Friends and followers of our virtual work, thank you for being supportive of our experimental multimedia endeavors over the last five years. We have taken an interest in participatory and interactive media to the top of the field for mixed reality and streaming conversations where leaders can come together across borders and share their common interests.
This weekend it is my pleasure to cohost an international panel of architects working in Second Life and other virtual worlds to create new types of living experiences. I invite all international readers to join us in Second Life or on the web this weekend by listening in to our panel at 10AM PST on Sunday, asking other professionals how they approach international collaboration in their field and blogging and tagging #intlarchitecture in your photos and conversations.
Join us inworld this Sunday for a fascinating meeting of the minds!
The formal invitation:
The United States Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs invites you to attend
Architectural Design and International Collaboration in Virtual Worlds
The panel will discuss how architects utilize virtual technologies for international development partnerships.
Panelists from various countries will explore the efficiency of virtual worlds and shared 3D design platforms as environments conducive to cross-cultural collaboration.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
10:00am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) or 10:00am Second Life Time (SLT) 1:00pm in Washington DC 7:00pm in Cairo, Egypt
The panelists for this event (and Second Life avatars):
Amr Attia (Archi Vita), Architect – Urban Planner; and Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt
Jon Brouchoud (Keystone Bouchard), Owner, The ARCH Network, Studio Wikitecture Founder based in Madison, Wisconsin
Judy Cockeram (JudyArx Scribe), Architecture Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
David Denton (DB Bailey), Architect and Urban Planner located in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles, California
President Barack Obama, in his speech from Egypt this June, spoke of international collaboration as a high priority for all: “We will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo.”
Can virtual worlds be the online network that facilitates international collaboration? Projects like Studio Wikitecture led by Keystone Bouchard in SL demonstrate that 3D virtual spaces can be a rich and useful toolkit for architects to work together and share common elements. This panel will explore cooperative design projects where international architecture in virtual space may be more efficient than a flight from the United States to Egypt.
Amr Attia and David Denton have worked together as architects in Second Life for the last two years. Their ongoing work has brought unique benefits to Cairo and California where these gentlemen architects work in their respective studios. Amr and David will share their experiences followed by a tour of their reimagined Cairo mall built in Second Life as a example of architectural collaboration across borders. Judy Cockeram, a professor of architecture at The University of Auckland in New Zealand, will share how her students have used Second Life to redesign public spaces with stakeholders and organizations.
The State Department Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) explores 3-D virtual world platforms like Second Life for showcasing and hosting IIP products and services. IIP engages international audiences on issues of foreign policy, society, and values to create an environment that can be receptive to U.S. national interests and foster open dialogue. IIP communicates with foreign opinion makers and other public audiences through a wide range of print and electronic materials published in seven world languages. IIP also provides information outreach support to U.S. embassies and consulates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Teleport Location: Hosted on Annenberg Island in Second Life http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg/181/97/25
If you have any questions regarding the organization of this event please send an email or Instant Message to Mishie Sands or In Kenzo in Second Life. If you run into technical issues during this event please IM Mystique Lacombe, Resident Annenberg or Buffy Beale in Second Life.
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