ok, most sculpture spots on the sim are now occupied, lots of wonderful works are lready out there and the general feel of the place is open warm and friendly. For those that want to donate their money themselves there is a webpage for ArtFest set up through the Red Cross here:

http://www.redcrossfundraising.org.au/ArtFest

ArtFest competition details

An entire (mature) sim is being devoted to this competition, each category will have two forms of judging, that done by actual secret judges, and the popular vote where people show their appreciation for the works by donating lindons to the donation box with it (remember this is a fundraiser).

CATERGORIES:
SL snapshots and manipulated SL pictures
RL photos
RL artworks and picture manipulations
Sculpture, 3D art
Anything not covered by others, poetry, writing, performance, whatever.

COMPETITION DATES:
Already started - can join anytime up to end date as long as spots still available.
End building - midnight Sun feb 20th
Presentation and Concert - Mon Feb 28th
Final close - Sun Mar 6th

Singers and DJ's are welcome to fill the sim with music when there are no conflicting events, show your talents and you never know who may hear and want to book you for future shows.

Artists whether in the competition or not, are welcome to sell their items in the bazaar, but must agree to a profit split from all sales where at least 50% goes to charity.

This is the chance for all creative people to show what they have, jump on board now.

Poster for ArtFest fundraiser

ArtFest for Flood Victims

So of course I tend to never stop, so now that the work part with Artmaze is done and it opens shortly to everyone, I have drowned myself in a new project.

This time, much like my hunts, I have decided to run my own thing and make it a mammoth task (why go small when you can dive in and totally drown yourself). And no, as I wrote that bit I did not even think about the connection to this event and if it was an appropriate saying.

So the next big thing is a huge fundraiser for the flood victims around the world. And I say around the world, as even though I am in Australia, and the floods in Queensland are devistating everyone, there are other current floods that are just as bad or worse. So this event is for Australia, Brazil, and Sri lanka. I don't know about anyone else, but when I see footage of a dead elephant stuck up in a tree from where the water had carried it, people sitting on their roofs with no other sign there is a house beneath them under the muddy water, or hear of all the people swept away or buried, my heart aches.

I can't do a heck of a lot, but I know I can pull something together that people will enjoy and hopefully it will help raise a little money for a good cause. The money raised will go to the Red Cross, since they are one of the few organisations I know of that work all around the world helping out in disaster zones, without religious overtones. With the current problems around right now I encourage all to donate to some group that you know is helping in some way.

ArtMaze

Well I have been busy building a section of the Artmaze, which I have found an interesting concept. Each artist picks a spot that has a number (usually 3) of set points where you must connect your piece to those of fellow artists, to create one really big maze. The whole thing goes across 4 sims and there is an amazing array of talent.

https://sites.google.com/site/artmazeinsecondlife/

My video (no sound, not the greatest, but hey give me a break it is the first ever one I did)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRZaanzXRQ

In my section, I have the 'normal' pretty pictures gallery section, and then I have the you can bypass this, warning this can hit hard, section. The warning is there for a very good reason, I have seen how it can effect others. This time my exhibit has a physical and a mental path, and below is a bit of writing that goes with each and may give an idea of what might be within.

Physical:

A single gene in a beautiful, complex double helix, is turned on instead of off.
A slip, a fall, a stupid dive into murky waters that did not at the time run deep.
A slam into a fellow player, or worse into a car driving home from the game.
An act of terror, or the flesh tearing results of being sent to yet another useless war.

Whether a fast impact or a disease slowly creeping, the outcome is still the same.
A body is no longer a vehical, it becomes a cage, holding tight, refusing to let go.


Mental:

A quiet child, keeps to themselves, mature beyond their years, never a problem.
A teen grows into a man and suddenly has extra friends whispering in their ear.
Drugs, legal or not, caused side effects that lasted long after the chemicals left.
Unwanted attention or extreme disasters, cause a quiet retreat that never ends.

There does not need to be physical barriers to shut out the world.
The is no need for locks, wire, guards, to contain a person.

Fears, phobias, depression, effectively lock some people in.
Others follow in the footsteps of their elders, or simply have bad wiring.
The brain, resilient, adaptive, complex, yet oh so delicate.
Mapped out, yet still a mystery, experiments inconclusive.