCKMATRIX Clip You Remember Exactly Where You Were...
10 Corcosman Voom Dancing In The Wind
11 Corcosman Voom Dance Class
12 Dusty Canning A Happy Cat
13 Earl Dinkin Retired Ballet Shoes Suspended over a Can of Blue Paint
14 Elize Foxclaw Foxfurneb Crystal Cube
15 Elize Foxclaw Catastro Crystal Tower
16 Fae Varriale Contact
17 Fae Varriale The Gift
18 fiona Blaylock Palm reader
19 fiona Blaylock Flame
20 Fuschia Nightfire crow in the snow diorama
21 Gfresh Botha One and a half moments
22 Gingered Alsop Ribbons of Gossamer Translucence
23 Harter Fall Risen
24 Harter Fall Figment IV
25 Josiane Sorciere L'impatience
26 Karla Cadell Karlas Wirlybird
27 Katy Isodo Every Day Man
28 Katy Isodo Each of Us
29 LaPiscean Liberty Island
30 LaPiscean Liberty Rain Forest
31 Lea Supermarine/ Japaranda Snook Into the Double Helix
32 Luna Larsen Danger
33 Luna Larsen Spring in our hearts
34 Luna Metamorphia Unicorn Desk with Mushroom Stool (mesh)
35 mcarp Mavendorf meshclock3
36 mcarp Mavendorf Display128x96
37 Miso Susanowa QRt-Building Codes (1)
38 nexuno Thespian Koi man in the box
39 nexuno Thespian Autumn
40 Nino Vichan Femina / Revelation
41 Nish Mip The Crossing
42 Oldoak Merlin Memento vivens esse
43 paleIllusion You can't touch heaven
44 PeanutbuttahJellehTime Magic Call it Magic
45 Penelope Parx I want to be FREE
46 Pixels Sideways Avatar Blender
47 Pumpkin Tripsa Water (mesh)
48 RAG Randt Hungry Blanket
49 RAG Randt Van Portrait
50 RazorZ Space Elevator MK7
51 RazorZ Ordos Digitalis Fractilus Tentaclos Vert - Le Fractale Jungle
52 Romy Nayar Fantasia en la Sombra
53 Ronin1 Shippe St. Hannaha's Chaos!
54 Secret Rage Tribute I
55 Secret Rage Tribute II
56 Silene Christen Raining tears II
57 Silene Christen Sustainable Economy
58 Sledge Roffo Primscape Dream V4
59 Soda Lemondrop The Prison Of Self
60 soror Nishi Still Life
61 Spiral Silverstar speaks of art
62 Spiral Silverstar black n white
63 Theda Tammas Labirinto
64 Wolk Writer Moving city
65 Wolk Writer Mist of time

SL Presented to RCE Network, Facilitated Through the United Nations University

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On the 24th of September 2011, the story behind the development of the UWA presence in Second Life was told at the inaugural meeting of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Western Australia: 'Sense of Place' Network. RCEs across the world, facilitated through the United Nations University (UNU), make up the Global Learning Space for Sustainable Development and aspire to achieve the goals of the UN (DESD, 2005-2014), by translating its global objectives into the context of the local communities in which they operate.

The meeting took place in real life in the Senate Room of the University of Western Australia deep in the heart of UWA's iconic Winthrop Clock Tower. Chaired by UWA's Dean of Science, Winthrop Professor Tony O'Donnell, the steering group of 15 was introduced to second life, and invited to watch a meeting taking place in second life, as seen in the photo above.

Assisting in the second life demonstration were Briarmelle Quintessa of the Manukau Institute of Technology (New Zealand), Prof Abel Barasa Atiti (United Nationa University, Yokohama, Japan) secret Rage (Texas), Diane Elton (Perth) and RCE coordinator Deborah Bowie (University of Western Australia).

It is early days yet. But outcomes from this initial meeting will most likely have significant positive impact in securing the long term future of the UWA Virtual World presence.

Thank you for your help.

MachinimUWA IV: Glyph Graves' "Forest of Water"

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"Forests of Water" was a part of Glyph Graves multi-award winning 'Excerpts From Realities' entry to the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. We see it here now for MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists, which unites the powerhouses of virtual worlds, Artists and Machinimatographers!

Entries to the L$300,000 MachinimUWA IV close on the 10th of November and looks for the creation of machinima featuring artworks that are part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge.

In Glyph's words: "Uses real time data in interaction with your avatar to create a sound scape composed by the individual rivers real time data mapped to sets of note samples."

He continues:

These are rivers. that run across our earth
as they rise and fall as they grow warmer and colder
in real time as they are now ..today.
they come into a virtual world creating a symphony
Each river is an instrument and each tree is a river.
they throw their shadow in SL
but not alone

To paraphrase, if a river flows in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

well...in this case no

it needs you to observe, to hear

and more

The tempo of each tree depends on how far you and the other avatars stand away from the any particular tree.

If you move too far away from any particular tree, it falls silent., waiting for you or another to come close
If you stand still among them you will hear the soft song of their rise and fall.

It contains multiple elements, the actual river and its physical characteristics today, now.
The real time height and temperature of rivers from across the US ( though the location is immaterial ..they could be from anywhere)
Each is an instrument that plays its individual song And it brings people from across the earth to interact with them to realise this piece.

I've purposely chosen to place then so the positions do not correspond to to their geographic location. In the same way the avatar next to you may be in Japan, Germany France, Australia or the US, these trees lay no claim to geographic position.
(Though if you want to see which rivers song they sing then look at the trees name)

Each tree is a full instrument. That is a large range of notes from a single instrument.
the trees are arranged, and the data is scaled to create the piece. So, while it uses data and each river has its song it is only data representation in its most limited sense. The object here is to create a work of art that has conceptual and aesthetic meaning.

Each song is however the rivers. I do not constrain the song it chooses within procedural guidelines though I have arranged them , scaled , positioned the instrument and note range.

Acknowledgements
Notes
Id like to thank Lorin Tone for the following note samples
Crystal sounds(Chords)
Flutes
French horn

Also used in this piece is
Notes by
Dreaming Pad - Jovica (freesound.org)
Ambiant Drone by DJ Chronos (freesound.org) highly modified and extended by me with audacity.

Victoria's Reviews of 5 Masterpieces from the September UWA 3D Challenge

The September UWA 3D Challenge Submission period is nearing an end. Over 40 artists have submitted their work. There are even some mesh pieces and I was fortunate to have been using a mesh compatible viewer so I could view them (I am using Phoenix Firestorm Beta Mesh V3, by the way).

But first, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a piece dedicated to 9/11. It has now been 10 years since that fateful, woeful day. The world will never forget it. CHUCKMATRIX Clip submitted a piece he calls "You remember exactly where you were..."

I do remember where I was when it happened. I was in school in Economics class.

CHUCKMATRIX currently lives in New York. At the time, he was walking back to his dormitory after getting out of a morning class when he heard about the crashes. He was attending RIT in Rochester, NY.

