SLESP

I've been collaborating on a project in the virtual Eastside Projects in Second Life that Michael Takeo Magruder has been developing with them. Myself, Antonio Roberts and some students from BIADs MA Digital Arts in Performance have been using the space and the virtual objects left there to explore the possibilities for this kind of exhibition.

My slot has been this week, and I've taken phrases that suggest control, persuasion and compliance from Liam Gillick's plays (that are being performed for his exhibition in the RL space), and scripted them into objects for avatars to sit in.

I'm interested in whether we can use this rather structured environment to produce new relations, so feel free interact with any other avatars you see, perhaps responding to the space, the phrases, or the context.

It would help me if you could document your visit somehow, maybe take a snapshot and forward the chat log, if you get time you could make a few notes about your response.

This link takes you to the door of the main virtual Eastside Projects, assuming you have Second Life set up on your computer, and you need to walk along the wall to get to the 'twin' space where we've been doing things.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Transitional%20Space/140/133/51

My SL name: Ana Vemo






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EP:VV

Changing Room
23 November 2009 - 23 January 2010

Changing Room is an evolving mixed-reality installation that considers the mutability and reusability of artefacts, concepts and situations in the Digital Age. Lead artist Michael Takeo Magruder will collaborate with Extra Special People artists Ana Benlloch, Iona Makiola, Antonio Roberts, Lee Scott, Zhao Wei and Selma Wong to develop a new collaborative space.

Blending the shared virtual environment of Second Life with the shared physical environment of Eastside Projects, the artwork will facilitate the realisation, curation and documentation of seven distinct - yet interrelated - art projects arising from a common pool of virtual and physical resources.

Experience the artwork's physical component at Eastside Projects alongside Liam Gillick's Two Short Plays, a new solo exhibition (27 November 2009 to 23 January 2010) and the virtual environment in Second Life). For further information please visit: www.takeo.org.

Changing Room is an experimental prototype for EP:VV (Eastside Projects: Virtualised and Visualised) - a new space for imagining ideas about Art. EP:VV will develop online, multi-user virtual worlds that afford new models for participation and representation of the gallery's artworks and initiatives. For more information about EP:VV and its ongoing development, visit: www.eastsideprojects.org or email info@eastsideprojects.org

we.assimilate

Here are some images and video of the Insectoid performance we did a few weeks ago in a double bill with Tai Shani. Performers on the night were me (Ana Benlloch), Alex Marzeta, David Miller, Paul Newman, Vanessa Page, Antonio Roberts, Stuart Tait and Vickie Wood.

There were lots of glitches with technology, as usual, but the beauty of doing something like this is that the mask covers most of your emotions, and everything seems like it's intentional. This is probably the most successful performance we've done, and although I'm not a fan of such a theatrical layout and setting, there's lots we can take from it for the future.

If that's whetted your appetite, here's the video in 2 parts:





And links if you can't get the embedded versions
we.assimilate (part 1)
we.assimilate (part 2)

More on Insectoid's YouTube channel

Insectoid website

Insectoid! Last.FM page

Net Working

I've not had time to post much recently, due to a really heavy workload, but if you've seen me at your event and want my thoughts do give me a nudge. If you're not sure how to do that, look over in the sidebar, where it says Stalk Me, and there's a load of little buttons where you can choose your social networking site of choice to contact me, I've even just added twitter, which I've been frightened of for years.

But don't, you know, actually stalk me please...

There should be plenty of good stuff coming up soon, I'm in a show in London curated by Pil and Galia Kollectiv: The Institute of Psychoplasmics if you follow the link you can also buy tickets for the Tai Shani + Insectoid offsite performance event on 8 May at Shoreditch Town Hall, EC1V 9LP

There's an Insectoid Last FM page now with free mp3s (and a Milgram one, if you're into that kind of thing)

Then of course there's Nikki Pugh's Emergent Game, which I'll be involved in to some capacity, starting to get really excitied about it, and just itching to finish my assignments so I can start making avatars.

