WORKSHOP: VISION OF OUR COMMUNAL DREAMS, 02.10.2012

WORKSHOP: VISION OF OUR COMMUNAL DREAMS
02.10.2012 15:00

Visions of Our Communal Dreams – workshop in the frame of the exhibition
ROBOTS AND AVATARS – OUR COLLEAGUES AND PLAYMATES OF THE FUTURE
MMC KIBLA, Maribor, Slovenia
October 2–4, 2012

•    Workshop: Visions of Our Communal Dreams
•    Mentors: Michael Takeo Magruder and Drew Baker

Register for the workshop which will take place from the 2nd to 4th of October, Tuesday to Wednesday from 4 pm till 7 pm in KIT KIBLA, Glavni trg 14, Maribor. Workshop is free of charge.

Contact: Brigita Galun
e-mail: galun.brigita@kibla.org
phone: +386 (0)59 076 371 and +386 (0)31 457 975

Date: from 2nd till 4th of October 2012, from 3pm till 7pm
Location KIT KIBLA, Glavni trg 14, Maribor, Slovenia

The Visions of Our Communal Dreams workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn various digital media skills and processes that are related to working within shared virtual environments like Second Life and OpenSimulator.
During the 3-day event, participants will use their newly learned skills to collaborate with members of the Visions of Our Communal Dreams creative team to develop resources for the artwork’s communal virtual forest. These collaborative outcomes will be integrated into the Visions of Our Communal Dreams art installation in the Robots & Avatars exhibition at MMC KIBLA.

------------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION -------------------------------------------------------------

ROBOTS AND AVATARS – OUR COLLEAGUES AND PLAYMATES OF THE FUTURE
MMC KIBLA, Maribor, Slovenia
October 2–4, 2012

Workshop: Visions of Our Communal Dreams
Mentors: Michael Takeo Magruder and Drew Baker
Date: from 2nd till 4th of October 2012, from 3pm till 7pm
Location KIT KIBLA, Glavni trg 14, Maribor, Slovenia

Workshop concept
The Visions of Our Communal Dreams workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn various digital media skills and processes that are related to working within shared virtual environments like Second Life and OpenSimulator. During the 3-day event, participants will use their newly learned skills to collaborate with members of the Visions of Our Communal Dreams creative team to develop resources for the artwork’s communal virtual forest. These collaborative outcomes will be integrated into the Visions of Our Communal Dreams art installation in the Robots & Avatars exhibition at MMC KIBLA.

The workshops will focus on teaching participants digital content creation skills concerning avatars and virtual worlds that will include:
•    virtual body creation
•    avatar navigation
•    in-world communication (text, voice and gestures)
•    real-time 3D building
•    texturing 3D objects
•    in-world scripting

Additionally, participants will be taught social networking and communication methodologies that enhance collaborative experiences and group practice within shared virtual environments.

Over the course of the workshop, participants will:
gain an understanding of the histories, technologies and potentials of avatars and virtual worlds
learn digital media skills and methodologies concerning avatar and virtual world content creation
use their newly acquired skills to create within a shared virtual environment
develop strategies for avatar communication and collaboration within virtual environments
consider the future impact of avatars and virtual worlds on their lives

The required skills for participants are:
1.    general computer knowledge (i.e. using computers on a regular basis is a must)
2.    desire to use virtual worlds (i.e. we want to teach people who want to participate and use this kind of technology)
3.    English language.

Very beneficial skills for participants are:
1.    any experience in using or creating in Second Life or OpenSimulator
2.    good at using Photoshop or another image manipulation software (important for texturing 3D objects)

Computer equipment and software:
It is highly recomended that each participant brings his/her own personal computer / laptop.

It is also highly recomended that each participant creates a free user account on OSGrid and installs the free open source virtual world browser Phoenix Viewer. Easy to follow instructions are available via the Visions of Our Communal Dreams: Virtual Participation Setup Guide which is available here:
www.takeo.org/nspace/sl008/VOCD_virtual-participation-guide_v1.0.pdf

Biography
Michael Takeo Magruder (b. 1974, US/UK) is an internationally recognised visual artist and researcher based in the Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London who works with digital and new media including real-time data, immersive environments, mobile devices and virtual worlds. His practice explores concepts ranging from media criticism and aesthetic journalism to digital formalism and computational aesthetics, deploying Information Age technologies and systems to examine our networked, media-rich world.
In the last ten years, Michael's projects have been showcased in over 200 exhibitions in 30 countries. His research focuses on the intersections between contemporary art, emerging technology and interdisciplinary practice, and his writings have been widely published. In 2010, Michael was selected to represent the UK at Manifesta 8: the European Biennial of Contemporary Art and several of his most well-known digital artworks were added to the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art at Cornell University.

Website: www.takeo.org

Drew Baker (b. 1968, UK) is a Research Fellow within the Department of Digital Humanities, Kings College London. One of the founding members of the King's Visualisation Lab he has worked in the field of 3D visualisation and interpretation of archaeology and history since 1997. He specialises in the use of 3D systems, employing technologies ranging from interactive web-based platforms like VRML and Unity3D to shared virtual environments such as Second Life and OpenSimulator. His primary areas of interest concern developing real-time 3D environments that transform consumers of humanities scholarship into active participants and researching issues surrounding the long-term preservation of digital cultural heritage.

Website: www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/ddh/people/research/baker/index.aspx