The Abandoned Theatre

.: I fell in love one afternoon
.: and wrote your name on a white balloon
.: I set it free to fly above
.: and dreamt it was a flying dove

The Puppeteer By Bryn Oh

The Puppeteer

December 12, 2010

Liza Veliz: It looks like a graveyard

Bryn Oh: Yes. The story behind Immersiva is that it is an abandoned theme park so that is one of the abandoned buildings.


When I was a little girl my favourite fairy-tale books were the kind where you open them up and they have a room inside. Sort of analogue three dimensional. Pop-up books. My favourite art works were little boxes where the paintings were three dimensional too.

Bumper Cars

I think we found the digital answer to them in Bryn Ohs exhibition Standby at IBM.


When I first stepped into the abandoned theatre it looked like a graveyard to me. It has an end of the world feeling and we step into this years later, still there are these statues there telling us the whole story.


Like the lava bodies of Pompei. Only Bryn Oh's poems tells us a bit of what happened there, and with the machinimas we find inside some of them, or if we click around a bit that also tells some of the story. Well, its Bryn Oh, she loves to hide stuff inside of them, it 's like being on a treasure hunt to visit her installations.


I walk through the water and am amazed by what I find. There is this box, like the art work from my childhood, with the Puppeteer on its bicycle and beside him is the oil painting with the same name.


Bryn Oh isn't ending the story of the Rabbicorn without giving us clues as to what the next story will be about. After Rabbicorn we will get stories of other characters we run into in her Rabbicorn fairytail.


“Am planning to do this on big screens in installations IRL,” she tells me.


This will be interesting. Sort of Open The End in a new way. Multi-media theatrical art installations.

Lady Carmagnolle Theatre

In Standby we are taken through the story by teleports and at each tp we get a new poem and a new scenery of stage. It's very thrilling.


If you watch the whole thing from above it is like watching shadows of the inside of a dream. Big and black it stands there in the sky with the look of Mordor. And when you cam around this you get little glimpses of each theatre stage within its mountains of cliffs. When you travel through it, it's like walking through the dust of lava within a volcano, which is why I think of Pomepei even more.

Willow and Piano

Pompei is the city inside an old vulcano in Italy, where the shades of the people who died instantly are preserved for us to see and fantasize about.


I met Bryn Oh at the old theatre in the entrance, where Lady Carmagnolle is on the stage.


“Is this it, Bryn Oh?”

“No, I have further plans, but I want to see how this exhibition goes first. And I need a rest.
But as far as concerning Rabbicorn and The Daughter of Gears, it is over.”

“But you can't leave him trapped inside of her memory?”

“He is not, if you remember the first scene you will notice he has memories of his own with him.
They are just joined forever now.”


So quite romantic.


You notice I write of Rabbicorn as a him? Instantly making same mistake over and over again. Bryn says HER and I write HIM. Rabbicorn is a girl. For those who care about gender that's useful information perhaps. And it makes me realize I am also one of you. Even if I didn't know. Bryn Oh is also fighting for same sex relationships. Or rather makes a story from that view. Even if she never quite says it. This I find very interesting and charming. I think her fairy tales will do much good in this world, in class with what Pedro Almodóvar does with his movies.

Almodóvar is the one who puts transvestites into his movies in a way that no one can disrespect them, with class. 

The NY scene of rock music has done the same, only there androgyny is what makes people love the lifestyle. Well, queer is okay. But still we need stuff that treats it as okay. To make our own worlds okay with this. Not even queer people are always accepting... of course.


Well, that's my thoughts.


Now back to Bryn and The End story Standby.


You need links.
The trailer for Standby.



Rabbicorn story first life book.


Daughter of Gears story


I asked Bryn if the oil painter is finally taking the part of Bryn Oh now seeing all the oil paintings everywhere.


“No, I don't think so. My oil paintings lose too much of themselves when brought into Second Life. Their resolution, detail, colour, texture and so on. They become a shadow of what you would have seen in RL. So they get to be background scenery for me in this world.”


Bryn Oh's mastermind is a well known oil painter in RL and this is the painters way to experiment with a new art form. She has worked with IBM before and went to school for Softimage and Zbrush. Her own sim, Immersiva, was donated by Dusan Writer, and there she lets Bryn Oh live her life as an artist of pixels but she also lets Bryn Oh move out into the RL world too. Her machinimas at Shanghai 2010 World Expo and the exhibitions at different museums and galleries in North America and Europe are examples of success for this oil painter's experiment. It's been possible to get an avatar of pixels to be recognized amongst the artists of flesh and blood..

