HIE - Art on Craft

 The Hypergrid International Expo is an annual event where people whose first language is not English get the chance to speak about their grid, their projects, their inventions and their opinion- in their own language - with subtitles for the rest of us - about places in Opensim.

While the emphasis of the presentations is to give non-English speakers a voice, the HIE Park is full of publicity booths that celebrate and inform you about all kinds of places in opensim. 

Lorin Tone's beautiful sound sculpture

The very simple booths feature photos and handouts, including freebies and Landmarks. There's also some art by well-known names like Azi Az, Tina Bey, and Lorin Tone.

James Atlloud

The idea is that wandering along the path across 2 sims you will learn more about people places and projects that are alive and well in opensim.

Jup at the AMV Dinkies booth

The Expo has room for about 70 booths and we were lucky enough to get ana amazing mix of participants, whose booths featured info on subjects as different as art regions and medieval roleplay...

Forest Azure at the OS Expo booth

...science fiction centers and shopping hubs, school sims and gorean grids. Something for everyone!

Star Ravenhurst at the Techland booth

Our last event was in November 2023, and the next one will be in April 2024. The event is over the weekend of 19 - 21 April, allowing for a Friday opening party and then talks and art displays on the saturday and Sunday. You can learn more about how to be a part of the event by following the HIE blog - over the next weeks there will be more information there.

Beth Ghostraven by the OSCC booth

The event is moved from Winter to Spring because the October-December period is always so full of conferences and holiday obligations in both RL and the virtual.
After our quick tour of the Expo Park, we went to Sky Haze, a wonderful installation by Cherry Manga, that you can find on the HIE Welcome region.

It's a series of tableaux reflecting all kinds of moods, deeply connected with a soundtrack that you will hear if you turn on Sounds.

There's loads of innovation and also a good dose of Art History on this set of scenes, and it's so great that now, anyone can visit this sim and start the show themselves.

The show lasts about 30 minutes,s o give yourself time. The scene will change dramatically every few minutes giving you plenty of time to take photos and to cam in on all the details. Sit on one of the poseballs so you can become part of the art. 

Of course the artist had some self criticisms to make...

Cherry Manga: I was wondering if we weren't stuck in the first scenes :)) I think I have to cut each of them half the time, it's too slow, I am sleeping :)

Thirza Ember: i love it, you have time to absorb the scenes at this length, it takes a little time to realize what you are looking at

James Atlloud:I feel that way too. I see something new every time.

Cherry Manga: yeah, probably because i saw each 100 times, i know by heart each detail, but I get what you mean

Tosha Tyran: a mexican funeral :D

James Atlloud: with a butterfly bridge! from here to there

Cherry Manga: haha

Thirza Ember: James is awfully poetic today

Cherry Manga: agrees

Beth Ghostraven: I'm not hearing anything, is there sound?

Tosha Tyran: and yes Beth, there is sound

Cherry Manga: local sounds, not stream

James Atlloud: Love this scene.

Tosha Tyran: yes, James, me too

Jupiter Rowland: Oh, this is going to hurt again...

Forest Azure: lol... still hurting from last time... broken hips

Tosha Tyran: tummy, legs, fanny

Thirza Ember: muscles I had forgotten I had!

Forest Azure: you don't have these, i hope for you

Lorenza Colicigno [it→en]: muscles I've never had lol

Unadecal Arado: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Lorenza Colicigno [it→en]: oops my head is spinning

Forest Azure: whirli whirls

Cherry Manga: hold on

Tosha Tyran: mine too, Lorenza - with the rest of me

Tosha Tyran: what I also love is Mal's hat :D... it just does not fall off... must be nailed to his head

Beth Ghostraven: Tosha it's really just part of his head

James.Atlloud: The jellies sing to us

Thirza Ember: a jellyfish, that would make a good avie

Tosha Tyran: hehehe, I just read, that they can be pretty deadly, so they probably just want to captivate us

Tonino Lane: bello

Tosha Tyran: wowowowowowowow

Cherry Manga: see you next year HIE!

Beth Ghostraven: Thank you, Cherry!

Forest Azure: ty... again!

Whirli Placebo: thank you so much Cherry!!!

Lorenza Colicigno: thx Cherry

James Atlloud: this is definitely a highlight of my year in OpenSim.  Thank Cherry

Arcanquest Frank: bellissimo e molto coinvolgente

James.Atlloud: off to stop #2

Thirza Ember: do join us on Pangea if you can. the fun is not over

Alexey Kazarovic: Ok!

You see here just a fraction of all the scenes that make up this wonderful experience, do go and see for yourself, better still take some friends, for it's a lot of fun in a group.

We are very excited about the upcoming HIE event which will include lots of art and music and interesting stories, and we hope you will come along and share in the experience!

HG Address for Sky Haze  craft-world.org:8002:HIE Welcome and use the teleporter on the landing area.