Filmed by Chantal Harvey, this is a wonderful documentation of ORIENTATION, the performance art project that Arahan Claveau (aka Steve Millar) and I worked on in Second Life. Much thanks to Dekka Raymaker and Penumbra Carter for their help, and thanks to everyone who attended as well!! It was a great success and we all had fun!

ArthOle reforms for Odyssey

(picture and text courtesy of Arahan Claveau/Steve Millar)

ArthOle reforms for Odyssey

ArthOle has reformed for the 2011 Odyssey Performance Art Festival, and will host a remixed performance of ORIENTATION (last seen in 2009).

ORIENTATION is a multimedia promenade performance that relies on audience participation. The attendees arrive at the location and will be guided by interactions from the actors.

Due to the nature of the performance, numbers will be limited to ten people per date, on a first-come, first-served basis. Please reserve your place by contacting Arahan Claveau or Nebulosus Severine in-world.

First performance:
Sunday 10th July at 12pm SLT/PDT, 3pm EDT, 8pm BST

Second performance:
Thursday 14th July at 12pm SLT/PDT, 3pm EDT, 8pm BST

Duration – 20 minutes (approx.)

"...it played with different tropes that already exist within the medium, in a way that's far better than most other pieces I've ever seen."
Amy Wilson

odysseysimulator.blogspot.com
artholeblog.blogspot.com

"...what/who IS Bunnyken, anyway??"

This post is long overdue. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain the story behind Bunnyken, so I'll make an entry here for posterity.

Simply put, Bunnyken is a half bunny, half chicken creature -- hence the name. Although I often refer to it as "he," it is of indeterminate gender.

But the mythos of Bunnyken cannot be explained that easily. Not by a long shot.

It all began about 5 years ago, when I came across a very strange item for sale while searching weird auctions on Ebay just for the hell of it:

(image copyright: the original photographer, whoever you are...)

It was listed as Bunnyken, and I thought it was funny & creepy and odd, so I saved the pictures of it.

Fast-forward to a couple of years later, when I was pondering what avatar to wear to W-hat's Third Birthday celebration (April 27, 2007) in Second Life.

Arahan, CickMy Lunt (now known as CensoredMy Lunt, due to SL's ridiculous, crybaby policies) and I were set to DJ for the event, so I wanted something funny and weird to wear.

I somehow remembered the pictures of the bizarre bunny/chicken doll I had saved, and I thought I'd try to recreate it in Second Life.

Arahan (left) and me get ready for the big party!

The above picture shows the first incarnation of the Bunnyken avatar. I later improved it with better texturing, etc.

In Second Life, I began to make various prim sculptures of Bunnyken -- the first significant one being, of course, Bunnykenball at Brooklyn Is Watching, about a year ago:

I grew more and more obsessed with this mysterious character, and wanted to know more about it. I searched the web in vain for any information about its origins -- there is literally NOTHING out there, I have tried.

I kicked myself for not bidding on that Ebay auction! I didn't think I would ever be lucky enough to find one again... but lo and behold, about one year ago, I found ANOTHER for sale on Ebay, and I bought it.

This is actually Bunnyken in its original form.

[The one in the yellow suit must have been someone else's weird creation -- a Bunnyken head on a decapitated doll body. Genius.]

It appears to be some kind of cheap plastic Easter toy. The head is easily removed and has a hollow tube neck. The button on the front of its body turns. I think it's some kind of candy dispenser -- fill it with jellybeans or other small candies, turn the button, and a single jellybean will be dispensed into one of the little indentations on the base, each of which has short phrase:

-- BE GOOD -- BE HAPPY -- YOU'RE SWEET -- I'M IN LOVE -- LUCKY ONE --
-- ROCK 'N ROLL -- SAY YOUR PRAYERS -- HUG ME -- KISS ME --

(image copyright: the original photographer, whoever you are...)

I asked the sellers if they knew ANYTHING about Bunnyken's background -- what year(s) it was made, where it was manufactured, anything. The sellers had actually brought this Bunnyken to Antiques Roadshow, and even the appraiser had no idea what the hell it was.

From the Ebay auction page:

"It reads BUNNYKEN on the bottom so I am assuming that is who made it.

I took it to the Antiques Roadshow, they had never seen or heard of one before and thought it was pretty rare and very different than anything they had seen.

They apprised (sic) it between $75 and $100...."

Since then, Bunnyken has returned time and time again to my SL artwork (often with Arahan's help)...

I have since found and purchased yet another Bunnyken on Ebay, but I am no closer to figuring out anything about its origins.

It is still as mysterious, creepy, and whimsical as it has ever been. And I am not really quite sure why, or how, but the character of Bunnyken seems to have taken on a life, and will, of its own. It is a godlike figure, and demands worship.

ORIENTATION at PICNIC '08

Live recorded footage from Amsterdam:



(World of SL readers, please click here for a link to the video.)

Chasm R.I.P.

I was informed that the Cow sim, where 'Chasm' had been installed, was due to be sold on September 1st. So, regrettably, I had to take down everything the night after Arthole Season 2 opened.

'Chasm' itself wasn't much -- only about 500 prims in all.

'ORIENTATION' was built on that sim as well, which took up about another 3000 prims.

So, in all, I had two major installations on the sim that took up just under 3500 prims. Not bad. I have learned to be rather frugal with prim usage, though.

I wasn't really too sad to take down 'Chasm' (though I wish I could have left 'ORIENTATION' up for a few more days so that Arahan & I could film it a bit); I was ready to say goodbye to it and move on.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to, helped with, visited, and otherwise supported my projects on the Cow sim.

ORIENTATION aftermath

Wow! Crazy but awesome day -- the ORIENTATION event was a bit chaotic but overall amazing! If you missed it, you should kick yourself because it was fucking fun as hell! Haha!

The build comes down September 1st but I will pack it away carefully for another time. Arahan & I look forward to having another opportunity to host the build/event again elsewhere.

See the rest of the pictures here (more to be added soon):
http://flickr.com/photos/nebulosus_severine/sets/72157607032361318/

Read about the mixed-reality event in Amsterdam here:
http://www.debalie.nl/artikel.jsp?articleid=258551&podiumid=cinema