Life Art and the Pursuit of Fuzzyness

Cilliation-A reactive Menagerie

2011-07-01T11:40:00.005-05:00

http://www.blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif/img/blank.gif
A small collection of creatures inspried by things microscopic .

Slithering Chrome - E. Coli inspired creatures swim against the current of the simulators winds

Crawling Upon the Wind- Mollusk/Virus inspired -wind reactive

MacroScopic Plague- this piece is very aware of your presence and will reach out to you if you stray too close ...

Downsized

2011-02-12T11:23:00.002-06:00

Lots has changed in the past year.
I no longer have any large inworld exhibits.
I've changed jobs and towns.
Inworld presence will pretty much be a quiet little shop at my home.

Artwork will continue.

Official derez date-January 25th

2010-01-19T10:50:00.003-06:00

Zero Point will officially derezz and go bye on January 25th. I will leave the structures standing until the 24th at which time I will pick them up to at least save the originals as well as the backup copies I have made. All my new art work will be built for the time being at Aquitaine, hosted by Excaliber Studios.

Zero Point -old location officially closes

2010-01-10T12:35:00.002-06:00

This Saturday January 9, 2010 marked the official close of Zero Point in it's location at Kelham.Great music was played jokes were told and folks had a good time for about 5 hours.All in all it was a fine send off.I will leave the builds there until the land is put up for auction and cleared out which is currently an unknown time/date.
So any persons wishing a last look around may do so until that time. Negotiations are currently in the works for a new sim/site to resurrect Zero Point in 3.0 form. My current work until this occurs can be found at the Excaliber Studios land in Aquitaine sim.

Zero Point ends soon it seems

2009-12-21T22:00:00.002-06:00

Due to current financial burdens, my sponsor of the land at Zero Point in Kelham sim will no longer be able to continue any longer and will sell the land by the end of January. I have been offered to buy the land and try and go on myself but I am in no position to cover 125us tier, plus the land, plus Premium account status. So barring divine intervention the next 2-3 weeks mark the final chapter of the Zero Point installation. It's been a grand and long rides folks, thanks for stopping by, may we meet again in some other metaverse.

the ever blue unikitty
Sabine Stonebender

Light at the end of the tunnel...

2009-08-08T15:46:00.003-05:00

At long last, I have found gainful employment. The years after my accident in 2006 have been pretty bleak for job hunting so this is a huge step forward.
I will be teaching English as a second language full time in Second Life.
Sadly this means most of my energies will be focused towards this , but ill still continue with the planned new Zero Point exhibits as time allows.

horsevalley_epona-markII_binary_006

2009-06-28T21:40:00.001-05:00

horsevalley_epona-markII_binary_006, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Final version of my Horse figure sculpted for Second Life using Blender.
This is the end result of many hours of digital sculpting and is a spinoff of a private commission for Horse Valley.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kelham/161/84/33/

hippocampus_004

2009-06-18T19:57:00.003-05:00

hippocampus_004, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Blender sculpted Hippocampi statuary at Zero Point in Kelham

hippocampus_002

2009-06-18T19:57:00.001-05:00

hippocampus_002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Blender sculpted Hippocampi statuary at Zero Point in Kelham

Hippocampus creations-Blender bearing Fruit at Last

2009-06-18T19:44:00.002-05:00

Heyos, at long last my learning curve for Blender has begun to level out to a less than vertical curve. With the help of fellow Blender enthusiasts in Second Life I have finally gained enough mastery over the programs tool to bring the first of many constructs from the modeling window inworld to Secondlife.
I took a cue from my love of classical themes and modeled a hippocampus as both a standalone figure and as part of a fountain at Zero Points temple grounds.
The possibilities opened by this powerful tool have me tremendously excited.

SL6B-Here I come folks ;)

2009-06-05T22:46:00.003-05:00

Looks like my plot has arrived and I will have a nice amount of prims to play with this year.I foresee having to step outside of my comfort zone this year as the builds already in place are very shiny and glowy. Something outside of my current style is called for , IF I can step outside myself;) cheers and see ya'll there when things get underway.No pics at the present time, sorry^^

