Winners of the 5th UWA Artists' Choice 3D Art Challenge on the theme "Water" were announced this morning in the specially created sim-wide gallery space. Taralyn Gravois performed emcee duties as usual.
Coming in First Place was an installation by Hypatia Pickens based on the the peculiar words and images from a mysterious indecipherable medieval manuscript.
In Second Place was Secret's evocative connection between the sea and the womb, which clearly resonated with a lot of people.
Third Place went to the entry by Lilia Artis. Several people noted that Lilia's piece was not obvious and warranted close examination. For others it was a clear and brilliant evocation of the irony of a planet covered in water while people are starving for lack of water.
The show had nearly 1500 unique visitors over the month, resulting in a dramatic increase in participation in the People's Choice award voting. Coming out on top was Finn Lanzius's dramatic immersive sunset on the beach.
The complete photo archive of the Water show can be seen on FreeWee's Picasa site.
Following is the full transcript of the presentation ceremony:
Welcome to the fifth edition of the UWA Artists' Choice Awards!
As is tradition at the University of Western Australia, we 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.
Before we announce the winners, FreeWee would like me to remind you that this amazing WATER show is closing today. Do please take a last tour ASAP. The water surface has been temporarily frozen for the awards ceremony. Soon as we're done you'll be able to sail around and go down to explore the undersea mermaid grotto if you wish.
The exhibition catalogues for each of the Artsts' Choice challenges are being published in the online journal "UWA Studies in Virtual Arts." The current "WATER" show will be added to the previous four editions that covered the "3D Self Portraits," "Perfume," "Music", and "Air" shows earlier this year. This latest edition is lacking only the announcement of the Winners and should be published very soon. It and the earlier editions can be found at this link: http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/p/uwa-siva.html
FreeWee has published the complete photo archive (181 images) of "WATER" at: http://goo.gl/GEFKA
FreeWee also urges you to submit your work for the next show on the theme: "FIRE". Deadline for submissions is TODAY at 6PM SLT. She is working hard on the gallery for FIRE, but the show seems prone to.. accidents..
Looking ahead, start working on your submissions for the show to follow FIRE as we finish the series of elemental themes in November with EARTH. And finally in December we will finish out the year with a theme called "TRIPTYCH." Details on both EARTH and TRIPTYCH will be announced very soon.
The UWA Artists' Choice challenges are designed to inspire and support the work of artists. The key difference from earlier challenges is that the main awards are determined entirely by the votes of the participating artists and sponsors themselves. It's a special honor to be acknowledged by our colleagues. Who knows art better than they?
We received 19 amazing entries for the WATER theme by 17 artists.
L$15,000 was donated by our sponsors this month. Clearly, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous support of UWA in SL, and most especially the imagination and vision of JayJay Zifanwe.
We also express our deepest gratitude to the other sponsors for this event. We are especially delighted to welcome back our long lost friend Flora Nordenskiold and NordanArt.
Other sponsors this month include:
Armany Thursday and Dyce Underwood for DNA Art and Music Fusion
Ginger Alsop and Phi Designs (now Phi Clothing Designs with a brand new store!).
and special donations by anonymous donors.
Anyone wishing to support future challenges, please contact FreeWee Ling.
Now to the awards. Choosing "Water" for the September theme was inspired by the idea of having four related shows based on the alchemical "elements' of air, water, fire, and earth. The interpretations of "water" have been diverse as usual. We were really expecting a few watercraft. But our artists showed us once again that they are not the kind to create the obvious.
The Water show was a featured site in the SL Destination Guide. We have hosted nearly 1500 unique visitors in the past few weeks. One result is a near tripling of votes cast for the People's Choice awards over the previous month.
The voting was clear, with nearly 20 points separating the winner from its closest competitor.
The People's Choice Award (L$2000) for UWA Artists' Choice WATER goes to:
EVENING SHORE: A LIVING PAINTING by Finn Lanzius
Rounding out the top five were: both entries by Krystali Rabeni, the the entries by Lilia Artis and Barry RIchez.
Next we go to the Non-scripted Award. This was determined by the highest ranking in regular voting for a piece that is non-scripted.
The Non-Scripted Award for WATER goes to:
NOBODY!
That's right, but it's not because of a tie. This may be the first round ever in which we had NO unscripted entries. So the unscripted prize will not be presented this time.
So we go directly to the top three overall awards.
Because of FreeWee's peculiar position, she has again decided to withdraw her entries from consideration for a prize. She thanks all who voted for her and is pleased to have been able to participate in this show.
The voting was diverse. Several entries receive many votes, but were not top ranked. Only one point separated the top entry from Second place, and only 2 points between the Third and fourth place.
The Third Place Award (L$3000) goes to:
THIRST by Lilia Artis
Several people noted that Lilia's piece was not obvious and warranted close examination. Some thought it was difficult to understand, while other found it intriguing. In either case it at least made people stop and think.
The Second Place Award (L$5000) goes to:
THE WATERS OF LIFE by Secret Rage
Secret's evocative connection between the sea and the womb clearly resonated with a lot of people. Her piece received many individual votes, but was not ranked at the top in the voting, and so she misses the top prize by only one point.
Which brings us to the First Place award.
The First Place Award (L$7000) for WATER goes to:
THE BATHING LADIES OF VOYNICH by Hypatia Pickens
Our congratulations to Hypatia! Her rendering of the peculiar words and images from a mysterious indecipherable medieval manuscript was a clear favorite,
Other artists who ranked strongly in the voting, in no particular order, included Barry Richez's KOI; Dusty Canning's ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT; Finn Lanzius's EVENING SHORE; and Corcosman Voom's BIG FISH.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all who participated in a great show! Please take a final look around before you leave today. The WATER show will all be gone soon to make room for the FIRE show, opening soon. Thank you all for coming! Have a great day!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Pearl of Wisdom
Machinimist Friday Siamendes has created a fantastic story of discovery using UWA's treasures in SL among other locations. Passed along for your pleasure...
