Artist Statement

My exhibit remains online. Net Art is shown to express the realm of possibilities artists can experience once in avatar form. Since the 90’s, internet users have discovered another world to perform in-an ability to create a masked “YOU” by using an avatar, who may or may not replicate your identity. The unknown world of two-way communication turned some weariness onto the internet but the security has strengthened in the past ten years to make users comfortable with their new digs. Performance based artists are using online forums to produce their work.

Artists like Mouchette, DC Spensley and groups like Second Front are all sharing forums like Second Life as a space for their performances. Those artists are all featured in this exhibit-unveiling the true realm of possibilities for Net Art. Each artist brings a different style to his or her performances. Second Front uses grotesque reactions to historical events. DC Spensley uses organic art and musical compositions to create sublime spaces for his viewers. Mouchette uses anonymity to attract her audience and expand their imagination. All these artists are real people using avatars to perform their art.

As far as how popular these artists are. Mouchette.org is so incredibly appealing a fan has created mouchette.net. Mouchette.net allows its users to pretend they are Mouchette and develop the site. DC Spensley allows only 30 avatars to his performances and the tickets sell out well in advance. Second Front is a universal art group that has members in both US and Europe. The online world takes what is happening in the real world and multiplies its possibilities because of the World Wide Web. I have included a game at the bottom of my page. My performance addition brought to you by the makers of blogspot.com. Feel free to play around, bring a friend along too.

Speaking of Avatar Performances

The creators of Second Front are documented here speaking about the emergence of virtual art performances; some benefits and theory behind their group;and why this all came about. I chose this as my closest video to my artist statement because I think their dialogue describes my curatorial intentions well. With this link to their website you can take a deeper look inside this performance group. Take specific awareness to the dialogue matching with the avatars. The idea of anonymity comes into play here for specific reasons. The virtual world allows artists to maintain somewhat anonymous, especially on Second Life because individuals create an identity that doesn't have to share any characteristics of their own actual life.

Skydancers Unite

Dancoyote Antonelli created this video of a live performance from DC, a musician and creator of live Second Life performances. These events, ZeroG, are limited to only 30 spectators. Seats always sell out and must be reserved in advance. Due to an array of possibilities, Second Life has become a popular forum for artists to showcase their avatar in artistic performances. This artist, DC, especially, takes the forum to another level with his musical compositions, acrobatic dancers and organic art. Though, this style of performance can be performed in a real theatre, this space provides for a more surreal feel, sublime. My exhibit surrounds around the magnificent possibilities of net art, and the cosmic realm that has been discovered. This art piece challenges both the human perception and the sense of direction with every dancer's small swoop.

Retracing Gandhi

Media Artist Joseph Deloppe reenacted Gandhi's 240-mile 1930 Salt March. Deloppe converted a treadmill so every step he took was a step his Avatar took in the online community, Second Life. This rare performance of live, in person and online, subjects was captured through a recorded video performance of both subjects. Toni Sant said this about the online world, "the Internet provides a diversion from the humdrum of everyday life." This video performance portrays the humdrum of exercising and showcases the unknown of Second Life. What will the avatar run into? Who will he encounter? Instead of watching the artist walk the treadmill, Internet users can log into the mysterious and exciting virtual world.

My Guide, Mochette

I surrounded my exhibit around an interview between Mouchette and Manthos Santorineos. I chose to have this virtual character guide me because of her keen insight of the virtual world and her uncanny perception of the difference between the real world and the virtual world. This character remains anonymous, though is defined as "a young artist who has been under the age of 13 since 1996", when the website was created.(Mouchettte.org) Mouchette explains virtual life as a form of death. However, she expresses the net can circulate emotions and that the existence of avatars need the entire range of human emotions. Meaning, avatar performances come from the mind of a humans, who live outside the virtual world. The artist must realize the avatar is in a different world and must remain as structured as it is. But the human emotions are free to travel to both sides. The practice of avatar art has limitations, but the more technology advanced the real world is the more advanced they become. The realm of virtual world can extend the human eye into unseen imagination.

Shark Attack

This is my amateur artist special. This artist has created a couple of other pieces but has yet to describe who it actually is. I do know that this symbolic piece pays tribute to the barriers of the real world. The shark defines the trials and tribulations of traversing unknown space. Since 9/11, especially, human interactions have remained confined into small groups of known friends and family. A barrier was built to protect, but, ultimately, led to inabilities to socialize into new worlds. Just like Toni Sant said in the introduction of an interview between Mouchette, an avatar who remains anonymous, and Manthos Santorineos-"new arenas (Internet) for performance have great potential for social liberation's."

Their Last Supper

Second Front is Second Life's first avatar performance art group. Founded in 2006, Second Front consists of individuals from the US and Europe. The artists explain this one as someone gave us bad fish and we all got sick. However, this performance exhibits plenty of historical images. Net art is so expansive because of the carnivalesque connotations artists act upon while their true identity is shielded. Also, physically this performance is not possible. Another instance where the virtual world expands individuals intellect and erotic imagination.