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When RL Canadian photographer Has Lassard first joined Second Life, like many artists one of his first thoughts was to open his own art gallery there. Unlike most, though, Lassard decided not to replicate the look of a traditional gallery for his space, but rather take advantage of SL's unique virtual topography to create a lush green garden and park, known simply as "Art In The Park" [Hobak 163/65/49].
Since its formation, his RL partner Petal Rich has ended up getting involved as well, and the AITP space has grown to almost 3,400 square meters in size; perhaps more interesting, though, with its continued popularity Lassard has now dedicated the space to the exhibition of other photographers, many of them amateurs who had never even thought of doing photography until joining SL and playing with the interface's "virtual camera." AITP now holds monthly shows by a variety of avatars, sponsors a regular "Meet the Artist" party and fireworks show, and even silently auctions a portion of each artist's work off each month to benefit that artist's favorite charity.
I recently had the chance to sit down with Lassard, where we discussed all these subjects and more; the transcript can be found below. I thank him highly for finding the time during this busy Thanksgiving week for the interview.
In The Grid: So let's start with my first thought when I saw the space, which is that it's one of many SL things both innovative and obvious. Why not hang artwork in a park here? There's no weather, after all, to ruin it. But yet I had never heard of anyone else doing it before.
Has Lassard: [Laughing] Yes, my feeling exactly. Why not combine two of my favourite things?
ITG: What gave you the idea?
HL: I really enjoy nature and the outdoors, and I love art and music. I didn't want the standard concrete box when I came online and wanted a place to show my art; I wanted something more comfortable to me. After all, that's what SL is supposed to be about. So I thought I could merge my favourite things into a place I would like to come and enjoy myself.
ITG: And what I find interesting is that you're a RL photographer who was immediately drawn to the photographic possibilities here. That's not the norm for RL photographers; many of them seem to take offense at calling SL screenshots "photos." What was different for you?
HL: You're correct [about that]. Most photographers here in SL have discovered the photography because it is quite easy in here.
ITG: But is it? As someone running a RL photo business yourself, is it more the technology that makes a good photo, or things that simply can't be taught but experienced?
HL: Well, photography -- to me, anyway -- is not about the technology; it's about the eye. You either have it or not. You can train and get better, but I think you have to have an good eye to start. Photographers have always used technology in their work; SL, Photoshop, digital cameras, they're [all] just tools. But what makes SL exciting are the possibilities.
ITG: And so now that you've had some time here yourself, what do you think of the "SL camera" and the virtual views, compared to photography in RL?
HL: In some ways, I wish my RL camera could be as flexible as the SL camera.
ITG: I know what you mean; especially when swinging my camera a hundred feet in the air to get a birds-eye shot.
HL: Yeah; just try that in RL [laughter]. But, I miss having things like exposure control and depth-of-field control in here. But [those are things that can be] done in Photoshop afterwards.
ITG: Okay, so you started up this gallery park for your work, that could almost be called a sculpture garden for photos. But then you started having other artists approach you about it?
HL: Yes. It was just 512 square meters [when I started]. So I had others ask if they could display here. So then I saw some work of others who were not known as artists, but their work was really good. Like Wes over in the corner; he's the guy who designed the 'stargates' you see all over the grid, but photography is his hobby and he does really great work. He had never thought of showing or selling his photos in here. I thought that it'd be awesome if someone like that could have a place to show and sell their work.
ITG: So tell me more about this charity auction you're having right now.
HL: Well, with the new Featured Artist program we're running, we're asking each artist to donate a piece to be auctioned, with the proceeds going to a charity they choose. All of the proceeds from the auction go to the charity, so the artist picks [both] the charity and the [pieces from their portfolio they want in the auction]. We try and do the rest [laughter]. Conde, this month's featured artist, wanted to have three pieces in the auction. Maybe that was a mistake on our part, as the bids are not very high for each piece; about half of what they sell for normally. It's a silent auction running for the month the artist is featured. Next month's featured artist is Esch Snoats, And January's is already lined up as well.
ITG: Do you find it rewarding to support these people who may have never discovered photography in RL, but here in the grid have accidentally stumbled across the skills?
HL: I think it's wonderful, yes. One of the things that appeals to people in SL, I think, is the fact that they can try things and be creative without the consequences of RL [artistic expenses].
ITG: How does it compare, for example, for working with young photographers in RL who deliberately own a lot of equipment?
HL: The RL photogs have a different approach, or most do. Either they are really into it and want to make a living out of it, or they're just doing it as an [expensive] hobby. Photography is a tough business in real life. Everyone with a camera [these days] is a photographer, especially with digital and auto-focus, etc. People have a hard time remembering about the eye.
