OSFest is Coming...

 Osfest is just around the corner, and people are getting busy preparing their exhibits, temporary shops, artistic installations, and theatrical and musical performances. 

A dedicated grid is being set up to host the event. There are a lot of moving parts as ever, and a theme that encompasses music, art, culture and history - plenty of scope to play with ! And  just in case you're curious, here is a little bit of a glimpse into the thoughts and experience of three participants, all doing something slightly different, to make this event shine.

 DJ Sofee is a familiar figure over on Alternate Metaverse Grid, along with the delightful Ted Junior. You may have read Sofee's monthly journal BlaBlaBla, it's full of news about AMV's people and places. Perhaps you've attended one of her FunSize Dinkie events on AMV, or seen her spinning tunes as a DJ. She's going to be part of the party at OSFest.

Sofee Giano: This year I was asked by Rosa Alekseev if I would like to DJ at the OSFest 2023 on the 26th and the 28th at 12noon for one hour on each date, I told Rosa I would love to, but going way back to 1860 to 1970 is a bit out of experience and knowledge of music for this genre and style which the OSFest is doing, so I will be playing more modern style Jazz with a twist to try to fit into this years theme. 

Sofee in elegant mode - photo by Nancy Sinatra

Sofee: I think OSFest is very important for opensim to have as it draws people from all over the world with different cultures into one place where everyone who attends have a love for the theme that is set for each year and it is great to see people socializing and enjoying the music and what the OSFest  has to offer.

Luna Lunaria's epic builds have that wow factor wherever you find them. An ardent fan of the hypergrid spirit, here's a gif of her on Safari last year, looking like she is ready  for any challenge - and so she is. 

Luna Lunaria: This year I'm primarily participating as a sponsor and have stepped away from building out infrastructure for the most part. This primarily due to some ongoing RL commitments and medical issues this year. That being said, I'm still there as a resource to answer questions and help wherever I can once the grid opens and participants start building.  Since the theme this year is The Jazz Age, I'm creating a multi-venue structure in the Art Deco style - something I have wanted to do for some time now. It will be comprised of a theater, a ballroom, a lounge, and a pool area, all done in sumptuous detail and elegance.

Luna Lunaria: There are multiple events and conferences during the year that focus on various aspects of Opensim such as education, development, and emerging technical concerns, but OSFest is a large festival focused exclusively on celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of the daily users and grid owners who create the regions and content we love so much. It's great to see it all come together in one place to remind us how connected we really are.

Sneak peek at the stylish interior of Luna's build for OSFest.

Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to in the event? 

Luna Lunaria: I always look forward to all the great performers. Additionally, I am particularly interested in the artists who will be here such as Cherry Manga and Nyx Breen among others. But it's really the entire experience I love, with so many coming together for a common expressive purpose. The effect of that energy is wonderful for the Opensim community, which sometimes feels so fractured, and I'm so happy to be a part of it.

Well known in both SL and Opensim, French artist Terra Merhyem will be participating in two different ways at OSFest, with a Sunday performance, and with a build you'll be able to visit any time during the event. It's not easy to maintain presence on both platforms, but Terra's boundless energy and creative verve make her one of the most exciting artists in virtual. Her build  for OSFest will be on the theme "strange fruits" inspired by the song (of almost) the same name and life in  the Deep South of the United States in the '20s and '30s. Then, she'll also be doing a performance - a concert "Pagan Ritual" on 17 September, at 1pm SLT. 

Why is OSFest important for opensim? 

Terra Merhyem: Every festival is a place and an opportunity to come together and meet new people, exchange ideas, share experiences, discover new things, make friends... One of the shortcomings of human beings is often what, in France, we call "l'esprit de clocher": a tendency to remain withdrawn into one's own region or nation (and suspicious of anyone who doesn't belong to the local community!).

 There are a lot of grids in opensim where people tend to "keep to themselves" - Germans, Italians, French, and so on...

An event like OsFest - which can attract people from all over the world - is a very salutary way of opening up to others and breaking out of a cocoon that's sometimes too hermetic and withdrawn into oneself, one's community, one's grid.

 What's particularly interesting here is that OsFest is focused on art, culture, and also on encounters/fraternity between people from different nations: here, you can know you (feel you) European too - and not just French (German, Spanish...) and, even better, recognize yourself as "EARTHLING"... Virtual worlds make this kind of openness and broadening possible, at little cost and without leaving home, giving you access to different works, different visions... And all this in immersion, not just externally. So, long live OsFest! 🙂

Apart from your own performance, what are you looking forward to seeing, at OSFest? 

Terra Merhyem:  For me, surprise is much more attractive than expectation: I don't want to stay with my own expectations - which are necessarily limiting... I want to be amazed, to discover new ideas, to glimpse new perspectives... I want to "eat new creativity" and it's all in the minds of others - because if I had expectations, they'd necessarily be linked to what's already "in me" and therefore risk bringing little "salt and spice" to my astonishment. So, for me, curiosity is a better driving force: to go on adventures, to discover things, to be amazed sometimes. And, to answer this question in a different way, I'd say that "I want art", art "everywhere" - and that I'm sure I'll find some artistic treasures at OSFest.

The OSFest grid will be opening shortly for builders, and the event begins September 15.