“ Entering the Screen” by Dr Kathy Cleland Virtual worlds and Games Another Presentation by Craig Betts

Dr Kathy Cleland http://www.kathycleland.com / Kathy Cleland is a curator, writer and lecturer specialising in new media art and digital culture. She has lectured in the Digital Cultures Program at The University of Sydney since 2001. Kathy writes for a number of arts and cultural publications and was guest editor of a special new media issue of Artlink magazine, "e-volution of new media" (Vol 21, No.3, 2001). Kathy was president of the Sydney-based dLux media arts organisation from 1997 to 2002. Her curatorial projects include “ARTificial LIFE” at Artspace, Auckland, NZ (1998), the “Cyber Cultures” exhibition series which toured to over 20 venues in Australia and New Zealand from 2000 – 2003 and the Australian component of the St@rt Up exhibition at Te Papa Museum in Wellington, NZ (2002-2003). In 2008 she co-curated the “Mirror States” exhibition (MIC Toi Rerehiko, Auckland, NZ and Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney). She is currently curating “Face to Face: portraiture in a digital age” with d/Lux/MediaArts, a digital portraiture exhibition that will tour throughout Australia from 2008-2011. Her PhD thesis “Image Avatars: self-other encounters in a mediated world” investigated avatars, digital portraiture, virtual characters and representations of the self in virtual environments.

Publications Cleland, Kathy (2009) Face-to-face: Avatars and Mobile Identities” in Goggin, G and Hjorth, L. (Eds.) Mobile Technologies: From Telecommunications to Media, New York: Routledge. Cleland, Kathy (2008) Interactive art: digital entities and the audience experience in IEEE MultiMedia, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 4-7, Oct.-Dec. 2008, doi:10.1109/MMUL.2008.92 http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/MMUL.2008.92 Cleland, Kathy (2008) Image Avatars: self-other encounters in a mediated world, PhD thesis, Sydney: UTS. http://www.kathycleland.com/KathyCleland/Thesis.html Cleland, Kathy (2008) The New Face of Portraiture in a Digital Age in Face to Face: portraiture in a digital age. Sydney: d/Lux/MediaArts, available: http://www.dlux.org.au/face2face/Cleland_essay.htm Cleland, Kathy (2008) Projected Others (catalogue essay) in Cleland, Kathy and Muller, Lizzie (eds.) Mirror States catalogue, Campbelltown and Auckland: Campbelltown Arts Centre in association with Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko.. Available: www.mirrorstates.com Cleland, Kathy and Muller, Lizzie (eds.) (2008) Mirror States catalogue, Campbelltown and Auckland: Campbelltown Arts Centre in association with Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko. Chesher, Chris, Cleland, Kathy and Marks, Peter (eds.) (2008) Screenscapes, special issue of Scan Journal, Macquarie University. http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display_synopsis?j_id=13 Cleland, Kathy (Sept, 2007) Entering the Screen in Artlink Vol 27 no 3, pp.22-27. Cleland, Kathy (2007) Face-to-face: Avatars and Mobile Identities in Mobile Media (Conference proceedings) Gerard Goggin and Larissa Hjorth (eds.), University of Sydney, 2-4 July 2007. Cleland, Kathy (2006) Image Avatars and Media Mirrors in Engage: audience, art and interaction (Conference proceedings) Lizzie Muller, Ernest Edmonds and Deborah Turnbill (eds.), University of Technology, Sydney, 27-29 Nov 2006.

Cleland, Kathy (2009) Face-to-face: Avatars and Mobile Identities” in Goggin, G and Hjorth, L. (Eds.) Mobile Technologies: From Telecommunications to Media, New York: Routledge.

Cleland, Kathy (2008) Interactive art: digital entities and the audience experience in IEEE MultiMedia, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 4-7, Oct.-Dec. 2008, doi:10.1109/MMUL.2008.92 http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/MMUL.2008.92

Cleland, Kathy (2008) Image Avatars: self-other encounters in a mediated world, PhD thesis, Sydney: UTS. http://www.kathycleland.com/KathyCleland/Thesis.html

Cleland, Kathy (2008) The New Face of Portraiture in a Digital Age in Face to Face: portraiture in a digital age. Sydney: d/Lux/MediaArts, available: http://www.dlux.org.au/face2face/Cleland_essay.htm

Cleland, Kathy (2008) Projected Others (catalogue essay) in Cleland, Kathy and Muller, Lizzie (eds.) Mirror States catalogue, Campbelltown and Auckland: Campbelltown Arts Centre in association with Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko.. Available: www.mirrorstates.com

Cleland, Kathy and Muller, Lizzie (eds.) (2008) Mirror States catalogue, Campbelltown and Auckland: Campbelltown Arts Centre in association with Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko.

Chesher, Chris, Cleland, Kathy and Marks, Peter (eds.) (2008) Screenscapes, special issue of Scan Journal, Macquarie University. http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display_synopsis?j_id=13

Cleland, Kathy (Sept, 2007) Entering the Screen in Artlink Vol 27 no 3, pp.22-27.

Cleland, Kathy (2007) Face-to-face: Avatars and Mobile Identities in Mobile Media (Conference proceedings) Gerard Goggin and Larissa Hjorth (eds.), University of Sydney, 2-4 July 2007.

Cleland, Kathy (2006) Image Avatars and Media Mirrors in Engage: audience, art and interaction (Conference proceedings) Lizzie Muller, Ernest Edmonds and Deborah Turnbill (eds.), University of Technology, Sydney, 27-29 Nov 2006.