More useful links
Machinima
http://brynoh.blip.tv/
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrynOh#p/u


Bryn Oh's blog
http://www.brynoh.blogspot.com/

The world is changing and we along with it.

Thank you for reading.

Liza Veliz
Senior writer
Press Pass Blog
 

Winners of MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists Announced

November 12, 2010

New Challenge Initiated

On October 10, 2010, standing on the stage next to quadrapop Lane, curator of the University of Western Australia (UWA) 3D Art & Design Challenge, Jayjay Zifanwe (a.k.a. Jay Jay Jegathesan in the real world) announced the winners of MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists.

 

Jay Jay Zifanwe

Lumiere Noir, creator of the Ivory Tower Library of Primitives, and Grand Finale judge, made opening remarks, first talking about the future of virtual art and then commenting on the quality of works created for this contest. “Virtual worlds have amazing potential, as does virtual art. Whether or not the virtual works of art we are producing today could be called great will depend on how well they endure in the minds of the people who experience them. We've got to grab a lot of mindspace in a short period of time, but with the pervasive nature of the medium of virtual art, perhaps the questionable longevity of virtual worlds will be offset by their ability to transmit a shared experience to millions,” he commented.

Mr. Zifanwe thanked the participants, supporters and judges. Explaining the origins of the contest, he stated, “MachinimUWA II grew almost by accident, out of a desire to honour the wonderful work that the artists of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge had created, and so the theme was, 'create something that will take our breath away'. And the subject matter was the artwork of the Grand Finale of any of the works featured in the July and August rounds of the 3D Art Challenge.”

An inspired accident, it may be called, when it has led to such imaginative and diverse works as are presented in this challenge. The challenge was to: “Create a Machinima of between 2 and 5 minutes in length (recommendations only - is not a criteria) that features some of the winning artworks from the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge. There are more than 35 artworks spread across 4 floors, and you can choose to film as many (or as few) as you like.”

Zinfanwe and Lane with one of the winners.

There were 45 machinima entries in total and all may be seen at the UWA in Second Life© blog (http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2010/09/uwa-machinimuwa-ii-art-of-artists.html). The panel of judges included Aaron Kennedy (RL) - Chairman, WAnimate, Raging Pixel Productions, Laetitia Wilson (RL) - Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, UWA and Michelle Glaser (RL) - Senior Project Officer, Department of Culture and Arts, Government of Western Australia. The panel seemed more academia-based than the panel for the Imagine challenge, in which the judges were mainly artists and SL business or media owners. The complete list of judges is available on the UWA blog page listed previously.

There was an audience participation component to the contest, explained as “L$5,000 has been set aside for SL residents and viewers who take part in a special participation event. We are asking all the residents of SL to give us your TOP 8 machinima, in order of your preference. The 3 residents whose order comes closest to the final order decided by the judging panel, will win for themselves L$2,500, L$1,500 & L$1,000 respectively. The winner will be invited to be on the panel for MachinimUWA III.” The winner of the viewer participation event is Beau Aie. The 2nd place winner is EdwardIV Beaumont and 3rd place is Pia Klaar. 

 People's Choice Winner Nish Mip

The winners of the People’s Choice Awards are for Imagine Art, “Umbrellas” by Nish Mip; for Flagship, “UWA Bridge to the Future” by Dijodi Dubratt; and for Imagine Art – Non-Scripted, “Medusa’s Gaze” by pravda Core.