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Machinima of UWA 3D Centenary Artworks + More RL Media Coverage
The sublime Yesikita Coppola, one time official UWA machinimatographer of the Netherlands, has put together a wonderful machinima displaying all the winning artwork from the UWA Centenary 3D Art Challenge. A fitting tribute to an amazing collectiong of works!
Also, the 17th September 2012 issue of the hardcopy publication UWA News (Vol 31 No 14) carries an article on the event run at UWA to celebrate the winners of the UWA Centenary 3D Art Challenge as well as MachinimUWA V: Seek Wisdom.
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| Nobel Prize Winner Professor Barry Marshall stands in front of his avatar |
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Cool Water
The Artists' Choice WATER theme show is open and we're now taking entries for October's challenge on the theme of FIRE. The WATER show is highlighted in the Destination Guide, which is generating lots of visitors. The show is in a specially designed space, with the sim's water level raised to 100 meters. Each art entry is on a separate island. In addition to the 20 super cool art installations there are boats and submarines and tubes and other unusual means of navigating the seas.
A leisurely ride on a fantasy tall boat among the atolls is a swell way to to see everything.
Finn Lanzius presents a rather spectacular sunset diorama.
And many more. When you're done looking at the art, you can explore the remarkable undersea park below. Free scuba outfits and Hobo dive suits are provided at the entrance. The space is great for a gathering of mermaids or marine exobiologists. Just dive in from anywhere in the gallery above or take a submarine ride.
A leisurely ride on a fantasy tall boat among the atolls is a swell way to to see everything.
Hypatia Pickens has a wonderful piece inspired by the mysterious medieval Voynich
Manuscript that no one to date has been able to decipher.
Barry Richez made this intensely colorful figure riding a giant koi.
And many more. When you're done looking at the art, you can explore the remarkable undersea park below. Free scuba outfits and Hobo dive suits are provided at the entrance. The space is great for a gathering of mermaids or marine exobiologists. Just dive in from anywhere in the gallery above or take a submarine ride.
(Many of the great ocean features are from the talented Aley, who built a
wonderful sub-surface world on a LEA sim earlier this year with bunches
of full perm freebies.)
If you explore a bit, you might find the portal to the mysterious ancient UWA campus that sunk into sea...
Friday, September 14, 2012
September LEA6.....Cinema! review by Victoria Lenoirre
Up at LEA6 this month is Cinema! TAKE BACK THE AMBIENCE by Mary Wickentower. Mary Wickentower has been a Second Life resident since 2008, located in the snowlands of Sansara, mainland. Mary is a poet/writer songwriter, artist, SL builder and machinimatographer, and owner of Wickentower Art and owner of the film production company, Polished Puppet Productions. "Cinema!" represents a collaboration of some of the finest creators, builders, machinimatographers in Second Life and is a tribute to their amazing talent.
It is a grand gallery with so much to see and the ambience is just marvellous. Set in the 1940s and 1950s in California, it really takes you back to a time when moviegoing was such a magical, delightful experience. Visiting here, just made me feel like a tiny kid again and I love when a piece of art fills me with that childlike wonder.
Cinema! opened on September 3rd at 4pm SLT. To celebrate the opening, the classy and distinguished Antonio Galloway was present to sing in his "melodious voice." He sings in the style of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley.
MP: The old move theaters reflect an ambiance of an earlier time - a time of elegance, when going to the cinema was luxurious, and the theatres were grand places; huge and ornate with immense balconies, high domed ceilings, massive red carpeted staircases and décor that rivaled the Vatican. Their equally impressive facades dominated that landscape. Even the cozy, smaller theatres had a rich character, where you could ease back in splendid surroundings and suspend all worries, leave you tribulations behind and enter a world of imagination. And then there was the drive in movie - a culture all to itself. The mammoth screen filled the sky, and you could hunker down with friends or family, cuddle in a fluffy blanket, and bury your head in a soft pillow, all in the comfort of your own car. The real life movie cinemas of today are colorless and sterile places, much like the work cubical that we spend our lives in. They leave us hungering for a touch of class, a bit of chic.
MP: Producing & viewing Machinima is one of my favorite SL hobbies. When I applied for the grant from the LEA Endowment for the Arts for the Full SIM Series, I specified that rather than use an entire SIM just to represent only myself and my own art, I wanted bring together and represent a broad range of top talent in Second Life. "Cinema!" is a tribute to first and foremost to Machinima, as well as to the designers, builders, performers & the amazing talent that is Second Life.
MP: I have known Khan Omizu [K.O.] the builder of the Empire Movie Palace for a few years now. I have a large collection of his textures and sculpties. When I asked Khan to build a palace style theater for my "Cinema!" project , he did not hesitate for one minute. When Khan donated the spectacular Empire Movie Palace, my jaw hit the ground. The attention to detail, the enormous effort and love of design that radiates from this build is palatable. Khan Omizu is a sterling example of the generosity of spirit of some of the finest, creative community that is Second Life.
MP: I am not really much of a car buff, but if there had been a tangerine orange Classic Dream Series Edition PT Cruiser, then that would have been my favorite. I contacted a number of car dealers in Second Life for car donations and got a response from Loki Dancer who generously donated two of the vintage cars to the Cinema project; PREFABRICA Cheetah - v2.0 and PREFABRICA Cougar - v1.0
MP: I have not seen Inglorious Bastards but it does look interesting and I will make a point to see it. Movies are products of the imagination, and expression of ideas. At their best, they allow us to get lost for awhile in a great story. They are not documentaries; they are not meant to be real. I do not have an issue with movies that have any kind of agenda, other than those that would promote abuse or brutality to any living thing.
