This video of Rita J. King’s recent presentation at TEDxNASA highlights a number of initiatives at Dancing Ink Productions.

Invited Presentations and Speeches

DIP principals regularly speak about the Imagination Age, new global economy, art, games, education transformation, virtual worlds, social media, cultural relations, digital culture and the intersection between art, culture, and the new global culture and economy. Please contact us for speaking inquiries.

A sample of recent presentations and speeches include:

• Business Innovation Factory: Exploring Hybrid Realities (March 10, 2011). Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts spoke about new tools for collaboration for business, education and culture.
• Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Santa Clara, California. Rita J. King spoke about the secrets of digital community organizing.
• TEDxNASA, “Creativity and Design of Identity and Community.” (November 4, 2010) Rita J. King spoke about “What Matters Next” in digital culture and digital space.
• Business Innovation Factory – 6, “Rita King: Virtual world muse of the new digital reality,” (September 16, 2010). Rita J. King speaks to the Business Innovation Factory audience about cultural relations in a digital world, highlighting some findings from the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• TEDxVolcano “Notes from a Volcano Refugee,” (April 16, 2010) Rita J. King spoke at this TED event organized in 48 hours after the eruption of Icelandic volcano Mount Eyjafjallajokull. Also see TEDxVolcano.
• “Technology is a Prism Held Up to the Imagination: A Vision of Reality for Gov 2.0 Looking Forward” (May 25, 2010). As an invited speaker at the O’Reilly Gov2.0 Summit and Expo, Rita J. King spoke about the responsibility and vision that technology provides for a Gov2.0 world. ‘The misperception that “digital, virtual and augmented reality” aren’t real, or should be stovepiped into new categories, is one of the most considerable obstacles standing in the way of success in the new global reality. Because ecosystems arise from the realities in which they are created, it is of critical importance that the digital culture and all it encompasses not be perceived as separate from the real world.’
• “Governance of Virtual Wolds,” (March 26, 2010) a conference co-hosted by Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and World2Worlds, Inc. Topic: Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds. Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts.
• Obama’s Internet Initiative & Social Reform in the U.S. & Japan (March 19, 2010) The Japan Society, New York City, NY. Joshua Fouts spoke about the use of ICTs for cultural relations and public diplomacy.
• Communicating Change in a Complex World Conference (November 20, 2009) Monterey Institute for International Studies
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts
  Location: Second Life and Monterey California
• Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, Palm Desert, California (November 11, 2009)
  Topic: Managing & Retaining Millennials
  Speaker: Rita J. King (fellow panelist included Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos)
• Aspen Cultural Diplomacy Forum, Avilés, Asturias, Spain (September 15, 2009)
  Topic: Culture of Security: Cyberspace and Underground Battlegrounds
  Speaker: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• O’Reilly Gov2.0 Summit and Expo, Washington, DC (September 9-10, 2009)
  Topic: Government as Peacekeeper
  Title: Digital Diplomacy: Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds
  Speaker: Rita J. King
  Archive: video
  Notes: This speech was awarded the first-ever Gov2.0 Showcase award.
• IBM’s Smarter Technology, (August 19, 2009)
  Title: 3D Education and Augmented Reality
  Speakers: Rita J. King, Jerry Paffendorf and Joshua Fouts
• 140Conf Twitter Conference, New York City, NY (July 2009)
  Topic: Digital Diplomacy & Cultural Collaboration
  Speaker: Rita J. King (moderated by Joshua S. Fouts)
  Archive: video; text
• Bridges of Understanding Annual Conference, Washington, DC (October 2008)
  Topic: Women, Technology and the Middle East
  Speaker: Rita J. King
• Workshop for Ethics in Business, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, New York, NY (October 2008)
  Topic: Ethics in Business
  Speaker: Rita J. King
• HiPiHi Diplomacy, Bradesco Cultural Center, Sao Paulo, Brasil, via Second Life (August, 2008)
  Topic: Public Diplomacy
  Speaker
• Meridian International, Washington, DC (June 2008)
  Topic: Public Diplomacy and New Technology
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• Gunpowder Park, Essex, England (May 2008)
  Topic: Art, Public Space and Culture
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds, National Defense University, Washington, DC (April 2008)
  Topic: ROI, virtual worlds and public diplomacy
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (April 2008)
  Topic: Cyber Ethics, Journalism and New Technology
  Speaker: Rita J. King
• The Aspen Institute, Amman, Jordan (March 2008)
  Topic: New Media, Journalism and the Middle East
  Speaker: Joshua S. Fouts
• U.S.-Islamic World Forum, Doha, Qatar (February 2008)
  Topic: Cultural Diplomacy and New Technology
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• Global Knowledge Summit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (December 2007)
  Topic: Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds
  Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts
• Virtual Worlds Conference & Expo, San Jose, California, USA (October 2007)
  Topic: ROI and Virtual Worlds
  Speaker: Rita J. King

