Last University of Western Australia Sim Has Closed

 

 

Longtime readers may remember the University of Western Australia sims. They were the place yearly art competitions, which offered prizes that once exceeded a million Linden dollars. But sadly, the last of the sims is now gone. In the UWA in Second Life blog, it was announced the sim vanished last month, in March 22.

Sometime on Friday 22 March 2024 Pacific Time the University of Western Australia region left the Second Life grid for good.

Jayjay, Freewee and quadrapop and the rest of the UWA in SL team thank you all for your support and involvement, however big or small, over the years. Without the SL residents interest (artists, videographers, bloggers, gallery owners, performers, and visitors) this project would not have been possible, nor as successful.

There is so much that could be written here about this seminal Second Life project, but the time has come for the project to close. 

 

It's been a long, slow, goodbye. For years, they held many art and machinima events, then in 2015 announced they would be having the last of their annual ones. Later that year, four of it's sister sims were slated to be taken down, but given a reprieve. Then in 2017 came their "Final Chapter." with half the sims closing soon after. In 2018 came the last machinima contest. I would last write about the place in September 2020, when it announced it was holding it's final art event ant would close soon after. But it seems the last sim. was given a reprieve, though nothing was mentioned about it in the blog, or anything else until the final announcement.

 

For art and machinima lovers, a final reminder of a time gone by has closed.

 

Bixyl Shuftan-

Kobuk Farshore, Elif Ayiter, Get Top Awards at MachinimUWA VIII: Pursue Impossible

Click here if the video fails to play.


On Sunday December 13, the winners of the MachinimUWA VIII video and art competition, "Pursue Impossible" were selected. Both the best filmmaker and the best sculptor received 60,000 Linden dollar prizes (about $240 USD) In a close vote by the judges, the  top prize for machinima went to Kobuk Farshore.

An awe-inspiring and brilliantly crafted film, 'Pursue Impossible' by Kobuk Farshore of Alaska, took the top spot and its L$60,000 prize for the 8th UWA International Short Animated Film Challenge (MachinimUWA VIII - Pursue Impossible), in a thrilling one point victory over defending champion and four time winner of the UWA film challenges, Tutsy Navarathna, the dominant Frenchman from Pondicherry, India, who delivered a tour de force with the stylish and visionary 'Death of Death?'. The US-Swiss combination of Haveit Neox and Lilia Artis finished 3rd, but also won one of the 2 UWA Special Prizes through their thought provoking offering, 'Tis An Egg'. Indonesian Diana Al Martini was the other recipient of the UWA Special Prize, with a film showing 3 amazing Australians who successfully pursued the impossible, Professor Barry Marshall, Dr Fiona Wood and Turia Pitt.

Top prize for the best artist went to Elif Ayiter (Alpha Auer) for his work "The Bridge." One can take a look at his 3D work at UWA (198, 106, 324), and the main gallery at UWA (20, 175, 247).

For the UWA Grand 3D Art Challenge, 'The Bridge' by Elif Ayiter of Sabanci University (SL: Alpha Auer), Istanbul Turkey widely regarded as among the most brilliant creators in the virtual world, was the winner over Australian Carmsie Melodie's work, 'Achieve Impossible' inspired by Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla. The UWA Special Prize, selected by the UWA members of this international judging panel, went to Krystali Rabeni of the United Kingdom. Her creation Dream within a Dream' was deemed to the artwork that best encapsulated the UWA essence of 'Pursue Impossible'. Haveit Neox & Lilia Artis proved formidable winning awards across both the film and art challenges. The curator's award, went to someone without whom these challenges might never have come to be what they are, West Australian, quadrapop Lane. The alpha and the omega. It all started with quadrapop Lane in 2009 and its fitting that she is honoured in the last, as the sun sets on the Grand UWA Art & Film challenges in 2015.

 This is the last of the University of Western Australia's yearly 3D Art and Machinima contests, they having announced there will be no more of this particular event, though may have others in the future should funding be available.

For more information, check the UWA blog.

University of Western Australia Announces Dec. 13 Art and Film Show Will Be Their Last

On Friday December 4, the University of Western Australia in Second Life made a dual announcement. The date of their yearly 3D Art and Machinima show would be at December 13 at 6AM, with the films playing 24 hours before the event. There will be a total of over 500,000 Linden dollars given out as prizes. Unfortunately, they also announced that this event, which has gone on for several years, will be their last, the "Grand Finale."

So what will happen next? This isn't the end of the UWA sims themselves as they will continue. Nor will it be the end of art events, which will continue to run under FreeWee Ling. However, it "IS THE END for the major international art and film challenges that have run annually since 2009. There may be special art of film events if funding is secured to run those special events (of if a large amount is suddenly available to the UWA for work in virtual worlds)."

"It has been an amazing honour to run these challenges over the years, and it's with a heavy heart the sun is now setting."

For the announcement on the UWA blog, Click here.

Press Release: The Freedom Project Thank You Ceremony and Exhibition Launch

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/40/107/248

Date: 23rd March, Sunday
Time: 5PM SLT

The Freedom Project which had been receiving creations for the past many months, will see a THANK YOU Ceremony and Exhibition Launch at 5PM SLT Sunday, the 23rd of March.

The Freedom Project is a 2D/3D Art & Film Event organized jointly by the University of Western Australia, along with members of the Virtual Ability Group, and the Centre for ME/CFS and Other Invisible Illnesses Group in Second created an artwork or a film/machinima or in fact a personal story on the theme of ‘Freedom’, showing how virtual worlds have in some way helped them or those around them.

This event is to thank all the artists, filmmakers, and writers for contributing their works and of themselves, as well as to thank the many individuals, groups and organisations who made this possible, including Eliza Wierwight, who created the poster for this event,  David Doyle & Simone Flavelle of DADAA's stARTSPEAK Project, Tom Papas & Screen My Shorts Inc. (Sydney), West Australian artist, Len Zuks,  Beverley Hill of UWA's Equity & Diversity Office, Craig MacKenzie and Deborah Bolton of UniPrint,  TheDove Rhode of Peace is A Choice Gallery, Taralyn Gravois, AviewTV and LaPiscean Liberty, Eleanor Medeir and The Sim Street Journal as well as Kit Guardian and Guardian 11:11 for their multifaceted commitment towards the event as well, also iMoogi TV (imoogi.tv) and Nu Vibez Magazine (nuvibezmag.com) led by Filipa Thespian

Feel free to come visit and take in all the wonderful creations anytime at the UWA Virtual Gallery.

UWA (40, 107, 247)