“need”

Mar 17 2008

March 18, 7pm SLT

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Seventh%20Eye/135/14/35

Ars Virtua presents an emerging artists exhibition in collaboration with the ICAM program at the University of California San Diego.

need

The idea of a separate set of needs for ones Second Life is both absurd and tantalizing. Abraham Maslow provides an interesting heirarchy that other than a few basic differences lays over the synthetic world very nicely, however avatars are not people and as such do not have the same needs.

The Virtual Environments class at UCSD takes a look at the difference and similarity in this space, this borderland between avatar and human and reflects on different aspects of need for both.

The exhibit runs the gamut from a reflection on need in classic video games to several views on identity and a left handed look at our surveillence society.

Projects also tackle loftier more abstract subjects such as the positioning of governance and faith in the synthetic realm.

Join us at 7pm SLT in http://slurl.com/secondlife/Seventh%20Eye/135/14/35 there will be a scheduled “end of life” performance at 7:30, and musical accompanyment throughout the night.

We have a limited amount of “Free Parking” available on a first come first served basis and the unusual snackbar included.

Ars Virtua is sponsored by the CADRE Laboratory for New Media.

Included works:

—

Free Parking

Description: A monstrous floating parking lot in the sky. A frivolous
structure in a world where distance and transportation are trivial,
intended to lead the viewer to think critically about distance, and the
use of space and resources in the virtual world.

-Christopher Baker

—

name_map

name_map attempts to map spatial-social relationships in accordance with Mazlow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” in which the psychological needs of humans is described as a cascading series of desires and responsibilities.

Our need to be included, recognized and gain the respect of others around us is visualized by name_map as a series of lines drawn between the members of a conversation. The lines are formed as avatars are mentioned by name in an attempt to clearly define the dynamics of the group in terms of the classical definitions of “in” and “out” . This explicit delineation between members of a particular space may lead some members to self-actualization, the next step in Mazlow’s hierarchy, as an attempt to join the “in” group as reflected by name_map. The idle state of name_map serves as a growing record of a conversation and preserves the continual evolution of social space though which the name_map object moves.

name_map is free to copy, give and edit.
Say “name_map remove” within range to remove a live name_map object.

Zomg Ogopogo aka Christopher Head

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“R&R”

There are a lot of things that are needed to survive in the world, but these needs don’t necessarily translate in a virtual world. While the needs of real life aren’t required in the virtual world, in “Second Life,” objects are created in-game as a means of resembling what is already familiar and comfortable from the outside world. A reception is an essential part of any art gallery, because it allows the audience to socialize and discuss with one another the different artworks. The “R&R” (Restroom Reception) carries out this concept inside the virtual art gallery, but also incorporates the theme of a restroom, a place in real life that people don’t usually gather to socialize. The restroom also emphasizes objects in the “Second Life” that are not needed. There’s nothing in the world that requires the use of a restroom, just like there’s no need for refreshments and h’orderves, but it still exists.

Narddog Samtanko aka Long Huynh

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Security Check Gate (SCG)

Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” addresses the individual’s safety needs and freedom from physical harm. This physical need for safety is manifested in forms of individual protection, social order and law enforcement.

The synthetic world does not question one’s identity and there is no need for identification check since each avatar is free form. In Second Life, identities are fluid and there is no such thing as false identity. To introduce our social need for safety in a virtual space, the Security Check Gate was created to track and log each avatar’s information. Similar to an ID check, Security Check Gate emphasizes on the concept of safety and acts as a protective measure in respect to our needs for an orderly environment. When an avatar walks through the Security Check Gate their information is recognized and maintained in a form of a list. The Security Check Gate enforces our social requirement that serves no practical purpose in a synthetic world.

-Curt Clawtooth aka Leslie Basa

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Out of Prims

Scarcity on Earth emerges from the fact that there is a limited amount of resources that can be fabricated into a certain collection of things. According to Edward Castronova, ‚Äúany human being has desires‚Äù and ‚Äúthese desires can never be fully satisfied with current resources.‚Äù In addition, society forces a set of rules upon its members. These regulations clearly confine the degree of freedom enjoyed by its citizens. In regard to synthetic worlds, one would assume that resources are limitless. It appears that as long there is enough available server space, anything should be possible. Moreover, the activity of forcing restrictions on the liberty of its inhabitants seems irrational. As it turns out, similar conditions persist in the synthetic world as on Earth. Those who enjoy ownership over the world‚Äôs resources impose limitations on those that want to acquire them. Within Second Life, nothing seems to demonstrate this better than the limited amount of primitive objects (‚Äúprims‚Äù) that is linked with the ownership of land. Prims are what make land valuable. ‘Out of Prims’ addresses this subject in an ironic way. The fence in this project is intended to symbolize the ownership of a parcel of land. This fence, however, in combination with other objects, including a sign post and a sad clown doll, uses up the complete amount of prims allowed for a 512 m2 land parcel. In this manner, ‘Out of Prims’ reflects the scarcity of prims as well as the constant need of Second Life residents to acquire more of these ‚Äúbuilding blocks.‚Äù

