This exciting episode of Metaverse Arts is now on the web, as MVA Host, Gwen Carillon, interviews the renowned steampunk musicians of Steam Powered Giraffe and talented steampunk artist Destany Laval of UnZipped.

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Not only that, but Steam Powered Giraffe play live in the studio. You can learn more about this amazing steamppunk band here– and buy their DVD!

Steam Powered Giraffe perform on Metaverse Arts

Steam Powered Giraffe and Destany Laval on Metaverse Arts!

Metaverse Arts Host Gwen Carillon with Seam Powered Giraffe

Please join us today in the Designing Worlds Studio in Garden of Dreams at 12 noon, Sunday 13th May, for an exclusive viewing of Metaverse Arts’ latest episode on Treet TV.

Destany Laval

MVA Host, Gwen Carillon, interviews the renowned steampunk musicians of Steam Powered Giraffe and talented steampunk artist Destany Laval of UnZipped.

The world of Second Life welcomes Real Life Steampunk! You don’t want to miss this one!

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – where you can now chat with other audience members and even some of the participants during the show – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/metaverse-arts – our very own version of the iPlayer!

Special thanks to Aisling Sinclair, for her contributions to this show!

Steam Powered Giraffe perform on Metaverse Arts

Metaverse Arts launches its new season with a new host in a new studio today!

Metaverse Arts logo

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Sunday 12th February for the first showing of a whole new Metaverse Arts, at our beautiful studio at The Labyrinth Theatre in Avalon. Note that this is a new location – we’ve moved into the sky and to a whole new studio!

And the studio isn’t the only new element of the show as we have a new host too – Gwen Carillon! In this first show. Gwen will be talking to the popular Australian artist Glyph Graves, who works in real life and Second Life to great acclaim – and has also created amazing cross-over artworks that draw on both realities.

Gwen Carillon in the new Metaverse Arts Studio

There will also be details of our Art Gallery of the month – so come and join us for our showing at 2pm today!

Metaverse Arts Studio

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Sunday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – where you can now chat with other audience members and even some of the participants during the show – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/metaverse-arts – our very own version of the iPlayer!

It’s exciting times for Metaverse Arts!

Metaverse Arts logo

Following a pause over the winter holidays, Metaverse Arts, the show broadcast on treet,tv about art and artists in virtual worlds, is coming back with a new studio, a new format—and a new presenter, the popular artist, DJ and designer, Gwen Carillon!

Tricia Aferdita, our original presenter, continues to be involved with the show, but, as she explains, “After thinking long and hard about the number of projects I am involved in within Second Life, I realised that if I didn’t let something go, the quality of each one of them was going to suffer. I treasure the work I put into creating Metaverse Arts and am grateful for its surprising success and growing fan base.”

At the same time she has been working on Metaverse Arts, she has continued to manage an estate, run her own art gallery, write for Prim Perfect magazine, and still somehow fit in real life work, writing, and art! So when she needed to consider what aspect of her Second Life she needed to let go of, television production really has the least in common with her real life work and goals.

“It was not an easy decision to make,” Tricia says. “I love the concept of the program and seeing an episode all come together, but I feel that I cannot put the quality amount of time into it that it needs to continue to be a success.”

But she is delighted with the new plans. “I am thrilled that Gwen Carillon is going to step up to the project. I think that her personality is well suited to the style and vision that I had for the show. We chatted for quite a while about the programming and both have similar visions for what the show can accomplish and the kinds of subjects we’d like to see covered.”

And Tricia won’t be disappearing altogether! “I will continue to work with Gwen and the production staff as a consulting producer and perhaps occasionally guest host,” she explains. “I wish Gwen the best of success and hope that everyone will continue to remain a fan of the show and support its continued success. And special thanks to all the guests and fans of Metaverse Arts; you have made it a fun year and a half!”

Gwen is well known across the grid as founder of the Content Creators Association and the owner of the fabulous Elements in Design, with its amazing range of furniture, jewellery and art works. More recently, she has launched her own hugely successful clothing range, Gwen Carillon Designs. Gwen’s art has been featured in many Second Life venues and is currently on exhibit at the Aho Museum, which is part of the New Media Consortium.

When accepting the host position for Metaverse Arts, Gwen said, “Are you sure that you want me?” But it’s not hard to understand why we wanted her! Gwen feels strongly about promoting art and artists in the metaverse. “Art is a universal form of communication. It allows us to speak to one another in ways that go beyond conventional language. What better venue for artists, than the melting pot of the Metaverse? As artists, we are on the front line.”

Gwen Carillon in the new Metaverse Arts Studio

Gwen brings to the Metaverse Arts team not only her strong background and passion in art but also her experience in the radio industry. Gwen is thrilled that Tricia Aferdita will continue to work closely with the MVA team. “Tricia has been the beating heart of Metaverse Arts. Her experience, talent, and expertise have made the show shine. I’m so glad that she will be able to stay involved! I will do my best to follow her example. Hopefully, I won’t break her show! I’m looking forward to working with such a great group of people.”