In spite of issues with crashing and technical difficulties, Mr. Zifanwe smoothly announced the winners of the Art of the Artists Challenge:

Tie for First Place

Bradley Dorchester “Art of the Artists”

And

Laurina Hawks “No Tomb for the Arts”

Third Prize

Tutsy Navarathna “An Art Form is Born”

Award for Best Editing & Message

Pia Klaar “Art of the Artists, A Closer Look”

Award for Best Story

Yesikita Coppola “Inspiracion”

Award for Best Crossover Impact

L1aura Loire “CLICK, Immersive & Interactive Virtual Art”

Award for Best Art Visualization, Single Artwork

Ed Vespucciano “Lessons in Democracy”

Award for Best Art Visualisation

Rysan Fall “MachinimUWA, Art of the Artist”

Aview TV Award, with L$10,000 provided by Aview TV & LaPiscean Liberty

Fake Jewell “Song of Medusa”

Honourable Mention Prize – 3 Way Tie

Spyvspy Aeon “I Am Not a Robot”

Suzy Yue “Across A Crowded Room”

Laslopantomik Yao “City of Art”

Revealing a little of the inner workings of the UWA gallery and archiving of the entries, Mr. Zifanwe talked about quadrapop Lane, “…please help me thank the curator of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge once again, who has for an entire year, magnificently marshalled the 841 entries that I allowed to come in at all times of the day and night with not a single day break as to when the works were submitted, and not a single day when the gallery was closed across the year…And sadly, we have to announce that quadrapop will from today be stepping down as the curator of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge, as the Challenge comes to a full stop, and qpop will be able to get the great break she deserves! Thank you quadrapop Lane!” FreeWee Ling will take over as curator.

The End of UWA Challenges or…?

Not a chance…a new challenge was announced, which opened at the conclusion of the event. The new challenge is sponsored by UWA, Philip Vought, Bohemian Ghost and Patch Thibaud and is termed “a grand collaboration among major art houses & groups in Second Life, including The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), SL Arts, CARP, Pirats Art Network, Odyssey, Show & Tell, BOSL & UWA.” Entitled UWA 3D Open Art Challenge, this contest will operate similarly to last year’s challenge, in that there will be monthly and overall winners chosen. The complete details are listed at the UWA blog (http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2010/10/uwa-3d-open-art-challenge-begins.html). Of the new challenge, Mr. Zifanwe posted, “In describing virtual worlds, it is often said, 'we are truly limited by only the imagination', and that is the theme of this art challenge. The limits are the imagination. Create something that will take our breath away. Any form, any shape, any influence, any medium. Of this world, or the next!” Again, similarly, a People’s Choice will run, but this time each month. The new machinima challenge, MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists II, will cover all entries over the course of the year.

The tradition of virtual art and machinima continues on UWA in SL, much to the delight of artists as well as arts lovers.

Thank you for reading.

Press Pass Media Reporter

Se7en Wirsing

Catsecret Domains: Eroticism and Mystery

October 10, 2010

I went to a mysterious place the other day: a Paradise made for lovers. There were houses to rent, role plays to be involved in, lots of romantic spots, a special island for only women and one for couples, a bikers sim and the mysterious 0h Train sim for special eroticism adventures on your own or with someone. And all over the place is offered spots for eroticism. Did I mention it is an adult sim?

Press Pass Reporter Liza Veliz meets CATSECRET Solo.

CATSECRET® is a well known phenomena in RL. It is an project by an author that writes very special erotic novels and has done so for many years in papers all over France and the UK. Since it is online it is read all over the world. And many try to copy and turn it into porn, but they remain blank wannabes. There is only one CATSECRET and that one is hard to reveal.

And now we can enjoy this in Second Life® since one year ago.

CATSECRET Solo (as his avatar) invited us to his Second Life domains with romanticism and “eroticism games.” He is very generous with pose balls in beds as well as in baths and dances and much more.

Hookers are not welcome though. He is not interested in sex business.

“I made this domain for romantic lovers!” he tells me with emphases. “I don't involve in escort.” He is clearly a bit "irritated" by the question if he is ever troubled by call-girls using his domain. And no, he has not spotted any so far, but they will get banned if he does. (So it's clear. Don't even think of that... no way!)

CATSECRET and Liza Veliz at the Haunted Doghouse with Rottweilers and Zombies.

It is not all about romance and sex pleasure in this place. There is also an haunted house with rottweilers biting you if you try to enter, and wild zombies inside. On the upper floor there is a bed for pleasure and romance. I guess  everyone get their taste of being satisfied here. And there is a bikers area, where creators sell their bikes and Role Play. There I was bitten by zombies that looked like robots. Underneath this entrance level there is a hidden fighting arena.

The CATSECRET domain consists of visible and invisible areas. All secured by an effective system that ejects you in  seconds if you are not on the allowed list. 

The Oh Train

To get to the RP area and the not public areas you must be a member.