Learn more about our projects, partners and collaborators in our Public Projects page and our blog, The Imagination Age.

Below is a list of recent news about and by Dancing Ink Productions. A catalog of speaking appearances is available here. Please contact us for speaking invitations.

For current news, information, commentary and analysis, DIP publishes The Imagination Age, blog, an ongoing report of findings and observations and exploration of the Imagination Age through technology, art, innovation, business enterprise efforts and virtual worlds.

Recent Press about Dancing Ink Productions & The Imagination Age

2011

• March 19, 2011, Fox & Friends, on Fox News. Rita J. King appeared on a panel of nuclear experts discussing the fate of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.
• March 18, 2011, Kilmeade and Friends. Rita J. King was interviewed on this Fox radio show about the situation surrounding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
• March 17, 2011, America’s Newsroom on Fox News. Rita J. King was interviewed about the ongoing concerns about the dangers surrounding the failing Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
• March 16, 2011, Rita J. King was interviewed by Fox News Radio in North Carolina about the nuclear crisis in Japan.
• March 16, 2011, The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News. Rita J. King discussed the danger and significance of the spent fuel rods at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
• March 16, 2011,
• March 14, 2011, The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, “Could U.S. Nuclear Plants Withstand Natural Disaster?“ Rita J. King was interviewed by Bill O’Reilly about the possibility of earthquake-related nuclear reactor failures similar to the ones in Japan.
• March 14, 2011, Russia’s RT America, Rita J. King was interviewed about  nuclear reactor safety in the US.
• March 14, 2011, FOX News, Could an Earthquake Cause a Nuclear Disaster in America?. Rita J. King is interviewed about nuclear power plant safety in the United States.
• March 12, 2011, Scientific American, Failure of Imagination Can Be Deadly: Fukushima is a Warning. Rita J. King writes an invited essay examining how reporting on nuclear reactors intersects with industry philosophy and scientific concerns, relevant to the March 10, 2011 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan, which caused a tsunami, massive blackouts and destabilized two nuclear power plants.
• March 10, 2011, Business Innovation Factory, Exploring Hybrid Realities. Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts spoke about Hybrid Realities at the Business Innovation Factory explaining how new forms of creative collaboration can help organizations work better.
• February 25, 2011, The Wall Street Journal, Culture City Online: Maps for Artistic Cheapskates, JetSetters, by Pia Catton. Highlights the work DIP did telling the cultural relations story of Battery Dance Company.
• February 18, 2011, Continent, “Technologies of the Imagination.” An invited essay by Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts in the inaugural issue of a Continent new journal “devoted to mapping a topology of unstable confluences and ranges across new thinking, traversing interstices and alternate directions in culture, theory, biopolitics and art.”
• February 17, 2011, Justnotes.ru, Почему виртуальные миры играют важную роль в изменении арабского мира, Russian profile of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• February 8, 2011, Benevolent Media, “The Great Debate: Tweeting the Revolution“. Addresses Rita J. King’s February 8 Mashable article.
• February 8, 2011, Mashable, Why Virtual Worlds Play an Important Role in the Changing Arab World, by Rita J. King.
• January 19, 2011, Marketplace Radio, “China tries to polish image in U.S. with TV ads,” by Scott Tong. Joshua Fouts was interviewed about China’s new branding outreach effort in the United States during the State visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao.
• January 10, 2011, The Atlantic Magazine, “Finding Time: A Response to Rob Walker on Digital Afterlife” by Rita J. King. Rita J. King writes an essay in The Atlantic Magazine in response to The New York Times Magazine article “Cyberspace When You’re Dead” by Rob Walker.
• January 5, 2011, The New York Times Magazine, “Cyberspace When You’re Dead” by Rob Walker. This expansive article explores what happens to one’s digital remains after they die. It includes a lengthy interview with Rita J. King about digital identity, excerpts of which can also be found on The Imagination Age blog.

