Hello, everyone - Patrick Lichty here - sorry to be so silent.
For those who don;t know me, I'm a media based theorist who is one of the
leaders of the Virtual performance group Second Front, Animator for The Yes
men, was one of the RTMark gang, and editor of Intelligent Agent Magazine
(which is going to have an issue out this summer - we do about 1/yr
currently)
PLAYGROUND
Well, I love this idea, and I'd like to add a brief two bits.
Playground - this has been a staple of Second Front performances. Over the
past three years, we have tried any number of social experiments, from
asking peopel to become a ramapaging zombie horde with us (28 Avatars Later)
to playing the old "pizza prank" (Pizza SLut) to controlled chaos through
the form of virtual dada performances and e-happenings - in fact, Bibbe
Hansen has been part of SF for the very reason that we've been continuing
the Happening/Fluxus performance tradition in virtual worlds.
I'd like to invite you to the performance we're doing at Subtle technologies
on Friday night, somewhere around 8 PM. I'll be directing from Chicago, and
Scott Kildall will be directing from Toronto City Hall.
There's the location.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/I%20AM%20Columbia/41/51/34
FACTORY
In addition, I have been doing an ongoing project with an "alternate" avatar
(name not public) ain an Andy Warhol capacity who has been running a virtual
"Factory", and getting a cadre of avatars to help him do screentests,
physical works, etc. witht he help of Bibbe Hansen, who was also a Warhol
Girl. It isn't so much about the work as the community of want to "be
seen"; the social/relational (although I think that word is being beaten to
death) aspect of play in virtual worlds. If you find similar social
effects, and you recreate the parameters for interaction, can history repeat
itself, or if not, what happens? The petri dish is laid out.
Looking forward tot he conversation!
More on this, but wanted to dive in.