Ophelie is one of his novel characters. She searched for sex knowledge in the BDSM art. The 0h Tram takes you around her world, and if you are lucky she will appear. Yes, there is a woman who does Ophelia in this world, but she is not following any manuscript.

“She is a free woman,” CATSECRET Solo tells me.

On his website you can read all the novels. (5000 readers right now)

and in his Press Articles on Roomantic.fr (over 30,000 readers)

It all started in 2007 at auFeminin.com where he first published his writing

and then also on Feminine.co.uk

All his novels have a femme as the lead character. He sees himself as a cat. He calls himself a medium who tells the story from a female's point of view. Always.

And why?

“Because I am a cat,” he tells me and I can almost hear him smile. Even if we are on chat and not on voice.

It is not about sex this, it is about so much more, he tells me. But when I try to compare him with Mapplethorpe, who let his photographs use sex for semantics and yet still tells so much more, he is not amused. Not at all. 

Victorian Guard Castle

I ask him if the Second Life edition of CATSECRET is his way of bringing his stories to life. No, he tells me I am wrong there too.

"CATSECRET is a place where my readers can come together with me and talk and socialize," he explains.

He is French, but with a true love for America since his youth. He loves to dance and is very romantic. All over the Catsecret Domains there are dances. He is not condemning anyone for what they might like and will provide all you can think of, including erotic flowers that cuddle you in sensual ways! Never saw that one before. Still he claims the BDSM is the soft version here. So no roasted girls for dinner is to be expected then, I guess. He never answered this question.

His domain is called part 1 and part 2. Part 1 with Domain of Catsecret (&) Catsecret 0h Train he built himself, or rather decorated it with things he bought, but Part 2 is another story. That is the Catsecret Bikers Track where Amphibian Beebe & Vikiy Vella bikes are showing their creations in vendors. (On the Catsecret 0h Train sim there are two other biker creator vendors to be found; Jonsky Foxtrot & Detra Devin bikes.) Catsecret Bikers Track is a Role Play area but of course you find little houses and spots for  romanticism and eroticism here too.

In this place I run into robot zombies that tried to bite me. They surrounded me in the upper level of this sim but CATSECRET Solo teleported me to “safety” in the invisible area underneath this where the Role Play arena for fighting is located. Since I wear no weapons or shield we only took a quick look. Then we went to the Catsecret Romantic park with lovely  caves all over.

Finally we reached the 0h Train sim.

I took a seat in the 0h Tram and was starting to think of The Story of O, the famous BDSM novel.

When I tell CATSECRET this he tells me he very much enjoyed Story of O.

You get the hang of it, I think.

If you want to delve into fantasies for one afternoon or more, then you better become friends with this man. He only invites people he knows and likes. Others are allowed only in the public access area. Which is nice too. Still not so thrilling as the 0h Train sim.  For me that is.

CATSECRET is a member of Moolto and of Press Pass. He understands the importance of promotion and works himself as an illustrator and writer at RL magazines as well as editor of one Moolto magazine, CATSECRET@ Magazine SL - Pussycatsecret Girls.

If you wish to enter his world and get a taste then use the following slurl

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Domain%20of%20Catsecret/125/139/28

and check out his writings in the links mentioned above.

But be aware that if you google this, always check the spelling of every name of Cats you run into.

The correct names of his cats is found on his website http://www.catsecret-original.com

Because he has some characters he made, but there are copycats who try to ride on his soft eroticism and use it for their own interests. If you see a porn girl offer you her tits and ass in a site you thought was his, you are being fooled and then will know you went to a copycat site.

The line between porn and eroticism is as thin as ever when it comes to CATSECRET. It is still there.

Thanks for following me on this trip by reading this.

Press Pass Media reporter
Senior Writer Liza Veliz 

Art and Architecture by Xenophile Neurocam

Xenophile Neurocam

Incorporating mathematics and an artistic sensibility, Xenophile Neurocam produces art and architecture that entices the viewer to contemplate and participate in the artistic experience. He has created a unique style through a combination of various influences and technical expertise. Xenophile's work in Second Life® has not been all about self promotion, however.

Throughout his time in Second Life, he has attempted to communicate with newer builders and pass on his knowledge of content creation. Inspired by the unique environment of Second Life, Xenophile Neurocam has found his own contribution to the community of Second Life even as he has helped others find theirs.

