2014-04-27

Exhibtion in Real Life and Second Life - THE REAL AVANT GARDE IS HERE!

One of the visitors gifts: Announcer Avatar

Most of the readers will already know: Today opens in Second Life an important Multimedia exhibition-installation about the Russian Avant Garde, created in Real Life by Peter Greenaway and Saskia Boddeke (Rose Borchovski in Second Life), curated by Olga Shishko and Elena Rumyantseva. The center part of the exhibition with more than 400 pieces is  a multiple screen show around the most influential artists like Kazimir MalevichVladimir TatlinWassily Kandinsky, Alexander Rodtschenko, Wladimir Majakowski, Ljubow Popowa, Wsewolod Meyerhold, Pavel FilonovEl Lissitzky and Vera Yermolayeva. The artists are represented with quotes performed by 18 actors. The installation opened in the Manege in Moscow on April 14th. See here a teaser:



The event is running until May 26th and is accompanied by several events around the history of Russian Avant garde. More here: http://ukrussia2014.ru/en/event/golden-age-russian-avant-garde/ 
As far as got from the Russian media coverage (badly translated by Google) the multimedia show is an intriguing introduction to the artists of the short art period between 1910 and 1930. But it is an artistic interpretation, not a scientific documentation. The educational part is covered by the related events to the exhibition. I think that is really needed. I still ask myself why some of the most important artistic movements at the beginning of the last century, Futurism, Bauhaus and Avant Garde ended in totalitarianism and if and how it played a role in the progress. But maybe we will have the chance to see the exhibition in other parts of the world too as I could read some guesses that the show has good chances to go on tour, for example to London. Sadly I could not find a single word about the installation part in Second Life, which is to me most interesting and the real life visitors can walk in Second Life with given avatars:

Second Life installation on real life screens in Moscow as part of the installation

The Second Life artists Bryn Oh, Alpha Auer, Nessuno Myoo, Jo Ellsmere , Caer Balogh , Soror Nishi and Eupalinos Ugajin built the virtual part. You should not miss the fascinating works. I will not cover the details. You find them in the post I did yesterday for the LEA blog here:

 http://lindenarts.blogspot.de/2014/04/opening-tomorrow-golden-age-of-russian.html

The excellent text has been written by Bryn Oh and Alpha Auer and also the photos for that post has been taken by the artists. You should read it to know more about the works.


Let me just add some comments. First of all Bryn Oh deserves appreciation. Since January she worked countless hours at LEA8 to create the structure for the works and if you do not know that it is made by her, you would not see on first glance. Bryn, as all other artists, did an excellent job to make Avant Garde possible in 3D and to match the style as much as possible.


And secondly Alpha Auer should be emphasised who created a huge choice of avatars for the visitors. And if you wear one of Alpha's avatars that she gives as free gifts you ARE, you FEEL Avant Garde. This kind of immersion a real life exhibition never can give. Bryn for example built a tower that never has been realised in real life. That is the magic of a virtual world where everything is possible! In real life the visitors pay 350 Rubel entrance fee and in Second Life it is not only free, they are getting artworks as gifts too.


Peter Greenaway said at the press conference that this exhibition is an appreciation of the Avant Garde in a contemporary style. I am sure that most understood him talking about the Multimedia Installation and forgot that this style of art presentation is at least 50 years old.

The Avant Garde is here - here in Second Life!

For those who are not familiar with French: avant garde means vanguard. Virtual art and presentation is vanguard. And as always the audience does not take note of it. In hundred years there will come up an exhibition about the pioneers of virtual art. And the audience will shake the heads about the people at that time who could have enjoyed Virtual Art conveniently from home but missed it.

Here a machinima of the installation, taken by Sophia Yates:



Opening today, Sunday April 27th at 1 PM SLT!

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA8/31/92/56



3 comments:

Elif Ayiter said...

Thank you so much Quan! Great post.

And also thank you for pointing out that the SL component is yet to be mentioned on any of the websites related to the RL exhibit. I have felt quite hurt by this omission and am very glad to see that you have picked up on this also.

Rose said...

I did an enormous amount of promotion for SL and the artists on this project.
I do not understand why you say the second life artists are not mentioned enough, any opportunity we had we brought it up ?
Credits can be found on :
http://mediaartlab.ru/museum/2/avantgarde/?lang=en

Lucy said...

I was refferring to the lack of media coverage as far as I could get from the internet. We all know it is still a long way until virtual art gets the deserved attention.