"Gender", tiny SL-photography show @ Pride Festival 2009
Thanks to Eric Quimby, who donated the space, i’m running an small SL-photography show at Second Pride Festival 2009. Images by Silverdrake Sparrow, Lacie Babenco and myself about some visions about “Gender” as a human issue. I’d like to paste here part of the notacard for the show:
Gender is one of the most important human topics. It defines us, personally and socially, and sometimes it can be hard to combine this two sides of it. What happens when the social and personal sides are not fitting? What if you accept your gender but not the social stereotypes?
In this space three SL-photographers tried to show some visions about Gender. Silverdrake Sparrow with her images about the stereotypes, asking why the heroine can’t save the boy instead of the tradition in culture. Raul Crimson talks about the social limits of gender with characters using crossed attributes or attitudes. Lacie Babenco with the power of gender to define us deeply and simply, the naked truth.
Gender is still an issue in a virtual world, even we all have the freedom to choose here the issues remain or even get bigger. Be free to be yourself, choose who you want to be and ask respect for your election.
It was opened on May 23rd and will be there for one week, while Second Pride Festival is running. I’d love if you visit it and share your opinion here, here you are the SLurl.
This year Second Pride will support the work of Amnesty International and their work against homophobia in the world, specially but not only in China, Middle East, Africa and Eastern and Central Europe. Is a good time to remember there are some countries were being homosexual is illegal and has penalties from being some months in jail, life in prison or even death penalty. Take a look at the Wikipedia for more information about this.
This year Pride Festival is six sims, two comercial ones and four with rides and other events, go and take a look:
Orange Island Photo Sessions: Poses and expression class by Raul Crimson
Orange Island and Koinup have invited me to share some experience about poses and expression in SLphotography. It will be something like a class, tomorrow Mar. 12nd at 12:00 PM SLT at Orange Island.
The class will be split into two parts: First one to explain how important poses and emotes can be as an expression tool in SLphotography, and the second part about some ways to make poses using inworld or external tools, where to find this tools and how to use them.
Find more info about is in the Orange Island blog. If you find the theme intersting i will be more than happy to see you there.
Image by Torley under a Creative Commons license.
IP rights, SLphotography and some grey areas
During December, thanks to a comment of AM Radio in his recent interview in Arthole Radio (you can listen it here), there was a really interesting debate about IP rights in SLphotography, not about the IP rights over the image, was about IP rights over what you can see in the image.
He was talking about some photographers that were selling pictures taken in one of his creations (i think he was talking about The Wheatfield). Those photographies were edited and then sold in a well known SLart gallery for quite expensive prices (around 5000 L$ the SLcopy, also there were the possibility of buying copies in the “flesh life” or “real life”). And the point is he commented he thinks is not right he didn’t received any compensations for those sales, being him the IP rights owner of the place being photographed.
First, i’d like to say something i think it must be clear, legally the concept “Public Space” is not existing in Second Life. In the flesh world the sun, the atmosphere, the nature itself, even most of the things you can see when you are walking around have not IP rights, because are natural, or are in public space, so they can’t be protected. In Second Life absolutely everything has IP rights, even the virtual sky, becuase is not natural, is created by somebody, and this is an issue that may affect photography.
In some cases, like the platform itself, Windlight, etc., the owner of the rights (in this case Linden Lab) permits the use of their rights in what we can call “fair use”. Although that, as a compensation, they have the right to use your creations using the platform for marketing and promotions purposes (find this information in the TOS). In the case of resident creations that is quite different, because that agreement with Linden Lab affects exclusively the rights owned by Linden Lab.
About stuff you can buy, like skins, hair, clothing, shapes… well, this is a grey area too, because is not clear if once you buy them you have rights over them, but well, i think it must be included (at least ethically inside what we can call “fair use” not including copying and reselling of the product itself, of course). Actually some skin makers include a license about this issue. But AM Radio was not talking about this.
I’m not a lawyer, and possibly some of you have a clearer legal vision about this, but let’s consider the building of a sim like a painting, with the difference you can go virtually inside it. If you take a picture of a painting, edit it more or less and then sell it, is not that affecting the IP rights of the painter? That’s what happened here under my point of view.
AM Radio remarks something in the interview, he likes to see people taking photographs in his creations and publishing them in Flickr, Koinup or other pages, the big point is the commerce with those images. The photographer and the art gallery had earnings with his work, or with a “manipulation” of his work. I have to agree with him about this issue, that’s not “fair use”. Specially when the works of AM Radio are free to visit, and the donations go, in some cases, to charities.
I’m not the one who will say how can we fix this issue, but i’d only like here to point at it. Maybe we can be more careful about it and try to keep the “fair use”, and the debate about this is really important, for all of us. As a reflexion about all this i’d like to say sometimes we all (or at least, most of us) can be a bit hypocritical about IP rights. We all get really upset if somebody takes a pic from DeviantArt, edit it and publish it in Flickr as if was his/her creation (that happened more than once), but, at the same time, some of the upset ones may be listening music illegaly downloaded, or using “cracked” software. IP rights are still full of grey areas…
Image by Kean Kelly published under a Creative Commons license.