Xenophile himself has found many topics fascinating, and all have influenced his view of art and architecture. His reading and research has helped develop his own style of art and architecture within Second Life. He explains his influences:

Artwork in front of Club Symmetry

“I spent a lot of time studying the art and architecture of the 1939 New York World's Fair. I'm influenced by inventive and creative futurists of the past such as Buckminster Fuller and the mathematical works of H.S.M. Coxeter. I find inspiration in the Bauhaus movement, Art Deco, and Art Moderne in general. I like to surround myself with books of science, art, mathematics, both contemporary and ones that look at the past and possible futures. Lately I've been interested in the architectural styles of the Victorian period although I've been interested in a variety of periods throughout history.”

His art and architecture have always been in a state of development as he has found new sources of interest. However, there have always remained the clean lines and geometric forms that characterize his work. When asked about his love of geometry, Xenophile, the creator of the Second Life Pattern Polyhedra Geometry group, responded,

“I'm fascinated by classical geometry, that created with a compass and straight edge. I'm interested in the forms and shapes of the regular polyhedrons and the shapes that can be formed from them. I believe that the power of graphics on the PC has led to a renewed interest and revolution of these areas, a branch of mathematics that had been neglected in favor of algebraic branches of mathematics. Now the two are being merged and developed further with the rise of immersive environments like SL, which will create a new generation of artists that will explore these areas in a new medium. Geometry provides continual inspiration for sculptural and architectural forms.”

Artwork in XN Art Gallery

As geometry lends itself well to many forms of art and architecture, it has become a central focus of Xenophile's work. In addition to his own studies, he has found the work of Wizard Gynoid in Second Life to be particularly challenging. Regarding Wizard, he states, “Wizard Gynoid creates the most sophisticated geometrically based objects in SL that I know of and is famous for her work in that area.”

His own work reflects his varied interests and the particular nature of the Second Life environment. Using the constantly developing tools available for 3-D content as well as his own research and resources, Xenophile Neurocam creates art that is unique in style and structure. When asked to describe his work, he said,

“Interactive, self-modifying, elements of randomness. Some are just plain static. I often use texture animation and particles in my works. There are also things that happen on touch. This makes the artwork immersive. [The observer] can interact with it in a way that allows them to change the shape that is most pleasing or interesting to them. It allows for mutable art that can change on command. They can change it to suit their mood.”

Flowers in front of Art Symmetry

Unlike art in the real world, that in Second Life has an ephemeral nature that allows it to be changed in various ways not otherwise possible. The interactive nature of Xenophile's work makes the experience of his art much different from that of art outside the virtual space.

When asked to comment on how this makes his artwork unique, he stated, “I think that the interactive nature and the continually changing nature of my creations make it easier for the person to delve into the piece. It's like the difference between touching a piece of art and interacting with it rather than simply looking at it. It gives your brain a more tactile sense of the art objects.”

 XN Art Gallery

The particular nature of creation in Second Life has allowed Xenophile Neurocam to develop a varied array of art and architecture to be displayed throughout the grid. His own gallery is in the Hawthorne sim region, one of the original regions in Second Life. Interested residents can view a portion of his art works there, along with his cuboctahedral club, Club Symmetry.

In addition to his display at his gallery, Xenophile has shown his works at other galleries, the latest one being the Turing Gallery in Extropia. He is currently collaborating with friends to create a display for Burn 2.0, quite an honor as the event will be much smaller this year.

September 28, 2010

Xenophile's work in Second Life is not all self promotion, though. He teaches a Second Life content creation course, which he developed himself, at a local community college. It has become a popular course that is a part of many programs at the college. He has also taught courses within Second Life; he is currently engaged in developing his own contribution to the Steampunk community and hopes to teach classes at the Industrial Academy in New Babbage.

Through his own blend of research and technical expertise in the tools of Second Life, Xenophile Neurocam has created art and architecture that has influenced the development of the artistic community within this virtual world. His fascination with geometry and futuristic lines has provided his work with a style that is certainly unique. While contributing to the knowledge of others even as he makes his own place in Second Life, Xenophile has become a valued artist and teacher.

Thank you for reading.

