A look at the Linden Endowment for the Arts
February 24, 2010
There are a lot of things I could say in regards to LL Announcing the “Linden Endowment for the Arts”. I am not even sure where to begin on this. It sounds like a great idea, at first look. A program to create an immersive space for artists to share their art and to give art a way to live on, in the transient world of online creation. That is just what is needed in many ways.
The problem with this project is the big question that plagues RL and SL art: “What is art?”. Well. That is a constant question up for dispute and I am not going to really drag that question out any further. I think what applies here is, “What defines SL art?”. What makes it “ground breaking” and “inspiring”?
There are so many “Art Galleries” in SL who are little more than JPGs on a prim. It loses value from conversion from the original item in the real world, when brought over into a 3d world and displayed in a very basic 2d manner, to just show the “art” hanging on a prim. While this has it’s uses and it’s great that people are interested in all manners of different art here, I hardly think these kinds of things are worth value or should be taken into consideration for these things.
I think personally, works like artists of Selavy Oh, Bryn Oh, Dizzy Banjo and Glyph Graves are the PERFECT examples of art that SHOULD be placed into consideration for these kinds of things. These artists create art FOR the medium not WITHIN the medium only. These artists understand the nature of virtual worlds and are constantly pushing,creating,and experimenting with the possibilites of SL. That is not to say that it is only these artists. I am just putting some examples of some already established artists doing work that is ground breaking and inspiring. Works that LIVE within SL and do things not always easy to pull off so easily (or at all) in real world art.
As Bryn Oh recently pointed out, she said: “Determining what is unique about this medium should really be the guideline as to determining what should be included. ” I think this is very true and one of the most important things that should be discussed when adding an artist or a project into this program.
Also, the issue of musicians and music within SL has been brought up in the comments, I noticed, by many performers and creators. I think this needs to be addressed entirely differently and not addressed within this program. What I would like to see perhaps, is an island dedicated to performance art and live music within SL. Somewhere that holds monthly LL supported events. Perhaps re-open a station just for people who perform live within SL. Another question that should be taken into consideration during this topic is… Can you really consider people who perform in SL constantly doing nothing but covers all the time as really artists? I’m sorry but I don’t think you can. I think that music in SL sorely lacks people CONSISTANTLY performing their own Original material. I think that cover artists in SL are little more than glorified karaoke artists. Just my two cents.
The endowment for the arts is a great idea as long as LL takes into consideration what truly makes something here valuable and timeless. Something that could be considered historical and immersive art. Something that makes the user not just a passive observer but a PART of the art. THAT to me is what they should be looking at.
Art galleries and gallery owners really have no place in a program like this either. There should be no middle man for the voice of the artist in these situations. Galleries are wonderful donations and they provide a place for the artist to show but, an artist is an artist, with land or without. The problem with many art galleries is, they stick the artist inbetween the problems of them and other artists,individuals,or art groups. In those situations they cease being a help to the artist and are little more than dictatorships. For this reason I think, while art groups and galleries can be a wonderful help in MOST cases, they should be left out of the discussion here. This is an endowment for the arts, not, an endowment for the galleries.
SL is awash with a lot of people Roleplaying artists in their free time, with the real artists wading in the sea of oversaturated media. If LL fairly asses the art and the artists involved, the RELEVANCE and creativeness of the art not just being art for sake of art but truly embracing the virtual media for all that it really can be, then, this will be a success. If not… will be a real shame to see a good idea go to waste. Here’s to hoping?
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Tagged: Art, Artwork, Blog, ColeMarie Soleil, Linden Endowment for the Arts, Linden Lab, Metaverse, News
February 25, 2010 at 1:37 am
I have to whole heartedly agree with you in what you say. Even though it saddens me somewhat. The segregation of the arts has always been a thorn in my side. But, knowing little about the actual endowment discussed, any such gift from Linden Labs should be centered around the people actually creating art within Second Life to further the creative processes and techniques of the medium. However, I too consider myself a virtual artist and, in fact, I believe Second Life would never have been possible without the discoveries made by artists and technicians exploring the very programs I create with. Afterall, there is no difference between a prim, an .obj, a .3ds or a .bvh in that they are all virtual files designed to manipulate light particles. And, if we take that a step deeper, how can we ignore the very basis of these which would be light, sound, movement and composition. There are so many fine lines being tread upon when one tries to single out an art form.
The problem I see, and something that needs to be discussed in an SL endowment, is the fact that most residents, especially non-premier accounts, have nowhere to explore, create, or experiment because of the lack of resources (prim for one) available to them. It’s like in the real world, once an artist leaves the confines of the university, where do they build their creations? Who will fund their explorations? How many great artists go completely unrecognized because the have no backing to realize their dreams?