Artlink Vol 27 no 3 pp22-27 (2007) Entering the Screen Author: Ms Kathy Cleland , feature New interactive screen spaces of the web, games and virtual worlds act as 'portals' allowing us to become a part of the media image rather than just watching it. No longer content to just watch the action, we're creating our own online identities and becoming our own screen heroes acting out our own virtual adventures. This article focuses on the new virtual world of 'Second Life' and discusses the idea of avatar (virtual pictorial) identities via the works of a selection of new media artists: Neal Stephenson, Eva and Franco Mattes, Emil Goh, Adriene Jenik and Lisa Brenneis, Adam Nash, Christopher Dodd, Kyal TripodiGazira Babeli and Pierre Proske.

Avatar This word has come to prominence over recent years Dictionary Com defines it as Computers . a graphical image that represents a person, as on the Internet. 2. An embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life. 3. Hindu Mythology . The descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god. Dr Kathy Cleland says the term was used in mid 1980’s in an online game called Habitat by LucasFilms. Then widely popularised by Neal Stephensons 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash

This word has come to prominence over recent years

Dictionary Com defines it as

Computers . a graphical image that represents a person, as on the Internet.

2. An embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.

3. Hindu Mythology . The descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.

Dr Kathy Cleland says the term was used in mid 1980’s in an online game called Habitat by LucasFilms. Then widely popularised by Neal Stephensons 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash

Avatars can do anything Avatars can do anything and I mean anything or express anything Dr Kathy Cleland says If you are ugly, you can make your Avatar beautiful. If you have just gotten out of bed, your avatar can still be wearing beautiful clothes and professional applied makeup. You can look like a gorilla or a dragon or a giant talking penis in the Metaverse. Spend five minutes walking down the street and you will see any of these.

Avatars can do anything and I mean anything or express anything

Dr Kathy Cleland says

If you are ugly, you can make your Avatar beautiful. If you have just gotten out of bed, your avatar can still be wearing beautiful clothes and professional applied makeup. You can look like a gorilla or a dragon or a giant talking penis in the Metaverse. Spend five minutes walking down the street and you will see any of these.

Dr Angela Thomas I am a senior lecturer in English and Arts Education and my research interests include virtual worlds, digital cultures, new media literacies, multimodal semiotics and digital fiction. Young People in this age are moving towards futures that are uncertain, towards professions that do not yet even currently exist. It is my passion to explore the ways in which we might educate young people to be innovative, flexible, risk-taking and passionate about their place in this future.

I am a senior lecturer in English and Arts Education and my research interests include virtual worlds, digital cultures, new media literacies, multimodal semiotics and digital fiction.

Young People in this age are moving towards futures that are uncertain, towards professions that do not yet even currently exist. It is my passion to explore the ways in which we might educate young people to be innovative, flexible, risk-taking and passionate about their place in this future.

Anya Ixchel- I Anya is her website I am completely invested in my avatar- emotionally and financially. I have spent a lot of time and money hunting for the perfect skin, the prettiest eyes, the longest eyelashes, and of course, the glorious fashions. My avatar expresses my personality and identity just as much as my words do. It reflects my inner sense of of aesthetics and beauty. If also reflects my fantasies to be my own image of feminine beauty.

I am completely invested in my avatar- emotionally and financially. I have spent a lot of time and money hunting for the perfect skin, the prettiest eyes, the longest eyelashes, and of course, the glorious fashions. My avatar expresses my personality and identity just as much as my words do. It reflects my inner sense of of aesthetics and beauty. If also reflects my fantasies to be my own image of feminine beauty.

Virtual Macbeth Virtual Macbeth is an island in Second Life which is dedicated to the exploration, adaptation and performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The island was designed by Angela Thomas (virtual worlds content designer), Kerreen Ely-Harper (director) and Kate Richards (producer). Funding was provided by Literature Board of The Australian Council for the Arts , and investor partner, the New Media Consorti um

Virtual Macbeth is an island in Second Life which is dedicated to the exploration, adaptation and performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The island was designed by Angela Thomas (virtual worlds content designer), Kerreen Ely-Harper (director) and Kate Richards (producer). Funding was provided by Literature Board of The Australian Council for the Arts , and investor partner, the New Media Consorti um

http://virtualmacbeth.wikispaces.com/Island+Guide

Art Performance and Machinima Gazira Babeli a Code Performer http://www.gazirababeli.com/

Gazira Babeli a Code Performer

http://www.gazirababeli.com/

Gazira Babeli has been living and working as an artist, performer and film-maker in Second Life since spring 2006. In September 2006 she published records of a number of "non authorized performances" on the web, capturing the attention of art critics and artists. Artists above all. She then became part of Second Front, a new international group of artists/performers dedicated to the formal, aesthetic, cultural and social exploration of a reality dubbed "virtual". She was involved in the launch of the first native artistic community in Second Life: Odyssey. In April 2007, after filming the movie/performance Gaz of The Desert, she staged an exhibition entitled [Collateral Damage] .

Machinima Machinima is the use of real-time three-dimensional (3-D) graphics rendering engines to generate computer animation. The term also refers to works that incorporate this animation technique. Machinima-based artists, sometimes called machinimists or machinimators , are fan laborers and often use graphics engines from video games, a practice that arose from the animated software introductions of the 1980s demoscene, Disney Interactive Studios' 1992 computer game Stunt Island , and 1990s recordings of gameplay in first-person shooter (FPS) video games, such as id Software's Doom and Quake . Originally, these recordings documented speedruns—attempts to complete a level as quickly as possible—and multiplayer matches. The addition of storylines to these films created " Quake movies". The more general term machinima , a misspelled portmanteau of machine cinema , arose when the concept spread beyond the Quake series to other games and software. After this generalization, machinima appeared in mainstream media, including television series and advertisements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima

Questions Would you watch a Movie made in Machinima? Have you a Second life? Do you enjoy any of the art? Could you see yourselves doing something like that? Every time something technical is invented. Artists always seem to have a way of reinventing it? Agree or disagree?