Press Pass Reporter

Satori Marat 

UWA 3D Art and Design Challenge August Winners Announced

September 18, 2010

The September 5, 2010 party at the Second Life® University of Western Australia (UWA) sim marked the 12th and final monthly announcement of winners since the beginning of the UWA 3D Art and Design Challenge. Jay Jay Jegathesan, Manager, School of Physics, (otherwise known as Jay Jay Zifanwe) announced the August 2010 winners to a crowd of artists and friends.

 Jay Jay Zifanwe

The party was a culmination of the 12 months of the challenge, divided into the Flagship and Imagine categories. The Flagship category accepted entries of designer/builders, with the expectation of building the winning design on the real world UWA campus. The Imagine challenge, which accepted entries of 3D art, ran concurrently with the Flagship. The winners may be viewed at UWA Imagine Winners Level 4.

Of the August entries, Mr. Jegathesan said, “An incredible, unprecedented 109 entries were submitted to the August round, with 103 Imagine entries and 6 Flagships, making it 841entries across the year by some 300 Second Life Artists and Builders.” A list of the winners appears below.

Now, the Grand Prize round has begun, as well as a People’s Choice Vote, both of which will wind up on September 30, 2010. The impressive panel of judges includes Frolic Mills (BOSL CEO), Courtney Linden (Linden Lab) and Rowan Derryth (art historian and writer for Prim Perfect Publications).

Each of the 16 judges will be asked to list their top 10 Imagine works, their top 5 non-scripted Imagine works and their top 10 Flagship entries. Quadrapop Lane has created a HUD to easily teleport you to all the winning entries for the People’s Choice Vote. It’s available at Level 1.

 Celebration Party

After the briefing, the guests teleported to a celebration with DJ Eifachfilm Varcirca.

UWA in Second Life

The UWA 3D Art and Design Challenge is only one of the initiatives by and within SL UWA. Since its inception, the UWA sim has had the intention of “creating true bridges between SL & RL [real life] for prospective students, current students, staff, alumni and the community” through the core elements of arts, architecture, teaching and research. The elements of arts and architecture are exemplified by the Art and Design Challenge and the MachinimUWA Challenges.

The first machinima challenge was born of a desire to showcase SL UWA and its purposes in a public venue, e.g. the internet, youtube, etc. MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists exhibits the winners of the Imagine and Flagship Challenges in the same way. The entries are linked to the UWA blog.

At the moment, entries including Fuschia Nightfire, Bryn Oh and Yesikita Coppola are posted. The contest continues until September 20, 2010. If you would like to enter, the rules are here.

Teaching and research are at times accomplished in conjunction with each other. For example, a post graduate class allows students in the business program to participate in a unit (1/4 semester) entitled “Buyer Behaviour and Decision Making,” in which they research consumer behavior in SL. SL is also a component of a unit on social media for undergraduate commerce students.

Mr. Jegathesan stated they would like to expand this, but “art has been the back bone whereas the teaching is sporadic.” Aptly, a new challenge will be issued in October, an art collaboration that will involve major art groups in SL.

Satirical Polemicist by E. Wierwight

In the same vein, the UWA has executed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Texas at San Antonio, principally to promote exchanges in the categories of art and teaching, entailing matters like judging and lectures.

“The international connections made through SL are very important to me,” Mr. Jegathesan explained, “and through August the challenges have seen artists & builders hailing from Venezuela, Belgium, Mexico, Wales, Canada, the USA, the UK, Uruguay, Scotland, England, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Cuba, Serbia, Tunisia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.”

The Last Ocean by Nish Mip

The challenges have drawn the attention of many of the most notable artists in SL, as well as important media outlets such as BOSL, ICON Lifestyle Magazine and SL Enquirer, thereby boosting the popularity of the UWA sim. Alumni and prospective students like to visit the sim with its replica of the actual campus, including Winthrop Clock Tower and the Morton Bay Fig Tree, which are favorites of Mr. Jegathesan. The Clock Tower is “the main UWA building; it was the inspiration to come into Second Life and build it to let the world see.”