Current Affairs

2009-05-05T11:12:00.003-05:00

Wonder of wonders, a build I was a major participant on the design/build team won the Linden Prize^^ Virtual Ability Island
So now I can say without lying I am an award winning designer/builder :D
At Zero Point a few things have changed. Dev I now sports a mystical exhibit in place of Broken Vista.I expanded my line of animated butterflies to 13 type with dragonflies coming soon. Recently it was my observation that in the furry avatar community noone was making fluffy tails for species such as skunks. So i filled that gap and have added a fluffy skunk tail and ears to my store.
Being a designer in Second Life has grown increasingly difficult as far as obtaining commission work.So to those reading, if you know of projects in need of a good designer/builder, by all means please let me know either here or inworld. Word of mouth still seems the most powerful means to find work there and I can only cast my line so far by myself. Thanks
Sabine

Current Affairs

2008-11-10T07:56:00.003-06:00

The reconstruction of Zero Point is coming along well. Two new zones have been established high in the sky thanks to the new build height limit of 4096m.
These zones currently known as DevI and Hellish were conceived to be somewhat contrasting in feel and appearance to one another. DevI is a visit to an ethereal
plane of existence where every surface pulses and flows with light.Hellish is a area of raging fires and dark structures. Both areas are somewhat of a test bed and will be evolving over time.
Some elements of the old Zero point have been reconstructed and worked into the fabric of the new. Hellish houses the Thunder Throne which was one of the surviving artifacts.
The original first floor was the only one with enough older backups to reconstruct as it was. I have gone ahead and installed that rebuild for the benefit of visitors wishing to see the old work. Other artifacts from the old Zero Point will eventually find their way into my store in rezzer boxes, most notably the Power Station, Jaguar Maw dungeon, and the first floor itself, which is already for sale.

more to come...

Zero Point 2_001

2008-10-03T07:17:00.001-05:00

zp2_001, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

entrance view -Zero Point Auditorium-Spinoff design from the previuosly shown Sojourner Auditorium. I ended up with couple extra audtorium designs from build/brainstorming sessions and this was one version I plan to keep. The core is animated and in constant motion.

ZP2

2008-10-03T07:15:00.001-05:00

ZP2, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Zero Point Auditorium side with water dragon foreground

Zero Point 2_003

2008-10-03T07:14:00.001-05:00

zp2_003, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Canine gate amid glowing tech spires.

Zero Point 2_002

2008-10-03T07:13:00.001-05:00

zp2_002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

My vehicle showroom and Builder's office.
Inquiries to hire my Builiding/Consulting/Scripting/Texturing skills at at the desk;)

bl2008II_003

2008-08-31T10:17:00.001-05:00

bl2008II_003, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Atomic fires within ...

bl2008II_002

2008-08-31T10:14:00.001-05:00

bl2008II_002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Detail from my Burning Life 2008 plot

BL2008_001

2008-08-31T10:11:00.001-05:00

BL2008_001, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

My current entry for Burning Life 2008

End of a (brief) era...

2008-07-19T01:19:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, July 16 of 2008, the Zero Point Installation as it stood from August of 2006 was reduced to bare (virtual) earth and sent back in scrambled fragments,effectively destroying it.
This represented the destruction of literal years of tinkering and fine tuning.
Needless to say I'm pretty upset/shocked/hurt but resigned to continue.
An error in the system caused the land to revert to a for sale state and return(fry) everything on it. Only fragments have been recoverable. Pending the fixing of the error which also damaged the builds of my sponsor, and the return of building privileges there, reconstruction WILL commence. I have changed as has Second Life during the span of the previous install.Thus I foresee something new will be borne of this disaster.The support from kind folks within Second Life has been more than I ever could have expected.For this,
I thank you one and all from the bottom of my heart.
More to come as I learn.
the sad blue kitty,
Sabine Stonebender

ponyislecolors2

2008-06-05T13:33:00.001-05:00

ponyislecolors2, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Megaprim color/motion test objects

Link Updates

2008-04-12T12:01:00.002-05:00

Howdies, the links section received a much needed update with various pages and reviews
folks have written about my work. If you have written about any of my work and would like your link added please let me know. My apologies to any folks whose page I may have missed.

KissTS-The Creative Process Borne on the Winds of Fate

2008-04-12T02:43:00.001-05:00

KissTS-The Creative Process Borne on the Winds of Fate, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Representative of my personal struggle with the creative process.
Progress moves towards the goals of creation.
Opposition stymies the creative act and thwarts Progress,
both are governed by the winds of fate/culture/society.
Intution stands as a linchpin in the eye of this internal storm,
binding it all together.

KissThe Sky -MoreAndLess

2008-04-12T02:42:00.001-05:00

KissThe Sky -MoreAndLess, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Positive space vs Negative space in an endless cycle.

