Juri's Virtual Art Blog: Fuyuko Amano

Montag, 24. Mai 2021

Fuyuko Amano - Darkness And Cyber-Punk

1. What was your first association, when you heard about the topic "Reconnaissance In Times Of Darkness"?

The very first... how certain authoritarian rulers disbelieve in science. But then i put more than just a fleeting thought in it.
And I came to understand it as another way of describing Age of Enlightenment.
:-) We are still in an Age of Enlightenment, Science is making strides into new realms of knowledge every day.
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2. Reconnaissance is exploration conducted to gain information with observation, surveillance and knowledge. How did you 'explore' the darkness.

My theme for the Expo was "Darkness And Cyber Punk" so I could not explore the darkness per se since it is a stylistic tool integral to cyberpunk, as mentioned in its definition
"...Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech" featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics, juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order..."
So.... I saw my way of "exploring" more as a way of showing.
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3 How long did the process of creation last for this exhibition?

How long? haha I didnt count. I worked on it several hours for several days.
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4. Which were the biggest obstacles?

The biggest obstacle.... The idea. I normally work intuitive, but a project were someone gives me a theme i have to work on contradicts this approach.
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5. What are the most important techniques, that you use for virtual art? How did you use these to interpret the theme?

Most important... :-) I actually work like any other photographer just that my camera is the computer. I see the graphic display on my screen and make a screenshot (photo) of it. But... yes, not simply a screenshot.
You have to mind the picture composition, the lighting... simply everything you have to mind with photography anywhere. And after the photo comes the post-processing. Mostly little corrections of contrast and saturation.
There is even one big advantage. In many virtual surroundings you are free to move the point of view around in far greater ways as in real world.

6. What does it mean for you to create art in virtual worlds? Is it different from creating art in RL?

As I just said, you have more freedom in moving the camera-position, mostly. I also do photography in videogames and there the camera-freedom is often limited.
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7. What are your former experiences with art in virtual worlds? Have you taken part in themed group collaborative projects? Or is your art usually more singular?

I already described that "themed" work is contradictory to my normal way of doing things. I seldom do this. And my former experiences... :-) long before i started to make pictures in virtual worlds like Second Life i already made photos in videogames, and before that i made photos. So you can say I only changed the tool.
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8. Which role does virtual art play in your country of origin according to your experiences?

Virtual Art in my country.... haha. Most doesnt even know it exists.
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9. In which way was the creating of art helpful for you in the covid-crisis?

Oh.. sorry in no way. I work in heathcare, so i had much to do.
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10. Which topic would be interesting to you as an artistic challenge in the future?

oh my, those questions... None and All.

Mittwoch, 3. Februar 2021

Sneak Preview: "Reconnaissance In Times Of Darkness" in OSGrid

Wailing women surround a polluted water puddle. They are dressed like figures from an ancient Greek tragedy or like wailing women, who were hired to mourn during funerals in many cultures. Why do they mourn?
In the puddle we see the garbadge of civilization, bottles, plastic bags and paper, chemicals etc. and, when we look closer human bones. A pandemia? A crime? Suicide? Carelessness? An accident? A symbol for the status of mankind and humanity in a threatened world, on a tortured planet. Our values and convictions are emerging in times of darkness and reveal our true achievements.
Dark times can insofar be seen as an advantage: they help to achieve reconnaissance.
Art in its divers options of expression is an optimal medium to express the emotional part of darkness. The additional features of virtual worlds are the immersion and interactivity, which help to dive deeply into the context and process the traumata and threats of the dark sides of life. Art can help to become aware of all variants of negative impacts.
As its best it can wake up the power to resist and lay the seed for a better future.

10 artists have taken the opportunity to create huge installations related to the given topic. Here is a sneak preview of the ones, who are already or nearly finished and could be visited already. Landing spot is: x-grid-info://osgrid/region/interstellART_exhibitions/387/338/24, from where the gates to each artist are available.

Victoria Logan's (Argentine) focus is on "Mental Health In Pandemic Times" (Spanish and English):

The pandemia is also the focus of Tina Bey's (Argentine) installation "Pandemic Darkness":

The British artist Caro Fayray tries to shed "Light On The Darkness" on our planet:

French artist Claude Belgar shows in his minimalistic style the topic "Science In Dark Times" and goes back in history to Galileo Galilei:

Shenn Tao has created a mysterious orb with a dark power inside, an imagination of anti-matter and a "Dark Artistic Exploration":

Photo-artist Fuyuko Amano shows photos, taken in Cyber-Punk environments in Second Life and which show the function of "Darkness In Cyber-Punk":

"Threats To Freedom" is the topic of host and artist Asmita Duranjaya. Examples are the umbrella-movement in Hongkong and the general threat to cut down the freedom of media all over the world:

French artist lalie Sorbet focuses on the topic "Dark Shadows On Diversity" and shows brilliant macro-photos of endangered species:

Kuveni Kalakaruwa's "Garden Of Sadness" invites persons, who have lost a family member or a friend during the pandemia, for meditation by sitting down and lightening a candle for their beloved ones.