This was a very personal build to CHUCKMATRIX, since he knew a number of people who were there and who were affected by this terrible catastrophe. "Being from NJ I know many people who were affected by 9/11. One Uncle was supposed to be at the WTC that day for a meeting and by sheer luck the meeting was moved last minute. A second Uncle was on one of the fire crews that was sent to NY to help. And a third Uncle was a triage nurse at one of the hospitals where victims were sent. And a man from my church worked across the street and watched as people jumped from the building to escape the flame. He was never the same again."

He chose to only build the towers with the fire particle effect because he says, "When 90% of America turned on their TV's that morning the first thing they saw was the towers in flames. The footage of the planes slamming into the buildings came later, as did the towers falling. The first thing many people saw that morning was an icon of American power and wealth in flames."

September 11th has affected us all, whether we knew people who died or lost loved ones that day or not. We will always remember and yes we probably all "remember exactly" where we were that day.

And now I'll talk about mesh....

I bet you're curious about the mesh pieces, so I've chosen to review 2 mesh works that I noticed. The first is by mcarp Mavendorf, meshclock3. FreeWee posted pictures of it when she explains about mesh here.




Mesh clock 3 by mcarp Mavendorf

 Pretty cool, right? And this is just part of mcarp's original mesh clock. I got to meet him one night and he showed me the original clock, which he couldn't submit because it exceeded the mesh limit. He also showed me his other clock builds. Mcarp has built over 20 clocks in SL: analog, binary, big clocks, small clocks, a cuckoo clock....and they all come with sound. Mcarp even has a clock in the front garden of the Clock Museum.

Yes, the clock is backless. Why? Mcarp says "to celebrate the machinery". Having seen much of mcarp's clocks I can understand that statement. There are so many gears in a clock and they're always moving and making the clock run smoothly. And in SL, those gears will always work unless you change the script or lag affects the script so that the object won't run properly.

Please do cam to the back, I've always been fascinated by the gears in a clock as well. This is an intriguing, sophisticated, and well-sculpted mesh build.

The next mesh build I examined was Pumpkin Tripsa's Water. This one is a white marble sculpture.
 

Water by Pumpkin Tripsa

 What struck me about this sculpture is the position of the woman's body. To me it is evocative, erotic, sensual. and there is a sense of desperation about it. I sent Pumpkin some questions by notecard and below is what he said:

      It (water) ends up being a little higher prim than a sculpt would be, but the texturing and smoothness are well worth it.
      Water was inspired by some conversations I had with ClairLune Magic about the Linden Water with Windlight we're all surrounded by.  She has a very strong admiration for it and I think it's with good reason.  She mentioned a water nymph bronze piece in Pittsburgh that she thought would be great to bring in to SL. 
   
     I used the general pose of that piece and added my own interpretations.  I think water (the liquid) has a softness and fluidity that are very much analagous to the movements and grace of the female figure.  I tried to talk about this in the sculpture by creating something of a synergy between the water of the base and the figure itself.

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I truly felt that this piece showed the grace and beauty of the female physique. I believe that everyone has their own natural element like earth, fire, water, and air. For me, I think my element is water. And 98% of our body consists of water. This piece really speaks to me about feeling the oneness between body and nature or in this case....oneness with water.

Going to an out-of-this-world build now, we have Razorz's Space Elevator.



Space Elevator by RazorZ



Try to sit in one of the chairs, but just remember to turn off your AO or you won't sit right in the chair. The elevator has avatar radar so it knows who is in range of it. Once you sit in one of the two chairs, you can see up top of the screen that there are four timezones: SLT, New York, Dublin, and Tokyo.

Behind the pilot and co-pilot seats is another sit. Click to sit and press the picture of the little man above your head and you should get a menu from which you can choose a height that you want to go like 4000m or even EARTH.

I was intrigued by this build. It was very detailed and I thought the control panel looked awesome. I asked him what inspired him to build the Space Elevator and he says,

      The inspiration to build my Space Elevator was partly from to rules at a building contest & also from the great Sci-Fi & metal textures from my Organizer.  The rules of the build contest were, the build had to be 5m x 5m, but could be any height!  & no more than 50 prims!   This immediately got me thinking of an Elevator.  As this box shape is typical of any elevator lift & shaft in real world.   & thinking up & down,  any height, lead the train of thought in that direction. So I first made the nice fan you see at the back of the base/control room & its metallic  textures set the tone for the rest of the construction.

So what's the meaning behind his build? He definitely looks at it more as a piece of art than a gadget now.

     As for meaning (referring to the Space Elevator as 1 whole piece of art!), depth & substance, the whole build represents our ability, desire & need to progress, move up, rise.   Strive beyond what we have & the levels we become normalized to!  Phrases like;  ' Reach for the stars ' & ' Moving on up in the world ' ....  spring to mind.!?...  All done in a futuristic style, representing our ability & nature to look to the future & drive to take us to new places & heights..  RL & SL.  Also, our current real life evolutionary state where we are actually exploring the Star, Space & other planets.  And a race is on between scientists throughout the world to make a real life Space Elevator, tethered to a Space Station or the Moon etc..
Following that chain of thoughts & ideas, it will take more meaning to you & make it more enjoyable.

To see more of his work, visit the LEA art sandbox where he has 2 fractal pieces. His work Fractal Jungle is also up for viewing at the UWA submission area.

RazorZ is even working on getting this build on marketplace. If you have time, look him up at marketplace! I know I will, I am curious to see what other builds he has put up for sale there.

Next, a build of fractals caught my eye,  Foxfurneb Crystal Cube by Elize Foxclaw.





Foxfurneb Crystal Cube by Elize Foxclaw

 
It's a colorful, 25 prim build. I think it looks unique and majestic. Look closely and you'll see stars....very celestial wouldn't you say? Or are they stardust? You decide.

I asked Elize about her work and  this is what she said:


        The image is very organic to me and my inspiration comes from many things.  This piece it is based on the Foxfur Nebula and as you might gather from my surname, I like foxes.

       Fractuals are a mathmatical work that involves many things.  I am not sure I can explain why I build with them as I work on an intuitive level and let my imagination go wild.  I like creating the unusual.
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Unusual, yes but in a fantastical good way. She has plans to set up a new gallery in SL soon. Ask her for the location sometime soon, if you would like to see more of her work. She also has a few other builds on display too.

Thanks to all who submitted this month! You rock! I was greatly impressed by all the displays and I wish I could've renewed all the pieces! You artists are amazing! Thank you for all that you do and if you ever want to talk to me about your art, IM me inworld or send me a notecard. I also write for a few inworld publications.
After this month's round, there will be no further challenge rounds. Don't worry though, I'll still be blogging about UWA. Also, I'll start blogging about LEA. I am quite excited about that! One lucky artist gets to have their work featured on the LEA sim....how great is that! October's feature should be colorful, red hot and grand...a depiction of Dante's Inferno by Rebeca Bashley. Interviews will be forthcoming.

