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Mixed reality Melbourne: Seventeen Unsung Songs
It's one of those little Melbourne bars, not so much wider than the bar that runs much of the length of it, with some seating near the front for the smokers (who are nearly out in the cold, literally), and a smaller lounge area in the back with a tiny little stage. It's poorly lit (too dark for clean photography), and the cramped space is moderately crowded. The focus is, strangely, two men, and their laptops. Their laptop screens are projected against the walls, and strange ambient music is circulating through the room. This is a living performance in Second Life created solely for an audience in the physical world.
Babelswarm has a way with words
Letters pummel you as they fall from the heavens, struggling to form the words you just spoke. Any casual utterance leads to another cascade of letters; you see some jostling letters fall into place before you -- "hello". Are you talking to Babelswarm, or is it talking to you? The Australia Council for the Arts awarded a $20,000 artist-in-residence grant to three Melbourne artists last year to explore interactive art in Second Life. Christopher Dodds, Adam Nash and Justin Clemens -- visual artist, musician and writer -- created Babelswarm to combine swarm theory with the story of humanity's effort to build a tower to the heavens. Terrestrial visitors can view and contribute to Babelswarm at the Lismore Regional Gallery, where the words they speak will become a part of the ever-building, ever-collapsing virtual tower. The installation opened simultaneously in Second Life and at the Lismore Gallery April 11th. If you have Second Life installed, why not stop by and help create the tower with your words?