Gay…ety?
The Hot Males, originally uploaded by ::Prad Prathivi @ Amodica::
Prad Prathivi is not only a cool, funny, deliciously sarcastic, great creator and tons of more stuff guy. He is also a friend, even i think i would ask him for money (don’t worry, Praddles, no need right now 
). Some days ago he asked me to have a picture, naked together, because we both were included in the list of the 10 Hottest Avatars in SL.
I find the picture pretty cool, is tasty, even sweet. Just two naked friends talking together. Anyway when Prad posted (in Plurk, Flickr, …) the pic was interesting to see other’s reactions.
Some were funny, about our supposed “hawtness” 
, a few of them expressed doubts about Prad’s sexual preferences.
Ok, i know most of that comments were actually jokes but anyway that made me wonder: “Is it so important?”. People seems to care a lot about other’s sexuality, “bed preferences” and stuff like that, and, ok, i admit can be funny, but at the same time makes me feel weird.
Prad is straight publically, but was “suspicious” of being gay for that image. I posted the image at left and i was not “suspicious” of being straight (maybe yes, but nobody told me). That makes me think the possibility of being gay is still considered negative and something you can be “suspicious” about.
I know people had no bad intention, i know most of them were joking (even Prad, who likes to joke about it) and there is not intention of critic in this post. I’m only trying to say that some comments made me remember there are a lot of things we should change in our society about what is considered “normality” and how is considered “difference”.
Interview in Koinup Blog
Pier (AKA Koinup Burt inworld), one of the creators of Koinup, interviewed me some days ago for the Koinup Blog. I think is an interesting conversation, so wanted to share it with you all:
Raul Crimson is one of the best known Second Life photographers.
He is a acclaimed Metaverse Artist and he is sharing his creativity on Koinup since some time. Some Raul Crimson photos are camping in the coolest sections of Koinup. He’s also managing a cool blog, that I suggest to have a lookKoinup interviewed Raul about his art, tips and projects. Continue to read it….
Here’s the Interview
Q: When you’re creating new art and photos, where do you draw ideas and inspiration from?
A: Normally all come from my imagination, or the things I’m interested in, or fascinated by… Some other artists inspire me too, some modern photographers like David Lachapelle or Pierre et Gilles are really an inspiration to me lately. Also some “classic” artist, like Bronzino, Velazquez, or even El Bosco or the Old Dutch masters are really inspiring. Watching at their works always give me ideas or inspiration. Don’t use to “pre-draw” my works, I have them in mind and work on them, mainly because sometimes the concept grows or changes during the process, so i prefer to work “on-the-go”.
Q: What advice would you give to newcomers and beginners with Second Life art and photography?
A: First, watch and learn… learn new techniques, watch to see what others do helps a lot to learn…
Then, experiment, don’t be afraid to try new ideas, the important is to express yourself, to create the images that are in your brain.
For me the most important things in an image are light, composition and story. Techniques, filters, brushes.. are not an end themselves, are only tools.Q: Which are your fav works on Koinup and why you love them (if you can, please give me the links)
A: Oh! I have a lot! But will talk about some of them:
Tattered Memory by Bkiddo
This one is wonderful, is not only wonderfully done, has story, is evocative, full of sensibility.Tandem by Prad Prathivi
Lovely work on light and composition, also evocative, even melancholic.Lash BlueGirl by lashxevious Another jewel, just wonderfully done, inspiring, imaginative…
Self Portrait by Pilgrim
Really good concept, and lovely work in exploration of the “dark side”.I have a lot more… but well, don’t want to bore you.
Q: Which Koinup artists you should recommended for the next Koinup Interview?
A: Well, is hard to recommend when you see so much great creators, but I think to interview Ryker Beck would be a great idea, she is great in sharing her knowledge and techniques with people. Also Kimberly Mirabeau, who has a wonderful sense for beauty… and also Lano (Lano Ling), he is just someone full of sensivility and with a wonderful technique.
Q: If you should make a reportage from the Metaverse, what places you would love to photograph and share with your friends?
A: Oof! Hard one too! Well, I love some places around, I specially remember Las Arenas Doradas, Crimson Shadow or Creamshop as beautiful places, but I think I’d love to portrait also welcome Areas, Mainland, Infohubs… they are Second Life for many of us. It is always great to go there and see the imagination people have with their avatars.
Q: What are your upcoming projects in Second Life?
A: Projects… he he he… well, I’ll just tell a bit, I’m part of the team for a new magazine for SL, a really new concept with a great team, but can’t talk much about it for the moment… is a secret!
Also some projects of working a new line of furniture with someone, mainly for photography, and also have a plan for a new art and creation area, but this may take a bit…Q: Are you already exploring other worlds for creative ventures? What have you found there?
A: Well, I’m exploring some other virtual worlds or MMORPG like World of Warcraft, vSide, or the OpenSim new grids, but for the moment I’m more exploring than creating them. I feel comfortable with the tools I have in SL, so for the moment I’m creating more here.
From here, thanks to Pier and all the Koinup team for your great work, and for this interview, of course!
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