Iono Allen Presents: UWA 3D Open Art Challenge Winners (August 2011)

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The original official UWA Machinimatographer returns for a special one-off, presenting 'The Virtual Wild Side', featuring the August Round Winners of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge!

In Iono's Words:

Music: Artistide Despres (Artee), Glyph Graves, Ultraviolet Alter.
Text: Pixels Sideways and Glyph Graves, adapted by Iono Allen and Larkworthy Antfarm (see the text below)
Narrator: Larkworthy Antfarm

Filmed in Seccond Life® at UWA (Sept 2011)

See also: http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/09/artee-goes-back-to-back-oberon-glyph.html

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Artists and Prizes:
1st Prize
PETITE ETUDE SUR OLIVIER MESSIAEN by Artistide Despres

2nd Prize
Phi Designs Prize
OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways

3rd Prize
Pirats Prize
The Workhouse & Art place d-oo-b Prize
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

Best Non-Scripted Prize
Odyssey Prize
BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall

Best Non-Scripted Prize (Joint)
BIRDSONG by Cherry Manga

UTSA Prize
People's Choice Award, 1st Prize
EN EL VIENTO - IN THE WIND by Romy Nayar

SL Art Prize
CARP Prize
Nordan Art Prize
Tornado Gallery
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

BOSL Prize
HAMLET: ALAS POOR YORICK by Nino Vichan

S&S Gallery OFA Prize
DE MOEDER (THE MOTHER) by Wolk Writer

The Peace Prize
Curator's Choice Award
THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight

Project Z Prize
People's Choice Award, 2nd Prize
AERIE by Cherry Manga

Project Z Honourable Mention
YOUCUBED! by Thoth Jantzen and Betty Tureaud

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When you're feeling powerless,
watching dictators, terrorists, politicians,
corporations, greedy bosses, evil landlords,
ignorant celebrities, nosey neighbors,
obnoxious relatives, annoying flatmates,
philandering lovers, misanthropic assholes
and/or natural forces misbehaving,
screwing the world over,
and making a big nasty mess of things,

Don't be sad,
Don't get mad,
and for godness sake, don't do anything bad...

Take a walk on the virtual wild side,
Enjoy these rivers as they rise and fall
as they grow warmer and colder,
creating a virtual symphony,
Each river is a musical instrument,
Each tree is a river,
that throws its shadow in the virtual world...

Enjoy the cross-reality of these forms
which twist and fold like the lines of magnetic forces
that surround the earth

Feel god-like, all powerful,
manipulate world markets,
crush those towers of power,
make them bow at your feet,
eradicate evil
and show the world once and for all,
Who is the boss of you !
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SLanguages 2011 Conference, EduNation 16th-18th Sept 2011

The UWA experience will feature in a special session of the SLanguages Conference 2011, 'Educational Success Stories in Virtual Worlds'. SLanguages  is the 5th annual symposium focusing on language learning in virtual worlds and game-based learning taken place in Second Life.

(FOLLOWING TEXT TAKEN DIRECT FROM THE AVALON LEARNING SITE - WITH THANKS TO HEIKE PHILP/ GWEN GWASI)

DATE & TIME: Sun, 18 Sept 2011  1am SLT | 8am GMT
Your local time: http://tinyurl.com/6c79lhj

LOCATION: SKY CONFERENCE CENTRE, EDUNATION

PANEL DISCUSSION: Educational Success Stories in Virtual Worlds
(with audience participation)

Do you have a success story to tell? Our panelists certainly do. Jay Jay Jegathesan (Jayjay Zifanwe) of the University of Western Australia runs an awesome digital arts exhibitions helping hundreds of students to express their technical expertise and playfulness giving them a rocket start into using virtual worlds. Dr. Undine Frömming [Augenblick Winkler] has received awards and recognition at the University of Berlin for her successful visual and media anthropology class. David Richardson, [Davric Rinkitink] for having taught some 700 students from around the world English and encouraged them to tele-collaborate with Dr. Bryan Carters Metanomics students in New York.

But it is not only success stories that interest us. Sometimes we learn more from failures than from success.
Do YOU also have a success story to tell? Do YOU want to relate an educational story about success AND failure in using virtual worlds?

Panelists
JayJay Zifanwe
Augenblick Winkler
Davric Rinkitink

Bios
Jay Jay Jegathesan [JayJay Zifanwe] is manager of the School of Physics at the University of Western Australia (UWA). He is also the founder of the UWA presence in 3D virtual space (Second Life, Google Earth, etc.). Winner of the 2008 Google Earth ‘Build your Campus in 3D’ Challenge and shortlisted into the top 10 for the 2010 Linden prize, Jay Jay and his team have been driven by expanding the focus on Teaching, Research, Art & Architecture in Virtual Worlds.

Dr. Undine Frömming [Augenblick Winkler] Augenblick is Junior Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. She is the head of the Master Program in Visual and Media Anthropology. contact: fromming[at]zedat.fu-berlin.deHomepage M.A. Program : http://www.master.fu-berlin.de/visual-anthropology/

David Richardson [Davric Rinkitink] is a Junior Lecturer in English at Linnaeus University, based in Kalmar in south-eastern Sweden. He has been teaching English for over thirty years, twenty of which have been spent teaching at Swedish universities, but he has also taught in countries as diverse as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Angola and Trinidad and Tobago. David has been using ICT to deliver courses since 1981 and he currently uses technologies and programs such as Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, Moodle and Second Life on active courses. He was a member of the original Kamimo Islands Project in 2007 (a Norwegian-financed project which has created two educational island environments in Second Life) and has been teaching Linnaeus University’s course in spoken business English there each term since Spring 2008.

LEA FULL SIM & UWA SKY SIM SERIES LINEUP

LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (Poster Credit: Rebeca Bashly)

The LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES, which came to life following the end of the UWA FULL SIM ART SERIES is about to kick off with the displays proper across the months of October 2011 - March 2012.


For this series, each artist/group of artists will have a full 15,000 prim SIM for 1 month from the 1st day of the month, till the last day of the month.  Events will launch when the artists say it is ready!

Following a great application round, we are proud to present the lineup for the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES, which will start on the 1st of October:

TOXX NEWS SITE (PORTUGESE)
LIVING IN A MODEM WORLD

THE LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES

OCT 2011: Rebeca Bashly's 'Inferno', inspired by Dante Aligieri's Divine Comedy, Inferno
NOV 2011: JOINT, Tyrehl Byk's "~(Not-A-Knot)" and The Pink Tutu Ballet Group's 'Forgiving' inspired by Desmond Tutu (Group Members: Marmaduke Arado, Kikas Babenco, Sca Shilova, Cat Shilova, Saveme Oh, Eupalinos Ugajin, Luce Laval & Rose Borchovski)
DEC 2011: Haveit Neox's 'Binary Green' where bots take over the earth
JAN 2012: Artistide Despres 'Research on Musical Instruments'
FEB 2012: Romy Nayar & Ux Hax 'An Interactive History of Life'
MAR 2012: Kicca Igaly and Nessuno Myoo's 'The Labyrinth of Absurdity'

The range of applications was so amazing and strong, that the University of Western Australia (UWA) closed one of their 2 sandboxes, and converted it for use for the UWA SKY SIM SERIES, set up to provide an avenue for some of the other great proposals for the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES. The UWA SKY SIM Series will run parrellel to the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES. The difference is that for the UWA series, 5,000 prims would be available instead of 15, with a SIM-wide platform in the sky being set up:

THE UWA SKY SIM ART SERIES

OCT 2011: jjccc Coronet's organic Peace Sculpture
NOV 2011: Katy Isodoo's 'Mountain' in support  of mental health and wellbeing
DEC 2011: Luna Metamorphia's 'Interactive Zoo of Endangered Species'
JAN 2012:  Asmita Duranjaya, Chapter ChapTer Kronfeld & Louly Loon's 'Between Orient and Occident'
FEB 2012: Giovanna Cerise's 'Cyborg -Nature' where Nature rebels against the thoughtlessness of  man
MAR 2012: Fiona Blaylock's tribute to the poetry of Samuel Coleridge (Kubla Khan, etc.)

Many other wonderful and amazing proposals were received that we hope to be able to showcase sometime.


Full blog posts on each of the projects will be up as they are rolled out.

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UWA Referenced in Vogue Magazine (Italy)

 

The September issue of the Italian Vogue Magazine is carrying an article on Virtual Art that references the University of Western Australia presence in Second Life, as well as that of MOU partners, the University of Texas describing the importance of the involvement of such institutions to this artform.

Bryn Oh's Blog carries a translation of the article, while Rowan Derryth refers to it on Prim Perfect as does the Virtually Real Blog.

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MachinimUWA IV: Bleau Oleander's 'Art of Mind'

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WHAT IS ART?

That is the question Bleau Oleander asks us all to consider as she brings to us 'Art of Mind' for MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists, which unites the powerhouses of virtual worlds, Artists and Machinimatographers!

Entries to the L$300,000 MachinimUWA IV close on the 10th of November and looks for the creation of machinima featuring artworks that are part of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge.
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Meshed and Confused

FROM FREEWEE:

It looks like mesh is here at last and for those who know how to make them and those who have a viewer to see them, this is pretty exciting stuff. I don't need to go into details about what mesh is all about (especially since I haven't actually made one yet myself). There's some moderately useful information on the SL Wiki. Our first mesh entry is Mcarp Mavendorf's amazing new clock. Here's what it looks like in Phoenix or SL V.2:

And here it is in SL Viewer 3:
There are some other detail shots on my Picasa site.

For the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge, it represents, well, a challenge. There are a couple of essential impacts:

• "Normal" prims can now be legally created up to 64 meters in any dimension.
• Mesh objects are being charged a prim surcharge according to how complex they are and how large they are.

We have never had a size limit for entries at UWA and don't plan to start now. We've always allowed megaprims and large installations. If anything does not fit comfortably on the gallery platform itself, we are happy to accommodate them on another platform with appropriate TP devices. The new ability to make large prims can only be a good thing since we are no longer limited to available megas from the black market.

The surcharge on meshes is more difficult. The prim limit at UWA has always been published as 100, though it's widely known that we will allow an overage up to a hard maximum of 110. With an average of roughly 70 entries a month, each potentially using up to 110 prims, we still have a fairly comfortable margin on the sim, even with the gallery platform and the UWA campus buildings below. (It's remarkable how many entries come in within a prim or two of the maximum.) The SL "Prim Equivalent" (PE) surcharge, however, can add significantly to the total prim cost against the fixed sim allotment. A single mesh prim can use a couple hundred PEs just by scaling it larger.

Just because SL has decided to charge more for meshes doesn't mean we have to put undue limits on your creativity. So we made an arbitrary but reasonable decision that should encourage the use of meshes without bankrupting the sim. For the final 2 rounds of the Challenge (September and October), the base prim limit is unchanged. You can still submit objects of whatever kind up to 110 prims. For meshes, we are allowing up to double that in PEs. You may not excede 110 prims, but you may go up to 220 PEs.

If you are working in meshes, you'll understand what this means. For those who are not, please understand that this is not an unfair advantage for mesh users. We are simply treating meshes (for purposes of the Art Challenges) no differently from ordinary prims or sculpts, up to a limit that will not adversely impact the sim capacity. We are already getting some exciting new work and I encourage you all to check it out.

SL UWA Photo Success Hits RL Newspapers

The Joondalup Weekender newspaper carries a story about  the Second Life photo of the University of Western Australia's iconic clocktower, 'Reflections of Winthrop', being selected to be one of the main images for the UWA Friends of the Grounds calendar for 2012. This breakthrough photo was taken by Jay Jay Jegathesan (SL: Jayjay Zifanwe), Manager of UWA's School of Physics.

Completing the controversially successful showing of SL images in the UWA Friends of the Grounds Photo competition, a predominantly RL challenge, was the fact that a 2nd photo, by Silene Christen (of Spain's Balears Islands) was selected as an inset image for the calendar. L$25,000 had been on offer to anyone who succeeded in taking an SL image into the calendar, and as such Silene will take home L$12,500, while Jay Jay's portion will be used to purchase a number of these calendars to be used as prizes for the Grand Finale of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge and MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists to be announced in November 2012.

240 entries were received for this competition which saw entries from Perth, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangkalan, the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the United States. Rachel Craven, representing the selection committee said of the photos from the virtual world, 'The images confounded the judges, stretching their view of the Grounds beyond reality, beyond photography – though a couple slipped into the short list before non-reality hit!'

Anyone interested in purchasing the calendar can do so at the UWA Visitor's Centre, the University Club, or by downloading the form off the Office of Development and Alumni Relations Website.

FULL REPORT AND IMAGES HERE
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ARTEE GOES BACK TO BACK, OBERON & GLYPH SHARE 7: WINNERS OF THE UWA 3D OPEN ART CHALLENGE (AUGUST)

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With Artistide Despres tribute to Olivier Messiaen (Petite etude sur Olivier Messiaen) taking the top prize of L$10,000 for the month of August, Artee becomes the only person still in Second Life to have won a UWA monthly challenge back to back! The biggest winners on the night however in terms of prize money are two stalwarts of virtual arts, Oberon Onmura & Glyph Graves, who between them won 7 awards and L$35,000. Oberon, with 'The Chasm' and Glyph with 'Excerpts from Realities' took 3 groups awards each, qualifying direct for the Grand Finale. Oberon also took the 3rd overall prize. Another champion of old, Eliza Wierwight also gained direct qualification to the Grand Finale by taking the 'Peace Prize' and the Curator's Choice Award, with her Dali & Westwood inspired creation, 'The Abandoned Daughter'. The 2nd Overall prize was won by a first timer to the UWA challenges, but a veteran of the art world, Pixels Sideways, who also took the Phi Designs Prize. In the Non-Scripted category, there was a tie yet again with Harter Fall's 'Behind Columns' deadlocked with Cherry Manga's 'Birdsong'. Harter also took People's Choice Award just ahead of Cherry's other work, 'Aerie'.

