Second Life Art in the Real World

(Before I say a single word, the reason I am posting this in general is because it is a general topic, while it can technically also probably be considered a topic for designs and textures, possibly event meet up's/ real world events, of course off-topic etc.... this topic is intended to promote a general discussion broadly about the arts in Second Life and possibilites for extending them to the real world.)

I hadn't given a second thought about a recent submission of my artwork that I entered for an upcoming staff art show at the arts college in which I work. My submission will focus on my design work in Second Life and I wondered if anyone else out there has shown their Second Life Art in the real world, or even sees it as a viable real world artform and if there was any interest in some sort of larger scale gallery project focusing on art created in Second Life. I've seen many in-world galleries of art created internally and externally and was wondering how art created in Second Life would be perceived if it were displayed in the outside world. There is such a rich variety of media design to chose from in SL from portraiture to architecture/interior design to sculpture and the fashion arts. Its funny as I was walking around the student show I saw many pieces that could have been created in SL, but that were created by hand or the old-school way.

I did my undergraduate work in art history concentrating on contemporary performance and digital art. So this topic is very dear to me and one that which holds much fascination. The digital arts are gaining more and more credulity amongst the fine arts, which can be a little territorial over their selected media. Tried and true oil paintings can now be seen in the same realm as digital paintings and you have to look real closely to see the difference. I've been pondering the Second Life arts for awhile and really would like to see them also be recognized in the real world. I have yet to see any articles that really focus on the art we are creating versus the product we make to sell and make more money.

As we have seen recently the many mixed reality events that have taken place starting with the SLCC, The Happening that the Electric Sheep Company did and Flipper and Netherminds recent foree into the SL Live Music experience. The next "mixed reality" event I would like to see would be one focusing on the arts. I have a friend that owns a small gallery in Philly. I could perhaps propose doing some future Second Life Art show there in the future if there would be enough interest from SL artists and she would be amenable to doing a show in her gallery.

Onto another topic, we need to have a contest to find a better term than "mixed reality" because everytime I hear it I think "mmmm mixed cheese hoagie". Any suggestions?

Regards,
Jennyfur

Jenny, the Phoenix Spa has an art gallery and we specialize in showcasing artists who also show and sell their work irl.

I'm looking more for real world places that would be interested in or have shown Second Life Art.

I have a picture of my Av in my cubicle, does that count?

I have a gallery (slideshows too) of my art both created inside SL and imported into SL then taken out again, it has been fun so far!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gobzine/sets/72057594089605801/

I haven't yet, but I have been thinking about doing kind of a crossover thing -- I have a gallery of some of my RL photographs on display in-game, and I am (eventually) going to submit this same series to a RL gallery. I've been thinking about mentioning my virtual gallery when I submit it, and about the possibility of tying that into the RL show... wondering what they'd think of it.

I haven't deliberately set out to use SL for art yet (I'm generally more focused on 2D work), but I certainly see it as a valid medium for expression. To me, SL-based art would just be another form of digital artwork, more flexible in some ways (a fusion of sorts between of 3D and 2D media), more restricted in others (performance vs. quality tradeoffs).

Then again, I recognize that I'm somewhat liberal in terms of what is considered art and what isn't.

It relates to ideas I've thought about in the past: using 3D software and stereolithography machines to create sculpture (I like sculpture, but find the process of producing it far too strenuous to be enjoyable), similar to what is described here, for example. I'm not the first to think of that, I know. I've even considered having student shows that were partially or completely virtual, focusing on or mixing tangible work with digital work. SL wasn't around then, otherwise I might've gone through with it.



It's a weird thing. When I was in school, I expected to have those who worked in the more traditional media like oil painting and illustration to be the least receptive to digital art. Instead, they were the most supportive, and the only time the validity of the media was ever rejected by the faculty, it was by the photography department, which I find ironic considering how recently that medium was itself controversial.



It's taken awhile (and probably a lot of work on LL's part) for SL to get even the media attention that it has. I think recognition will come, but it will take concerted and sustained effort from within to raise SL's visibilty.

One reason SL slips under the radar is probably because it is really rather visually primitive (no pun intended) compared to most of the alternatives, and thus easily eclipsed in the eyes of the average person (even the average art person). Most of what can be done in SL can be done more effectively in your average first person shooter engine, and more effectively yet in a 3D renderer.

The main advantages SL has are accessibility, interactivity/collaboration, and the fact that the results are more likely to be useful to other people (if only as decoration for their house) ... none of which would easily come across without actually demoing the context in which the work was created and explaining the tradeoffs each of these media have.

This is not to say that it's pointless to do art in SL ... just that SL's visuals aren't going to grab attention solely on their own merits; there's too much out there that is superior on that level. These methods have their own tradeoffs of course.

On the other hand, aside from myself and the people using GMod to create Half-life 2 webcomics (and I'd quibble that many of those are more slapstick humor than an attempt to do serious work), I don't think I've ever heard of anyone even contemplating using a FPS for art, so SL may have the advantage of being the only thing actually used for it. Except architectural demos, perhaps... there was that Unreal-engine project that reproduced Notre Dame (I think), as well as the International Space Station... I forget the name offhand.




I would have to actually do something that I'd consider art in SL before I could participate, but it's certainly an interesting idea.



Transreality?
Digital Colocation?
Versimulation (Versimiltude + simulation) or versimultaneous (add in simultaneous)?

Hm.