NMC Campus Observer

Your NMC Campus Story: Douglas Story

NMC Virtual Worlds : Aug 20, 2010 01:10pm

“Your NMC Campus Story” highlights the many ways in which educators are using the NMC Campus in Second Life to spark innovation, learning, and creativity. This edition’s journey is brought to us by Douglas Story, an artist who’s work has been featured on the NMC Campus numerous times as well as throughout Second Life.

I first became aware of NMC in early 2007 shortly after I attended an art show of sculpture by one Stella Costello. I was wearing an avatar that was in the shape of the solar system, and because of this unusual get-up I struck up a conversation with a woman who, as it turned out, was the administrator for Princeton University’s presence in Second Life, which was (and I imagine still is) hosted on the NMC servers. On learning that I was an artist who was looking for a venue for a new art piece that my creative partner Desdemona Enfield and I were putting together in collaboration with musician Aldomanutio Abruzzo, she offered to host it there.
NMC art maven Tayzia Abattoir was crucial in helping stage the successful launch of FlowerBall which later was judged to be one of the Ten Best Art Installations of 2007 by the New World Notes blog.

Our next piece was also generously hosted by Princeton: DynaFleur, in collaboration with musician Dizzy Banjo and terraformer Poid Mahovlich. This sim-wide installation premiered in January of 2008, and featured adaptations of the open-source Reflexive Architecture scripts produced by Keystone Bouchard’s group.

As your avatar walks through the giant build, the elements of the build change; moving and singing in response to your presence. DynaFleur is no longer located on the Princeton sims, but may still be visited in Second Life by going here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Kintyre/230/222/2624

When we finally had our next piece ready in early 2009, we approached Tayzia and she generously offered to host us high over NMC’s Ars Simulacra sim. StormEye had many visitors at the time, but nothing like the flood we had in July of 2010 when the piece was at the top of the Second Life’s “Destination Guide.” This produced a flood of visitors, which Desdemona’s automated counters tallied at more than 3500 in one week’s time! This may not sound like a lot to the average reader, but in Second Life terms those kind of numbers are roughly akin to the opening weekend box-office for Avatar.

The installation, featuring video rolling over the more than 1000 objects that comprise the tunnel and chamber, may be visited at Ars Simulacra at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ars%20Simulacra/62/176/1002

Next we had a long break from producing big installations as other side projects beckoned, but we returned in the summer of 2010 with Ripple in collaboration with English composer March Macbain/Emily Wilkins which was also hosted over Ars Simulacra. By the way, this artwork has no connection with the fortified wine favored by vagrants. None whatever. This was also in the Destination Guide this summer.

Ripple may be visited here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ars%20Simulacra/153/59/1029

Desdemona and I are very grateful to NMC for hosting our projects over the years, and do not take the privilege for granted. Big thanks to Tayzia Abattoir for her deep wisdom in continuing to like our projects and to Larry “Daddy Warbucks” Pixel for his generous patronage; patronage extended not only to us, but to many talented artists in this virtual world, whose work would likely not be enjoyed by so many if not for NMC.

Originally published at NMC Virtual Worlds

Story filed under: Resources & Information

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