COMPLETE PHOTO ARCHIVE OF AUGUST ENTRIES

Quan's Travelogues on the August Round
PRIM PERFECT Blog on August Winners
JAPANESE BLOGGER TEMI SIRBU AUGUST ROUND WORKS (Glyph Graves)
JAPANESE BLOGGER TEMI SIRBU ON AUGUST PART II (Harter Fall)
JAPANESE BLOGGER TEMI SIRBU ON AUGUST PART III (Haveit Neox, Kicca Igaly, Oberon Onmura)
JAPANESE BLOGGER TEMI SIRBU ON AUGUST PART IV (Silene Christen & Pixels Sideways)
Apmel Goosson on the August Round Winners
Nordan Art Blog on August
TOXX News on August Winners
Guest Blogger Rowan Derryth on the August Round
Silene Christen on her August Round Work
Apmel Goosson on the August Round Works
Guest Blogger Victoria Lennoire on the August Round Works


FULL RESULTS FOLLOW AND THE TEXT OF THE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT IS REPRODUCED BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY

WINNERS OF THE AUGUST ROUND OF THE UWA 3D OPEN ART CHALLENGE

1st Prize: (L$10,000)
PETITE ETUDE SUR OLIVIER MESSIAEN by Artistide Despres


"I feel very honored with this prize. I need to thanks some people: Glyph Graves (i met him 3 years ago at Caerleon) who told me to be careful with the sims resources. Pixels Sideways who made it possible for me to stay in that wonderful Caerleon artist collective where i learned it.
Georg Janick who gave us a theoretical push. And many other good people that are devoted to creation on this small changing world." Artistide Despres

2nd Prize : ( L$7,500)
OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways



"I'm thrilled to have been honored by these awards -- stunned, really -- and I hope my work and the work of all the artists in SL inspires people to to try their hand at building and creating art and having fun and a sense of humor. :-)" Pixels Sideways

3rd Prize: (L$5,000)
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

"My experiments with bot pieces explore deep feelings - something I'm not comfortable with myself. The amazing responses to these works give me real encouragement to continue that exploration. I want to thank everyone for these wonderful awards!" Oberon Onmura

Best Non-Scripted Prize (JOINT) : (@L$2,500)
BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall

"The goal with my pieces was to surprise the viewer , preferably at second glance. I am very pleased that my work gained recognition. I want to thank all the jurors and the UWA and Oddyssey team, as well all the visitors and supporters of the UWA competition." Harter Fall

BIRDSONG by Cherry Manga

"Thanks a lot for this prize, I am very honoured." Cherry Manga

SPECIAL PRIZE - RL/SL PHOTO COMPETITION (L$12,500)
BUSINESS SCHOOL by Silene Christen


"Really it was very important that something from SL was taken in account in RL, it means we are doing something important and that in future, virtual media will be a common way to express and comunicate. and to be one of the winners it has been very important for me and also a honour. Thanks to UWA, SL and RL :)))" Silene Christen

UTSA Prize: (L$5,000)
EN EL VIENTO - IN THE WIND by Romy Nayar

" I am grateful to UTSA for awarding me the prize. And I'm very happy that they like it" Romy Nayar

SL Art Prize: (L$5,000)
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

"Am very pleased to have been awarded these prize and hope it takes us one step further to the merginging of rl and virtual" Glyph Graves

Odyssey Prize: (L$5,000)
BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall

"The goal with my pieces was to surprise the viewer , preferably at second glance. I am very pleased that my work gained recognition. I want to thank all the jurors and the UWA and Oddyssey team, as well all the visitors and supporters of the UWA competition." Harter Fall

Pirats Prize: (L$5,000)
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

"My experiments with bot pieces explore deep feelings - something I'm not comfortable with myself. The amazing responses to these works give me real encouragement to continue that exploration. I want to thank everyone for these wonderful awards!" Oberon Onmura

CARP Prize: (L$5,000)
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

"Am very pleased to have been awarded these prize and hope it takes us one step further to the merginging of rl and virtual" Glyph Graves

Nordan Art Prize: (L$5,000)
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura


"My experiments with bot pieces explore deep feelings - something I'm not comfortable with myself. The amazing responses to these works give me real encouragement to continue that exploration. I want to thank everyone for these wonderful awards!" Oberon Onmura

BOSL Prize: (L$5,000)
HAMLET: ALAS POOR YORICK by Nino Vichan

S&S Gallery OFA Prize (L$5,000)
DE MOEDER (THE MOTHER) by Wolk Writer

THE PEACE PRIZE (L$5,000)
THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight

"How wonderful to be reasonably competent at something. Thank you for both prizes & congratulations to UWA & Co for keeping it all out there." Eliza Wierwight

Tornado Gallery (L$5,000)
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

"Am very pleased to have been awarded these prize and hope it takes us one step further to the merginging of rl and virtual" Glyph Graves

The Workhouse & Art place d-oo-b Prize (L$5,000)
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura


"My experiments with bot pieces explore deep feelings - something I'm not comfortable with myself. The amazing responses to these works give me real encouragement to continue that exploration. I want to thank everyone for these wonderful awards!" Oberon Onmura

Phi Designs Prize (L$5,000)
OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways

"I'm thrilled to have been honored by these awards -- stunned, really -- and I hope my work and the work of all the artists in SL inspires people to to try their hand at building and creating art and having fun and a sense of humor. :-)" Pixels Sideways

project Z Prize: (L$5,000)
AERIE by Cherry Manga

"Thanks a lot for this prize, I am very honoured." Cherry Manga

project Z Honourable Mention: (L$2,500)
YOUCUBED! by Thoth Jantzen and Betty Tureaud

"Thanks to Zachh and Project Z....but it's all Betty's fault; her video really makes the work come alive!" Thoth Jantzen

Curator's Choice Award (L$5,000):
THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight

"How wonderful to be reasonably competent at something. Thank you for both prizes & congratulations to UWA & Co for keeping it all out there." Eliza Wierwight

People's Choice Award, 1st Prize: (L$2,500)
Romy Nayar - En el Viento- In the Wind

"Thank you very much, I 'm honored .I am very happy that people visiting the exhibition UWA has voted for me." Romy Nayar

People's Choice Award, 2nd Prize: (L$1,000)
AERIE by Cherry Manga

"Thanks a lot for this prize, I am very honoured." Cherry Manga

For anyone interested in seeing the full text of the announcement by Jayjay Zifanwe, delivered from 6am slt on SUNDAY, 4th SEPTEMBER, it is reproduced as follows:

Greetings everyone, and welcome to the University of Western Australia, or UWA as she is known and also welcome to the AUGUST round announcement of winners and party for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. As is tradition at UWA, I would like to acknowledge that the University is situated on Nyoongar land and that the Nyoongar people remain the spiritual and cultural custodians of their land and continue to uphold their values, languages, beliefs and knowledge.

