Oni 128
the artist
My artist is Oni "128", a tall being made of fibre-optics,
its hair glowing at its optical tips as it sips a Mint Juliep at its
show opening. Always one to enjoy itself, it never liked the
hobnobbing and self-importance of the art world. Its work spanned the
world and its catagories and labels, from illustration to scultpure to
computer-generated realities.
the art
Oni 128 was about to embark on a new stage in its career. It
decided that the elitism of merely being an artist was getting to it,
and decided to create a photorealistic virtual playground for anyone
to enjoy. It had gateways from the Net, and allowed people to enter
the space and create their own works of art. They could defy physics
- one such virtual artist made a sculpture that flowed in and out of
three dimensions as it fluctuated within a fouth.
Oni 128 never again showed his work in galleries. he would
return to his virtual art institution, for that was truly what it
became, to be humbled by the honest act of creation.
the beret
Oni 128 had a beret made of the finest organic crystal, to
amplify and refract the optic glow of his hair strands. The beret was
shaped like a four-pointed jester's hat, but rather than having bells
on the four corners, he had small quartz sculptures of a brain, a
heart, a hand, and a leaf. The crystal undulated from purple to grass
green to ambe as the light danced between its inner and outer
surfaces. It rang softly like Japanese windchimes.
And as for its relation to Oni 128 himself, well, as Oni 128
was fond of saying, "Great art only goes halfway; it relies on the
viewer to experience it and complete the piece."
Submitted by atomick@aol.com, on Monday, April 25, 1994, from San Francisco