***End of interview****
Please drive over to see "Cinema!" TAKE BACK THE AMBIENCE, going on all this month.
Have fun and enjoy the art!
- Victoria Lenoirre
It is a grand gallery with so much to see and the ambience is just marvellous. Set in the 1940s and 1950s in California, it really takes you back to a time when moviegoing was such a magical, delightful experience. Visiting here, just made me feel like a tiny kid again and I love when a piece of art fills me with that childlike wonder.
Cinema! opened on September 3rd at 4pm SLT. To celebrate the opening, the classy and distinguished Antonio Galloway was present to sing in his "melodious voice." He sings in the style of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley.
The landing area is set behind the La Paloma and next to planter
corner filled with flowers. Walk to your avatar's left to move towards the
front. On the marquee you can see that The Foutainhead is playing, that old
movie starring Gary Cooper that is based on the novel by Ayn Rand. La Paloma theater was built by Hideo Inaka. It
won second place in the 2011 Virtual Museum of Architecture Build-off. He
kindly donated it for use in Cinema!, thank you Hideo! You can also find it at
marketplace.
I took these pics with different windlights for better effect, but when you get here, the windlight is midday.
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| La Paloma Theater, taken with the Doomed Spaceship windlight |
To the Southwest, across the way from the front entrance of
the Paloma is the Dirty Rat Gas station. Take a look inside. There is even a
working cash register inside that opens and closes on touch. There does seem to be a clash between classy and gritty. The streets look gritty as doing the gas station. It reminds me of how society is divided into classes.
Next door to the gas station is the Empire Movie Palace. It
is a large theater built by Khan Omizu, specifically for Cinema! How awesome is
that? This theater looks grand and majestic, with crimson carpeting and several
flights of stairs. Two sections for people, the upper class section and the
middle class section, Box A and Box B, respectively. You can find this splendid
build at marketplace.
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| Front view of EMPIRE Movie Palace, taken with Analu Outdoor City Night windlight |
Walk out and to your avatar's right is the Roadside Diner.
It was built by the same creator who built the gas station, n0th1ng Ackland. He
is the owner of ~Dirty Rat~, a brand that makes vintage builds. You can find
the mainstore in his picks.
Leaving the entrance of the diner, walk to your avatar's
right and you should arrive at the doorstep of the Skyview Drive-in Theater.
The Drive-in was created by Ethos Erlanger. He built the drive-in specifically
for Cinema!. Thank you, Ethos for your generosity! Vintage cars are parked up
front, waiting for the movie to start playing. One of the vehicles, the Dune Buggy RC3 is a premium gift from Linden Labs. The figure standing on that rusty car is me. That car wouldn't let me sit in it. I was able to set in the red racer at the end of the row I'm in and just in front of the door, that classy Ford Coup. The RC3 is the car on my left. A concession sign announces that
food can be had at this small, cozy place. Ethos has been building for years.
Feel free to IM him inworld and visit his marketplace page. He is a great builder and supporter of Builder's Brewery.
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| Front view of the SKYVIEW Drive-In |
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| SKYVIEW Drive-In Theater and the EMPIRE Movie Palace intersection, taken with the A-3AM windlight |
All theaters have screens from rezzed.tv, the Shared Media
Frame TV screen. Just click and media should be enabled and you should be able
to watch movies. Besides
old movies, you can also watch videos from the LEA MOM, the 48 hour Machinima,
and the University of Western Australia's
MACHINUWA contests It did not work for me, but it is pretty awesome anyhow. I
came for the art, not to watch though. Maybe it will work for you. :-)
This sim got me so excited and I could not wait to hear from Mary about this sim. Below is my interview with her.
1.What do you like about old movie theaters?
MP: The old move theaters reflect an ambiance of an earlier time - a time of elegance, when going to the cinema was luxurious, and the theatres were grand places; huge and ornate with immense balconies, high domed ceilings, massive red carpeted staircases and décor that rivaled the Vatican. Their equally impressive facades dominated that landscape. Even the cozy, smaller theatres had a rich character, where you could ease back in splendid surroundings and suspend all worries, leave you tribulations behind and enter a world of imagination. And then there was the drive in movie - a culture all to itself. The mammoth screen filled the sky, and you could hunker down with friends or family, cuddle in a fluffy blanket, and bury your head in a soft pillow, all in the comfort of your own car. The real life movie cinemas of today are colorless and sterile places, much like the work cubical that we spend our lives in. They leave us hungering for a touch of class, a bit of chic.
2.What inspired you to put together "Cinema!" ?
MP: Producing & viewing Machinima is one of my favorite SL hobbies. When I applied for the grant from the LEA Endowment for the Arts for the Full SIM Series, I specified that rather than use an entire SIM just to represent only myself and my own art, I wanted bring together and represent a broad range of top talent in Second Life. "Cinema!" is a tribute to first and foremost to Machinima, as well as to the designers, builders, performers & the amazing talent that is Second Life.
3. How did you meet or hear of the three individuals who provided you with the movie theaters?
MP: I have known Khan Omizu [K.O.] the builder of the Empire Movie Palace for a few years now. I have a large collection of his textures and sculpties. When I asked Khan to build a palace style theater for my "Cinema!" project , he did not hesitate for one minute. When Khan donated the spectacular Empire Movie Palace, my jaw hit the ground. The attention to detail, the enormous effort and love of design that radiates from this build is palatable. Khan Omizu is a sterling example of the generosity of spirit of some of the finest, creative community that is Second Life.
Empire Movie Palace by Khan Omizu / [K.O.]
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/KO-Empire-Movie-Palace-Boxed-Rezzer/3819139
--
I did not know Hideo Inaka / E&D Designs when I contacted him about the La Paloma Theatre, which took second place in the Fall 2011 Virtual Museum of Architecture Build-Off. Despite my contacting him out of the blue, he didn't miss a beat and kindly donated the magnificent art deco La Paloma Theatre. Hideo Inaka is another sterling example of the generosity of spirit of some of the finest, creative community that is Second Life.
La Paloma Theatre by Hideo Inaka / E&D Designs
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/ED-Designs-La-Paloma-Theatre/3384898
--
The impressively detailed Drive-in movie screen is a generous donation by Ethos Erlanger, a "passionate" builder and resident of SL since 9/12/2006. When I contacted Builders Brewery for donations, Ethos Erlanger responded and built this vintage classic specifically for "Cinema!" Ethos Erlanger is also a sterling example of the generosity of spirit of some of the finest, creative community that is Second Life.
4.I noticed the vintage cars in the drive-in parking lot. Which is your favorite?
MP: I am not really much of a car buff, but if there had been a tangerine orange Classic Dream Series Edition PT Cruiser, then that would have been my favorite. I contacted a number of car dealers in Second Life for car donations and got a response from Loki Dancer who generously donated two of the vintage cars to the Cinema project; PREFABRICA Cheetah - v2.0 and PREFABRICA Cougar - v1.0
PREFABRICA Cheetah - v2.0 and PREFABRICA Cougar - v1.0
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/17227
5.The Empire reminded me of the theater in Inglorious Bastards, the movie starring Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. Have you seen that movie? Do you think movies should be used for propoganda, as seen in that movie?
MP: I have not seen Inglorious Bastards but it does look interesting and I will make a point to see it. Movies are products of the imagination, and expression of ideas. At their best, they allow us to get lost for awhile in a great story. They are not documentaries; they are not meant to be real. I do not have an issue with movies that have any kind of agenda, other than those that would promote abuse or brutality to any living thing.
***End of interview****
I love the paved road in this full sim build. In my head I
was singing, "Follow the black paved road", to the tune of
"Follow the yellowbrick road." I know, I know, the original is the
best but I got used to following the road to get to the buildings in this old
town. There didn't seem to be a bus service and I don't think the cars are
drivable. Hehe. But then, I have such respect for vintage cars that I'd worry
about ruining them (even if this is virtual :P ).
"Cinema!" is an outstanding homage to the classic,
golden years of filmmaking when going to the movies was a magical, grand
experience. Now they seem "colorless" and hackneyed like any other
commercial building we enter to obtain a service. This full sim collaboration
brings that joy back and makes us feel excited and happy that we will see a
movie in a fabulous theater.
Please drive over to see "Cinema!" TAKE BACK THE AMBIENCE, going on all this month.
Have fun and enjoy the art!
- Victoria Lenoirre
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
UWA SL in RL Publications - Artist's Chronicle & Science Teachers Journal
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| UWA Features on the Cover of SCIOS
Copyright (2012)
Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA). This article may be downloaded for personal
use only. Any other use requires prior permission of STAWA and the author.
|
The UWA presence in Second Life made the cover of 'SCIOS', the Journal of the Science Teachers Association of Western Australia (Volume 48 Number 3 Sept 2012). It describes the development of 3D virtual worlds at UWA, and discussed the breadth of activities ongoing as well as providing an open offer to schools who might want both virtual and physical tours of the UWA campus.
Copyright (2012)
Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA). This article may be downloaded for personal
use only. Any other use requires prior permission of STAWA and the author.
The following article
appeared in SCIOS and may be found at www.stawa.net
Western Australia's Artist's Chronicle (Issue 146, Sept/Oct 2012) also carries a story on the UWA presence, this time with a focus on the recent Centenary Challenge Grand Finale winners announcements, featuring Lollito Larkham & Tutsy Navarathna and includes Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley's views on the creations.
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| Artist's Chronicle Story featuring 'L'histoire de Petit-Gris as seen by Eliza Wierwight |
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Sunday, September 9, 2012
Artists take to the AIR
Fae Varriale, Barry Richez, and the team of Tyrehl Byk and Ultraviolet Alter flew to the top honors in the UWA Artists' Choice Challenge for August on the theme, "Air". This was the fourth in this year's series of theme shows at UWA and featured 21 entries by 17 artists. The awards were presented at a ceremony Saturday morning with Taralyn Gravois performing emcee duties.
This is the first of four shows to be based on the alchemical elements of air, water, fire, and earth. The series continues in September with "water."
Fae's evocative piece "On the Breath of the Wind" seemed to perfectly express the idea of the ethereal element of air.When informed of the result, Fae gasped, "OMG!! Thanks! I never expected that lol. My first mesh :) ...There were some really lovely entries."
In Second Place, and winner of the People's Choice Award, was Barry Richez's "Body Fan," a fun and energetic tableau of people being blasted by a giant fan, while others worked to unplug it.
In Third Place was "The Flavor of Things Unseen," another wonderful creation by particle master Tyrehl Byk with a subtle but profound aural environment of wind and voices designed by the talented sound artist Utraviolet Alter. This team seems to work beautifully together as previously demonstrated by their joint entry in the recent UWA Centenary Challenge where they took Second Prize overall.