This is the 10th of 12 monthly rounds for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. The Grand Finale runs across the month of September! The first thing I would like to do is to thank and acknowledge the major art houses and groups in Second Life that are part of this Grand Collaboration. These include The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) led by Dr Carmen Fies, SL Art led by Gleman Jun & Sunset Quinnel, CARP led by Josina Burgess & Velazquez Bonetto, Pirats Art Network led by Merlina Rokocoko & Newbab Zsigmond, Odyssey led by Fau Ferdinand, Jo Ellsmere & Lizsolo Mathilde, BOSL led by Frolic Mills and Editorial Clarity, Nordan Art led by Flora Nordanskiold, S&S Gallery of Fine Art led by TheDove Rhode, The Workhouse Gallery led by Astarte Haalan, Art Place d-oo-b led by Eifachfilm Vacirca, The Tornado Gallery led by Taralyn Gravois, project Z led by Zachh Cale and UWA with Professor Ted Snell, Chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts as Chair of the UWA judging panel.

UWA would also like to acknowledge fellow sponsors, MidnightRain Glas, Philip Vought, Bohemian Ghost, Patch Thibaud and Aino Baar of Open This End.

62 entries were received for the AUGUST round, spread out across this sim-wide 'Living Gallery'! As always, I love seeing new artists (to the UWA Challenges), and in the AUGUST round we welcomed Blunt Fhang, Lenore666 Loire, Pixels Sideways and Romy Nayar, and welcomed back old stalwarts from the original UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge, Ichiko Miles, Glyph Graves and Eliza Wierwight!

We have been through 22 monthly rounds since all this started in August 2009 and more than 400 artists have been involved. October brings the magic number 24, which will see the final monthly round.

This L$1,400,000 challenge will see more than L$100,000 being distributed each month, with the Grand Prize winner at the end of it all walking away with L$100,000 also. The many contributions coming in from everyone through the little donations receiver will this year be put towards special prizes, including the Curator's Choice Award.

It is important to me to also acknowledge everyone who did contribute over the month towards prizes across the year and the Grand Finale. Thank you Toughlove Sabra, Miso Susanowa, kathee Gibbs, Tommi Runo, Thoth Jantzen, Bellaluna Artful, Aislinn Wildrose, Milly Sharple, Elize Foxclaw, Medora Chevalier, AlexandraForestier, Lollito Larkham, Oberon Onmura, Kamalin Bailey, Ichiko Miles, Roger Whitefalcon, Gumby Roffo and Artemis Felwitch.

As always I acknowledge the international connections made through SL, and up to now, the various challenges have seen artists, builders and machinimatographers hailing from India, Colombia, Poland, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, Taiwan, Hungary, Latvia, Russia, Venezuela, Belgium, Mexico, Wales, Canada, the USA, the UK, Uruguay, Scotland,England, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Cuba, Serbia, Tunisia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. More than 40 nations with 6 of the 7 continents of the world represented.

At this point I would like for all of you to help me acknowledge the amazing work required to keep all of this going. Curator of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge & Creator of gallery ....... FreeWee Ling.

Do check out the amazing photo gallery she has put together over the months https://picasaweb.google.com/freeweel

As always many things happened since the last announcements.

We had our wonderful official machinimatographer back, Yesikita Coppola to present the Machinima for the July Round winners:
http://vimeo.com/27836078

But there is sad news too, mixed with better news.... Unfortunately, Yesikita will not be able to do the August round and there is uncertainty surrounding the future because of circumstances beyond out control. What is good news though is that for the August Round, we will have the original stalwart of UWA, Iono Allen back at the helm!

The amazing artworks have provided the perfect material for the L$300,000 MachininUWA IV: Art of the Artists. The most recent submissions for this have come from defending champion Tutsy Navarathna and Bleu Oleander! The challenge here is to create a machinima that features some (or one) of the artworks submitted to the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. You can choose to film as many (or as few) as you like, and you may submit any number of entries. The theme is wide open, only the subject matter is fixed in that it must have been exhibited at some point for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. This is a tribute to all of you, the wonderful 3D artists who have created all the masterful works that surround you now. This closes on the 10th of November, so do encourage any colleagues of yours who create machinima to work with you and your creations.
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/06/journey-continues-machinimuwa-iv-art-of.html

The 14th of August was the UWA Open Day in RL, and for the first time I gave an open public talk for visitors to the campus about the UWA journey through Second Life. For all the audience except one or two, it was the first time they saw SL. Really happy with how it went and Perth based Pieter Kaan (Seamus Hammerthall: SL) made the trip to UWA to listen to the talk in person. He has been kind enough to provide the following review of the talk:
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-of-public-talk-uwa-on-14th.html

Professor Wade Halvorson, UWA's most published author with all matters Second Life had another 2 articles in academic periodicals, this time in the Journal of Marketing Education and the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. You can find out more here:
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/08/uwa-professors-sl-article-in-journal-of.html

Also former Director of the UWA International Centre, Dr Bruce Mackintosh is leading a team of academics in Australia in the writing of a book called "Making a difference: Australian International Education" , due out in october 2011. I was quite thrilled to be contacted by him and asked to provide a number of photos from Second Life showcasing Australian Education efforts in the virtual world! 2 Photos that I took will be appearing in the book. One of them featuring Galea Yates, and the other featuring Angharad Catteneo, aztec Fenstalker and myself.

Staying on the topic of photos, with the UWA RL/SL Photo Comp ( UWA Friends of the Grounds Photo Comp) where 12 photos were selected from over 250 plus entries and more than 60 entries from Second Life, very happy to anounce that the calendar itself has been launched, and that the winner of L$12,500 for getting a photo from SL into the calendar has been won by Silene Christen. A copy of the calendar is also being posted to her. I have mentioned before that the other image to be featured as one of the main monthly images for the 2012 calendar was taken by me, and its a photo called 'Reflections of Winthrop'. The images were selected by a committee of 5 including 3 professional photographers and committee members of the UWA Friends of the Grounds society, and the selections were done by a blind selection where the judges could only see the photos and not who took them. Anyway, I can't accept the other half of the L$12,500, so will put that towards buying the calendars to use as prizes for the winners of the Grand Finale for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge and MachinimUWA IV. If you are interested in seeing the SL photos and also the RL photos which will feature in the calendar, they are all on the UWA blog, here:
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/09/second-life-photos-selected-for-real.html

Another exciting development is that 2 members from TROVE, an online interactive creative arts journal created for, by and with students at UWA have joined the UWA judging panel taking the place vacated by Jon-Barret Lennard, former curator of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery who has just retired.
http://www.trove.arts.uwa.edu.au/

For August we have an additional Group Prize of L$5,000 established, THE PEACE PRIZE, provided in a personal capacity by TheDove Rhode, this on top of the S&S Gallery of Fine Art Prize. Thank you Dove!

