Princeton Groups - Launch Party

I'm taking a brief break from my self-imposed purdah to do a favour for a friend, and bring you news of an event this Sunday. Here is the official announcement:

Princeton University in Second Life announces “Diversity”on the Princeton Groups island
Scope Cleaver- Architect
Poid Mahovlich - Terraform Artist
Launch party: April 20, 2008, 5-7 pm SLT

Please join us for the opening of the Princeton Groups island with a concert by Grace McDunnough on Princeton Groups, 5 pm SLT, Sunday, April 20.

The “Diversity” building on Princeton Groups island is intended as a social gathering place for Princeton University student groups and organizations. The commission stipulated a warm and friendly location where students could meet, chat, and organize events in Second Life.

The resulting sim is a thoughtful contrast of Second Life resources with real world concerns. The stark, evocative landscape provides a foil for the elegance of the architectural composition. The central building’s rainbow colors exemplify the lively, multicultural community for whom it was built. The present generation of Princeton students will someday grapple with the environmental issues suggested in the desert terrain of the sim.

“Diversity” is architect Scope Cleaver’s fifth building on the Princeton University in Second Life islands. Like his other full-sim composition at Princeton in SL--Alexander Beach--it shows an expansive use of scale that unexpectedly creates intimate social spaces. Uncharacteristic of Scope are the warm, organic building textures, which underscore the building’s function as a community center. The organic theme is carried into the building’s massing, originally suggested to the architect by a photograph of a nautilus shell.

Poid Mahovlich, SL terraformer, designed and executed a landscape that would provide interest and focus to the building. More than that, the landscape itself is a series of destinations inviting exploration. A variety of walks and suggestive vignettes reveal artistic discoveries, environmental statements, and sweeping vistas from which to appreciate the greater composition of landscape and architecture.

Architecture and landscape merge in a delightful collaboration between Scope and Poid under the “Diversity” building. Don’t leave without discovering it!

location: SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Princeton%20Groups/130/47/22



Artist statements:
Scope Cleaver says: "Science is about describing things, describing reality . . . describing what there is. Design is about what should be. It’s trying to bend the world, bend the environment, to your vision."

Poid Mahovlich says: "I build creatively using smoke and mirrors. I am a geek dreamer; driven by ethereal fuel some days, nerdtech and biscuits on others. I have a passion for terraforming, sculpting pixel earth is an evolutionary process of discovery where you enter a very different head space. I am a Real Life professional conceptual Artist: a self-proclaimed Wizard who has a severe allergy to Hawaiian shirts."

Brits: Book Early to Avoid Disappointment

Thanks to Matteo at Gabetti, who brought to my attention the following event:

Achieving Product And Branding Excellence In Second Life And Other Virtual Worlds
September 25 - 26, 2007 · Thistle Hotel Marble Arch, London, UK

Why should I attend?
Second Life, the 3D internet world inhabited by over 5 million residents, is fast becoming the place for companies to test products, launch ideas and even run their entire business. With realworld companies like Adidas, American Express, Coca Cola and Toyota all clamouring to set up their virtual “islands”, how are you going to compete in this world unless you move fast?

Announcing Europe’s first ever conference on virtual marketing – How to become a household name in a virtual world.

This one-stop-shop will get you started in the fastest and most cost effective way possible.

Showcasing the best corporate islands, plus a hands-on tutorial to show you exactly how it’s done, your time out of the office will be the most valuable you spend all year.

Who will I meet and who is speaking?
This event is being specifically researched and formulated with these attendees in mind:

• Heads of Marketing
• Branding Directors
• Creative Directors
• Web Directors
• Online Marketing Professionals
• Web Development Professionals
• Business Development Managers
• Heads of Online Commerce
• Heads of e-Commerce
• Heads of Virtual Marketing (or v-Marketing)
• Media Directors
• Heads of e-learning
• Product Managers

Don't miss this event because...
You will gain the hottest tips on how to:

• Understand Second Life and the real advantages it can give your company
• Put together the best business plan that your non-technical management board will respond to
• Utilise Second Life as a platform to test products before launching in the real world
• Deploy Second Life as a training and education platform for your business
• Turn virtual trading into substantial real world ROI

Places are limited and expected to sell out fast. For more information or to reserve your place, contact Carol James at carol.james@iqpc.co.uk or her avatar Alannah Mills in Second Life.

I doubt I can make it - but who knows? Maybe I can make the trek from the cold, wet wilderness of the North. I wonder if Nic from Kzero will be there?