Digital Ethnography:mushRoom

Cassandra Van Valkenburg (Afni Sodwind) • Professor StokrockiSpring 2014

Ethnography and Digital Ethnography

Ethnography has roots in anthropology and involves the observation and research of different cultures. A traditional ethnographer may spend hours, weeks, or months interacting with research participants in their native environment. The goal is to experience a culture the same as those born into it, and then use all data collected for a comparative analysis and a greater understanding of a cultural perspective. [reference: http://www.aqr.org.uk/glossary/?term=ethnography]

Digital Ethnography is the process of conducting research in a virtual or digital space. This digital field may use text, video, images, or a type of networking. As opposed to analog ethnography, "the field site may be a mental construct created by a group of geographically distributed nodes on an information network."[reference: http://cyborganthropology.com/Digital_Ethnography]

Stages of Digital Ethnography

1. Data Collection In a research project, it is important to collect data to use for analysis. Ways to collect data include participant observation, experiencing a field site first-hand, and interviewing.[reference: https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Ethnography.html]

2. Content AnalysisAnalyzing content involves looking for connections, word, and concepts in texts or sets of texts. After analysis, interpretations are made about the text, writer, audience, and/or culture that gave rise to the content. To break a text down, conceptual analysis or relational analysis may be used.[reference: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?pageid=1305]

3. Comparative AnalysisThe process of comparing two things (cultures, data sets, etc.) for research purposes.

What is Second Life?

Second Life is an online virtual world where people, "users," can interact with each other and the virtual environment through avatars. Users can "explore the world (known as the grid), meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services."[reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life]

As an artist, I am fascinated with the concept of avatars and how they represent our humanity. It's important to remember "that humans are still human, and that technology only connects and sometimes even amplifies that humanness.”[reference: http://cyborganthropology.com/Digital_Ethnography]

Creating an Avatar

Afni Sodwind

I entered Second Life curious about the technological limitations and how users work around them to personify their created avatars.

I created the avatar named "Afni Sodwind" and gave her a bio:Afni was created on a computer in an open world software program. Before that, she existed in code used for other avatars with similar features and clothing. She does not have any unique scripting. She is not really "she" but "it" due to lack of gender. She is only a representation of the human female form. The avatar defined by the word "Afni" moves through an online virtual environment through user manipulation. She does not have a personality separate from the user. She is not self-aware.

Research and Questions

During my explorations of Second Life, I visited various art pieces and locations – installations, events, museums, virtual replicas – to sample the various forms of expression in this digital space. I was introduced to the artist Scottius Polke after visiting Virtual Ability Island. I conducted an interview, with a few key research questions in mind:

• What artwork forms and methods are used?• How does the work fit into the greater context of Second Life?• How does the artist’s virtual work reflect Real Life work?

Context and The Artist

Scottius Polke, who appears as a cute, cuddly otter avatar with glasses in Second Life, is an artist who creates work using a technique called assemblage. This is the process of using old or found objects to create something new. By translating his Real Life pieces into Second Life, he was able to give them new life, movement, and interactivity, building on the concept of a physical object using virtual reality.

One of his most popular builds, mushROOM, uses hand-drawn textures to create an eclectic room of large objects. The floorboards appear to creak and the bed has a soft, inviting quality. The room is a bit messy and likely smells of paper and old pizza boxes. In one moment, the room felt like my own – a place to come home to. In the next moment, from gazing out the windows and dancing with amoebas, I was transported to a surreal, dream-like location.

Data Collection

[2014/12/04 14:30] Afni Sodwind: Thank you for agreeing to meet with for this interview. My first question is how did you first start making art? Was it a lifelong interest or something that came later on? 

[2014/12/04 14:38] Scottius Polke: Like many other artists, my interest started early on in life. However, it was only during my college years that I thought it could possibly be a big part of my life.

[2014/12/04 14:40] Afni Sodwind: What is your main art focus/subject (abstract, realism, etc.) and what interests you about it?

[2014/12/04 14:45] Scottius Polke: My focus as of the past few years has been assemblage. Assemblage is 3d version of collage, using found objects. I like how the random things that I find can often determine what art I make. Also the practice of using things that others have discarded is also a nice aspect of it as well.

[2014/12/04 14:47] Afni Sodwind: Why do you make it on Second Life? What are the benefits? Also, what are some of the challenges of making art on SL?