As I said previously, the October Round will be the final monthly round of the art challenges at UWA. There won't be monthly art challenges at UWA once the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge draws to a close. HOWEVER, this DOES NOT mean that its the end of art at UWA. The art gallery will remain, and revert to how galleries normally operate, and FreeWee Ling will continue as curator.

The only thing ending is MONTHLY art challenges. There will be a major art challenge probably in the middle of 2012, and MachinimUWA V will also be run in 2012. Both will have a theme and will be relatively open but loosely tied to UWA's centenary in RL as she is 100 years old. So everything remains the same at UWA, Teaching, Research, Architecture and Art in general. The only change will be that there will no longer be a monthly art challenge.

The month of August also saw the end of the UWA FULL SIM ART SERIES, and what a spectacular end it turned out to be. We has a trinity of works to bring the series to a close. Chuckmatrix Clip's 'Immanentize The Eschaton', Silene Christen's 'Childhood' and June Clavenham's 'Choices' . With the end of the series also came the end of UWA Virtlantis, which means that the UWA presence now comprises of 4 SIMS. The series had a wonderful 'life' and I thank all the other artists who made it what it was, Betty Tureaud's with 'Art Planet', Blue Tsuki's 'Vessel', Cherry Manga, Anley Piers & Elfe Imako's 'Other World', soror Nishi's 'Transubstantiation', Wizard 'Wizzy' Gynoid's 'The Art of Wizard Gynoid', FreeWee Ling's 'Angry Gods' and The Artists of AEONIA's 'Ant Vegas: Migr-Ants'. Full links are here:
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/08/end.html

BUT.... as one door closes, another opens...

The day following the announcement of the end of the UWA FULL SIM ART SERIES, serendipity chose for the birth of the Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) FULL SIM ART SERIES. Indeed were it not for the UWA full sim art series, the LEA series would not have arisen in this way, and further, if not for the death of the same series, the Phoenix would not have risen here either. This truly was the end of one age, and the beginning of another! So anyway.... if you might want to have a full sim art creation of your own..... applications for the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES close on the 10th of September!
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/08/lea-full-sim-art-series-come-to-life.html

I would like to acknowledge the members of the UWA judging panel. On the panel, apart from the new members from TROVE were:
1. Professor Ted Snell (RL) - Director, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia
2. Raphaella Nightfire (SL) - Snr Writer Best of SL Magazine, Owner Sanctorum Gallery
3. Len Zuks (RL) - Award Winning West Australian Sculpturist
4. FreeWee Ling (SL) - Curator, UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
5. Laetitia Wilson (RL) - Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, UWA
6. Lyn DiCiero (RL) - Editor, WA Artist's Chronicle
7. And coffee machine champion ...... Yours Truly

Those who followed procedings last year would know that for the Grand Finale, the panel expands to include many SL Art personalities, and for this new challenge, the expanded panel will include:

1. Sasun Steinbeck - Creator of the Art Galleries of SL list at http://sasun.info/ArtGalleriesofSL.aspx
2. Tayzia Abattoir (SL) Owner of The Oldest Virtual World Art Museum in SL, curator of the Aho Museum & Arts Simulacra on the NMC Campus and Relay For LIfe of SL Event Chair
3. Lumiere Noir (SL) - Creator of the Ivory Tower Library of Primitives
4. Dr. Phylis Johnson (RL) - Media Professor, Southern Illinois Uinversity, Author - Machinima: Aesthetics and Practice (a.k.a, Sonicity Fitzroy, SL Virtual Journalist)
5. Rowan Derryth (SL) - Art & Design Historian; Writer for Prim Perfect Publications
6. Persia Bravin (SL) - Journalist and Media Producer (SL newspapers, magazines, radio and television)
7 Dr Carmen Fies (RL) - Second Life Lead: University of Texas San Antonio & UTSA Artspace
8. Apollo Manga (SL) - examiner.com Writer & Novelist

9. Jordan Whitt (SL) - Editor in Chief, ICON Lifestyle Magazine
10. Mariposa Upshaw (SL) - Curator - Ventura Art & Jardine; Officer, Arts Council of Second Life
11. Saffia Widdershins (SL) - Owner and Editor of Prim Perfect Publications
12. Phillip Vought (SL) - Art Philanthropist & Founding Patron of UWA-BOSL Amphitheatre
13. Bohemian Ghost (SL) - Art Philanthropist & Owner of Summerland Estates
14. Ally Aeon (SL) - Founder Aeonia Artist Group, creator/owner of the art region Aeonia
15. Aino Baar (SL) - Owner of the Open This End Group

Now for the winners. The winners will be announced in 1 minute intervals. We invite everyone to comment and congratulate the winners and for the winners to respond before the next announcement (and if they could please use the SHOUT function). Also prizes will be given immediately following the announcements, so if you have won, please do stay till the end of the announcements.

First the People's Choice Awards. For this, I always start off by thanking GeeJAnn Blackadder, who created this wonderful voting system for us. Its been working a treat since being set up, and greatly assists in the running of the People's Choice!

The People's Choice Award, where all of SL is invited to vote, carries a 1st ($L2,500) and a 2nd prize ($L1,000). Another very strong and active round!

For the PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD, 2nd prize (L$1,000) goes to:
AERIE by Cherry Manga

AND, the winner of the AUGUST PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD (L$2,500) is:
EN EL VIENTO (IN THE WIND) by Romy Nayar

Very strong in the voting for the People's Choice Award (and in no particular order) were: Thoth Jantzen and Betty Tureaud, Aloisio Congrejo, Artistide Despres, Oberon Onmura, Romy Nayar, Glyph Graves and Pixels Sideways.

THIRTEEN Art Group Prizes of L$5,000 each have been awarded by the various judging panels for the AUGUST Round of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge:

The Odyssey Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Fau Ferdinand, Joe Ellsmere & Lizsolo Mathilde goes to
BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall

The SL Art Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Gleman Jun & Sunset Quinnell goes to:
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

The UTSA Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Dr Carmen Fies goes to:
EN EL VIENTO - IN THE WIND by Romy Nayar

The CARP Prize (L$5,000) whose focus is on scripting with a panel led by Velasquez Bonnetto & Josina Burgess goes to:
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

A 2nd group prize for this work, meaning it goes directly to the Grand Finale!

Said the panel, "This month the high level again was a festival for the eyes. CARP voted for Glyph Graves and his " Exerpts from Realites". A work that really is of the Highest Level in scripting. The technique to use internet and the ACE sattelite to fold the elements and shifts is really greatly done and we are impressed by the way he used beautiful sculpties as well to build the elements. Also the way the colours are used is well done, The whole looks like its out of nature (like fruit or vegetables) still also very alien. Also the interacting is super. Great work of a very high standard."