Remote Victim

I've been looking at the effects of being 'cruel' to avatars for a while, and have just made this video in Sims as a bit of an experiment. I've called it an Avatar Endurance Performance, but of course the main victim was myself, as I nearly gave myself RSI by repeatedly making the Sim do what I needed it to until it was right.



Link to YouTube page

Knock Down Ginger: My House Projects

This was an Ayling & Conroy performance event My House Projects

Richard Peel had some drawings and a sound piece and also did a presentation about a potential large-scale, big budget animated series based on his work. Just in case you don't know it, here's his website



Fo my piece, gimp bot girl, there was a computer set up in a bedroom where the audience were telling me to do things over Messenger. I was hidden away in a cupboard downstairs updating a webpage from their suggestions. There's an archive of it on my RobotGirl site



Ang Li was preparing food all night as his performance, then you cooked it in a little pot. I think the sitting around eating was more important than the food itself



Chris Henry Clarke stood on a bed and asked us to throw paper aeroplanes at his heart



James Robert Ford set up a Nintendo tournament/drinking game. This was quite a popular piece. We had to rush off to get the train, but I suspect this continued well into the night.



For larger versions go to my Flickr page

Contained Happening

Contained Happening
Matthew Andrew, Ana Benlloch, Grag Cox, Caitlin Griffiths and Daniel Mort
Curated by Charlie Levine
International Project Space, Bournville Centre for Visual Arts, Birmingham Institute for Art and Design Maple Rd, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 2AA
Open to public Tuesday 5th Friday 8th September 2006 12-5pm

A couple of swells on the way to the show



David playing my interactive animation, flanked by Mariama and Stuart



Long and short view of the installation



Larger pictures on my Flickr page

DOT Arena 2 (2)

It's up now and looking lovely...


... although they are still working on some bits - but hey, what town isn't slightly under construction


There are paintings in some of the spaces, ones that would be cutely small in a normal show could be imagined as vast epics since your sense of scale is skewed


You can write stuff on the bench in the park, I wrote something on the back, wonder if anyone'll see it


Mable Cable made some scary dolls, one is the Elephant Man I think


The Council House


Library featuring a www.richardpeel.com comic


The Cherry Tree pub


Invisible sculpture by Jason Thomson, there are instructions and you have to imagine stuff


There's a window in the floor and you can look down at a garden with pool made by Tom and Alex


Flashing Lights and Remote Control!: RobotGirl - you can drive her around and make her do performances.

DOT Arena 2

Went to take my piece for the DOT cardboard Leicester that is in Sideshow (more on that soon). Here's a few snaps of the work in progress:

Sally and Ed working hard on the DOT reconstruction of Leicester in cardboard. People are doing artworks in this as well.


You can walk around, it's all different scale, and there are large buildings you can go inside.


Build still in progress


A lovely scene of Leicester


Some benches where Mable is going to do a piece.
There appear to be DOTs in the air, I think it's just a bit dusty.


DOT's Factory


Tommy's moon


Harriet holding up the sink she's making for the hospital


Not sure where this is, looks vaguely familiar, I should have checked all this...


DOT's version of Victoria Park, Leicester


Some DOT workers beavering away


to see larger versions go to my flickr page


more on DOT


more on Sideshow

Ticklish Subjects

Had to rush back from a family event to get to the opening of the BIAD MA show, Ticklish Subjects which I had a piece of work in, because I'd been doing the Fellowship there.

My piece was called the Berners-Lee Research Facility and was a fictional installation of a fictional seminar room, showing a fictional website, from a fictional residency at a fictional university.

My life with Gary Seven

I curated the Gary Seven exhibition at the Custard Factory, Birmingham (9 - 15th May) with some of the students from BIAD in it, as well as other artists. It was based on the 60s Star Trek episode Assignment: Earth. This featured an agent called Gary Seven, his intelligent cat and assistant Roberta. It was designed to be a spin off series, but never made it. I wanted to give it a life outside of this, fulfilling it's potential in some way.



more about Gary Seven exhibition

Review of Gary Seven exhibition