[2014/12/04 14:52] Scottius Polke: I have enjoyed taking some of my RL pieces and bringing them into SL. I like how they can get a new personality, with the ability to become huge, move, glow, make noise, and interact with avatars.  As I am someone who works so much with physical objects in my RL art, I do miss the tactile sensation inside the virtual world. However, there is always a tradeoff, and I simply view each as a separate medium.  

Data Collection (cont.)

[2014/12/04 14:53] Afni Sodwind: Have you ever collaborated? If so, how?

[2014/12/04 14:58] Scottius Polke: I have done about 2 or 3 collaborative efforts in SL, 2 in which several artists all work on a similar theme or story. Also on my own builds I have had help from others with scripts, animations and even lining up textures. So even a build that isn't technically a collaboration, the ability to work with others in this environment comes in helpful.

[2014/12/04 15:00] Afni Sodwind: How do you make artwork on SL? And, if you make similar art in real life, what are some of the differences in the process?

[2014/12/04 15:10] Scottius Polke: I can narrow down my art in SL to two basic types: 1. Artwork translated from RL, usually assemblage work. I will scan in photos of the various parts of a piece in RL, and put it back together again using textures, prims and sculpties, and add in other surprises. 2. Hand drawn images (or digitally drawn in some cases)  that are scanned in, colored in photoshop, and then become the textures for worlds I create.

[2014/12/04 15:12] Afni Sodwind: What do you enjoy most about creating art in SL?

[2014/12/04 15:17] Scottius Polke: I think one thing I really like about it is that using all the various techniques such as sound, color, style and movement, can capture a mood that an avatar could really get immersed in. I am also happy with the fact that 3 people used [one of my art builds] as inspiration for their own art: a poem, short story and machinima.

Content Analysis

Artist Type of art Favorite artwork and why?

Why did artist make it?

Scottius Polke Assemblage in RL; installations/locations in SL

mushRoom because of its familiarity versus surrealism and use of textures

Adaptation of his illustration; wanted to play with scale and sense of environment

How was it made?

Expression Collaboration? How does RL compare?

Textures hand drawn, painted in Photoshop, attached to prims

Cartoonish, bold lines, warm color scheme, greens/browns/purples

No RL work is done with found objects; SL work adds greater movement

Comparative Analysis

Scottius Polke uses assemblage, hand-drawn textures, animation, and modeling/scripting in SL to bring versions of his RL work into the virtual world. Just as he maintains two different artist personae (Scottius Polke in SL; Scott Rolfe in RL), he utilizes the strengths of RL artwork and SL artwork to create alternate versions of his ideas. Using found objects in RL, he displays his work in galleries, creates story books, and encourages the audience to touch and interact with his 3D pieces. In SL, he adds animation to the pieces and creates installations that avatars can interact and play with. A powerful aspect of SL is its ability to bring creativity and art to regular internet users. Instead of art being, as Scottius Polke states, “only for the upper echelon,” users can discover it and make it part of their avatar’s world culture.

Conclusions and Virtual Reality

Though Second Life can have technological difficulties such as slowing down computer function and requiring long, frequent updates, many users and artists accept these limitations and instead choose to focus on the creativity this virtual environment fosters. Joe Sanchez observed that students were pleasantly surprised with what they could build and how quickly they were able to use simple shapes to make objects like buildings and runways. Despite requiring a huge time commitment, they enjoyed exploring what other users built and going inside their own creations.

Scottius Polke began Second Life with no experience in 3D modeling or scripting. He was soon able to efficiently texture and create art.

I experienced my fair share of anger at the lack of direction in Second Life, a recurring theme observed by Sanchez, just like many other users and artists. Despite my initial reactions, the various cultures and groups apparent in SL drew me back for further exploration. There are benefits and challenges to any medium, and Second Life’s strength lies in the way it amplifies our need for community and provides a space for users to create avatars that are immediately exposed, and can become part of, various virtual experiences.

Locations

•Blue Bell Patch, Shaka: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shaka/202/11/20

•Transylvania (Vampire Empire): http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Transylvania/102/96/33

•Cape Serenity: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Serenity/86/116/23

•Virtual Ability Island: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/129/141/23

•A Touch of Class Art Gallery: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Leelight/14/12/554

•Doomsville: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EtErNaL%20DooM/218/179/1991

•Sky Sculptures Gallery: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ub%20Yifu%20Sculptures/185/38/25

•mushROOM: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Curacao/186/55/2008