Here is a listing of the August challenge winners:

Imagine Challenge
UWA Legacy (for submitting an entry in each of the 12 months) - Jesse Keyes, Alizarin Goldflake and soror Nishi
Honorable Mention (for submitting an entry in 11 of the 12 months) - Corcosman Voom and Oberon Onmura
August Imagine Challenge 1st Prize - The Last Ocean by Nish Mip
2nd Prize (joint) - The Satirical Polemicist by Eliza Wierwight and What a Wonderful World by Lea Supermarine
August Imagine Challenge Honorable Mention - Stop Fear by Gleman Jun, Dotty the Dragon by Soror Nishi, The Deep by Blue Tsuki, Quantum Matrix by Gingered Alsop, Partly Antsy Chamber by Pinkpink Sorbet and Antarctica - An Individual Existence by Glyph Graves
Rain Prize (established for and selected by one of the Founding Patrons of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge) - The Satirical Polemicist by Eliza Wierwight
The Bohemian Ghost Prize (selected by Bohemian Ghost/Owners of the Summerland Estates) - The Aerialist by Corcosman Voom
August People’s Choice Award 1st Prize - Stop Fear by Gleman Jun
2nd Prize - The Satirical Polemicist by Eliza Wierwight
Best Non-Scripted - The Unicorn Wood Edition by Nessuno Myoo

 Aug Flagship Win Herick Straaf

Flagship Challenge

UWA Legacy (for submitting the most entries) - Nyx Breen (submitted 13 of the 69 of the builds)
August Flagship Challenge 1st Prize - Concept Building for AXS Lab by Herick Straaf
2nd Prize - UWA AXS Lab by Nyx Breen
August Flagship Honorable Mention - Black Swan by Oldoak Merlin
Casey West Australian Cultural Prize (established to encourage the seeking of knowledge about Western Australia, its culture and its people) - Black Swan by Oldoak Merlin

Thank you for reading.

Se7en Wirsing
Press Pass Reporter

Sephiroth Juran and The Next Day

September 9, 2010
Written by Angelina Lerintzo





 

The Next Day -- A Role Playing Sim

When I visited The Next Day in Second Life® there were a lot of breath-taking views. The different coloured lighting schemes reminded me of urban lifestyle in the district parts of my hometown. As I went deeper and looked at the structure of the buildings, I saw a futuristic theme inside the sim. However, it kind of reminded me of different cities and countries. So, I view it as a mixture of four countries like Macau, Byron Bay, Hong Kong and Japan. 

Press Pass: The Next day, it’s very nice. Whose idea was it at first?

Sephiroth: Well at the beginning my partner, Sana Dagger, was building a RP futuristic vassel in space, then the sim owner Morgane Nyle, who belongs to this chain of sims, and had only middle age ones, wanted to change one of them in urban style and asked Sana to build it. So she left her vassel project to begin building here. Morgane chose the name. The idea of building a sim in this style is Sana’s. We began to build it together, then sweet Tantulus joined us later. While we were building the first sim, we decided to add a second one. Finished them both, we opened 3 months ago.

How did you meet Sana Dagger, Morgan  Nyle, and Tantulus?

I met them on an RP sim, as I’ve been RPing for 3 years on SL. So I met Sana and Sweet as players like me and we became friends. Morgane was a sim owner of the sims where I played, so when I got invited to join the staff of those sims I knew her too.

From left to right: Sephiroth Juran, Press Pass Reporter Angelina Lerintzo, and Sana Dagger.

Hold on, I’m kind of curious. How much money do you earn every month for creating the Next Day?

We don’t earn money, it’s just for passion. We rent shop spaces and apartments or clan bases just to cover a part of the sim’s fees. 

Wow. That’s real commitment. How do you manage to balance between real life and The Next Day in Second Life?

I spend free time in SL, depending on RL commitments. SL is a creative environment that allows you to create things you can't in RL, and to free your fantasy. So it’s quite fun. Many think of it as a game, but for me it’s more a place to create. Of course this takes time, let’s say it’s a “hobby,” not different from many others.

What is the CCS (community combat system) meter for?

It’s a combat meter, very diffused. It’s used for roleplay in the sim, as  it allows people to fight.

The Next Day

That is indeed fascinating. What languages does the community use to communicate with others?

Their own, there’s not an official language. Mainly the community is English and French speaking. To interact they are requested to use a translator, or try to communicate in RP as they would do if they meet a foreigner in real life. I mean it's SL, the best mixing of cultures.

How and when did your love affair with creating massive structures grow?

I began to build in SL 2 and a half years ago. The items in my shop include weapons, armor and gorean outfits. I began with large buildings on those sims 1 year ago.

