This month’s spotlight interview is with quadrapop Lane in Second Life (SL) or quadrapop tree in all OS grid based grids. Quadrapop uses multiple avatars in the virtual world, this image is them in 3 different formats but they are just one member in the virtual world.

Quadrapop is an artist in InWorldz (owner of Quadrapop Tree Galleries) who spends time building sims and doing all terrain, prim work and landscaping. They also mentor other InWorldz members (new and old), hosts events in InWorldz and hangs outs with friends from around the world.

Quadrapop has been involved with virtual worlds since 2007 where they joined Second Life to see what all the hype was about from a friend and then joined InWorldz in 2010. Quadrapop is currently only active on the InWorldz platform and was actively involved in SecondLife until 2011.

In InWorldz Quadrapop has a sim in InWorldz (http://bit.ly/1mpTUm0) where they display their creations and host several other residents including Tuna Oddfellow (of ODDBALL fame in SL and beyond) as well as the Arcadia Asylum Library (a free resource for builders).

When asked what their favorite landmark to visit in their virtual world of choice quadrapop said “Where ever the most recent, immersive, interactive and cutting edge artwork is displayed.” As an artist this is completely understandable.

However, a couple of other places quadrapop said they enjoyed being were “my build platform when the muse strikes OR where one of my favourite DJs is playing the music I enjoy in the company of friends I met vis SL/IW.”

{Begin Interview Questions}

How did you become involved with the Virtual World Life? “In July of 2007 I finally decided to see what my friend Wolfie Rankin had been raving about on an email list (http://www.abc.net.au/science/contact/lists/matters/ ) for the last 6 months and gave Second Life a try… I was still there nearly 4 yrs later having been inworld almost every day since. (Sadly the very sim that peaked my interest and about which Wolfie was raving closed in 2011 – ABC Island is no more).

I came out of curiosity, stayed because the environment ticked all my art and design boxes – here I could build house ideas, make art not possible in RL, meet people from countries across the globe and get involved in an art scene without leaving home!”

What are some projects you have done in the virtual world life? [sidenote: Quadrapop has been heavily involved in both InWorldz and Second Life. They have a significant list of accomplishments. I will highlight a sample from both worlds. Please see full interview for complete outline]

Second Life (2007-2011)

• Became a SL mentor in 2008 & have taught building and general SL client use. Continued to mentor with residents in SL after the mentor program closed.
• “In SL I liked building, making art, importing RL photos, taking SL photos…. and generally trying all that SL has to offer. I had a Gallery, the Quadrapop Tree (closed on 20 October 2010), where over 3 yrs I showed both my own works and those of a range of SL artists. At UWA in SL (the University of Western Australia’s SL presence) you can see some of my works on the ground at University of WA and UWA Winthrop sims.”
• Presented works at: SLACC, Quadrapop Tree Gallery, SL5b, Avlon, Burning Life 08, Brooklyn is Watching, Chaos & Beauty, Angelgate, SL6b, CAerleon, Star Journey, and built a display for UWA at SL7B.
• Curated a show of SL art
• “My main involvement in the Arts in SL during 2009-10 was as a co-host (with Jayjay Zifanwe) and curator of the University of Western Australia’s 3D Art & Design Challenge. This year long challenge finished in August 2010 with final judging held during September and the big announcements were made in early October 2010: http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2010/10/grand-challenge-ends-nish-patch-sharni.html The University still hosts art and machinima based challenges headed by JayJay Zifanwe.”
• Creator liaison and sim estate manager for RFL Friends Fighting Cancer Fantasy Faire

InWorldz (2010 – present)

• Bought Dolphin Bay sim and built up a body of work and this is where quadrapop supplies friends and fellow artists with a starting point
• Co-chaired the inaugural IW Dreamz & Visionz Art Festival
• Judge for the second Dreams & Visionz art challenge Fantast Art Festival
• Helped InWorldz member Jeri Rahja with multiple themed Art Festivals
• Built an entire sim “Elements” to accompany the 2nd Dreamz & Visionz/Elfclan Fantasy Art Festival – Wishing
• “Hemisferios Soldiarios’ 2011 “Plates to End Poverty” project has it’s virtual display permanently housed on Dolphin Bay. This display tells the story of the more than 400 individually decorated plates and their display in the centre of Coimbra, Portugal in October of 2011. The display is a collaboration between myself and Flindersia Fournieri who was involved in the RL [real life] project and took almost all the photographic images in the display.”
• Developed Wearables line in the St Judes’ Fashion Fair event in August 2012 – helping to raise a small portion of the eventual total of over 1 Million Izzies for this Children’s Research Hospital Charity.
• Worked with Alexina Proctor & Pra Maryjasz in organizing and building a display in the Community Library’s Fantasy Display ‘My build entitled “The Dark Side” incorporated links to a number of darker themed stories and movies as displayed in the Library.’
• Participated in live improvised piano and prim building with Pianist Prowess Rayna

What were some of the challenges of getting accustomed to the virtual life? “Learning to use the client and finding things to set up your avatar (and how to do that in the best manner), learning to interact only via text (there is a lot lost but also a lot revealed once you know what to look for), learning how to read others through only text communication and their ongoing actions (making assumptions about anything said is the easiest way to drama), learning to not be riled by trolls and griefers , learning to trust. Real life comes first (so easy to get addicted to and put virtual lives before the physical one).”

Adjusting to virtual worlds can be a challenge, what would be a great tip for new comers in Second Life to help with the learning curve? “Ask questions and have a lot of patience. If you can access the grid with the most up to date and powerful computer and fastest most reliable network possible then you will be sweet. If you can’t do that then be prepared to wait and to have many issues – most of which can be resolved with patience and understanding. Don’t give up – ask lots of questions. The client you use to access these SL/OS based grids is as complex as a professional publishing programme, something you would not expect to master in one day, and on top of that all that you see and do on the screen is delivered over the internet with the attendant issues that creates (outages, slow connections etc). Ask questions.”

I would say the main piece of advice from quadrapop to be successful in the VW is to ask questions. Virtual worlds open up opportunities to meet people and to experience really neat things and sometimes really awesome and bizarre things.

What were some of the strangest things you have experienced in Second Life? “What once appeared strange is now normal – and that is pretty strange all in itself – acclimatisation has led to acceptance of much that once was unusual.

My avatar has always been a polymorph wearing a variety of guises (all of which are representative of mood or interest or current activity) from human male or female to animal, machine, abstract, realistic and fantastic. Having people make major assumptions about me because of the avatar I happen to be wearing that day was a learning experience.

Meeting people who could not get their head around the fact I don’t reveal my RL gender inworld, wearing both male and female avatars on the same account, and yet I am not attempting to hide anything or deceive anyone. Seeing how differently they treat the avatar depending on its apparent gender and thus how they would treat the typist if they met in RL.”

Second Life is a 3D world where everyone you meet is a real person and every place you visit is built by real people. Virtual Worlds, like InWorldz, create opportunities for you to meet people from all over the world without ever having to leave your home. To conclude the interview I asked quadrapop:

If you could invite anyone from real life to Second Life who would you invite? “Anyone who is confined to home or bed through physical disability – virtual worldz are a great boon for these people.”

To learn more about quadrapop visit their blog: http://quadrapoptreeqalleries.wordpress.com

Quadrapop Galleries (QT galleries) on the InWorldz Forums:
Landscaping – http://bit.ly/1iQ6ozv

Follow on Twitter: @quadrapop (please send a DM so quad knows where you heard of QT galleries)