{"id":715,"date":"2021-11-10T14:41:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=715"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:00:46","slug":"virtual-art-real-feels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/?p=715","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Art, Real Feels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I\u2019m hearing plenty of comments that the arts, specifically
\nperformance art, is taking a huge hit due to COVID-19. On July 24, 2020
\nthe Sacramento Business Journal reported<\/a>
\n the loss in the United States alone at $9 billion. In some cases, art
\nevents just shut down with no forward-looking plans to re-open. So the
\nloss is incalculable<\/i>. We are in the middle of the summer concert and art scene. I get it. The arts might be down. But they are NOT out.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Actually instead of \u201cGet out there and enjoy\u201d for art experiences, it is a case of \u201cGet in there and enjoy.\u201d<\/b> Modify your expectations<\/i> and what the art community is already doing<\/i> will amaze you. Here we begin our short tour through the virtual arts scene in a pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Art & Computers: Digital Playmates<\/span><\/h2>\n

First,
\n I want to remind you that video games are no stranger to the arts. The
\nrelease of Civilization IV in 2005 with title song \u201cBaba Yetu<\/a>\u201d
\n (The Lord\u2019s Prayer in Swahili) by Christopher Tin was the first piece
\nof video game music to win a Grammy. Personally, I still find this video
\n very moving and I use it as my introduction to my doctoral research
\ntopic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual art show: Apart: posters from a social distance<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\"The<\/a><\/div>\n

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In
\n a metaplay on real world events, the organizers of this art show
\nchallenged the contributors to make art posters to support the thoughts,
\n feelings, and issues of COVID-19 and social distancing.<\/span><\/p>\n

I found
\nthe posters to be a wonderful mental interplay of World War II American
\npropaganda and the COVID-19 Public Health efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sales have
\nended on buying copies of the artwork, so let that be a lesson to you!
\nJust because it is virtual does not mean art is FREE.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can still enter the art gallery here!<\/a><\/strike> [Update from 2026, it has closed.] It\u2019s in Mozilla Hubs (WebXR) so you should just click and go. (Be
\npatient and nice just like you would at an art gallery, people!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Hat tip: https:\/\/paradowski.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Art show: AA Earth Gallery<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Hosted in Mozilla Hubs too and still open<\/a>!<\/strike>  [Update from 2026, it is closed]<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe
\n project was made to mark 50 years of Earth Day, an annual event held in
\n support of environmental protection. All the works on display respond
\nto the theme of Earth and human relationships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Clubbing: The Music Scene<\/span><\/h2>\n

Did I mention that I went clubbing in Paris a few weeks ago? I just like the way that SOUNDS<\/i>. In
\n all seriousness, I never left New York and I only found out about this
\nevent a couple of hours before it started. And, she writes wincing, I
\nhad to be late for the actual event but the DJ after some gentle nudging
\n played another hour just for my tribe! Yes! Do not be unnerved by all
\nthe Santas. Remember, Santa is <\/i>jolly?!?  <\/span><\/p>\n

This was the DJ<\/a> who I\u2019m not going to disclose here as a really cool VR day job.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lesson here: Set your social media to *search* for art experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Live art: SketchGroup<\/a> (Use Chrome for the link)<\/span><\/h2>\n

Instead
\n of a shared Google doc for your next meeting, how about having an
\nartist live sketch your thoughts using Tilt-brush in a space that you
\ncan re-enter? Talk about a Memory Palace.<\/span><\/p>\n

VR Concert: Glastonbury Shangri-La music festival in Sansar<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

Yes,
\n Sansar is a specific app download. But this was simulcast to Twitch,
\nBeatport, YouTube, and Facebook to 4.3 million possible attendees. So,
\nno excuses.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love my tweet above, I’m writing EXACTLY like I’m in
\n a loud event and all I can get out is yelling “MUSIC IS FUN!” while
\npointing to the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

VR Theater: The Tempest by Shakespeare<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cStarting
\n July 9 showings will be presented in Tender Claws\u2019 groundbreaking
\nvirtual theater. Tickets for The Under Presents: Tempest sell for $15
\nand that buys you a live performance from an actor who casts you in the
\nplay for a show running approximately 40 minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you catch that? Pay your ticket price, show up at a time, and you are in the play!<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n


 <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cParticipants
\n are tapped to dress up in costumes and pantomime parts of the
\nexperience which play out as much in virtual reality as they do in the
\nimagination of the player. That\u2019s a remarkable feat and exactly what makes this unlike anything else in VR right now.<\/b> The Tempest is a fascinating evolution for both Tender Claws and The Under Presents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Suffered through all this art and really want team sports to play at home? Uhm, have you heard of paintball?<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

What did I miss or is still coming up?<\/span><\/h2>\n

SIMULACRA<\/a> (still running!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual Arcade @Cannes XR <\/a><\/p>\n

ComicCon at Home<\/a> (running now)<\/span><\/p>\n

Museum of Other Realities<\/a> (Hosts new and running shows)<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual Fashion Show<\/a> – July 29, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

VR Events<\/a><\/p>\n

There
\n really are NO excuses not to support the art scene right now in
\nvirtual, online, and computer-mediated senses. It’s safe and it’s
\nimportant.<\/span><\/p>\n

I conclude with these words from Ben Okri in his article, We Need Art More Than Ever<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

“For
\n too long art has been seen as an extra, an add-on, something
\ndispensable unless it can prove its worth by numbers and quotas. It may
\nbe that we lost sight of art\u2019s special value because prosperity obscured
\n its meaning, its profound questions, and its uncanny capacity for
\ntranscendence.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is in the face of death that art becomes most
\npowerful. It was said that during the time of the Black Death in Italy,
\npeople carried paintings through the streets to confront the plague.
\nSome might say that it was not the paintings themselves that were seen
\nas death-fighting images, but the subjects of the paintings, the
\nMadonnas and the images of Christ, that were being used to confront a
\nscale of death the people could not understand. It hardly matters which
\nit was: art became a weapon against the plague.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

#VirtualArt
\n #VirtualMusic #VirtualMusicFestival #VR #VirtualReality #Sansar
\n#Glastonbury #LostHorizon #Civilization4 #BabaYetu #ChristopherTin
\n#GrammyAward #ApartPostersFromASocialDistance #AAEarthGallery
\n#MozillaHubs #TiltBrush #Oculus #Tempest #CannesXR #ComicCon
\n#MuseumOfOtherRealities #WeNeedArt #VirtualArtRealFeels<\/p>\n

Updated images, font, and indicated a few dead links (but try Internet Archive!) on February 21, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n  I\u2019m hearing plenty of comments that the arts, specifically performance art, is taking a huge hit due to COVID-19. On…\n<\/div>\n
Continue reading “Virtual Art, Real Feels”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,183,315,226,317,320,318,319,58,316,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2d-vr","category-3d","category-apart-gallery","category-art","category-event","category-live-art","category-mozilla-hubs","category-performance","category-sansar","category-shakespeare","category-vr","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":720,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions\/720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cogitateandpercolate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}