Panic Room! 

An installation by Marx Catteneo and AenAenis.http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/219/173/28
This immersive installation looks best in Shadows and Lighting mode. It's concept is clearly inspired by computer games, creating a small new universe centered around the avatar as he/she struggles for survival. Avoid getting hit by objects and try to reach the end of the path by jumping the platforms surrounded by a dark drop to certain death.Instructions for server settings at the TP point - All in all a (Second) life-threatening installation that should be experienced instead of read about. Have fun!
Concept: Marx Catteneo / AenAenisScripting: AenAenisBuilding: Marx Catteneo

Marx Machinima Theater By Marx Catteneohttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/203/114/22
A movie theater with two rooms showing different youtube playlists, the left room focusses on machinima featuring Art in Second Life, the right room has a playlist with general machinima and videclips. All machinima in both rooms is made by Marx Catteneo between 2009 and 2012.The screens are media on a prim so the visitor has to click the screen to start the playlist, anyone who prefers viewing in an internetbrowser can find the playlists on Marx' channel: http://youtube.com/marxcatteneo

Artée & Pixels Sphere of Magnetic Attraction by Artistide Despres & Pixels Sidewayshttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/118/95/23
This is a collaborative project by Artée and Pixels, originally created for a themed build called Consume.  
Artée had been experimenting with "avatar" magnets -- scripted objects that use force to push and pull objects and avatars.  By combining four of these objects, Artée created a "magnetic" field of sorts, into which an avatar steps and is propelled in all directions inside the field.
Pixels came up with the sphere concept, which creates an "infinite" sense of space as well as a sense of containment within the sphere.  The original sphere was black inside and featured an array of brightly colored moving particles.  It was, as we jokingly noted, "hurl-worthy." 
This time around, the goal was to rework the piece and integrate it into the existing landscape - a serene setting where it appears as a benign glowing sphere but once entered, the avatar is flung wildly about in all directions.
Making it nearly transparent allows both the avatar inside and those on the outside a comical view of the avatar trapped inside the magnetic force, zinging around in all directions at a rapid speed.
Avatars can exit by touching the interior surface of the inner sphere which will provide them with a slurl tp in chat.
But like a bucking bronco, how long one may "ride" inside the sphere before the magnetic force ejects them - and sometime as far away as an adjacent sim - is never certain.
Various Works by Artistide Despreshttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA18/128/128/21Artistide has created several intriguing works displayed throughout the sim, some of which are musically influenced.

The LEA is now accepting applications for the fourth round of its Artist-in-Residence (AIR) programme. Complete details and information, timeframe and how to apply are available here, deadline February 19th!

The LEA AIR programme seeks to promote and nurture the arts in Second Life, through providing limited term full-sim land grants to be used for creative projects and art installations over the course of a few months. Recipients can be individuals or groups interested in creating or curating art, or proposing cultural projects which would require/utilise a full-sim build and can be completed within the allotted time frame (5 months). The LEA is able to offer land grants through the generosity of Linden Lab.

While many well-known virtual artists have received grants, the LEA has also had the pleasure of hosting ‘younger’ AIRs and hopes to continue in that tradition. You need not have a great deal of experience, just some good ideas. The application is a bit more detailed to help guide you in thinking through your project, which we do expect at this point to be an idea in progress and not necessarily a portrait of the final result - more like a loose sketch! We also welcome applications from across the spectrum of the arts, for example performance groups that might want to embark on a bigger/longer term project than we can support at our performing arts space!

If you still need a little more inspiration, take some time to visit the current artists-in-residence, which will be open until the end of the month.

LEA Arts Festival is on now. Poster by PJ Trenton
Good luck!

Nexuno Thespian takes the reins at LEA 6 for the final chapter of the 2nd year of the LEA FULL SIM ART Series with the enchantingly immersive 'Dr Moreau Seaworld''. A full list of the Year 2 offerings can be found the blog: LEA FULL SIM ART SERIES (here for full year schedule). Anyone wanting to put their hands up for the March 2013 - March 2014 rounds, do contact Jay Jay Zifanwe or Bryn Oh (or watch for the expression of interest calls).... especially if you are interested in the March & April rounds for 2013.

