New Music Edmonton is thrilled to present Echo Beneath Surface Tension, a newly-commissioned virtual installation in Second Life by new media artist Kelly Ruth. As part of Echo Beneath Surface Tension, Kelly Ruth will be setting up a 48 hour live stream of the life of her avatar, Poppy Morris. The live stream will include a series of scheduled events, or you can tune in on YouTube at any time of day to see what Poppy is up to.
NME and Kelly Ruth will be hosting a workshop on September 7, on creating your own avatar and navigating Second Life, so you can experience Echo Beneath Surface Tension as it is meant to be experienced.
This event is free, and donations are welcomed to support our programming. You can listen to an interview with Kelly Ruth on The No Normal podcast, Episode 4.2.
48 Hour Livestream Event Schedule
Tuesday September 17
Live stream starts at 4 PM Mountain Time
Artist Talk and Tour at 7 PM Mountain Time
Wednesday September 18
Artist Talk and Tour at 2 PM Mountain Time
Studio Meetup with Friends at 8 PM Mountain Time
Thursday September 19
Techno Brunch (Live Dj Set) at 11 AM Mountain Time
Artist Talk and Tour at 2 PM Mountain Time
Finish at 4 PM Mountain Time
Artist Statement: “I am curious about what lies beneath and what rises to the surface. Echo Beneath Surface Tension examines the perceptions, reverberations and influences shaping dialogue. Drawing on concepts articulated in Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? and Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, I explore the communal and individual construction of narratives around me. Like Fisher, I long for alternative imaginings. By exploring these concepts within a virtual world, I am practicing alternative imaginings, since the medium itself is nearly limitless. My artistic process involves the creation of digital assets, virtual scenes, and sound compositions mirroring physical multichannel sound installations. As both a visual and sound artist, I find satisfaction in merging these disciplines, crafting experiences that are, in essence, self-curated by the audience. In constructing this installation within a simulation, I examine the impact of capitalism, assembling a collage of ideas informed by my discussion with ChatGPT about the books that shape my work. Echo Beneath Surface Tension seeks to viscerally highlight the condition of living in late Western modernity. Through my engagement with virtual worlds, and intimate knowledge of emerging technologies, I see glimmers of hope. While the shaping of the future will undoubtedly be challenging, I believe we have an opportunity to envision and realize alternatives.”
Content warning – the virtual world of Second Life is for over 18. When viewing my installation since it is open in the virtual world 24 hours a day to anyone in the world, some avatars may present in scantily clad outfits when they show up to visit the installation.
Kelly Ruth is a new media artist currently living in Treaty 6, Edmonton, Canada. She has been activating her textiles and tools through using electronics, sound, and integrating microcontrollers into the foundations of her woven cloth. In performance she uses contact microphones and effects pedals on her weaving loom and other fibre related tools. She has created several bodies of work using weaving, felting and dyeing with plants, recognizing these as early technologies, and a relationship that humans have had with the land. Most recently she has been researching and creating art in a virtual world.
Access the Exhibit
Want to walk through Echo Beneath Surface Tension yourself? Think of your avatar name and set up a free account through https://secondlife.com Once you are familiar with the basic navigation on the platform, teleport over to the exhibit address below from within the Second Life platform.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shubelik/128/77/2682
When you arrive at the exhibit there will be a series of didactics at the exhibit entrance that will tell you the settings you should use to have the best experience. If you run into an avatar named Poppy Morris when you are in the world, you have found Kelly Ruth’s avatar, talk to her!