The colours, the design, and variety of culture. You astound many for creating such brilliant places full of details. How many people told you that you are their source of inspiration?

Well there are many creators in SL, really talented. Yes many probably take inspiration from here to make new works, but the problem of building a sim like this is that it takes much time, and RL commitments. Even keeping a sim closed for months while you build it is a cost that not many wish to substain. It’s a lot of work and time.

Sephiroth and Sana

Some new members who just started playing second life want to create amazing structures, buildings, and shops. Can they learn to build big structures fast? What is the secret?

It takes time to learn. The problem is that it’s not something you can teach. Personally I did try, I got an info notecard somewhere in my language that teaches the basics, then I began trying. For sure it’s a great speed up having someone sharing the passion, because you learn faster while helping each other. 

It seems easy. I’ve built a table when I experimented with it. It was fun but quite challenging. Do we need a lot of patience if we want to build such structures? Does it frustrate you sometimes?

It doesn’t because I love it but for sure you must have a passion to do that at a certain level. Some people find it easy, some not. Those who do are sure candidates. The problem is not so much learning to build things in SL, but going on to learn at a certain level. For example building a sim like this needs sculpted prims, using programs outside SL like Blender 3D, or Maya or 3DMax. Same thing for textures, you must learn to use Photoshop to make things different from what is already seen. You can even purchase nice stuff. We did that even in many parts of the sim. Sometimes you must learn to script, as building a sim needs many scripted things. So if you are a team, everyone puts their knowledge together and it’s easier. Sana is really talented with photoshop, sweet with Blender 3D. I learned to use Blender too, I’m quiet good in scripting, and we all are able to build. But learning to build on SL means learning other software.

Have you ever argued with your colleagues about disagreements? 

Yes, we did a lot. Sometimes building a sim is frustrating, as you think you’ll never finish. So yes it happened.

 The Black Bunny

What are the famous spots in The Next Day?

The Black Bunny, the main club.  Damville, the criminal street. The Arena. The Dock Art Fair, that is the art gallery. But there are a lot of places, clubs and bars. 

Where can we find the location of Black Bunny and Damville?

Damville is at the north east side of The Next Day sim, where there’s a police car. Black Bunny is under the same sim, you reach it from a tunnel in the same area, using the elevator, but it’s easier to reach it with the sim teleport system. You find teleport screens everywhere. Touch them, select the destination, right click and teleport.

This is a common question people ask. Which location is best for combats and battles?

The Arena is the place to train, but people fight everywhere. Battles happen during RPs. This is not a counterstrike sim. The combat meter is used when people begin to struggle and aggress in RP, or decide to use force to solve problems.

What groups exist in The Next Day and what role do they play in the community?

We have 4 RP groups: criminals, Next Police Department (whose role is quite clear), MedLabs for those who like hospital and researcher RP, and Citizens for those who wish to manage a non-RP activity like a club or a bar. There are even some CCS clans, really old, but people can create their own RP groups as they wish, following the background of the sim. The ones we created are just an idea to help RP, the only limit is their fantasy.

Is there any competition between you and the other designers in second life?

Well, I can’t speak for the others, but personally I like to explore and look at what others do and create. I like when people create here, I don’t see that as competition but as a source of inspiration and a way to see new ideas. But for sure it’s a personal thing.

In real life, some people want to escape their life and continue it in second life. Do you agree that escaping from life would be a good thing?

Hmm. No, but I think this is something a lot of people think about second life. People can escape real life with a videogame, with Second Life, with a hobby, and a lot of things. It’s simply their problem. Second Life is part of life just like anything else and saying it’s an escape is usually from those un able to use it. 

I wish I could do that. There must be a lot of compliments and people who want to meet you. Do you find it frustrating and satisfying?

Yes, we get many messages. Personally, I find it satisfying. It depends if I’m busy when they contact me. But no, it’s not frustrating.

Why should more people come to the Next Day as a destination?

It's mainly a RP sim, but many just come to visit the place, as the build is quite accurate and took 1 year of work.  Many come here to take photographs and so on. There are clubs with events with live DJ mixes. There’s even an art gallery, where we allow monthly an SL artist or photographer to display creations for free. Most people come to immerse in the town life and start RPing, create their own character and play in the town.

Thank you for reading.

Press Pass Reporter

Angelina Lerintzo