GRAND OPENING:
1.30PM SLT, Friday 8th February 2013
LOCATION: HERE AT LEA 6


IN THE WORDS OF NEXUNO THESPIAN:
I am a fan of science fiction and fantasy novels. The Island of Dr. Moreau (The Island of Dr. Moreau) is a science fiction novel by HG Wells I've read a long time ago and which I have repeatedly seen the film editions. This is a story that I have always been passionate about because beyond the fantastic value it contains food for thought, very modern genetic modification and on moral ethics of science. I wanted to create a job in marine version of the island of dr moreau with cute monsters mixed sea ​​creatures and human. I am passionate about real aquariums and I also recreated some real elements such as coral (Zoanthus) which covers the rocks that hide a building of mythological characters. Some features such as the siren which is located to the side is the SL version of my real paintings. I hope you have fun to explore and be a part of this strange seaworld for a while.
In Nexuno's mother tongue:
sei cortesemente invitato all apertura dell esposizione
08 febbraio 01 30 pm sl time

benvenuti nel dr moreau seaworld di nexuno thespian
 son un appassionato di fantascienza e romanzi fantasy ,L'isola del dottor Moreau (The
Island of Dr. Moreau) è un romanzo di fantascienza di Herbert George Wells che ho letto tanto tempo fa e di cui ho visto ripetutamente le edizioni cinematografiche, è una storia che mi ha sempre appassionato perchè aldilà del valore fantastico contiene spunti di riflessione molto moderni sulla modificazione genetica e sull etica morale della scienza ,ho voluto creare un lavoro in versione marina dell isola del dr moreau con simpatici mostri misti di creature marine e umane ,son appassionato di acquari in real e ho ricreato anche alcuni elementi reali come il corallo (zoanthus) che ricopre le rocce che nascondono un palazzo dei personaggi mitologici , alcuni particolari come la sirena che si trova di lato è la versione sl di un mio quadro real ,spero vi divertiate ad esplorare e a far parte per un pò di questo strano seaworld . 

 

The Inspiring Orientation, on sim LEA21, is an ambitious attempt to simultaneously introduce SL's creative possibilities and basic viewer skills. It's aimed at newcomers from multiple language groups around the world.

In a previous LEA artist residency we developed basic artistic scenes to demonstrate viewer orientation concepts such as "Walk", "Jump", "Fly", "Chat", "Use Camera", and "Sit". The exhibit has attracted over 9,000 visitors so far. More information can be found at http://www.metaharpers.net/inspiring-orientation/ 

In this new effort we've continued expanding and refining the previous exhibit, while at the same time bringing in additional artists and scenes. This effort, "Inspiring Orientation Stage 2", introduces a redesigned portal area which takes advantage of media-on-a-prim capabilities to bring the "Linden Lab Destinations Guide" in world as objects which can be clicked.

Pieces by our contributing artists Johnas Merlin, Sea Mizin, Paramparamm Papp, Kay Karaguru, Pandora Quintessa, Aley Resident, Rachel Breaker, Tommy Burton & Tesuia Kohime  introduce visitors to concepts such as in-world shopping, instant messaging, inventory management, profile creation, in-world combat and games, and exploration.

After the LEA artist residency, we'll move the projects that have been created here to a permanent exhibit which can continue to evolve and improve, and hopefully encourage a crop of new visitors to stretch their artistic energies.


-io- Staff & MetaHarpers

Fae Varriale presents Danse Macabre Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA26/218/40/551



Ever since Halloween there had been banging and mysterious comings and goings at the empty old manor house in the woods. Today the posters all over town explained it all, an invitation to the opening exhibition at the new Darkwood Art Gallery. "Danse Macabre - a haunting exhibition, an experience you will  never forget..."

As visitors to the exhibition wander the dark corridors of the gallery they soon learn this is no ordinary arts centre. The pictures are indeed haunting, images of banshees, wild hunts, the 'fair' folk and more. As they come across a room containing a single picture they  find fate unraveling as they become immersed in their own Danse Macabre.