The Non-Scripted Prize was won by Secret Rage for her work "Words in the Air." This piece is a wonderful play on words that float in air, either literally or figuratively, e.g., music, terror, chill, laughter, insects, etc. (N.B. In the awards ceremony Hypatia Pickens's entry "Learning to Breathe" was erroneously announced as the winner of the Non-Scripted award. The piece is actually scripted and thus does not qualify. This was my error, for which I apologized to both Hypatia and Secret. -FreeWee Ling,)
The Artists' Choice awards are judged by the participating artists themselves. It's a special honor to be awarded a prize from such talented colleagues. This was another show of rich diversity that made voting difficult. There were many very strong entries that were deserving of recognition. Congratulations to all who participated!
Here is the full text of the awards ceremony:
Welcome to the fourth edition of the UWA Artists' Choice Awards!
As is tradition at the University of Western Australia, we 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.
Before we announce the winners, FreeWee would like me to remind you that the amazing UWA Centenary show is closing today. The top winners will be moved to this space soon as she can clear the Air show.. Do please take a last tour of both wonderful shows ASAP.
The exhibition catalogues for each of the Artsts' Choice challenges are being published in the online journal "UWA Studies in Virtual Arts." The current "AIR" show will be added to the previous three editions that covered the "3D Self Portraits," "Perfume," and "Music" shows earlier this year. This latest edition is lacking only the announcement of the Winners and should be published very soon. It and the earlier editions can be found at this link.
FreeWee has published the complete photo archive (167 images) of "AIR" on her Picasa site.
FreeWee also urges you to submit your work for the next show on the theme: "Water". Deadline for submissions is TODAY at 6PM SLT. The UWA sim next door (under the Centenary exhibit) has been flooded to 100 meters and some of the pieces are already being installed, The Water show will open probably Sunday or Monday.
And finally looking ahead , start working on your submissions for the show to follow Air and Water, with an appropriately spooky October theme of "Fire" for Halloween month. And in November we will finish out the elemental themes with a show about "Earth."
The UWA Artists' Choice challenges are designed to inspire and support the work of artists. The key difference from earlier challenges is that the main awards are determined entirely by the votes of the participating artists and sponsors themselves. It's a special honor to be acknowledged by our colleagues. Who knows art better than they?
Today represents the end of the AIR show. We received 21 amazing entries for the AIR theme by 17 artists.
L$20,000 was donated by our sponsors this month. Clearly, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous support of UWA in SL, and most especially the imagination and vision of JayJay Zifanwe.
We also express our deepest gratitude to the other sponsors for this event:
Armany Thursday and Dyce Underwood for DNA Art and Music Fusion
Eliza Wierwight and Patron
Cherry Manga and Anley Piers for Mysterious Wave
Ginger Alsop and Phi Designs
and special donations by anonymous donors.
Anyone wishing to support future challenges, please contact FreeWee Ling.
Now to the awards. Choosing "Air" for the August theme inspired the idea of this show being the first of four related shows based on the alchemical "elements' of air, water, fire, and earth. The interpretations of "air" have been diverse and in some cases, non-obvious. We were expecting maybe aircraft, kites, birds, or else subtle ethereal or gaseous objects. But most of the entries were fairly substantial.
The People's Choice voting received 252 votes total. The voting was clear, with 11 points separating the winner from its closest competitor.
The People's Choice Award (L$2000) for UWA Artists' Choice Air goes to:
BODY FAN by Barry Richez
Rounding out the top five were: Fae Varriale, both of Hypatia Pickens' entries, and Barry's other entry "On Air",
Next we go to the Non-scripted Award. This was determined by the highest ranking in regular voting for a piece that is non-scripted.
The Non-Scripted Award (L$3000) for AIR goes to:
WORDS ON THE AIR by Secret Rage
(N.B. In the awards ceremony Hypatia Pickens's entry "Learning to Breathe" was erroneously announced as the winner of the Non-Scripted award. The piece is actually scripted and thus does not qualify. This was my error, for which I apologized to both Hypatia and Secret. -FreeWee Ling,)
Other entries ranking highly in the Non-scripted category included Ush Underwood, Chic Aeon, and Corcosman Voom.
Now for the top three overall awards.
Because of FreeWee's peculiar position, she has decided to again withdraw her entries from consideration for a prize. She thanks all who voted for her and is pleased to have been able to participate in this show.
The Third Place Award (L$3000) goes to:
THE FLAVOR OF THINGS UNSEEN by Tyrehl Byk & Ultraviolet Alter
The Second Place Award (L$5000) goes to:
BODY FAN by Barry Richez
There were only 3 points separating the second and third place winners. But the First Place winner was a clear favorite with 9 points separating it from second. A clear consensus by the participating artists.
The First Place Award (L$7000) goes to:
ON THE BREATH OF THE WIND by Fae Varriale
Our congratulations to Fae. Other artists who ranked strongly in the voting, in no particular order, included FreeWee Ling's GRASSWINDS, Barry Richez's ON AIR, Jessie Leahy's ALBERTIANA AIR PLANT FLUTE GARDEN, and Secret Rage's WORDS IN THE AIR.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all who participated in a great show! Please take a final look around before you leave today. The AIR show will all be gone by this evening to make room for the CENTENARY winners. Thank you all for coming! Have a great day!
This is the first of four shows to be based on the alchemical elements of air, water, fire, and earth. The series continues in September with "water."
Fae's evocative piece "On the Breath of the Wind" seemed to perfectly express the idea of the ethereal element of air.When informed of the result, Fae gasped, "OMG!! Thanks! I never expected that lol. My first mesh :) ...There were some really lovely entries."
In Second Place, and winner of the People's Choice Award, was Barry Richez's "Body Fan," a fun and energetic tableau of people being blasted by a giant fan, while others worked to unplug it.
