"When the computer crashed and wrote gibberish into the bitmap, the result was something that looked vaguely like static on a broken television set—a 'snow crash' " (Neal Stephenson, “Snow Crash”, 1992)
ART and NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The new media have defined new ways of knowledge, a new culture that can be appreciated in different fields such as the arts or education, defined for being immersive, participative and within everybody's can reach.
Although the popularization of digital creation is very recent, it presents now signs of tremendous possibilities for their future, as the result of a globalized and connected world, expressed in a space where there are almost no limits nor boundaries.
The virtual scenario modifies our vision of reality and reveals a different universe generated by new technologies. The presentation of the different artistic and cultural methods and their development possibilities conform the core of this project.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” (William Gibson "Neuromancer" 1984)
Lainy Voom "Push"
The different exhibitions and activities include an historical review of this relationship between art and new technologies. They also show the synthetic worlds evolution and they present the artistic creations of internationally recognized multimedia artists. They develop cultural themes and innovation-research projects for future implementations.
“Blade Runner” (Ridley Scott, 1982): film based on the cyberpunk novel ·”Do androids dream of electric sheeps?” (Philip Kindred Dick, 1968). Image: replicant Roy Batty final monologue (animated-gif), inspired by Rimbaud’s poems “Drunken Boat”: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."
The creation of a new virtual space has been possible thanks to the contribution of different sources and knowledge areas. The creative precedents are of all kind and reach the fields of Philosophy, Metaphysics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Literature, Pop Culture, Comic and Cinema.
"Metaverso" is a global project carried out by OPEN THIS END, (OTE), centered on today’s artistic and cultural new media creations. OTE is a Non Profit Cultural Organization formed by professionals in the fields of Art, Culture, Sciences and Education and focused on the Investigation, documentation, development and exhibition of contents generated with new technologies.
The current project is the result of the whole research begun by Cristina García-Lasuén, the first part was finnished on December 2008, based on the relationship between contemporary art and new possibilities of creation, the 1º part daily exhibited during the six months at 2010 Shanghai World Expo ( from May 1st to October 31st).
OTE, as responsible for the audiovisual content of the internationally awarded Madrid Pavillion at 2010 Shanghai World Exhibition, presented a daily renewed program in the exhibition cycle: "Open This End, Signos de contemporaneidad. Cinemapop". It was an important date, according to the specialized media like ArtPulse and Hoy es Arte, as it was the first time that the triple classification of contemporary videoart was shown. It was also the first time machinima were exhibited as a new artistic creation in a universal context, reaching a total audience of four million visitors.
Metaverso project is formed by several exhibitions, events, activities, broadcasting patforms and web sites that analyze the relationship of today’s knowledge with new technologies.
This project develops an innovation and research plan focused on the latest art, culture and education. It also anticipates the different possibilities of computer generated 3D spaces, also called virtual, digital, generated worlds or metaverse "Metaverso".
This universe appears for the first time in Neal Stephenson's novel called "Snow Crash" (1992), where he describes a cyberspace-immersive environment, known as "metaverse" (aka metaverso). Stephenson writes about a place located in a new dimension, apart from reality and populated by avatars (users iconic representation of). Avatars are the inhabitants of a virtual space which is not tangible, nor real, but also not a cartoon world.
In order to carry out the exhibitions about the different environments and the different virtual worlds, many activities had been conceived, according to the knowledge and experience levels.
These activities are presented in two different formats:
- The Master area, carried out by artists and generated worlds experts
- The PoP area , carried out by students and average public.
In each area, extra activities will take place, contributing to the temporary exhibitions, such as classes, conferences, workshops, meetings, interviews, forums, round tables and other such as concerts, cultural live events.
These are online and in persons activities which contribute to the perception and understanding of the metaverse world and of the latest new technologies arts.
Lévy contributes to the development of new concepts such as cyber-culture, cyber democracy and online collective intelligence, understood as “the capacity of virtual communities to stimulate the combined skills of its members”. Lévy obtains innovative conclusions on societies based on knowledge, proving the efficiency of shared knowledge systems and opening arguments that allow us to develop a new sense of reality that is now imperceptible: Virtual Reality
For the creation and development of a new imaginary it will be necessary to consider professor Pierre Lévy's philosophical contribution, based on Gilles Deleuze's theories about the conception of virtual dimension as a part of reality, including new aspects of the rizomatic thought, the cyberspace, the hypertextual communication, the hypertext and new mass media. Jean Baudrillard developed the simulation concept confronting it to the concept of reality.