- Odette Bleriot

—

Governance Monument

I have created and self-appointed a virtual “center space” to
Second Life where all political rules and ideas can be shared and edited.
From the outside, one can see what looks to be a giant bowl shaped out of
rock, however upon closer inspection; one will notice that it’s made up of
large quartz leaf shapes that provide entry ways into the structure. On
the inside of the structure, the top has been left open to incorporate a
feeling of openness and inclusiveness, and on the bottom, a series of
rocks of increased size, lead up to a dome mahogany boulder. On top of the
boulder floats a piece of parchment paper that provides the essence of the
structure’s being; SL’s constitution. This “paper” uses a script that
activates a web browser and links to http://secondlifegov.wetpaint.com/.
This site is a user generated wiki that hopes to incorporate many
different users’ ideas about how SL is supposed to be governed.
Inspiration: My project focuses on bringing substance to the sometimes
anarchist digital play-world of Second Life. The fear is that the EULA is
not enough and if proper organizational methods are not put in place, and
properly enforced (not what this project is attempting to do), then it
shouldn’t be too strange to see outside government intervention in the
near future. Additional info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_game

-Nick Sorbell
—

A Franciscan in Azeroth

The piece is an experiment to see whether or not money and morality are a
necessity in the game of World of Warcraft. By playing through the game
while following the digital version of the Rule of Saint Francis one will
see whether or not it is possible to live a humble and moral life in the
World of Warcraft. All documentation of the journey of the player characer
Stfrancis of Demon Soul (Server) is on the blog,
http://franciscanwow.blogspot.com. All skills learned as well as all
monetary transactions are documented along with images on the blog to
reassure the viewer that Stfrancis is in no way breaking his rule.

The Rule of Saint Francis in Azeroth are as follows:
1. One shall accept no money or items of exceptional worth from anyone
other than the Church. (No fancy armor accepted from quests unless can’t
be helped.)

2. One shall carry no money or items of exceptional worth unless the
circumstances prevent one from doing so.

3. One shall not profit off of his fellow man. (No Auctionhouse)
One shall not harm his fellow man unless self-preservation is threatened.
(No PVP)

4. One shall not educate himself in the ways of the shadows (No Shadow or
non-essential spells)

5. One shall only use one’s powers to heal others or to protect oneself.

6. One shall travel in the same manner as his holy lord Jesus Christ. (No
Mount)

7. One shall offer alms to all who request.

8. One shall love other players and thine self.

9. One shall enjoy one’s time in the World of Warcraft.

10. One shall spread the word of the Holy Franciscan Order of Azeroth.

-Don Bui

—

Final Performance

“In his final and most significant performance gesture, Second Life artist
Tarantula Hawker explores the otherworldly phenomenon of death as “The
Ultimate Need”. Through willful intention alone, Hawker will succumb to
death, on stage, in front of an audience. This gesture is intended to shed
light on the under-acknowledged and exceedingly expensive costs affiliated
with a “second life”: for every lifespan-independent hour spent in Second
Life, a human-being loses one irretrievable hour of their ‚Äúfirst life‚Äù.”

- Braden Diotte

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The Guest Wall

The Guestwall is a “signing wall” for visitors at the gallery. Unlike guestbooks, visitors will sign with an avatar portraits of themselves rather their signatures. The avatar they create on the Guestwall will be a representation of them. My goal for this project is to have the visitors think about the way they present themselves before other individuals in a virtual world. Hence, this is the need, the ways we present our avatars which represent us and the way we want to be perceive by others.

- Agatha Man

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Gauntlet Key

Avatars in Second Life are “born” ready to pursue higher order needs of social interaction, achievement, and creativity. The physiological and security concerns that provide our most basic motivations for cooperation and competition in the real world are notably absent in this most celebrated of the virtual. The Gauntlet Key is a playful re-introduction of these needs that hearkens back to a much older virtual world, with its own treatment of needs-driven, simultaneous cooperation and competition.

Touch the pedestal to get a Gauntlet Key, then wear it when you’re ready to face threats to sustenance and safety in Second Life.

-Daeval Kronfeld aka John Elberson