In Third Place was "The Flavor of Things Unseen," another wonderful creation by particle master Tyrehl Byk with a subtle but profound aural environment of wind and voices designed by the talented sound artist Utraviolet Alter. This team seems to work beautifully together as previously demonstrated by their joint entry in the recent UWA Centenary Challenge where they took Second Prize overall. 
The Non-Scripted Prize was won by Secret Rage for her work "Words in the Air." This piece is a wonderful play on words that float in air, either literally or figuratively, e.g., music, terror, chill, laughter, insects, etc. (N.B. In the awards ceremony Hypatia Pickens's entry "Learning to Breathe" was erroneously announced as the winner of the Non-Scripted award. The piece is actually scripted and thus does not qualify. This was my error, for which I apologized to both Hypatia and Secret. -FreeWee Ling,)
The Artists' Choice awards are judged by the participating artists themselves. It's a special honor to be awarded a prize from such talented colleagues. This was another show of rich diversity that made voting difficult. There were many very strong entries that were deserving of recognition. Congratulations to all who participated!
Here is the full text of the awards ceremony:
Welcome to the fourth edition of the UWA Artists' Choice Awards!
As is tradition at the University of Western Australia, we 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.
Before we announce the winners, FreeWee would like me to remind you that the amazing UWA Centenary show is closing today. The top winners will be moved to this space soon as she can clear the Air show.. Do please take a last tour of both wonderful shows ASAP.
The exhibition catalogues for each of the Artsts' Choice challenges are being published in the online journal "UWA Studies in Virtual Arts." The current "AIR" show will be added to the previous three editions that covered the "3D Self Portraits," "Perfume," and "Music" shows earlier this year. This latest edition is lacking only the announcement of the Winners and should be published very soon. It and the earlier editions can be found at this link.
FreeWee has published the complete photo archive (167 images) of "AIR" on her Picasa site.
FreeWee also urges you to submit your work for the next show on the theme: "Water". Deadline for submissions is TODAY at 6PM SLT. The UWA sim next door (under the Centenary exhibit) has been flooded to 100 meters and some of the pieces are already being installed, The Water show will open probably Sunday or Monday.
And finally looking ahead , start working on your submissions for the show to follow Air and Water, with an appropriately spooky October theme of "Fire" for Halloween month. And in November we will finish out the elemental themes with a show about "Earth."
The UWA Artists' Choice challenges are designed to inspire and support the work of artists. The key difference from earlier challenges is that the main awards are determined entirely by the votes of the participating artists and sponsors themselves. It's a special honor to be acknowledged by our colleagues. Who knows art better than they?
Today represents the end of the AIR show. We received 21 amazing entries for the AIR theme by 17 artists.
L$20,000 was donated by our sponsors this month. Clearly, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous support of UWA in SL, and most especially the imagination and vision of JayJay Zifanwe.
We also express our deepest gratitude to the other sponsors for this event:
Armany Thursday and Dyce Underwood for DNA Art and Music Fusion
Eliza Wierwight and Patron
Cherry Manga and Anley Piers for Mysterious Wave
Ginger Alsop and Phi Designs
and special donations by anonymous donors.
Anyone wishing to support future challenges, please contact FreeWee Ling.
Now to the awards. Choosing "Air" for the August theme inspired the idea of this show being the first of four related shows based on the alchemical "elements' of air, water, fire, and earth. The interpretations of "air" have been diverse and in some cases, non-obvious. We were expecting maybe aircraft, kites, birds, or else subtle ethereal or gaseous objects. But most of the entries were fairly substantial.
The People's Choice voting received 252 votes total. The voting was clear, with 11 points separating the winner from its closest competitor.
The People's Choice Award (L$2000) for UWA Artists' Choice Air goes to:
BODY FAN by Barry Richez
Rounding out the top five were: Fae Varriale, both of Hypatia Pickens' entries, and Barry's other entry "On Air",
Next we go to the Non-scripted Award. This was determined by the highest ranking in regular voting for a piece that is non-scripted.
The Non-Scripted Award (L$3000) for AIR goes to:
WORDS ON THE AIR by Secret Rage
(N.B. In the awards ceremony Hypatia Pickens's entry "Learning to Breathe" was erroneously announced as the winner of the Non-Scripted award. The piece is actually scripted and thus does not qualify. This was my error, for which I apologized to both Hypatia and Secret. -FreeWee Ling,)
Other entries ranking highly in the Non-scripted category included Ush Underwood, Chic Aeon, and Corcosman Voom.
Now for the top three overall awards.
Because of FreeWee's peculiar position, she has decided to again withdraw her entries from consideration for a prize. She thanks all who voted for her and is pleased to have been able to participate in this show.
The Third Place Award (L$3000) goes to:
THE FLAVOR OF THINGS UNSEEN by Tyrehl Byk & Ultraviolet Alter
The Second Place Award (L$5000) goes to:
BODY FAN by Barry Richez
There were only 3 points separating the second and third place winners. But the First Place winner was a clear favorite with 9 points separating it from second. A clear consensus by the participating artists.
The First Place Award (L$7000) goes to:
ON THE BREATH OF THE WIND by Fae Varriale
Our congratulations to Fae. Other artists who ranked strongly in the voting, in no particular order, included FreeWee Ling's GRASSWINDS, Barry Richez's ON AIR, Jessie Leahy's ALBERTIANA AIR PLANT FLUTE GARDEN, and Secret Rage's WORDS IN THE AIR.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all who participated in a great show! Please take a final look around before you leave today. The AIR show will all be gone by this evening to make room for the CENTENARY winners. Thank you all for coming! Have a great day!