KissTS-Data X Infinity

2008-04-12T02:41:00.001-05:00

KissTS-Data X Infinity, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Knowledge has no limits save the depth to which we can plunge into it and understand.

BIW

2008-03-06T19:42:00.003-06:00

BIW, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

brooklyniswatching.com/

Some quick pics of my contibution to the ongoing exibit in Popcha sim.

slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/104/175/22/?title=Popcha

BIW3

2008-03-06T19:42:00.001-06:00

BIW3, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

brooklyniswatching.com/

Some quick pics of my contibution to the ongoing exibit in Popcha sim.

slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/104/175/22/?title=Popcha

BIW2

2008-03-06T19:41:00.001-06:00

BIW2, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

brooklyniswatching.com/

Some quick pics of my contibution to the ongoing exibit in Popcha sim.

slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/104/175/22/?title=Popcha

BIW4

2008-03-06T19:40:00.001-06:00

BIW4, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

brooklyniswatching.com/

Some quick pics of my contibution to the ongoing exibit in Popcha sim.

slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/104/175/22/?title=Popcha

Vomit Comet-current 2008 format

2008-02-19T15:17:00.000-06:00

kelham-VomitComet, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

shot of ZeroPoint 3rd floor as of January 2008- Reposted to remove spam from commentary sighs

kelham_002

2008-01-21T11:42:00.001-06:00

kelham_002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

shot of ZeroPoint groundfloor and the bottom of the first as of January 2008

africa_007

2007-10-26T14:10:00.001-05:00

africa_007, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Benefit art show for World Hunger in Africa sim of Second life. Datastream X Infinity animated sculpture

africa_005

2007-10-26T14:09:00.001-05:00

africa_005, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Benefit art show for World Hunger in Africa sim of Second life.Entrance to the gut of the Worm

africa_002

2007-10-26T14:08:00.001-05:00

africa_002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Benefit art show for World Hunger in Africa sim of Second life.Over view of exhibit platform

new ZPtemple

2007-08-09T18:19:00.001-05:00

new ZPtemple, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

The updates continue as a new temple is slowly erected as the center piece of the ground floor also known as Reality;)
Changes to this will continue as i try to get feel for the scale of the space which is immense.
The Columns seen are 40m tall:)

June Updates- New Dynamic camera car for the Vomit Comet

2007-06-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hiyo,
over the months the Vomit Comet has been set up I've noted that some folks had difficulty getting the commands to send it flying working. Sooo I broke down and put together a new script set for it.
It's now more of a rocket sled type propulsion while the chair now fires up a sticky camera for a bit better view of what's going on. Folks now have only to sit down, and off it shoots down the track, no chat commands needed. The current beta of this car is running at Zero Point as we speak and will get tweaks as I have the time (sounds, ride smoothing).

It's getting near time to start cycling some exhibits out, so expect some changes over the coming month as I work up replacements and new content using layering and sculpties.

myah=^.^=

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham

2007-05-01T11:36:00.001-05:00

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

The new store at Zero Point, Sabine's Shiniest Somethings.
I'm the tiny little glow at the bottom left . This thing is BIG.
100m floors bounded by 150m sphere segments.Upstairs is the showroom, just below is my workshop where you may catch a glimpse of things to come;)
All the space a kitty could ask for to show off her best and brightest work from the past 2 years. The offerings for sale are pretty widely varied as I've made a little bit of everything but there are LOTS of kinetic and animated floors,objects, and artwork you betcha:) The store sits up over 700m above the main exhibits to minimize it's impact in both lag and aesthetics. Access is gained either by the bunnyporters labeled Shopping Platform or by donning your jet pack and going for a trip;)

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham III

2007-05-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham III, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

The new store at Zero Point, Sabine's Shiniest Somethings.Fisheye lens shot of the showroom.

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham II

2007-05-01T11:25:00.001-05:00

Sabine's Shiniest Somethings- Zero Point Kelham II, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

The new store at Zero Point, Sabine's Shiniest Somethings.
Aerial view of the showroom floor.