For me, if Governor Linden wants to promote art in Second Life, the only effective way would be to give latitude and resource to all creative individuals with the desire to create, or, at the very least, bolster those who need help.
No doubt, there need to be guidelines so advantages won’t be taken but Capitalism of the mind or in the wallets of an individual has no place in an artistic endeavor. Look around you. Who are the people who are recognized in the world of art? People who were given the opportunity to freely create. Unfortunately, in this “real” world that doesn’t mean the most deserving or creative… In America and other free enterprise nations, it means the individuals with the support of others that allow them to be free to create or those with the resources to do it themselves i.e. “very few”
February 25, 2010 at 9:51 am
[...] These artists understand the nature of virtual worlds and are constantly pushing,creating,and experi… [...]
February 28, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Very well stated, Cole. I have concerns of my own aout the Arbiters of Art, as well as the “SL music scene.”
As you say, the criteria should be on art that uses, exploits and explores this medium. Sure, you can duplicate a photograph on canvas using oils, but is that the same as exploiting film grain, ISO speeds and focal lengths? Is recording a symphony the same thing as exploiting the composition of the studio in the way that Brian Eno does?
As far as “SL music” goes… i agree totally with you: to merely play a cover set, or even to play one’s own music in a traditional way, as a set of normal songs and using SL as a “radio” is wonderful, but is not the same thing at all as what Glyph, Bryn or Dizzy do – using the medium here as an intrinsic part of the performance. The limitations of the SL sound engine (grrr! it’s capable of so much more and is choked in the BROWSER, not the engine itself!) make that difficult, but limitations are integral to any medium and make things interesting to explore and use.
After reading your accurate and understanding views, I have hereby nominated you for the LEA Committee! *runs away laughing*
March 1, 2010 at 1:19 am
http://savemeoh.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/fuck-a-linden/
Fuck A Linden
Now the Linden are losing their income because big companies and shops are leaving secondlife by the dozen the artists are the new target for some income correction for Linden with too high mortgages. At once they are too willing to show up at all kind of award show events to hand over the awards and price money. Torley Linden at the UWA contest, Blondin Linden at the 2009 M.A.G. machinima guild award. And all artists crawling at their feet as cheap whores. Now the Linden launched a plan to help the artists (read: to help their wallet) the artwhores of SL are tumbling over each other in the Linden Blog to unfold their plans and to let the Linden already know who are great artists and who are unemployed losers playing the artist.
Let’s hope the real artists will use secondlife only as their canvas on which they are creating great things for the moment, until other canvasses turn up. Keeping their independence as their first commitment.
When the Linden are real artlovers they create an open sim, with free land for everybody, free uploads and possibilities. The world they created is good and strong enough to have a place on the WWW next to facebook, twitter and google. When those nurds do it smart enough they will still be able to generate a nice income, but please, don’t pretend you are into arts now, and please artists who prostitiute themselves before a Linden, go back to the early days of SL and do some poledancing with a tipjar at your feet.
March 8, 2010 at 12:46 am
Omg, the same shit I have to hear in RL everyday, now delivered in SL That’s nice
Again, people who knows what should be considered as ART and what should be not. Ok, now I’m gonna be one of those: Real art is made in the real world. All I feel everytime I pay visit to one of those so called “wonders of art” in Second Life is… disappointment. Maybe in a few years we’ll have a dramatic evolution in bandwith, graphic cards, 3D proccessors… who knows. For now Second Life is faaaaaaar away from what I enjoy in RL as art. The many possibilities of technology (including the simple technology of a bucket of paint spread over a canvas, that’s technology too!) that RL artists are handling nowadays without the constrains of a virtual world just make me see SL as a funny and clumsy baby. I know that some of those SL artists are RL artists too, maybe talented. But, who cares?
March 9, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Define real mister fransino.
Are you saying radioheads completely computer generated music video is not real?
Upgrade
thanks
May 3, 2010 at 10:10 pm
I will not discuss what is art or not art, some like canvas, some 2d, some 3d art. I guess art it is only the simple concept in RL as SL “Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions.”. I do love the creators u mentioned, and in some words I agree with saveme oh and some of yours. and I conclude that Second Life art really needs a push, even after that, what will comes with that, I really don’t know, but what I know, there is a lot of good talent on Second life and if nothing more high happens it will be a waste for sure.
Until there Second Life philosophy lacks some ways to improve residents real experience without making so many annoying restrictions and weird rules that no one understand clear.
October 26, 2010 at 5:23 pm
i love to visit art galleries both home and abroad, art has been my life:”-
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