Recently, about 2 weeks ago I had an interview with the artist SaveMe Oh. It was quite long and I finally found the time to edit. Enjoy!
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| taken by ChrisTower Dae |
Quan Lavender: It was your 6th rezzday recently.
SaveMe Oh: Yes 23. February
Quan: Congrats! Let me take the chance to ask you some questions and let's start with your beginnings. Did to enter SL to create art?
SaveMe: No, I enter to see what SL was and by coincidence I became me. And by becoming me there was no other option then to start creating art. It was not planned.
Quan: Hmm, the name would have given other options.
SaveMe: It exactly started with the name. I choose the name to provoke reaction and it worked well. People start asking me if i want to be saved or if I could save them. And that was the beginning of the chain reaction
Quan: And have you saved any?
SaveMe: Yes, a lot... although it depend how you see "saving" and acolythes prefer not to speak about it
Quan: Funny, I know a lot here but so far nobody told that he was saved by you. Explain, what is saving for you.
SaveMe: Saving means open peoples eyes about the true possibilities of SL. And punch them in the eye when they refuse to see. The true possibilities are a world wide interaction between creative people on a canvas that is not restricted by old borders and limitations
Quan: Such as...?
SaveMe: Gravity, kitchens, ownership, money and habits
Quan: But as far as I understand SL there is always someone who has to pay, a fact that many artists prefer to forget.
SaveMe: There is an option to pay, but there is also an option not to pay and still use the canvas
Quan: How? Without a sim there is no virtual world
SaveMe: Now you are exactly the example of the conservative thinking. Why you need a sim?
Quan: So, please explain how progressive people create a world without sims, because we need a place to rez prims or even to be.
SaveMe: My friends the Linden provide sims everywhere and they are all open for all kind of creativity without you swinging with your wallet. You can build in sandboxes and there are 1000 of empty sims and what is that stupid old view of building in sims? You can attach 256 prims on one body spot...you have....20 or so? Makes 4000 and something.
Quan: That does not answer how a company is able to exist without doing money, how to pay the staff?
SaveMe Oh: Company??? Money? Since when artists care about money, profit and staff???? Are you an idiot or what?
Quan: I think just an idiot expects others to provide all for free.
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| taken by Marmaduke Arado |
SaveMe: So we are back to the times where the rich decide who is able to be or not to be?
Quan: Did we ever left them? And by the way, also an artist has to live.
SaveMe: I live on the love of my loved ones. I earned with my art so much that I really have n idea how to spend it. I made a special avatar to take care of my Linden for when I reach old age.
Quan: Haha, concrats. I recommend to pay for some sims for free usage for artists
SaveMe: The less talented artists can pay of course, me they always beg to come. As more then money they need someone to wake parked avatars up out of their lethargy.
Quan: How do you think you can do it?
SaveMe: Waking them up you do by make so called events really an event.
Quan: What you actually mean is disturbing their opening events...
SaveMe: No I mean upgrading boring avatar parkings into speechprovoking events in meadows of interaction, in markets of creative exchange and in playgrounds of fun.
Quan: Since you do that for a long time now, you know that the only interaction that artists blame you to use their popularity for your own show, they hate and ban you. Where is the creativity in that?
SaveMe: As the majority still didn't see the light it is a long proces, so I cannot count the time that is necessary. Rome was also not build in one day. And the popularity of other artist is not a real concern. When they are good enough they will survive.
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| Taken by Apmel |
Quan: I have problems to see the light to as I don't see a line. I do not see that you choose by quality or by the style of art. When you disturb a life peformance as if done by the last opening of the UFO you are just disturbing this kind of art you say you want to have.
SaveMe: I am not gonna talk about the ridiculous behavior of Betty with you. The event could have been wonderful.
Quan:: I am not talking about Betty, it was about the concert of Ultraviolet Alter.
SaveMe: I even was not able to meet Ultralight. Betty banned me before Ultralight came in. Or Ultralight banned me herself, or one of her bodyguards.
Quan: I was told that you came back with an alt and crashed the sim.
SaveMe: I did not came back with an alt. I was still at the border of the sim behind banlines and I attached some protest signs. That was all. I have no alts disturbing events. All my alts are good citizens. That's a myth. I also dont crash sims, thats also a myth. I cannot help my glory get that big
Quan: Hmm, I didn't want to go too deep into single cases but I saw myself that you came back as your 'Father' at Bryn Oh's talk.
SaveMe: But my father is a very nice, polite and correct man ( I hate him for that, the old fart). I would have prefered he would have kicked that snob of a sister of mine
Quan: All these actions have one in common, I don't see any empathy with the work of the artists or respect of it. Do you really think that others deserve that?
SaveMe: I also don't have a lot of empathy with the work of others, I am mostly bored to dead behind my screen and that makes the urge to create some activity even bigger. What others deserve or don't deserve is again not my problem. In the best scenario they created a good playable space. You think I have to go around saying CLAP CLAP when somebody has glued again some prims together?
Quan: No, I don't do that too. And I really think that honest critics are helpful.
SaveMe:: As that is what we are here for. Play. Not to be audience or CLAPCATTLE.
Quan: Play?
