Tresi Nonno and the Ainu Village

From Bixyl Shuftan

Some weeks ago while taking a look at a Second Life University, I ran onto a Tresi Nonno (Pimiko Resident). She described herself as working on a "3-D anthropology" project, and offered to show it to me, taking me to Renzio (56/52/2107). There, I saw a small walled village. She described it as Ainu, saying she was one in real life.

To those who don't know, Ainu are Japan's original inhabitants, living on the islands before the Japanese arrived. Today, they live mostly on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Unmixed Ainu are lighter skinned than most Asians and have wavy hair, called by some "White Japanese," even though their origins are non-European. Estimates of their numbers vary. Tresi thought it was about 30,000. I asked her if it was sometimes difficult to explain to others what she was. She answered, "Yep, I see there is a huge mythology/stereotypes spread by weaboo that Japan = geisha/samurai/pokemon/anime/J-pop and so on. But ... here is (a) different Japan. Here is represented a settlement of Early Japan." She provided me to a post on her blog, "Early History of Japan."

The viewer gave the description, "Yamatai Kartya Senta" (邪馬台国文化センター), or "Yamatai Cultural Center." Over the village flew a flag, looking like the "Rising sun" with rays seen in WW2, but black and white instead of red and white. There were a couple huts on logs accessable through planks, and a tower with a simple wood ladder leading up to the top. In the middle was a fire with several pillows around it, with a bear nearby. There were a few other things around such as a dugout canoe, fish drying on a rack, a couple pigs, and what could be a half-finished hut. On a board near the entrance was a book one could click on and download, "An Introduction Into Root Shinto."

Talking to Tresi, she told me after first coming to Second Life, "I just spent time in clubs, explored SL and made new friends. Then after about 6 month I set up my own resort. It is now known as Ainu Resort." Rather than education, she told me the place was built to entertain, a "plain club/entertainment sim."

Asking her when she got the idea for building the villiage, she told me she'd "always had this idea" since coming to SL, "and finally I decided to rent a new sim and realize it." She made it all at once in a matter of hours. While expanding the villiage was a possibility, she planned on getting the word out about it first, as well as writing, "right now I am quite busy with a journal in real life, but as soon as possible I am going to start writing a popular text on Yamatai civilization ...  I would like to write not just 'light academic book' but the kind of book that could be (the) base of (a) roleplay. ... we all can see that certain people roleplay Edo themed ...  it's OK but Japan history ain't restricted by Edo (laughter), and as for me it's quite weird that people haven't made any attempt to create anything else except Edo themed sims, even those who especially study (the) history of Japan. It's really weird. ... I do wonder why people's creativity is so restrcited by stereotypes, even in Second Life where anyone can set own space."

We talked for a while, the conversation going about science in Second Life and the demand for it, in addition to how life on the Grid affects some people and what she felt were Linden Lab's shortcomings. But eventually we went out separate ways.

Tresi's village is at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Renzio/56/52/2107 . One can also look at her blog at http://tresi-nonno.blogspot.com, which is written in both English and Japanese.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Art of Mikati Slade in Second Life

By Grease Coakes

 

Gemma, one of my co-workers for the SL Newser, told me about an amazing artist in Second Life at its version of the Burning Man festival, also known as Burn 2. Her name is Mikati Slade

As a digital artist from Japan Mikati studied classical sculpture and drawing at an art university. Looking at the stage she created, which is the largest in the Burn2 festival, it stands tall at 144 meters by 144 and it floats 25 meters off the ground. Mikati said the stage had to be off the ground for the Burn 2 festival. So what she did was build propellers like an airship from a studio ghibli movie. She also reduced the weight of all parts so it floated easily. Studio Ghibli is the animation studio headed by Hayao Miyazaki who made such flims as Spirited Away and Princess Monoke. Mitaki knew about those films. The DJ Obi Galli played lots of electronic tunes old and new for the party people at the Guru Guru stage. So long as I was dancing and talking to Mikati, there was always a lot of avatars like myself enjoying the great music and the graphical eye candy which Mitaki made.

 

Mitaki’s main influence is the Nintendo era of the 80’s with games like Super Mario and Megaman. When I warped to her Guru Guru stage, I was surrounded with bright colors and 8-bit graphical icons floating in a circle. The stage was packed with characters like what looked to me power rangers and sonic the hedgehog. There was even was even some mega man characters and me and her talked over video games. 

She mentioned that Capcom made the Mega Man series and also Street Fighter 2 games. In her words, the video game movement created a generation hooked on these types of games on the old Nintendo Entertainment System and the arcade revival from Capcom’s Street Fighter 2. That’s a certainly a valid point. Even someone who barely played video games was influenced by those video games one way or the other. I told Mitaki that I make shirts in Second Life based upon an old game I used to play on the Game Boy color.

 

But her Guru Guru stage wasn’t her first creation in Second Life. Mikati also created Kuru Kuru World for the Museums of Rome Capital. Using a LEA or Linden Endowment Arts grant she created Pico Pico Life from a full-sim land grant. Another of her achievements was The Cake at SL9B that took up four sims! I wonder how long and how many digital avatars it would take to eat such a massive cake.

 

Her artwork was also featured on her flicker page among other photos. One picture which really stood out was a pink 8-bit explosion which symbolized the nuclear bomb from the 1940’s that was dropped on Japan near the end of World War 2. It was used for the Burn 2 in 2010 called the pop atomic. In Mitaki’s words, it changed the Japanese culture forever and the 8-bit console were powerful symbols of 20^th century civilization. Or at least what’s viewed by Japanese culture.

 

Mitaki Slade was also jovial and fun to talk with. When I started talking with her she mentioned that she was in the SL Newser before about SL8B before. I told her it would be an honor to write about her and she seemed to appreciate that.

 

Grease Coakes: Oh really? Cool Well I’ll be glad to honor you again and publish an article about you for the Newser again.

 

Mikati Slade: Yayyy! I am really glad!

 

If you get the chance check out her artwork available on the internet or in second life. I had a fun time talking with her and seeing her art live at the Guru Guru stage.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikati/ 

Grease Coakes

Meet Mikati Slade

While touring SL8 last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Second Life Artist Mikati Slade at her exhibit, “Together”. The colorful exhibit was one of the most fun pieces of art I have seen in a long time. Her art exemplified the theme of this year’s celebration, “The Magic of Second Life.” When I met Mikati, she was dressed in the same bright pinks, yellows, and reds as her exhibit. How fun!

In real-life Mikati is a digital artist from Japan. As part of her formal education she studied classical sculpture and drawing. Her real-life work experience includes illustrations and graphic design. She is a very bright, friendly asset to the SL art community.

The “Together” exhibit was described in a notecard as “Japanese Pop-style,” featuring “a bright, pixelized sculpture made up of cute figures of various looks and other symbols.” I saw lots of hearts, flowers, and happy objects. Looking at the exhibit made me smile.

On her notecard, Mikati wrote, “People are often inhibited by numerous limits and handicaps, such as their appearance, gender, or age. In envisioning a better future, it makes sense to try to address this issue. In Second Life, people can push aside some of the obstacles that trouble them in real life and live, work, and develop relationships in a freer environment. It's the vision of a better future materialized in Second Life today. This is the magic of Second Life.”

Mikati also has exhibits at a French art sim, PiRats Art Network. More of her Japanese Pop art work can be found there at PiRats Art Network (148, 81, 21). Through her designs, Mikati hopes to communicate her ideas about society and people’s identities. We talked about how Second LIfe provides the opportunity to meet people that we would never have the chance to meet in real-life. “Yes,” Mikati said, “Really that’s magic!”

Grey Lupindo