In 2010, the Nice Carnival already brought together internet users from around the world for a parade made of pixels. The 2011 virtual carnival parade will bring together artists from the Mediterranean region on a 3D reproduction of Masséna Square in the interactive world of Second Life by the Nice artist Patrick Moya.
Visible on the big screen at Masséna Square, the cyber carnival will also lead to a meeting on February 25th and 26th, organized by Patrick Moya in partnership with the Nice City Tourism Office.
The guest of honor will be the greatest specialist in virtual worlds, the Italian Mario Gerosa, author of numerous works and exhibitions on the subject. Editor-in-chief of AD magazine Italy and teaching multimedia at the University of Milan, he organized the 2009 exhibition Rinascimento Virtuale in Florence, presenting “the art of Second Life” for the first time. He also created the first travel agency for virtual worlds “Synthravels” and a conservatory of virtual architectures.
Among the other Italian guests who will participate in real life during this event:
– Giampiero Moioli, sculpture professor at Brera University in Milan and artist on Second Life, who created the Virtual Lab to allow Brera University students to explore virtual worlds. A recent book on the Virtual Lab, prefaced by Philippe Starck, brought together texts from numerous specialists on metaverses.
– Fabio Fornasari, an architect known on Second Life and also in real life, having just completed, with Italo Rota, the new Novecento Museum within the Palazzo dell’Arengario on the Cathedral Square in Milan. He teaches at the University of Urbino and the Milan School of Fine Arts.
– Stefania Albertini, sculpture professor at Brera University in Milan and artist on Second Life
– Paolo Brenzini, artist and gallery owner on Second Life and in Genoa
Several other participants will speak live from Second Life:
– Wafa Bourkhis, Tunisian artist, Art Education professor and PhD candidate at the University of Tunis. Known as Sunflower Aichi in the virtual world and creator of the Mediterranean Artistic Union, she recently organized live events from Second Life for the Technology, Youth, and Challenges of Digital Creation symposium at the University Center of Gabès. Work with Tunisian universities has been put on hold due to recent events.
– Anne Astier, Marseille-based artist and gallery owner on Second Life
– Natacha Quester-Séméon, Digital Strategist, producer, and journalist. She is a columnist for the show Welcome chez Basse on Europe 1, and director of the agencies i-Marginal and CultureClic.fr. She works with architect Tatiana Salomon, designer of islands on Second Life since 2006: Île Verte, Paris Rive Gauche, Neutrino Campus, Neutrino, and the Air France – KLM islands.
– Marina Bellini, responsible for “Musei di Roma Capitale” on Second Life and who will discuss the upcoming virtual Carnival of Rome.
– Paolo Valente and Roxello Babenco from Museo del Metaverso
and the PIRATS ART NETWORK Group
People from Nice will discuss their experiences on Second Life:
– The team from Museaav and their aliases
– Thierry Fougues, Nice-based business owner, participant, and sponsor on Second Life
– Christian Gallo, alias Ficanas, artistic director of virtual art galleries on Second Life (Art Touch on Chili Pepper, Chili Village, Rendez-vous)
– Florence Canarelli, journalist in real life and on Second Life.
Program:
Friday, February 25th
– 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM: Tour of the Turing Space (history of video games, computer science, and scientific computing and mathematics) with Marc Monticelli, research engineer at CNRS, and presentation of the Second Life software with virtual carnival participants. Use of Blender to create 3D objects in Second Life.
University St Jean d’Angely, Campus St Jean d’Angely 3, Clock Building (Tramway: St-Jean d’Angély stop)
– 6:00 PM: Presentation of all participants in the form of a BarCamp on the theme “Virtual Carnival” and connection from Second Life with Musei di Roma Capitale in SL and the Rome Carnival
(Moderne Art Museum auditorium in Nice, Yves Klein Square)
– Around 9:00 PM: Participants, along with Carnival historian Annie Sidro, will take part in a Radio Sensation show live from Museaav. (Musée Usine Espace d’Art Actuel & Virtuel – Garibaldi Square in Nice)
Saturday, February 26th (At Museaav – Musée Usine Espace d’Art Actuel & Virtuel – Garibaldi Square in Nice)
– 2:30 PM to 7:00 PM: Afternoon meeting from Second Life on a big screen and debate with the participants of the previous day’s BarCamp and a philosophical workshop organized by “Philalètheia” and led by Hoda Hili: “Masks and avatars: is the virtual a subversion of reality, or the experience of a new form of reality?”
– In the evening, avatars from Second Life will leave their screens for the real carnival to attend the screening of the film “Virtual Carnival” and the parade.