SaveMe: Play yes
Quan: I highly disagree with this point of view
SaveMe: As a journalist your point of view is not that interesting.
Quan: I am blogger, I have an opinion.
SaveMe: I take notice of that.
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| Taken by Apmel |
Quan: But regardless my opinion. The point is that most artists in SL don't see their work as playing and tend to take it too serious.
SaveMe: Thats why they are so grumpy, they take themselves sooooo serious. Regardless the fact that in RL they are maybe toiletladies.
Quan: That does not judge the quality of their art and RL artists takes themselves often to serious too.
SaveMe: The real artists know that if their work has quality it will get the attention it deserves. Simple as that. The crybabies who see SL as a last oportunity to show the world their lousy aquarelles will be less pleased.
Quan: Sorry, again I have to disagree. RL artists are not better.
SaveMe: I dont say that. I also know RL artists who are even worse than their SL avatar and drama is also art, all those primgluers forget that in their arrogance as if gluing a prim together is the highest level of art.
Quan: Totally true and I like you for your humor.
SaveMe: One day I will be a stand up comedian.
Quan: I reserve a ticket right now.
SaveMe:: And then come with large attachments???? No thank you!
Quan: Arghhh, you got me! And I am BAD in bulding! But large should be possible. You glue prims too and especially your last attachments has been very good. Was there any common idea behind the sequence of scenes or are they just random?
SaveMe: Random, but in a concept and in reaction of the environment. I have a series with big boxes, I have Hopper attacments, I have attachments from the last performance, which was an invitation to participate. So people could do to me what they accuse me of doing to them as I did a project some years ago were I handed out my avatar to everyone, so they all can be me. I want contributions and not glued avi's on a chair or parked ones on a poseball.
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| taken by Eupalinos Ugajin |
Quan: The sad thing is that almost nobody takes the chance to contribute, actually just a few other artists are attending.
SaveMe: That's why it is a long way and when you call that sad you better order me some more boxes of Kleenex. The few artists who are attending have seen the light. The others are still in their dark ages. And I am not participating in a popularity contest.
Quan: If you would show more empathy with others in SL you would get the deserved appreciation as artist. I am honestly tired of discussions if you are artists or not.
SaveMe: I dont have that discussion, I don't say who is an artist or not, I just say that in my screen I have the right to do whatever I want. Respect for what? You think Picasso was all day banging on the door: "respect me, respect me?" You just do, and see where it brings you. And when a glued prim installation stays somewhere for weeks or months what is the problem? Even I have to sleep sometimes, so if the people use that to vist a sim.... And the elderly have their early morning walks?
Quan: If you refer to your actions the problem is that you choose the times when many people are there. If you would appear with your glued prims the next day, nobody would care.
SaveMe:: Am I smart or what? I just think the same.
Quan: lol...that is a question of the point of view.
SaveMe: And the smartest thing to do of course is send me a journalist.
Quan:: Ah yes? why?
SaveMe: I could have been upgrading Betty's party now, but I am here talking with you. In a way you are robbing the people now from a real event.
Quan: Just a last question...
SaveMe: You think Betty's party has finished?
Quan: No, I will go there after.
SaveMe: I can't come with you. She has me banned already.
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| taken by Apmel |
Quan: You work artistic too in RL. You work with people and you obviously have a lot of empathy in your rl work, simply because it is needed. Why do you think it is not needed in SL.? Especially here you never know who is behind the avi. I met people here with disabilities, mental illness and more where I never expected at the beginning.
SaveMe: Because the first day you go in SL the Linden don't ask you, please copy yourself- They offer you all kind of options and it is very strange that after making a choice a lot of people expect you to be yourself again. That's weird. Even when I had chosen to be a kangaroo they would have expected me to be a empathic kangaroo.
Quan: Initially, I think, the idea was a copy of reality, as shown by the name Second Life
SaveMe: I think the opposite, they offered me strange last names, strange avi's etc. I think it is the people inside SL who don't get things going their way who start to scream about behaving "normal" again. The old fashioned powergame.
Quan: It is a very interesting question how and why people choose to be their own copy or not. But we all have one in common. Our brain only can digest information taken from the senses. All is virtual for the brain. Therefore it is always us who interact, whoever we are here.
SaveMe: Amen!
Quan: It was not my goal to impress you. I know that I am good ;) It is more about your thinking that rules do not count here. You hurt real persons.
SaveMe: When you can't stand the virtual heat get out of the virtual kitchen. They can always go back to painting aquarells on sunday.
Quan:: I really would love to see such actions in RL and the reactions there. But will there be more performances with the last attachments? And if, when?
SaveMe: Every day, just stay close to me. The point is that you don't schedule that.
Quan yawns secretly: Following you every day, how interesting!
SaveMe: haha
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| taken by Arte Libera |
The interview was taken around the opening of a new installation by Betty Tureaud which I visited later. That's why I was suspected to keep SaveMe busy. Nevertheless it proves again that I never will be a good interviewer. I cannot hold back my comments. But it was an interesting talk which reveals a lot, I think.
The photos are all taken recently at actions by SaveMe Oh. And if you happen to be invited to an action of SaveMe Oh, don't miss it. It is worth a look. Large attachments are welcome!