Monday, September 3, 2012
LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (SEPT): Mary Wickentower's "CINEMA!" Take Back the Ambience
Mary Wickentower takes over at LEA 6 for the SEPTEMBER ROUND of the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (here for full year schedule), with the one of its kind "CINEMA!" Take Back the Ambience.
NEWS REPORTS
Apmels Blog
Echt Virtuell
Quan Lavender
Virtual Outworlding
SL Livestream Video
Mary Wickentower, of "Polished Puppet Productions" presents "Cinema!",the latest of the LEA FULL SIM ART Series. Mark your calendar for Monday 4PM SLT, 3rd September 2012, when the melodic voice of Antonio Galloway, in the style of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley will lead in the grand opening ceremonies for "Cinema!". "Cinema!" will run for the month of September.
GRAND OPENING:
"CINEMA!" Take Back the Ambience by Mary Wickentower
DATE AND TIME: 4PM SLT, Monday, 3rd September 2012
LOCATION: HERE AT LEA 6
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY: Antonio Galloway
In Mary's words:
Take a trip down memory lane and take back the ambiance of an earlier time - a time of elegance, when going to the cinema was luxurious, and the theatres were grand places, huge and ornate with immense balconies, high domed ceilings, massive red carpeted staircases and décor that rivaled the Vatican. Their equally impressive facades dominated that landscape. Even the cozy, smaller theatres had a rich character, where you could ease back in splendid surroundings and suspend all worries, leave you tribulations behind and enter a world of imagination. And then there was the drive in movie - a culture all to itself. The mammoth screen filled the sky, and you could hunker down with friends or family, cuddle in a fluffy blanket, bury your head in a soft pillow, all in the comfort of your own car.
The real life movie cinemas of today are colorless and sterile places, much like the work cubical that we spend our lives in, They leaves us hungering for a touch of class, a bit of chic. Come take back the ambiance.
But there's more. Each of the spectacular theatres featured in "Cinema!" also showcases films from the best machinima in Second Life. Relax in fabulous surroundings and watch films from LEA MOM; the 48 hour Machinima; and the University of Western Australia's MACHINIMUWA contests.
The panorama of "Cinema!" also features a cozy home-style dinner and vintage gas station, all set in a 1940-1950's California landscape. Bring a bike, brig a car, bring your honey or best friend and share in the experience of "Cinema!" and take back the ambiance!
The real life movie cinemas of today are colorless and sterile places, much like the work cubical that we spend our lives in, They leaves us hungering for a touch of class, a bit of chic. Come take back the ambiance.
But there's more. Each of the spectacular theatres featured in "Cinema!" also showcases films from the best machinima in Second Life. Relax in fabulous surroundings and watch films from LEA MOM; the 48 hour Machinima; and the University of Western Australia's MACHINIMUWA contests.
The panorama of "Cinema!" also features a cozy home-style dinner and vintage gas station, all set in a 1940-1950's California landscape. Bring a bike, brig a car, bring your honey or best friend and share in the experience of "Cinema!" and take back the ambiance!
Theatre's featured in "Cinema!"
Empire Movie Palace by Khan Omizu / [K.O.]
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/KO-Empire-Movie-Palace-Boxed-Rezzer/3819139
Walk through the ticket office and enter the main lobby, and you will catch your breath as the beauty of this grand palace style theatre unfolds. Rich marble, red and cream interior gives way to the grand carpeted, black marble and mahogany staircases which lead up to the highest tiers of private smoking rooms and elegant period bars. Ease back in elegant surroundings of the tiered main floor, the balcony or private boxes and enjoy some of the finest films in second life. The experience is everything you hoped it would be and more.
La Paloma Theatre by Hideo Inaka / E&D Designs
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/ED-Designs-La-Paloma-Theatre/3384898
Richly art deco, this smaller scale, but still magnificent theatre is an invitation to chic ambiance. Loving attention to detail makes this award winning gem shine. An animated ticket booth and a pair of sculpted, animated streetlights complete with moths add to the atmosphere. Custom textures add a note of elegance. This design was awarded Second Place in the Fall 2011 Virtual Museum of Architecture Build-Off.
Drive-in Screen by Ethos Erlanger
The impressive Drive-in screen is a generous donation by Ethos Erlanger, "passionate" builder and resident of SL since 9/12/2006. Visit Ethos Erlangeron marketplace or contact him in-world.
Mary Wickentower has been a Second Life resident since 2008, located in the snowlands of Sansara, mainland. Mary is a poet/writer songwriter, artist, SL builder and machinimatographer, and owner of Wickentower Art and owner of the film production company, Polished Puppet Productions. "Cinema!" represents a collaboration of some of the finest creators, builders, machinimatographers in Second Life and is a tribute to their amazing talent.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Chief Scientist of Western Australia Graces 3D Art & Machinima Event
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Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, was guest speaker of honour at a special viewing event at the University of Western Australia showing off the winners of the UWA Centenary 3D Art Challenge & MachinimUWA V: Seek Wisdom.
Speaking of how important 3D virtual technologies were becoming across all industries from the arts to the sciences, Professor Beazley praised the efforts of the University of Western Australia in creating a global hub for such activities.
Commenting on the winners, Professor Beazley said, "I was hugely impressed by the standard and thought-provoking nature of the award winning films. They opened my eyes to the beauty and impact this interaction between science and art is achieving. Long may such creativity flourish!"
The audience were taken for a live viewing session within Second Life, and viewed the UWA Centenary Special prizes for both 3D Art & Machinima as well as the top prize winners.
