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