NMC Campus Observer

Why Creativity Matters

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : Aug 13, 2007 09:00pm

It’s been about 12 hours since the first full day of the NMC Symposium on Creativity launched, and what a day its been. Catching up on the activity is going to be a big job, mostly left for “later”, but we wanted to make sure to share the video archive of Larry Pixel’s (aka Larry Johnson) keynote session on Why Creativity Matters.

Keynote video [46.9 Mb Quicktime]. Also available on Google Video and blip.tv. And see below for the remarks as mp3 audio.

As described in the program:

Why is the range and diversity of self-expression in spaces like Second Life so broad? What is it about these environments that are producing the phenomenal growth seen over the last few years? What is it that makes people willing, even eager, to spend hours online interacting in virtual space? A complete novice to massively multiplayer environments two years ago, today Larry heads up an effort by the New Media Consortium that is deeply engaged in exploring questions like these. His journey parallels and illuminates that of many others. As the NMC launches a new series of dialogs on these and related topics, join Larry for a discussion of why he believes that rich multi-media spaces like Second Life are fundamentally changing the way we think about learning, social interaction, and self-expression.

On Monday, this session drew a crowd of 54 avatars to the new Charles Babbage Amphitheater at NMC Conference Center, and planning for a bit turnout, we were able to stream the session live to a second venue at Research Park — and record the entire presentation as well. It was repeated for another audience of 40 plus on Tuesday.

In this 25 minute presentation, in front of a rotating series of images from Second Life, featuring art, events, avatars, imagination, Pixel shares his and the NMC’s journey into Second Life, drawing from sources such as Abraham Maslow, Sir Ken Robinson, and even The Matrix. Larry makes a strong case for the importance of a virtual world as means for creatively expressing ourselves and being part of a creative community.

For the details, see the text of Larry’s remarks.

Why Creativity Matters

For those at the symposium, the presentation will be reprised Tuesday at 2:00 PM SLT/PDT.

So as you watch this- let us know in your own words, why does creativity matter? What does it mean to you, the work you do, the things you create?

Story filed under: Audio / Video, Campus Headlines, People, Places, Things, What's Happening
Tags: slcreativity
See all stories by CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine)