[-empyre-] introducing the dimensional internet

["-empyre-owner" <empyre-owner@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>]

"I know that I have become a traveller in a realm which will be ultimately
bounded only by human imagination, a world without any of the usual limits
of geography, growth, carrying capacity, density or ownership. In this magic
theatre, there's no gravity, no Second Law of Thermodynamics, indeed, no
laws at all beyond those imposed by computer processing speed... and given
the accelerating capacity of that constraint, this universe will probably
expand faster than the one I'm used to.
Welcome to Virtual Reality. "
(Barlow: Being in Nothingness 1990)

The optimism generated in the closing moments of last millennium for
computer constructed three dimensional internet space may now, half a
generation later, seem naive. When the 3d web standard VRML has been
pronounced dead more times than painting; when there is no ubiquitous
pluggin or  browser  to view work; when making work in this arena is always
problematic in terms of stability and delivery; why do artists continue to
be drawn to it ? What space still exists for independent artist projects
when most online 3d internet content has been developed under the commercial
auspices of the massively multiuser games like EverQuest and Lineage?

This month -empyre- guests are drawn from lab3d, a survey of the world of
the dimensionalised Internet and the landscape of computer games, curated
by Kathy Rae Huffman at Cornerhouse, Manchester.  Artists will present their
work in the show and discuss issues including the aesthetic, ethical and
theoretical concerns surrounding immersion and representation in 3d space,
and how technical and financial parameters are shaping the future of
independent artists creating online 3d experiential work.

Participating lab3d installation artists include John Klima (USA), Michael
Pinsky (UK), Melinda Rackham (Australia), Anthony Rowe of SquidSoup (UK),
and  Tamiko Thiel (Germany/Japan).  Artists from Web3dArt2003 include Simon
Biggs (UK),  Steve Guynup (USA), Patrick Keller (Switzerland),  Adam Nash
(Australia),  Ales Vaupotic & Narvika Bovcon (Slovinia), Ayoub Sarouphim
(Lebanon/USA),  Edward Tang & Przemyslaw Moskal (USA), and Grégoire Zabé
(France).

Curators from several partner institutions who are simultaneously
showing the web3d section of lab3d including Kathy Rae Huffman and David
Osbaldeston at Cornerhouse; Lina Dzuverovic-Russell at ICA London; Taylor
Nuttall from Folly Gallery, Lancaster; and Melentie Pandilovski of
Experiemental Art Foundation, Adelaide also join the discussion.

Our large number of guests will be introduced over the next few days by this
months' moderators Melinda Rackham and Taylor Nutall.  As well they will be
providing a summation of last years discussion on -empyre- of the web3dart
2002 show (archive @
http://lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/2002-March/thread.html ).

This month also marks a first for -empyre- as a freeware Reader version of
online forum and offline lab3d symposium, edited by Taylor and Melinda, and
co-produced by Cornerhouse and Folly will be available later in the year for
web download or from participating organizations. Please note that posts
will not be included in this reader without the author's specific
permission.

Looking forward to you participation

Melinda Rackham  -empyre-
_________________________

Lab 3d:  http://www.cornerhouse.org/exhibitioninfo.asp?ID=54

Technical Information:
Please note this may be a technically demanding discussion if you are not
used to 3d content, however if you can not view the works directly there
is documentation and screen shots available on the web3d art site and at
most artists sites. Browsers used are Netscape and Explorer, OS-Linux,
Windows, Macintosh, plugins in the projects include Cortona, NeMo,
Shockwave, Cosmo Player and Blaxxun - the specifics technological
requirements for each work are detailed on the web3d art site. Links to
these download sites are available from http://www.web3d.org/vrml/browpi.htm