Images of the environment and performance “Transit’t-Silence-Taciturnly” by Selavy Oh and Mimesis Monday (April, 2014). Interpretation of the two artists in the metaverso in transit situations. Concept: Silence- Consideration/Thoughtful (taciturn). Immersive conceptual artists employ the metaverse world possibilities in order to develop and define new artistic and theoretical meanings.
Within this synthetic world users can attract new artistic creations. The metaverse word, apart from its narrative functionality, can be literally translated as “beyond words”. The term has been standardized today as the confrontation of simulated realities agreed on-line.
The feeling of being in a new space is reinforced by allowing the natural interaction with objects and characters from the virtual world, generating situations and scenes that can be experienced, photographed and live-recorded by a new audiovisual and cinematographic creation called machinima.
The digital volume, even if is not tangible, is not just a visual impression. Everything in the virtual worlds has volume, occupies space and is sculpted, one by one, by artists and, sometimes, amateurs. On the other hand, as the figures created does not have to respond to this world physical limits, like the law of gravity, they present surrealistic and fantastic structures and objectives impossible to find in real life.
Like other science-fiction writers, Stephenson overtook his own time, as the novel was written before cyberspace was implemented.
The immersion in the virtual world happens immediately, as it introduces us in a previously established three-dimensional space. That is to say, is a space with volume and it projects shadows.
The exhibitions are presented according with the three levels of virtuality levels previously mentioned. They are: In the areas of Real, Virtual and, finally, Metaverso. After then, applying to all of them the 2 steps of virtual experience:o intensities: Master &Pop, depending on the depth and knowledge we have on the subject
. Arts
. Videos
. Projections
. Immersive Areas
. Installations
. Performances
. Videogames
The exhibitions are completed with extra cultural activities about Digital Arts & Creations, the New Cinemapop, Videogames, Metaverse Worlds and subjects focused in new representations of Reality by:
. Classes
. Conferences
. Art Workshops
INTRODUCTION
METAVERSO
SOURCES
ART
MASTER & POP
PROYECT
Some novels, especially those belonging to the genre of "science fiction", like ciberpunk, steampunk, and some others, have created new sceneries that have contributed to the formation of a new imagery that will develop in the metaverse worlds.
CULTURE
PHILOSOPHY
LITERATURE
SCIENCE
Multiverse theories posit several parallel universes, highlights the proposal made in 1950 by the physicist Hugh Everett. These theories are studying the possible existence in the universe of "different worlds" in which, according to Everett explained, or whenever there is a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits into multiple possibilities. Thus, given a number of possible alternatives, it would be possible that each of them held in his own universe.
"The metaverse worlds are generated digital environments that reproduce three-dimensional spaces in cyberspace. Within the metaverse users take a new digitized identity to interact with the virtual space, with digital objects and with other users in the form of icons, called "avatars". These synthetic worlds are created through a software, using digital or electronic signs. As Professor E. Castronova has defined, metaverse are corporeal (they have lacking terrestrial limitations), interactive and persistent. Metaverse is, ultimately, a new immaterial world that uses lexical aspects relating to the oldest civilizations with binary language used in current computer programming culture. Generated worlds develop new imagery, a new virtual reality and act as metaphors for the real world. "(Cristina Garcia-Lasuen)
SPECIFIC EXHIBITION ELEMENTS OF METAVERSO
At first, Metaverso exhibitions show elements and concepts corresponding to:
*Art, *Activities, cultural shows, mass media and performances, “Cinempop
ART
Art, Arquitecture and Design. 2D and 3D. Static Art. Kinetic Art. Reactive Art. Interactive Art. Immersive Art. Mimetic Art. Photography, Digital Paintings, Three Dimensional Art, The Designers, The Scripters, Art Environment, Art Performances, Landscapes & Nature. Environments. Happenings and Performances. Videos. Shows. Immersive areas. Screening. Instalations. The programmers, Design, Construction, Structures. Environments.
CULTURAL SHOWS, MEDIA AND EVENTS
Cultural Shows, Museums, Art galleries, theatre, ballet, entertainment, musical shows, social events, avatar design, high design shows, live music, concerts, dance shows, sports, activities and pastimes. Science and Technology, mass media: Digital TV shows, live TV, Radio, Digital magazines, press; cultural and educational, Tours and games. Social events, high design shows and entertainment.
CINEMAPOP
The new cinema creation media. Machinima and Immrsive Videos Exhibition.
SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES
Along with the exhibitions different topic contents about themes related to the additional cultural activities and shows could be develop about Digital arts, new cinema, video games, metaverse worlds, among others
.Classes
.Conferences
.Interviews
.Talks,
.round tables
.Art workshops.