Susa Bubble

Susa bannata dalla Linden cap. 2

 

Grande manifestazione di solidarietà ieri sera a Two Fish per Rose Borchovski da parte di un nutrito gruppo di amanti dell’arte del Metaverso. La notizia dell’esclusione di “The kiss” dalle manifestazioni per l’anniversario della Linden è apparsa in questi due giorni in tutti i blog e le riviste che si occupano del Metaverso e messaggi di affetto e supporto sono continuati ad arrivare all’artista anche oggi da parte di artisti, appassionati, galleristi e non solo.

Josina Burgess e Velasquez Bonetto, artisti e owners della galleria CARP /Diabolus hanno inviato oggi una notice in cui sottolineano anche’essi l’assurdità della censura di Susa, ricordando come il nudo sia sempre stato accettato dall’arte greca e romana fino a Modigliani, sottolineando quanto nudo sia presente persino nel Vaticano… fino a spingersi a chiedere polemicamente che tutti i lavori artistici “indecenti” siano bannati dai musei americani e restituiti all’Europa. Il gruppo Art Gallery Owners (che raccoglie più di 900 iscritti, tutti owner di gallerie d’arte), che si riuniva ieri per fare il punto sull’arte in Second Life, ha discusso a lungo sulla vicenda, lamentando l’impossibilità di portare avanti l’espressione artistica in un clima di censura.

Di fronte a tanto supporto la stessa Rose ha sentito la necessità di tornare a fare sentire la sua voce, per ringraziare quanti le sono stati vicini e nello stesso tempo condividere con tutti alcune osservazioni e riflessioni cui è giunta a seguito della vicenda. Rose racconta come abbia fornito alla Linden tutte le informazioni possibili sull’istallazione che stava presentando e, nonostante questo, si sia ritrovata ieri nella cartella dei Lost and found, l’istallazione con un IM formale e lapidario. “Ho realizzato in quel momento qual’è la politica della Linden – racconta Rose nella nota che pubblichiamo di seguito interamente in inglese. – Io sono solo un cliente e non ho diritti. Qualsiasi cosa faccia in Second Life è monitorata e se non dovesse essere approvata posso essere buttata totalmente fuori senza ricevere spiegazione alcuna”. Questo secondo Rose deve farci riflettere. Non è più una cosa che riguarda solo lei o Susa ma ci riguarda tutti, tanto più che qualsiasi cosa noi creiamo nel Metaverso generalmente è fatta solo per passione e non per lucro. Credo che più o meno tutti stiamo meditando molto su questa vicenda. Second Life è arrivata al suo settimo anniversario e di certo 7 anni fa non immaginava che sarebbe diventata un mondo così popolato e articolato. In questi giorni SaveMe Oh, altra artista del Metaverso (vedi articolo del 24 aprile di questa rubrica), sta portando avanti con la solita ironia che la caratterizza, una campagna intitolata “Vote SaveMe Oh for President”. Certo non osiamo immaginare cosa accadrebbe con Second Life nelle mani dell’artista più folle del Metaverso… Ma forse la strada tracciata da SaveMe va presa in considerazione. In un mondo virtuale che cresce attraverso l’inventiva, la voglia di fare, il sostegno economico, ecc. di chi lo abita, non avrebbe senso che a dettare le regole non fosse semplicemente la Linden, ma venissimo in qualche modo coinvolti tutti?

Continuiamo ad attendere un’eventuale replica da parte della Linden, speriamo di potervi aggiornare al più presto.

ROSE SPAM

Hello , I feel I’m obliged to make a reply after all the dust I have raised:

When I did set up The Kiss it did not even cross my mind that I was violating any rules of the LL celebration. My Susa is a caricature , a cartoon, she is naked like Donald duck is naked, she has no genitals, and a flat chest . She is not real , I do not even try to make her look real, she is a little creature telling a story. The story is about the dark inner life of us all.

The rejection of my Susa Bubble story from the second life celebration has caused a lot of discussion; it brought people together but also polarized their opinions. I also notice a big difference in culture between the continents.