Next the joint Workhouse & Art Place d-o-o-b Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Astarte Haalan and Elfachfilm Vacirca goes to:
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

The judges explained, "Can our visions and nightmares truly be embodied in a virtual world? Can a work of art bridge the divide that separates the real and the virtual and the imaginary? We’ve all had the dream of walking and not getting anywhere, striving and not succeeding, trying our hardest to claw our way to the top of the hill and never getting there. All of us also know what it feels like to be an avatar in a dreamlike universe. How can a phantasm represent both our aspirations and our disappointments? These questions, these qualities, these emotions; the division of the real and the imaginary, desire and frustration, and also their unity, are captured eloquently and concisely in Oberon Onmura's 'The Chasm'

The BOSL Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Frolic Mills & Editorial Clarity goes to:
HAMLET: ALAS POOR YORICK by Nino Vichan

Said the BOSL Chair, "To walk into Nino´s art work is to discover a masterpiece of virtual aesthetics rarely seen on the grid. Just beautiful!!"

The Nordan Art Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Flora Nordenskiold goes to:
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

And with this Oberon joins Glyph in the Grand Finale with a 2nd Group award!

Commenting on the work, the panel saidl, "Oberon Onmura's work "The Chasm" consists of two figures on two slanted surfaces. The surfaces are divided by a cleft, within which there are two cylinder shaped forms placed horizontally joining the two surfaces. The two figures, neither male nor female, appear to be moving towards the cleft. Standing in front of this work, there is an immediate sense of struggle; it appears the two figures are trying to crawl uphill towards each other, perhaps in an attempt to join and bridge the gap. One is soon overcome by the frustration of this unsuccessful attempt; the figures will never join. Oberon's work stands out to Nordan Art because he is able to symbolically represent with this work the ongoing struggle of division."

The Pirats Prize: (L$5,000) with a panel led by Merlina Rokocoko & Newbab Zsigmond goes to:
THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

A 3rd Group Award for Oberon's work! This is only the 3rd time that an artwork has taken 3 Group awards, the others being Typote Beck's 'THE SUPERHEROES BREAKFAST' and 'DIGITAL GLOVE' by Misprint Thursday

The Tornado Gallery Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Taralyn Gravois goes to:
EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves

Can you believe it... both Oberon and Glyph win 3 group awards in the same month! They were some of the first artists I met in Second Life in the very first round of the original UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge.

The S&S Gallery OFA Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by TheDove Rhode goes to:
DER MOEDER (THE MOTHER) by Wolk Writer

Said the panel, " We found this art enrty to reflect the potential presentation and undertones of heartful symbols and movements. Softened by the concept of nurturing. With sincere congratulations from The S&S Gallery Of FIne SL ART. Bravo Wolk Writer "

The project Z Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Zachh Cale goes to:
AN ARTIST TO BE NAMED LATER ... because there is an honourable mention winner as well for the Project Z Prize

and so, the project Z Honourable Mention (L$2,500) goes to
YOUCUBED! by Thoth Jantzen and Betty Tureaud

and the project Z Prize (L$5,000) goes to:
AERIE by Cherry Manga

The Phi Designs Prize (L$5,000) with a panel led by Ginger Alsop goes to:
OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways

Now the the newly established Peace Prize, a special award provided by TheDove Rhode in a personal capacity. The inaugural winner of The Peace Prize (L$5,000) is:
THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight

Said Dove, "With symbolized interpretations, colors, emotional confliting desires, woven with textures and some genuine techniques...we are entertained by the positive and negative draw to this....Dali & Vivienne content... Complex and bold, Delightful and outstanding creative art entry"

Next, the Curator's Choice award is chosen by FreeWee Ling:

In FreeWee's words:
"There are a few artists who I always look forward to with great eagerness. They are meticulous in their constructions, uniquely creative in their ideas, and above all are deeply thoughtful about every aspect of their work. This month's Curator's Choice recipient is one of these. Her piece simply astonished me. When I first saw it I studied it for an hour or so, delighting in discovering one detail after another. If you want to see how to create something that is beautiful, thought-provoking, and maybe even a little disturbing, you would do very well to study this piece."

The AUGUST Curator's Choice Award (L$5,000) goes to:
THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight

And thus we have another. THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER with the Curator's Choice + a Group Award goes straight to the Grand Finale !

Now for the Best Non-Scripted entry. The AUGUST round was remarkable in its quality and number of non-scripted works. There was a very very close battle at the top, and many other pieces with strong showings. Anyway, the AUGUST winner of the Best Non-Scripted Entry is:

BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall

mesmerisingly simple and so captivating!

This category however as there is only 1 prize awarded specifically for non-scripted works has drawn the greatest number of joint awards... and so it should be no surprise that there is a joint winner, and a prize of L$2,500 will be awarded to each

And so the joint winner of the Best Non-Scripted Entry for AUGUST (@L$2,500) is:

BIRDSONG by Cherry Manga

Now for the top 3 Prizes. All of these works will go straight to the Grand Finale round. 3 works are already through to the Grand Finale based on the outcome of the Group selections. Once more... very hard for the panel, as at least 6 works came very close to the top 3, and the panel fought it out this time and managed to avoid giving joint awards.

3rd Prize for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge for AUGUST goes to:

THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura

Congrats Oberon. This is the 4th award for Oberon this month along with the Pirats Prize, the Nordan Art Prize and The Workhouse & Art place d-oo-b Prize making the total award for the month L$20,000

Moving on, 2nd Prize for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge for AUGUST is:

OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways

First time ever in the UWA Challenges and almost swipes top spot! Not the mention a Group Award!

This piece coincidently is the winner of the unofficial 'Galleri Villa Apmel Award' or at least thats what the google translator says it is in English from Swedish!

Now to the winner of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge for AUGUST, following in the footsteps of past champions Snubnose Genopeak, Glyph Graves, Atomic Gaffer, Fuschia Nightfire/Flivelwitz Alsop, Julez Odigaunt, FreeWee Ling, Bryn Oh, Nish Mip, Josina Burgess, Cherry Manga, Igor Ballyhoo, Suzanne Graves, Lea Supermarine/Jarapanda Snook, Ginger Alsop, Gleman Jun, Dusty Canning, L1aura Loire, Emilin Nakamori and Artistide Despres.

A remarkable piece that brings to us all the magic of Second Life, it is with great pleasure that we announce that the Winner of 1st Prize (L$10,000) for the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge for AUGUST 2011 is:

PETITE ETUDE SUR OLIVIER MESSIAEN by Artistide 'Artee' Despres

And so.... Artistide is the only person still in Second Life to win the 1st Prize back to back! The only other person who has ever done this is Igor Ballyhoo. Bryn Oh is another who has won it twice, with Nish Mip being the only 3 time overall monthly winner.