ITG: I was just about to ask, actually -- does that maybe take some of the pressure off here, that there's not really a commercial market so to speak for digital images within SL landscapes? Or, what I mean is, certainly not the hundreds or sometimes thousands of US dollars that RL photos sometimes go for.
HL: Yes, I think that's what's so rewarding for them; to [simply] have fun and see what happens. They can try it out. The market is different here. People can easily offer their photos or art for sale, and get the satisfaction of people viewing and liking and buying their work.
ITG: Who exactly does buy SL photos of SL subjects?
HL: If I knew that, I'd have the secret to a big business here [laughter]. So far, the most photos [we sell] of SL subjects are profile photos.
ITG: Well, just in general terms, do people buy such work to hang in virutal homes? Or is it more custom work, like the portraits for profiles that you just mentioned?
HL: Profiles, in my experience, [although many] people buy the RL work to hang in their virtual homes. People do like some SL work in their homes, but I think a lot of that they take themselves. There are many 'artsy' SL photographers here as well, though, and I think [many of them] do well.
ITG: Is there a potential second revenue stream for RL photos here, albeit much less than the real world? Since photos can be sold here for a dime, a quarter, and have people buy them, can an artist make any significant money that way? Say, for example, a couple of hundred extra dollars on a show; that would mean a couple of thousand photos sold in the grid. Are any artists currently pulling those kinds of audiences here?
HL: I think some can. There are a couple of big names that are doing well. [One of the artists we exhibit] sells his RL work for 8000 euros; we'd have to sell a lot of copies in here to make that [laughter].
ITG: I guess I'm interested in seeing whether you think something like this is mostly good as simply a promotional project for RL photographers, and a chance for amateurs to simply show their work, or if there's a real chance of making any decent revenue from it alone as well. Should an artist see doing a show here like having a website, or Flickr account? Something good to add to one's CV?
HL: I'm not sure that people could 'make a living' by selling in here only. Maybe. I have yet to see it. I think the future is in bringing the SL art that is in here and taking it back out to RL; like you said, with a website or something. That's where the real money is to be made, in my opinion. And with that in mind, I should tell you about something we're almost ready to launch; we're taking our Park artists and making them available in RL. I recently registered the URL 'theartofsecondlife.com;' over the next month or so we'll be going online with the site, so visitors here can buy a SL copy of the art, a RL print, or even the original.
ITG: Ah, so almost like a vanity press; if someone takes a great photo here, they can get a high-quality print run off and hang in their RL apartment, work cubicle, etc.
HL: Yes, but our goal at this point is to [initially] offer the service [just] to the artists here at the park. We'll see what happens from there.
ITG: And are you able to make ends meet with all this? Or do the costs just come out of your personal entertainment expense, much like owning a TiVo or something?
HL: At this point, yes, [I'm able to make ends meet]. I'm trying not to put any more money into the game, but I still have to pay my tier expenses. We're not making enough yet to cover that; [but] I firmly believe that the artist deserves to get paid for his art, so we take a smaller commission than [many] other galleries.
ITG: And how about in real life? Are you convincing your peers of the power of the grid? You mentioned when we were scheduling our interview, for example, that your assistants will be jealous of you getting to 'take a break from work today' to do this interview. Do the people around you in the photography industry know about what you're doing here, and are they getting involved?
HL: Many of the artists I know in RL are siging up, at least to try it out. As with all newcomers to the grid, some see the potential and some don't. None of the other photographers that I know are interested yet; it's mostly painters, actually. The hobbyists of course like it for the reasons we already discussed -- the thrill of having a show, the excitement of people buying their work, albeit for not a lot of RL money.
ITG: And just to wrap things up, do you think you'll be sticking around for awhile? It sounds like you consider your original experiment to be a pretty big success.
HL: Depends on how you judge success [laughter].
ITG: Well, you tell me. Has running this space been worth it to you so far?
HL: I really like what we've created here in the Park. The comments we get are very satisfying. The artists really appear to believe in the concept, and are willing to grow with us. I really like the creativity of building the park, and have made a lot of new friends. I'm constantly helping out new players, as they come by and find that they can talk to us. That's all very satisfying. Yes, I'm here for awhile.
Art In The Park's current charity auction ends November 30th; their next "Meet The Artist" event is December 3rd, and they will also be holding a special fashion show at their space on December 17th. The public is welcome to attend them all, or to come by for a visit whenever they want; the space can be found at Hobak 163/65/49.