DIY: 2008 – Avatartist 2.0

A three-day artists’ workshop in Second Life®, the 3D virtual world imagined and created by its over 14 million residents.

Led by Stephen Hodge.

Monday 15, Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 September 2008.

Exeter (venue tbc), South West.

Deadline: FULLY BOOKED.

The Project
Second Life® is an online, 3D virtual world imagined and created by its over 14 million residents. Big businesses have islands, Sweden has opened an embassy, and you can even book holidays there.

Through a series of in-world, practical sessions, exploratory journeys, encounters with artist-avatars, and self-directed exercises, this three-day workshop aims to:

• familiarise participants with some of the skills (creating and customising your avatar, communication, navigating the inventory, modes of transportation, building objects, etc.) needed to kick-start your Second Life
• demonstrate how Real Life and Second Life practices may support each other
• facilitate dialogue and artistic exchange between participants.

Application Procedure
You may be from any area of live art practice, and be at any point in your career. In order that everyone can progress at more or less the same rate, you should have no, or almost no, previous experience in Second Life. There are six free places, but you will have to pay for your travel and accommodation. Please compile a short email, outlining your practice and explaining how it might benefit from exposure to Second Life. It should be sent to Stephen at S.Hodge@exeter.ac.uk, with ‘DIY5’ in the subject line.

Theatre Bristol is offering two bursaries of up to £100 each for Bristol-based artists to participate inAvatartist 2.0. If you’re interested, you should apply to the scheme as outlined above. If you’re application is successful and you would like to take advantage of one of the bursaries, please email Tanuja Amarasuriya on tanuja@theatrebristol.net. Bursary recipients will be confirmed by 12 August.

About the Artist
Stephen is the Theatre, Dance & Live Art curator at Exeter Phoenix, where he also produces the Phoenix Scratch programme (entirely based in Second Life this year). His avatar, Drifter Rhode, is the curator of 2ND LIVE: exploring live performance in Second Life (www.2ndlive.org). He is a core member of Wrights & Sites, a group of artist-researchers with a special relationship to site, city/landscape and walking (www.mis-guide.com). He is a member of the Centre for Intermedia and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter.

Any Questions
Please feel free to email any questions to Stephen at S.Hodge@exeter.ac.uk with ‘DIY5’ in the subject line.