The biggest shock to me is that I suddenly realised what Linden Lab is standing for. Different parties lectured me that I’m just a client and that I have NO rights. Everything I do in Second life is monitored and when it is not approved off, I can be ejected totally without any reason given. A warning was given.

A moderator of the Second life group burning life explained to me, that there is NO freedom of speech in this group or any other group owned by LL and I was rejected from the chat.

I raised my voice because I love making my art in Second life. I love the animation; the imperfection of it and the fact the world is build by so many different cultures from all over the world. I do not financial gain from it, but the joy to create and to develop my story is giving me an enormous thrill and I’m proud to be part of the SL.

I raised my voice yesterday because I was upset and surprised being excluded from the SL7B. I feel I was part of that community and that my art deserved a spot at the celebration, to be celebrated as well.

I raised my voice because of the way it was handled. When I came online I found my installation in my lost and found folder with a formal message in IM from a Linden. A moderator of the SL7B GROUP saw the installation on my sim before it was put down at SL7B. Several Moderators helped me while I was setting up the installation. I had sent all the information about my Susa Bubble Story by forehand to Linden: video, LM of my sim and notecard with info. I admit, I was absolutely naïf about my Susas being naked, I do not see them as being naked anymore but as vulnerable and lost. I’m not insensitive about other peoples feelings, the SL7B was not opened yet for an audience, they could have asked me to come down and explain the problem before deleting me.

I raised my voice because the installation I did put down at SL7B was not about nudity; you see some naked upper bodies with flat chests. I would like to stress that it is a complete installation: a mixture of space, image, sound and text.

I raised my voice, not to be personally seen or drawn attention to my art in SL but to be heard in a much broader context. I suddenly realize my avatar and all it stands for, can be deleted totally by one push on the button of a Linden. I hope people realize that in the end this is not about Rose and her Susa Bubble story, they become insignificant, it has a much wider context. This is touching us all.

Thank you Rose)) I wish you an enjoyable and rich Second Life

Susa bannata dalla Linden

 

Una notice piena di sconcerto è stata spedita oggi dall’artista olandese Rose Borchovski. La linden le ha infatti rimandato indietro uno dei lavori dell’istallazione che aveva presentato per le cerimonie ufficiali organizzate nel Metaverso in occasione del 7mo compleanno di Second Life. Si tratta di “The kiss”, una delle foto dell’ultimo capitolo di Rose sulla Storia di Susa Bubble che da tempo l’artista mette in scena con grande successo in varie sim del Metaverso.

La motivazione comunicatale dalla Linden è stata che il regolamento delle land “General maturing raiting” non consente di esporre immagini di nudo, neppure a carattere artistico. Sembrerebbe dunque una pedissequa applicazione delle norme linden.

Pubblichiamo qui sotto la lettera di Rose Borchovski e, a seguire, quella di Peter Greenaway, noto regista inglese, amico e collaboratore di Rose in alcuni lavori teatrali real life dell’artista olandese, autore di film di grande valore artistico quali “Giochi nell’acqua”, “I racconti del cuscino”, “Rembrandt’s J’accuse”, “The Marriage”.

La rappresentante della Linden, da noi interpellata, non ha voluto dare ulteriori spiegazioni.

ROSE SPAM: Susa banned from celebration

Hello Secondlife art Lovers:

My Susa Bubble Installation : The Kiss has been returned to me from the SL7B sims where Linden is celebrating Secondlife. I quote “The images on your build are in violation of our general rating, to be clear: Nudity is not allowed at art events with a general maturity rating.”

I would like to point out and educate Linden Lab that most of classic and contemporary art is based upon nudity. Not because of Sex, but because of the beauty and the vulnerability of the human body, the human body we all share and look at in the bathroom mirror in the early morning.

The story of Susa is a sweet but savage story, told in image and text, sound and installation. It is about our dark inside, but also shows how vulnerable and lonely we all can be. My art shows a naked body, but it is not about nudity or sex.