Zeropoint-2007011

2007-03-02T13:40:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007011, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

2nd floor Sky Gallery detail

Zeropoint-2007010

2007-03-02T13:39:00.003-06:00

Zeropoint-2007010, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

2nd floor Sky Gallery detail

Zeropoint-2007009

2007-03-02T13:39:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007009, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

2nd floor Sky Gallery detail

Zeropoint-2007008

2007-03-02T13:38:00.005-06:00

Zeropoint-2007008, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

2nd floor Sky Gallery overview

Zeropoint-2007007

2007-03-02T13:38:00.003-06:00

Zeropoint-2007007, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

2nd floor hexgrid swirls

Zeropoint-2007006

2007-03-02T13:38:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007006, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

nd floor Thundarian terminal

Zeropoint-2007005

2007-03-02T13:37:00.005-06:00

Zeropoint-2007005, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

3rd floor Vomit Comet

Zeropoint-2007004

2007-03-02T13:37:00.003-06:00

Zeropoint-2007004, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

rd floor Vortex halls

Zeropoint-2007003

2007-03-02T13:37:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007003, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

3rd floor Vortex halls and Vomit comet coaster.

Zeropoint-2007002

2007-03-02T13:36:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007002, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Prototype store kiosk at 700m

Zeropoint-2007001

2007-03-02T13:34:00.001-06:00

Zeropoint-2007001, originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Ground Floor as of March 2 2007

Happenings in March

2007-03-02T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hidyo^^ things at Zeropoint have been evolving nicely as of late. The Second floor additions of the Skygallery and Thundarian terminal have been put into place and the 3rd Floor Vortex chambers are turning out far better than I had planned.
The Sky Gallery is a walking path selection of art I've acquired from others and a selection of my own pieces.Works here will be more abstract or otherworldly in nature than the traditional sculptural works of the ground floor.
The Thundarian terminal is an older build I've dusted off as it was always intended to be a central transport structure. In this case it now hosts the 3rd floor elevator/hyperspace bypass.
The 3rd floor platform houses the Vomit Comet roller coaster and the rapidly growing Vortex Chambers section. This section is very much a work in progress and will likely have several different looks as it evolves, the theme being that of singular meditative halls.The Vomit Comet roller coaster has been a bit touchy and will be single passenger only till I can get a way for it to quit stalling when more than one person gets on board. New cars rez every 59 seconds so its not too bad a wait.Overall ,I've been pleased with its performance in the upper reaches and will likely keep it as a fixture for some time:)
I recently broke my scripting barrier and have begun to delve into coding stuff for greater functionality, which includes adding scalar texture animation to much of the exhibits.Scalar allows for experiments in breathing walls and complex pattern blending previously out of my reach. As I deepen my knowledge expect new and strange things to happen when you click on stuff;)
I had a wonderful meeting with my benefactor Zero Medici and plans are underway to get the lands media stream up and running. Adding music and sound to the place will be an added dimension I've soooo looked forward to.Once this is going I plan to have a few music/dance oriented events to christen the stream as this project was ALWAYS designed to have music as an element.
I will be adding a small teleport/high flight access only kiosk/shop above and beyond the main exhibits with a selection of my works and textures for sale.This will have work never before released, and will be the only place in SecondLife it will be available. I'm intrigued with the notion of a shop that is art unto itself which will be another ongoing idea I'd like to push. My training as a jewelry designer emphasized form and function working in harmony. To this end, a shop that's equally aesthetic and usable will be the aim. The main exhibits will remain non-commercial and public friendly cause that's the way I like it, no mall sprawl ;)
As final note, Flickr updates are on the way so expect to see some snapshots as I get them resized, formatted,etc.
Cheers,
Sabine=^.^=

2007-01-12T17:08:00.000-06:00

Animated montage of Dragons moving throught a whirlpool of light.

Science Fiction prophecies brought to life -Larry Niven's Flash Crowds

2006-12-11T11:21:00.000-06:00

In my wanderings of Second Life, I've noted that a social phenomena known as "flash crowds" has actually come to be.
What are flash crowds you say?
Science fiction author Larry Niven wrote a series of novels and short stories set in our future where teleportation technology becomes as commonplace as picking up the phone and calling someone. A person would step into a teleport booth and dial Tokyo and step out of the booth in Tokyo. When a major news event took place at some locale on the globe, the new nets would of course cover it worldwide. People being the curious creatures they are would dial up said locale, and suddenly in the span of 20-30 minutes, you would have a crowd of 200,000 people in the streets literally out of thin air. That's a flash crowd.
In Second Life teleportation is the main form of transport and the same trends apparently apply. Residents scanning the map happen upon a simulator(sim) with an event posted and head over. As the crowd grows more residents message each other about the event (which often passes for a news net in Second Life) and the crowd swells rapidly. I've noted that the crowd on the map serves as an attractor in of itself once large enough. Residents see the crowd and go " Hmm, what's going on there?" and join the throng themselves. Thus in the span of a few minutes, a sim goes from 0 avatars to 100+ in some cases. While not nearly as overwhelming as the mobs in Mr. Niven's works, the principle appears to be most valid and insightful.
Thus life imitates art and science fiction becomes science reality , or in this case virtual reality.
Larry Niven's insights to future human behaviors reveal themselves as dead on target on this matter.

