ALL ABOUT MY AVATAR: KAZUHIRO ARIDIAN

I first saw Kazuhiro Aridian at a corporate car promotion, of all places, where she teleported before me as a dark and metallic blur.  When she fully materialized in all her horrible splendor, my jaw went agape: entirely incongruent on a sunny island shore, Kazuhiro was a human avatar whose whole body had been fused into a multi-function, robot exoskeleton.  (As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who had noticed her.)  Embodied in such an alien form that was so lovingly, almost erotically detailed, there had to be a story behind Aridian-- and the person who made her real. 

So naturally, I wanted to know more.

What was the inspiration for your avatar?

I've been drawing robot designs for awhile, this current avatar was inspired by some designs I made last year, though they are quite different from the final product I'm wearing.

I started a short graphic novel about it, but never finished.  I've still got the concept sketches for it, though... [O]riginally,the design was meant as a replacement for humans in the battlefield.  Nations would war with their machines.  One nation developed an AI that got out of control, maximising the ability to create better and stronger machines daily.  It took control of the resources of the world, and the machines it made dominated all others, causing scientists to need to destroy these machines.  But this is where the story begins, not ends...

I don't know if I'll ever continue what I've started with the graphic novel, but to me, it's very much that.  There's the basic machine, and then the air machine, and various others.  The style is based loosely on Tsutomu Nihei's BLAME! manga, among others. 

How long did it take to create, and how many prims is it composed of?

965 for the original.  And about 1800 so far for the armoured [version].  And counting.  [Grins] It just doesn't seeem like that much when I'm making it, and then I count it up and it surprises me every time.

It took about two weeks to create the basic avatar, and I'm almost done with the armoured avatar version.

Do you roleplay is this avatar?

I do, it's more on a conceptual level than a role playing level, I think.  Everything I create I relate to my sense of feel.  So when I look at things of metal, it feels sharp, painful. I created this avatar as a response to that, as reflected in the original drawings I made.  It is painful, skeletal, ethereal and almost human, but things like the inverted knees and enlongated hands make it not human at all.  Even with all this painful metal, it retains a human face, almost as a mockery of humanity.

Pain is the strongest physical feeling, and it's an attractive expression, visually.  I believe it's tied to sexuality, if you look at H.R. Giger's work, you might feel this.

Is being in your avatar a sexual experience?

It is.  Maybe when it was new! It's certainly past that point for me now. It was a mild feeling, but I experience such feelings with any new work I create, generally.  I certainly don't expect others to feel this way about this avatar. I think for most people it either looks neat or it's frightening, which is just the response I was hoping for.

What's it feel like, to be within the avatar?

I would relate it to the feeling of an adrenaline rush, and something sensual... I want to feel it, touch it with my hands and with my face.

I have made many very different avatars in my stay here so far, I feel they're extensions of different internal feelings and emotions I'd like to express.  I feel that my avatar is an extension of my illustration mindset; I think about my illustrations as being the same type of extension of feelings and skill with materials.  Whether or not the feeling comes through the work is ultimately up to the viewer, but as long as it comes through for me, I feel it was successful.

Who is the person behind Kazuhiro?

I'm almost done with my second year as an illustration major in college.  I hope to be doing freelance work when I get out, as the program aims me at that.

[My dream job would be b]eing able to support myself doing what I love!  That's not very specific, but I don't want it to be.  I like working in ink and watercolour best, but working in other mediums like clay or charcoal or computer graphics are just as enjoyable to me.

I have a photo of myself in my 1st life profile, but I really enjoy not displaying a particular gender in Second Life.  I am female in real life, and I wear long frilly skirts and goggles. 

Did you think I was male?  [Laughs]  It amuses me to no end.

Comments

[nand Nerd]

What a fantastic avatar and a great interview.

[rikomatic]

1800 prims! Wow.

That's some serious geeky hawtness.

[Torley]

What an accomplished act of creation.

I wonder if Kazuhiro and Detect Surface know each other? If they, and Hydrogen Excelsior successfully teamed up on a cybernetic project... that'd be UBER.

Aye, there's gotta be a league for these interests!

[Detect Surface]

Hehe I do know Kazuhiro, shes a good friend, shown me a few of her creations and her wonderful city :) Keep up the great, amazing, lovely, artistic, crazy work you prim nutter lol hehe