Art being shown at a public art event of Linden means pretty pictures that bring aesthetic pleasure void of all critical thinking. Culture must be “safe” / sterile, no matter how free of content that makes it. As implemented by LL, “Community Standards” means content so content less that no viewer has even a remote chance of being caused to think about anything, to question any of their values or assumptions. Safe in SL means safe from thought.

When I protested against it in the group chat I was shut out .I was told not to discuss it in SL7B Group Chat “because this isn’t the place” — because NO place is the place to discuss it — because we don’t even want to think or let others think about the ideas we don’t want to think about

The worst part of censorship is not that which is censored, but the climate of self-censorship it imposes on all artists. Art is about having a voice. Art is about thinking differently and about thinking from fresh perspectives. When artists are not allowed to have a voice, culture is not allowed to progress.

When I hide my susas nakedness, I have stopped telling her story.

Nothing is more resistant to authoritarian control than a naked body. Control & conformity require uniforms. Nudity is too wild and uncontrolled. When you know my Susa Bubble story you can see it isn’t really even about “nudity” but that just suggests how powerful the forces for thinking-avoidance-at-all-costs are. Better to censor the world than risk allowing in a question that could topple the status quo. Authority does not like questions. Authority does not like creativity. Authority does not like art. Authority does not like nudity.

I did not bring my installation to the celebration to publicize myself, I make in art in SL because I want to share my Susa story and touch people

Greetings Rose Borchovski

SECOND LIFE NUDITY CENSORSHIP by Peter Greenaway

Dear Courtney Linden,

As a reaction to the rejection of Rose Borchovski ‘s art installation : The Kiss at the Celebration Sim, I would like you to read this.  It seems to me incredible that you are enforcing censorship concerning nudity in public forums on Second Life.

Traditions of nudity in Western Art have for centuries been legitimate, honourable and creditable. The cyperspaces of Second Life – and Second Life has so far proved itself to be among the very best of such events – are among todays’ cutting edge of visual languages – continuing an enviable tradition of new technologies in the visual arts now that the orthodox cinematic arts are proving themselves moribund and archaic, and enforcing new efforts to avoid artistic elitism and the encouragement of egalitarianism in artistic expression Any artist worth his or her salt, always must engage in contemporary technologies – it has been the very reputable tradition of the most worthwhile artists that has benefitted us all. Visual artists have always taught us to look. The man-made world owes them everything.

Just because you have eyes does not mean you can see. And the political and social emancipation of the naked and the nude by artists has been essential for humanist civilisation – it has given you and me great liberalities of thinking and self-respect.

Whatever else you think you may be doing with Second Life, you have created a very sophisticated tool that combines traditions of painting with cinema and the graphic arts in present tense terms that permits visual expression of language like never before. Do not underestimate what you have created – but to remain creditable you simply cannot enforce reactionary hypocritical standards that have been so discredited over the last five hundred years.

Like any self-respecting artist of course I am against gratuitous exploitation that demeans and insults intelligence and sensibilities but by your blanket censorship you are now doing both those things – insulting artistic intelligence and demeaning sensibility.

I suspect you are responding to pressure, to some form of mind-police, certainly to some form of political correctness that is related to money and the slow swing to the political right that is happening all over the world related to civilisation’s fear of financial insecurity. Don’t go that way. You are endangering a tool that is greater than you.

When the cultural histories of the early 21st century are written from hindsight, you will undoubtedly find the possibilities and successes of Second Life being eminently lauded and praised. Too many art forms in the 20th century have been stunted and deformed and deflected into ineffectuality and banality by small mindedness. If you really insist in so-called protection of innocence (and I really wonder what that really is – is it a synonym in fact for ignorance and intolerance?) then do so on a careful case by case basis with intelligence and foresight. This will be troublesome for you to do, if you want to do it well. But it will be very well worth your while,

Yours, hoping you will see sense, and not be influenced by short-term gain.

Peter Greenaway, film-maker.