Sunday, January 11, 2009

2008 in review

2008 was a pretty big year for me; I feel that I made a good amount of personal and artistic growth, so I'd like to spend a moment or two documenting some of the more significant moments.

[I actually started this post about a week ago and have only just finished it. :P]

JANUARY 2008
-- I uploaded the infamous 'Odious Source' picture to Flickr that stirred up a shitstorm (technically, it was uploaded on Dec. 31st, 2007 but the resulting controversy came the day/s after):


-- I hosted the Second Annual David Bowie Birthday Bash in SL:
David Bowie Birthday Bash 2008 - #7

-- I was invited to exhibit an art piece in the Amsterdam sim in SL, so I created the installation 'Come Closer,' a site-specific interactive, kinetic piece:
'Come Closer'

-- Construction of Arthole, the collaborative gallery in SL for me and my friend/art co-conspirator Arahan Claveau (Steve Millar) began:
Neb & Arahan converse at Arthole


FEBRUARY 2008
-- I did the construction & art directing for a sociological / identity / gender exploration / embodiment / performance-art piece in SL called 'The Labor Project,' concept by Rivka Rau and Jubilant Quackenbush:
The Labor Project - 7


MARCH 2008
-- I was featured in the (now-defunct) SL tabloid The Avastar as one of the Top Ten most influential women of SL (I was chosen as the art candidate):
The Avastar's Top 10 Women of SL -- me!?!!?!!

-- I began exhibiting work semi-regularly at Brooklyn Is Watching, beginning with Bunnykenball:
Bunnykenball at Brooklyn Is Watching

-- I found an actual Bunnyken on Ebay, bid on it, and won:
BUNNYKEN ARRIVES! - 4


APRIL 2008
-- Arthole opens! Our first guest artist was Ichibot Nishi:
3 Artholes

-- I was invited to join the Not Possible In Real Life (NPIRL) group in SL.


MAY 2008

-- Arahan, Ichibot, and I participated in the Kunstvlaai festival, held in the Virtual Holland and Amsterdam sims, an event in Amsterdam with components both in real-life and in SL:
'Judgment From Above - The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name' at Kunstvlaai - 15

-- Khamudy Mannonen, a friend, donated the Arthole Annex, a piece of virtual land, to our gallery so that we'd have a bit more space in which to build:


-- I participated in the group Hyperformalist exhibition in SL called Kiss the Sky:
Your Path To DivinityPulse Points (I, II, III)

-- I participated in the Garden of NPIRL Delights, a multi-artist event held in SL; my build was called 'Excess of Sorrow Laughs / Excess of Joy Weeps':
Last Day @ The Garden of NPIRL Delights - 4

-- I hit my third rez-day, or the 3-year anniversary of the date I first came to SL:
Third rez-day, visiting Sanctum Sanctorum/Relic

-- I bought a Wacom digital drawing tablet, finally! --
Disconnecting

-- Changed my avatar shape to be less-skinny.


JUNE 2008
-- I hosted an event at Arthole for Arahan, who had decided to cancel his Flickr account:
Tribute to Arahan Claveau - 14

-- I was offered the use of a sim for 2 months by Bettina Tizzy, founder of NPIRL; that project eventually became the installation 'Chasm,' but originally started off VERY differently.

-- I decided to close my SL shop, Numinous, to focus on more art projects:
It is done.


JULY 2008
-- I finished my SL installation 'So Flows the Current' at the Depot 7 sim:
So Flows the Current

-- I also completed the 'Chasm' installation:
'Chasm' - new structures added

-- I was asked by SL fashion designer Callie Cline to work with her on an ensemble for a virtual fashion show at the Black Swan sim:
Swan's Tears set


AUGUST 2008
-- Arahan and I created the performance piece 'ORIENTATION' for the Club Goodbye Dollar event held in both SL and real life:
ORIENTATION - 9

-- The second season of Arthole opened, with new guest artist Selavy Oh:
Building XXX PRIVATE SHOWArthole Season 2, opening day - 3

-- I took day trips to Boston and Maine:
Dinner at the Chart House - Boston, MA


SEPTEMBER 2008
-- I collaborated again with Callie Cline for another virtual fashion show at the Black Swan sim:
Swan Star set

-- I helped to plan and build for the third anniversary celebration of Le Cimetiere, a virtual nightclub owned by my good friend Jinx Paz:
Le Cimetiere -- 3rd anniversary partyVoodoo altar I made for Le Cim's 3rd anniversary party

-- I built an installation, 'Ornamental Love,' for the Sintetika sim in SL:
Ornamental Love

-- 'ORIENTATION' is re-created and filmed for PICNIC 08, an arts and technology event in Amsterdam:
ORIENTATION -- the filming of

-- Arthole Radio launches its weekly show, with Amy Freelunch (Amy Wilson) joining the line-up shortly after:
Arthole Radio


OCTOBER 2008
-- I built a Halloween-themed installation, 'In The Hall of the Pumpkin King' for the Cetus Gallery in SL:
In The Hall of the Pumpkin King - 3


NOVEMBER 2008
-- I accepted my first real-life commission for a work of art, which was sold to my friend known as Sunshine Kukulcan in SL; it was completed and shipped in December:
November
(crappy phone-cam pic; better photos to be added soon)


DECEMBER 2008
-- I was interviewed on Skype by Amy Wilson (aka Amy Freelunch) for Arthole Radio -- you can listen to it here - http://arthole.shadow-dominion.com/Amy/wilsonep12.mp3




Also of note in 2008:
-- I overcame my fear of the dentist (for the most part) and started going back regularly, which was a HUGE step for me, since I had not gone in many years. Fortunately, I had no serious issues and only needed a series of deep cleanings.
-- I met a few Second Life friends in person, though I am not going to mention their names, out of respect for their privacy and my own.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pretty crazy year Neb!

Nebulosus said...

Yeah, it was!