Howdy Colter is continuing as cameraman and editor of the show, and Saffia Widdershins remains as Executive Producer, but joining the show is Angie Mornington as Director. Angie is, of course, well-known for her role as Host and Producer of Fabulous Fashion on Treet.TV, but since then she has become involved behind the scenes, among other things directing Happy Hunting! She also has her own furniture store, Angie’s Home Interiors.

“I am excited about directing Metaverse Arts,” Angie says. “It will give me a chance to learn about the art community in Second Life. Gwen will be fantastic as host and I think this show will be a great success.”

Metaverse Arts Studio

The new set was a collaboration between Angie and Gwen while the new theme music – called “Curtain Call” is by Torley Linden.

“I am very excited about the new direction,” says Saffia. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Gwen will be taking the show—and, of course, seeing and learning more about fabulous Second Life artists!”

The first show will be broadcast early in February when the guest will be Glyph Graves—but you’ll have to watch the show to find out what the featured gallery will be!

Metaverse Art Episode 13: The Path

Host Tricia Aferdita takes us to “The Path”, a collaboative art installation organized by Bryn Oh and the Linden Endowment for the Arts. We meet artists Colin Fizgig, Marcus Inkpen, Douglas Story & Rose Borchovski; four of the nine artists involved in the narrative.

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Metaverse Art Episode 13: The Path, posted with vodpod

Metaverse Arts Episode 13: The Path

At 2pm today, Metaverse Arts will air it’s latest episode; a tour of a few chapters of the artistic story known as The Path.

The Path; a collaborative, immersive art installation; is the mastermind of virtual artist Bryn Oh. Based around the Exquisite Corpse concept sometimes used by Surrealists, eight artists added to the composition in a random sequence. Each one adds to the story and passes it on to the next artist, writing up a continuation of the narrative that continues until it reaches the eighth and final artist.

The installation tells a story featuring characters and surrealistic settings created some some of Second Life’s most inventive artists; including Bryn Oh, Colin Fizgig, Marcus Inkpen, Desdemona Enfield & Douglas Story, Maya Paris, Claudia222 Jewell, Scottius Polke and Rose Borchovski.

For this episode we chatted with a few of the intrepid artists involved in this perilous tale and got a little bit of the story behind the story. We will visit with a devilish Colin Fizgig, get to know the hyperactive imagination of Marcus Inkpen, explore more sound and video magic from the minds of Desdemona Enfield and Douglas Store and eyeball some of the eerie work of Rose Borchovski.

Don’t miss this entertaining and creative tale and your chance to be among the first to see the first airing of this fun episode at the Labyrinth Theater set! See you there!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Labyrinth/127/104/34

Scary Art Auction to Benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Avalon Town is hosting it’s annual Halloween Charity Art Auction on The Labyrinth Sim, this year to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This year’s theme was “scary art” and artists from across Second Life rose to the challenge and unleashed their spooky skills to contribute art for the cause.

The auction features works from Scottius Polke, Eliza Wierwight, Fuschia Nightfire, Stephen Venkman, Alexx Fenstalker, PJ Trenton, Rowan Derryth, Fiona Leitner, Texanna Schumann, Tricia Aferdita, Sledge Roffo and more…

The Halloween Party and the final two hours of the Auction will be Friday, October 28th at 7pm SLT in The Labyrinth Dungeon in Avalon Town, Second Life.

About Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

• clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
• obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. They fund more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support.

They are a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. Their focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure.

The Foundation’s drug development model has been recognized by Harvard Business School and by publications such as Forbes, The New Yorker, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation funds and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of the most efficient organizations of its kind and is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.

You can learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and the Foundation at www.cff.org

Boogaloo; A Visual Mash-Up by soror Nishi

soror Nishi @ Split Screen (exhibit poster)

One of soror Nishi’s latest exhibits is on view through the month of October at the Split Screen Installation Space. An ecclectic and bright landscape of trees and plants, it is undeniably and unmistakeably soror Nishi.

soror Nishi's Boogaloo by PJ Trenton

According to the artist, this is a little

traditional soror…a mash-up of a few parts Magoo and a little IBM  mixed with 3 new IWz (InWorldz) imports (the poppy, the foxglove and the old pine) in a marshy landscape.”

I always find soror’s installations so fun and whimsical…one feels they are wandering an immersive Seussian landscape. It certainly puts me in mind to gather people around and tell them about the trouble I had getting to Solla Sollew.

One of the really fun aspects of visiting her works is the ability to playing around with various windlight settings for a wide variety of interesting environments.

More photos of this installation may be viewed in a Flickr set I have created…but you really need to immerse yourself!

