[Internet Art & Culture] Research Critique – Interview with the Second Front

Make way for the Second Front! To be able to be in the same space (Third Space, in this case) with the famous Second Front was quite intimidating. Some had their shades on, looking very charismatic and some had friendly smiles, typing witty comments in the chat.

Interview with Second Front on Networked Conversations, hosted by Prof Randall Packer

The Visual World
The interview started off by Prof Randall bringing up the visual world topic. One of the members, Liz Solo, had mentioned that she had follow the evolution of virtual world from Text to the VR space. Jeremy Owen Turner, another member, had introduced her to the concept of visual world in a text-based world. I did a quick research on what that actually meant and found out about Achaea.  It is a text-based multi-user dungeon (MUD) released on 1997.

A screenshot of Achaea, a text-based visual world. (Photo taken from Achaea’s website)

It is interesting how a virtual world does not necessarily has to be in full graphics but also the way how participants create content within that space (even if they are in text form). Second Front’s best known work ‘Breaking News’ is also a text-based performance where they stormed into Reuter’s building in Second Life announcing ‘Breaking News’ headlines.

Second Front’s first performance “Breaking News”. (Photo taken from Second Front’s blog)

Audience Intervention
I was particularly interested and curious about the issue of audience being part of a Second Front’s performance. Do they embrace any intervention from other players who happen to pass by while Second Front is performing a piece? Do they respond to them and allow them to be part of the piece even if all they do is linger around, or do they exclude them out?

Bibbe Hansen made a simple response, “What happen will happen”. Second Front builds up on the idea of happening and audience participation which plays with identity.

“Everyone can be a performance artist in Second Life.”
– Jeremy Owen Turner

A section of the chat from Networked Conversations with Second Front.

Liz Solo also added on that the blur between an audience and Second Front makes it fun and unpredicted. As they are working in spaces with live audiences, there will always be interaction between the two parties. Just like the spontaneous acts done by the Second Front members, audience interaction helps to make the piece feel natural.

“That’s the essence of Performance Art, that responsiveness. We see it as something that is participatory.” – Liz Solo

Second Front in Virtual Spaces
The members had mentioned the same idea about being in an immersive social space like Second life; being connected to people. Technology has allowed people from all over the world to come together on a single space to interact with each other as one community.

I was very intrigued when Patrick Lichty brought up the question, “Performance Art is all about the body. What happens when you take the body out?”. Emotions, effects, reactions. I was taken aback by this to be honest, as I had not thought about that before! This idea of community is not just about people from different places gathering on a virtual space, instead, it is about the feelings that are linking us together. 

“Moderator crashed.. PARTY TIME! :-D” – Jeremy Owen Turner

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Dina

Believes in creating works that someone can not only see or touch but be part of, to be within them.

One thought on “[Internet Art & Culture] Research Critique – Interview with the Second Front”

  1. Excellent research piece and you captured so many important elements. Yes, in fact there were earlier examples of text-based virtual realities called MUDs or MOOs. One of them is still active called LambdaMOO. There is another world called The Palace, which has simpler graphics from the 1990s, which was also very popular. So Second Life is part of an ongoing evolution of virtual reality environments that allow real-time, networked interaction in the third space. Your critique is well researched and very detailed.

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