The installation is inspired by the Danse Macabre allegorical genre of art that dates back to the 15th century and symbolizes the universality of death despite one's station in life. 

In the exhibition at the mysterious Darkwood gallery are found classical Danse Macabre images mixed with those that are inspired by myths and stories of harbingers of death and gatherers of souls.
As you wander the corridors you begin to realize this is no ordinary gallery...

Cries & Whispers A Dramatic Installation based on Shakespeare's Macbeth & The Merchant of Veniceby Nino VichanLocation: 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA28/137/128/1610
Dystopia represents the decay of civilization.
Art represents the essence of the human soul.
Is our artistic culture facing the dawn of dystopia?The reactionary forces in our society that tear at the fabric of our collective culture, and ravage the treasures of our precious artistic creations are washing over us with a force that is formidable. They speak with voices of financial imperatives and moral outrage, but they will never eradicate the power of artistic creation that defines us as creatures that possess a soul.

Macbeth 
 Lady Macbeth and her husband the Thane of Cawdor began walking the stage of the Globe Theater in London more than 400 years ago. In the twilight of our civilization they walk among us still. They are almost invisible now, mere "Cries and Whispers", but to those who know them, they are as much flesh and blood as any man or woman.
 ACT I SCENE I. A desert place.Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches
 ACT IV SCENE I. A cavern.
Thunder. First Apparition: an armed Head
 ACT V SCENE I.
Dunsinane. Ante-room in the castle.“Out, damned spot! out, I say!”The Merchant of Venice
 The Merchant of Venice walked the 'vicoli di Venezia' with Antonio and Portia almost a decade before Macbeth plunged his knife into King Duncan's body as he slept. To this day he still yearns to collect his ‘pound of flesh’.
 ACT I SCENE III
Venice. A public place.Antonio & Shylock sign the contract ACT II SCENE I Belmont. A room in PORTIA'S house. Bassanio chooses a casket to win the hand of Portia
ACT II SCENE VIBefore Shylock’s house.Jessica runs away with Lorenzo and steals Shylock’s fortuneACT III SCENE IAntonio’s ships are destroyed on the narrow seas of the Goodwins ACT III SCENE IAntonio’s fortune is lost at sea when his fleet of ships sinks ACT IV SCENE I
Venice. A court of justice.“Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;”
Allow me to detain you for a brief moment and offer you my humble efforts to create a space where you may accompany some of Shakespeare's companions, as they play out the fate to which they are destined on the stage of the mind. For a brief moment, allow yourself to exist in a world where art has more power over the human mind then all of the forces of greed and materialism that are encroaching on our souls and forging our modern cultural dystopia.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA28/137/128/1610

What better way to showcase the work of over 30 artists, performers, and machinimatographers, than with a month long celebration? The LEA Arts Festival features twenty sims of art installations, machinima screenings, artist talks, interviews, performances, classes and more! Opening day is Feb 2nd with a schedule of great events, listed below.

The Linden Endowment for the Arts not only provides grants of land to artists-in-residence, it also helps to promote the artists and their works through this festival, articles, interviews, social media and other avenues. For many artists, this festival is the culmination of 5 months of hard work and inspiration, and so the time has to fully celebrate and share these works. Please share your LEA Arts Festival related photography on our LEA Arts Festival flickr group, and on your google + or Facebook. We're looking forward to seeing you at the LEA!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2ND
LEA ARTS FESTIVAL OPENS WITH KICKOFF SCHEDULE:

9:45 AMIntroduction10:00 AMAward winning artist BRYN OH gives a talk, On Challenging The Viewer, with time for questions & answers11:00 AMMachinima Screenings of LEA exhibits hosted by LaPiscean LibertyNOONIan Upton, artist and technologist interviewed by Rowan Derryth1:00PMCEC Productions presents a new exciting Virtual Band Show: Leningrad Cowboys!

Stay tuned for more events throughout the month, by returning to this blog, or by visiting lindenarts.blogspot.com/festival.