The UWA Centenary 3D Art challenge saw an international field of 90 artworks by 91 artists from around the world. Parisian, Lollito Larkham's L'histoire de Petit-Gris (The story of Petit-Gris), soared above all, with his thoughts reaching across the universe, to claim the L$100,000 1st Prize. The Cathedral of Thoughts, by PaleIllusion (Germany) took the UWA Centenary Special Prize as well as joint-3rd Prize overall, winning L$95,000 in all. The 2nd overall prize (L$75K) was won by the only joint entry with the Tyrehl Byk (USA) & Ultraviolet Alter (France) creation, 'To Be the Wind' taking the prize. Titans of Second Life art, Glyph Graves and Bryn Oh shared the 3rd Prize (L$35K) with 'Reflections in Diversity' and 'Cerulean'. A delighted Lollito commented, "It's an honnor for me, I wish to thank the UWA team, all the generous donors and the jury. It was a great challenge, and I'm happy this 'micro story' can touch so much people. Thanks again ! I'm out of voice, I could not imagine to be the winner. In this piece I tried to concentrate on many things : Humor, philosophy, and societal questions about the place we give to 'aliens' or 'strangers'. Kinda like looking into a mirror."
Tutsy Navarathna's 'The Last Syllable of Recorded Time'
With MachinimUWA V: Seek Wisdom, the double defending champion, Tutsy Navarathna, a Frenchman based in Pondicherry, India, made it a stunning 3-peat (L$140,000), with 'The Last Syllable of Recorded Time', pulling ahead of a very strong field of 51 machinima including the Costa Rica-Germany collaboration of Karima Hoisan and Natascha Randt, whose work 'Seek Wisdom' pipped a fast finishing quartet including Hypatia Pickens (Four Gods of Folly), pallina60 Loon (Colours), Tikaf Viper (>RUN Ram) and Arrow Inglewood (?). The UWA Special Prize, for the film that best captures the essence or spirit of 100 years of seeking wisdom at UWA was joint as well, with Pyewacket Bellman &Soda Lemondrop sharing L$100,000 with their works, both entitled 'Seek Wisdom'. Said Tutsy, "A thousand thanks to all of you who enjoy my films and have supported me. And, again, thank you to UWA, and to the Jury. I would also like to give a big thank you to Midimal, the soundtrack's composer, who has personally authorised me to use his work in my films. Thanks also to DOL for the beautiful installation "Daytime Dreams" where I filmed."
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| Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia Photo Credit: Adia Yu |
Professor Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, was guest speaker of honour at a special viewing event at the University of Western Australia showing off the winners of the UWA Centenary 3D Art Challenge & MachinimUWA V: Seek Wisdom.
Speaking of how important 3D virtual technologies were becoming across all industries from the arts to the sciences, Professor Beazley praised the efforts of the University of Western Australia in creating a global hub for such activities.
Commenting on the winners, Professor Beazley said, "I was hugely impressed by the standard and thought-provoking nature of the award winning films. They opened my eyes to the beauty and impact this interaction between science and art is achieving. Long may such creativity flourish!"
The audience were taken for a live viewing session within Second Life, and viewed the UWA Centenary Special prizes for both 3D Art & Machinima as well as the top prize winners.
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| Lollito Larkham's L'histoire de Petit-Gris Photo Credit: Eliza Wierwight |
Tutsy Navarathna's 'The Last Syllable of Recorded Time'
With MachinimUWA V: Seek Wisdom, the double defending champion, Tutsy Navarathna, a Frenchman based in Pondicherry, India, made it a stunning 3-peat (L$140,000), with 'The Last Syllable of Recorded Time', pulling ahead of a very strong field of 51 machinima including the Costa Rica-Germany collaboration of Karima Hoisan and Natascha Randt, whose work 'Seek Wisdom' pipped a fast finishing quartet including Hypatia Pickens (Four Gods of Folly), pallina60 Loon (Colours), Tikaf Viper (>RUN Ram) and Arrow Inglewood (?). The UWA Special Prize, for the film that best captures the essence or spirit of 100 years of seeking wisdom at UWA was joint as well, with Pyewacket Bellman &Soda Lemondrop sharing L$100,000 with their works, both entitled 'Seek Wisdom'. Said Tutsy, "A thousand thanks to all of you who enjoy my films and have supported me. And, again, thank you to UWA, and to the Jury. I would also like to give a big thank you to Midimal, the soundtrack's composer, who has personally authorised me to use his work in my films. Thanks also to DOL for the beautiful installation "Daytime Dreams" where I filmed."
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Sunday, August 26, 2012
LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (AUG): Cajska Carlsson's 'Uaxuctum'
Cajska Carlsson, who in another lifetime was the very first winner of an art challenge at UWA in 2009 takes over at LEA 6 for the AUGUST round of the LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (here for full year schedule).
SPECIAL EVENT:
'UAXUCTUM' by Cajska Carlsson
DATE AND TIME: 11AM SLT TUE 28th AUG 2012.
LOCATION: HERE AT LEA 6
INFO HERE: Avatar Orchestra Metaverse
Blogs on Uaxuctum:
Honour MacMillan
Vic Lennoire on UWA
EchtVirtuell
Apmel Blog
Briarmelle Quintessa Flickr
Simon Jones Blog
Machinima by Goosson
Cajska described the work as follows:
'Uaxuctum' is a visual re-imagining of a piece by the 20th Century Italian composer, Giacinto Scelsi.
Scelsi was a highly eccentric composer, living mostly in isolation, apart from an assistant who would write his music down. In 1966 he wrote 'Uaxuctum', a piece about "the legend of the Maya city, destroyed by themselves for religious reasons".
The re-imagining is an exploration of structure and form, light and dark... a mythical structure that will be torn down to make way for something new. With the death of each civilisation, a new one is born. The world progresses through these revolutionary upheavals, but rarely does a society chose its own destruction. 'Uaxuctum' is a moment of choice lost in time.
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