Recent news and progress

2006-12-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

Well its been about 4 weeks now since my brush with death and a few things have happed. The doctors have told me they expect me to regain the majority of my nerve functions in my left arm but I have acquired carpal tunnel syndrome. Some sensation has been returning in my ring finger and a small portion of my biceps has begun to work again. I'm still getting a fair bit of pain in my arm but I'm finding certain tasks such as building in Second Life to be getting less painful. I still face 6 weeks of no driving restriction and at least 4-5 more weeks of my jaw being wired shut. Oh well, life goes on. The real kicker is they still have not found the identity of the folks who put me in this fix :(
But an ICE agent has been assigned to this task and I wish him/her all the best in finding these cold hearted individuals.

On a lighter note I've begun the second floor of the Psyforia Project in Kelham sim of Second Life. This floor is definitely just a prototype and will be reworked a few times until I get a better feel for the concepts and the space.
First floor is essentially area based technological trippyness done in a walk around exhibit style.The driving concept being to encourage visitors to walk the perimeter and enjoy the various ares as they happen upon them. Some are purely visual, some are participatory with rides for a slightly more visceral experience.
The second floor is meant to be far more immersive and will consist of enclosed paths filled with moving moire patterns and other textures I've cooked up to confuse and tickle your optic nerves. This will be an extension of work started with a giant Ourobouros worm/creature I had concocted that you step into its jaws and take a walking tour of its innards.
Second Life's build system allows for art to be a immersive experience unlike any media I've had access to in the real world. But I'll leave in depth discussion of that frontier for another post ;)
Cheers

Life Changing Events

2006-11-11T11:55:00.000-06:00

Hiyas,
on 11-6-2006 i was involved in a serious auto accident and came very close to getting killed.
Current projects are on indefinite hold until I can heal and regain some of my functions again.
no gory details here as this is not the appropriate place for such things.
Thanks for reading mya^^
Sabine

psyforia 1_002

2006-10-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

psyforia 1_002
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

sneak peek at my current work-in-progress ;)

roller coaster tower

2006-10-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

roller coaster tower
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Floating platforms lead to a roller coaster that stretches over 126 Meters into the sky. The coaster is fully rideable using Second Life's physics and scripting systems.

entering hyperspace

2006-10-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

entering hyperspace
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Me flying into my Hypertube MKII. Inworld it spinns inside and has animated textures created in GIMP II. I currently have a vertical version of this in Kelham with an elevator/ride.

Aestheometrical Perch I

2006-10-08T15:35:00.001-05:00

Aestheometrical Perch I
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Birdseye view

Aestheometrical Perch II

2006-10-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

Aestheometrical Perch II
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Detail view

Aestheometrical Perch IV

2006-10-08T15:34:00.000-05:00

Aestheometrical Perch IV
Originally uploaded by Sabine Stonebender.

Sculptural building created in Second Life. Textures created using the GIMP www.gimp.org

Diary of a Second Life Artist and Developer

2006-10-08T14:35:00.000-05:00

Hidyo, this is the written record to accompany my adventures in the virtual universe known as Second Life.
In this multiverse I am a creator of various works of art using the tools provided within and the external tools of Poser 6 and The GIMP.
In this place I am freed from most physical laws like gravity and can work in media such as plasma and energy that would be nigh impossible in the Physical world. Scripting tools allow for kinetic and immersive works never seen untill now.
I joined back in 2/2/2005 and have developed my building skills to a fair degree of proficiency.
The possiblities for creative expression are nearly limitless, bound only by the limits of the builder's imagination.
I currently have been working on some large scale projects with more on the horizon and will document those works as they take shape. These are often collaborative works requiring the support of several individuals. This is an exciting time since folks like us are creating a new type of art and social interaction with every step.
It is my fondest wish that such creations can be pushed to the level of Fine Art and be accepted as such in the Physical world. Onward =^.^=