Aloha,
What an exciting morning- everyone gathered together to begin the three week workshop with open minds and hearts.
Jason Edward Lewis along with his partner, Skawennati, have been working together on the Skins Video Game Workshops along with their team of research assistants to focus on the expanding presence of indigenous cultures in the future imaginary and within the digital realms that are growing so rapidly.
Skawennati’s TimeTraveller™ video series, and machinima “She Falls for Ages” are rendered in Second Life avatars and created with the virtual world, seek to highlight both the past and a potential future for Indigenous peoples. Jason has been creating New Media for more than 25 years, in an artistic field that is emerging developing and expanding as fast as technology is growing exponentially. They both said that there are a really small number of indigenous artists and creators working in fast emerging field with a lot of room for Indigenous peoples to populate the space.
Sitting in a circle, the selected seventeen participants shared a bit about themselves, interests and what they want to accomplish during their time here at Skins 6.0: Ha Au Hou 2. Dominic Mesner and Pippin Barr’s introduction to game design with a lot of laughs and raised eyebrows as everyone looked at the stereotypical renditions of Aloha.
It was quite an interesting and intense presentation from Dr Brandon L. Kikuci who spoke about what happens to the body when we sit in front of a computer all day. He said, “The only thing that does not move all day – is dead”. Dr Kikuci recommends that after sitting at a computer for a lengthy time- flex your muscles for 15 to 20 seconds to stretch your neck, shoulders, and upper back. Get up, walk a bit, check your posture and don’t forget to hydrate.
During the week ahead developing the story, organizing the workflow and learning five rather large software programs will be the priority. It is exciting, a little challenging and a whole lot of work.
Mahalo Nui