Split Screen is owned by arts patron Dividni Shostakovich and has welcomed some of the most prolific and talented artists in Second Life to exhibit. According to Shostakovich,

The Split Screen Installation Space is place where artists and builders develop and exhibit large installations.  Two artists use the space for two months, and then other artists take over.  The space is meant for large builds that utilize the possibilities of Second Life as an artistic or immersive medium, such as works that are impossible in real life.

Some wonderful exhibits at Split Screen have included Maya Paris’ Mind the Gap (Flickr set), Flower Drum by Eliza Wierwight (Flickr set) and D. Construct by Douglas Story and Desdemona Enfield (Flickr set). Eliza, Douglas and Desdemona have all appeared on past episodes of Metaverse Arts.

Be sure to visit Split Screen to see soror’s current exhibition before the end of October. Make your way to the Split Screen Installation Space (slurl) and be immersed in quintessential soror!

Whimsical Creature by PJ Trenton

Linden Endowment for the Arts Announces Land Rush Residency

The Linden Endowment of the Arts is an official Linden Community Partnership program whose purpose is to help new artists, cultivate art in SL, and foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration within the art community.

The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) has just announced its Land Rush Residency. This initiative gives artists an opportunity to “claim” 1/8th of a region for a period of 2 months to mount a virtual art installation. Limited spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The first round will be held in two phases on October 30, 2011 at 10:00 am and 4 pm SLT. A total of 16 parcels in two regions will be given away.

For complete information on the Land Rush Residency, please visit the official LEA blog at http://lindenarts.blogspot.com/2011/10/linden-endowment-for-arts-announces-its.html.

Earlier this month, LEA announced that it had negotiated with Linden Labs for the creation of 20 new regions for the arts in Second Life. Of these:

• four regions will be reserved for exhibitions curated from LEA sandbox art,
• two regions will be allocated through the above noted land rush, and
• fourteen will be allocated by application (deadline for submission of applications, which must be completed online, is November 1st)

Rebeca Bashley's Inferno photographed by PJ Trenton

Exciting things are already afoot on the LEA sims with the first monthly installation of the LEA Full Sim Art Series; Rebeca Bashly’s Inferno, inspired by Dante Aligieri’s Divine Comedy Inferno (slurl). For this series, each artist/group of artists will have a full 15,000 prim SIM for 1 month from the 1st day of the month, till the last day of the month. As such, Rebeca’s installation will be available until October 31st so be sure not to miss it.

This is certainly very exciting times for the arts community in Second Life!

The Mask: A Synchronicity

A Maschera photographed by PJ Trenton

I was fortunate enough to be informed about this performance piece, originally created for the Museo del Metaverso as part of their art and poetry project. Fortunate as it will only be run for another 12 hours (or perhaps even over tonight). Originally performed September 29 – October 2, 2011 at Ile Moya, it was also broadcast into the physical world at Centre d´art la Malmaison in Cannes, France and at  La Teatro Libre in Bogota, Colombia.

Originally conceived and developed by the trio of Jo Ellsmere, Pyewacket Kazyanenko and Montoyakai Steamer, it is based on a Neapolitan poem by Carmen Auletta (Margye Riba in Second Life). A beautiful melding of poetry, dance and music; it is a feast for all the senses as three differently attired, but similarly sized avatars move and sway, diverge and combine to occasionally appear as a single avatar.

‘A Maschera – Carmen Auletta

Oggi me sento proprio ‘na munnezza,
vulesse almeno fà quaccosa ‘e bbuono,
però si ‘o ffaccio vene na schifezzae
me rummane sempe nu magone.

Vulesse stà nu poco cchiù cuntenta
ma faccio sulo finta ca sto’ bbona
cercanno ‘e fà felice ‘a tutte quante,
dico ‘e bbuscìe e nisciuno se n’addona.

E mò capisco pecchè ‘o clown se mette
‘a faccia bianca ‘e gesso e fa ‘o pagliaccio
ma tene ‘na tristezza ca ‘o fa a fette
e ‘ncuorpo chiagne e ‘a fora pare ‘e ghiaccio.

The translated poem is presented below…

The Mask by Carmen Auletta

Today I am just picking up dust.
O, to do even a bit of good! But
Everything I try turns to rust –
And a pit remains in my gut.

If only I could be of higher cheer!
Instead, I pretend I’m fine,
I try to make happy all far and near –
And no one can tell when I lie.

Now I understand why the clown goes
With painted face and smile all nice,
Even though he’s sad, from his neck to toes –
And inside he cries – just the outside is ice.

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One of things I found fascinating about this piece while preparing this posting was that it has also been broadcast on two occassions into the physical world.

I caught this performance at the Odyssey sim. As previously mentioned, it will only be performed for a few more hours, so be sure to take the opportunity to enjoy it while you can. It can be found at Odyssey (slur) where you will see a teleport to the performance space high above the ground. You will receive a few notecards to enhance your viewing pleasure, including recommendations of the [Euphoria – monochrome] windlight setting.

Additional photographs may be found in a Flickr set I have created.

How many masks do you wear?