LaTurbo Avedon (original) (raw)

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LaTurbo Avedon
Occupation(s) Artist Curator
Notable work Panther Modern (2013) Club Rothko (2012)
Website turboavedon.com

LaTurbo Avedon is an avatar artist, curator, the designer and founder of Panther Modern.[1][2] Their work emphasizes the practice of nonphysical identity and authorship since 2008–2009.[3] They have explored the growing relationship between users and virtual environments. They create this body of work using the simulation tools of the current moment.[4] The genesis of their identity occurred in various profile creation processes, eventually taking a more rigid form in Second Life.

Their work has appeared internationally including TRANSFER Gallery (New York),[5] transmediale[6] (Berlin), Haus der elektronischen Künste (Basel),[7] The Whitney Museum (New York), HMVK (Dortmund), Barbican Center (London), and Galeries Lafayette (Paris).

In 2020, Avedon created an emoji as part of Unicode 13.0. emoji character library. The new emoji is "Mirror" and is available in Emoji 13.0 for platforms.[8][9]

LaTurbo Avedon were a resident in The Virtual Factory,[10] Manchester International Festival in July 2020 and in 2016–2017 they were the first virtual resident of the Somerset House Studios[11] in London, exploring nonphysical interaction and studio practices. Their simulated lectures and exhibitions have been hosted internationally, all constructed using game engines and character creation software.[12][13]

Avedon has worked on commission with the Manchester International Festival (2020), Samsung FRAME (2017), Mapping Festival PARADIGM SHIFT[14](2017), GIPHY+ Rhizome (2016) and CTM Festival (2015).

LaTurbo Avedon Self Portrait, 2017

Your Progress Will Be Saved

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This project is the first virtual factory, an online experience created by Avedon who reimagines The Factory[15] within Fortnite Creative, designed by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, Ellen van Loon as lead architect and backed by Manchester City Council, HM Government and Arts Council England.[16][17]

The factory is a cultural space in Manchester, home to the Manchester International Festival (MIF) 2020.[18]

In 2013, Avedon founded and designed Panther Modern, a file-based exhibition space built using 3D model files, encouraging artists to create site-specific installations for the internet.[19][20] The Panther has expanded to seventeen installation rooms, which was created with Cinema4D with a new area being added to the virtual model for each new artist. Since its launch it has hosted works by a variety of New Media and Digital Artists, including Morehshin Allahyari, Claudia Hart, Kim Laughton, and Jonathan Monaghan.[21][22]

Panther Modern provides a variety of methods to produce works in virtual space, the artist is able to choose the format in which they will share their installations. Completed rooms are added to the existing architecture, allowing the shape of Panther Modern to change with each project.[23]

Avedon created a virtual night club called Club Rothko in 2012 that works to intersect the online world and the real world, inspired by night clubs in virtual environments such as Second Life and Mass Effect 2.[24][25]

The Club Rothko Builder allowed users to make their own 3D sculptures. The most well-known image of Club Rothko is from an interaction with a painting of philosopher Slavoj Žižek.[26]

In 2013, the goal was to fill the virtual place with statues created from selfies emailed to LaTurbo Avedon and then be uploaded to the web and emailed to the submitter in a .zip file.[27]

In 2015, Avedon returned to Club Rothko with a new video "Save 02", that was exhibited at the CICA Museum in Czong, Korea and at the Museum Angewandtekunst, Frankfurt, Germany.[28] This video finds the avatar of the digital artist moving through the virtual disco filled with light projections and producing music on Ableton Live.[29]

Avedon has collaborated on the production of 16-year-old humanoid Hatsune Miku's shows in London and elsewhere. The initial project "Still Be Here" was commissioned by CTM Festival and debuted at Transmediale in February 2016. Narrative was created by Mari Matsutoya, music by Laurel Halo, character motion by Darren Johnston, produced by Martin Sulzer, visual design and staging by LaTurbo Avedon.[30][31]

Group exhibitions (selection)

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Selected conferences and lectures

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  1. ^ Knibbs, Kate. "LaTurbo Avedon Is Way Ahead of the Metaverse". Wired.
  2. ^ "Panther Modern". Panther Modern. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  3. ^ "What Kind Of Art Does An Avatar Make? Q&A With LaTurbo Avedon". Vice. 24 May 2013.
  4. ^ Stott, Daniela Walker and Rachael. "Need to Know 01 : 05 : 18". Need to Know | 01 : 05 : 18 | LS:N Global. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  5. ^ "TRANSFER | Networked Contemporary Art Gallery". Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  6. ^ "gallery | transmediale". transmediale.de. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  7. ^ "HeK (Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel)". Basel.com (in German). Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  8. ^ Mirror emoji unicode.org
  9. ^ "LaTurbo Avedon's Mirror Emoji Now Unicode Standard". HOLO. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  10. ^ Festival, Manchester International. "Virtual Factory — Manchester International Festival". Virtual Factory — Manchester International Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  11. ^ "Somerset House Studios". Somerset House. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  12. ^ "Virtual Factory launches with LaTurbo Avedon in Fortnite Creative". Manchester International Festival. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  13. ^ "LaTurbo Avedon". Somerset House. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  14. ^ "11-28.5 2017 | Mapping Festival | Paradigm Shift _ Forum #3". Mapping Festival 2017. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  15. ^ "The Factory". Manchester International Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  16. ^ "Your Progress Will Be Saved". www.theculturediary.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  17. ^ "Your Progress Will Be Saved". Manchester International Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  18. ^ "Avatar artist creates virtual installation inside Fortnite". DesignWanted. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  19. ^ Stinson, Liz (May 13, 2015). "Tour a Digital Art Gallery Curated by an Avatar". Wired.
  20. ^ "Senti chi canta: c'è un avatar in concerto". L'Espresso. January 21, 2021.
  21. ^ "Tour a Digital Art Gallery Curated by an Avatar". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  22. ^ "Panther Modern". BOOOOOOOM!. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  23. ^ "15 Visual Artists Creating Amazing Work in the Digital Realm". Complex. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  24. ^ "Step inside LaTurbo Avedon's virtual nightclub". Fact Magazine. 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  25. ^ "Create Your Own Net-Art GIFs With Club Rothko Builder". www.vice.com. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  26. ^ "Laturbo Avedon". H I L D E. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  27. ^ "C L U B * R O T H K O". 21st Century Digital Art. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  28. ^ "Enter LaTurbo Avedon's Video Game Nightclub". www.vice.com. 31 March 2015.
  29. ^ "Step inside LaTurbo Avedon's virtual nightclub". Fact Magazine. March 31, 2015.
  30. ^ "Review: Still Be Here featuring Laurel Halo at The Barbican". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  31. ^ "ArtAsiaPacific: Still Be Here A Performance With Hatsune Miku". artasiapacific.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  32. ^ "Sea Change • Pérez Art Museum Miami". Pérez Art Museum Miami. Retrieved 2024-02-20.