2010

• November 4, 2010, TEDxNASA, “Creative Collaboration.” video of Rita J. King’s speech at TEDxNASA
• November 4, 2010, The Newport News Daily Press, covered Rita J. King’s speech at TEDxNASA.
• November 1, 2010, Grid Wrap, Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts were interviewed in the virtual world of Second Life about the possibility for virtual worlds to empower international peace.
• October 29, 2010, Virtually Speaking, Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts were interviewed by Education Technologist, Andrew Wheeler, inside the virtual world of Second Life about cultural relations in virtual worlds.
• October 21, 2010, Stay Out Of School, The Artist Interviews: Rita J. King, Writer. Elizabeth King (no relation to Rita J. King) interviews Rita J. King about education, work, art and writing.
• September 17, 2010, Tummelvision, “Diplomacy, politics and virtual worlds.” Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts were interviewed in this hour-long episode about virtual worlds and their potential for improving cultural relations.
• September 2010, Business Innovation Factory, video of Rita J. King’s speech on digital identity and creative collaboration.
• September 2010, Business Innovation Factory, Rita J. King: The Muse of the New Digital Reality.
• September 10, 2010, The Christian Science Monitor, A Virtual World that breaks Real World Barriers. Journalist and author Ethan Gilsdorf, goes inside the virtual world of Second Life to further explore our 2008 project, Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds and the potential of virtual worlds for intercultural dialogue.
• September 1, 2010, PhiloSufi.com, The Ornament of the (Virtual) World: Second Life’s Al-Andalus.
• August 3, 2010 The New York Times, “Wringing Art out of Rubble in Detroit” reporter Melena Ryzik profiles surviving artists in Detroit, including Loveland creator and DIP collaborator Jerry Paffendorf.
• July 2010, RESET Magazine (print only, in Italian), “Islam digitale, nuova frontiera per l’integrazione” writer Elisa Pierandrei interviews Joshua Fouts about digital Islam. Read an excerpt here.
• June/July 2010 Saudi Aramco World “Al Andalus 2.0” Joshua Fouts tells the story about a community in the virtual world of Second Life exploring new ways to co-exist.
• June 2010 Bioneers Radio “From Soap Operas to Avatars: Digital Diplomacy and Making Fiction into Fact.” Rita J. King, Joshua Fouts and William Ryerson were interviewed about the power of storytelling for cultural relations and cultural education. Download the complete audio file here.
• March 4, 2010 National Public Radio Inchvesting In Detroit: A Virtual Realty by Sarah Hulett. Hulett interviews Jerry Paffendorf and DIP’s Rita J. King about Loveland.
• January 11, 2010 The Detroit News Detroit plot sells for $1 per square inch by Louis Aguilar.  Rita J. King is interviewed about her work with Jerry Paffendorf on his loveland project. Rita J. King is the largest investor in Loveland. She is chronicling her work on the Augmented Reality art project 1000 Inches in Loveland.

2009

• August 24, 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Berkeley, Iran and Diplomacy 2.0 by Matthew Stannard. Joshua Fouts is interviewed about the impact of social media on diplomacy.
• August 1, 2009 SocialMedia.biz The Ethics of Cultural Collaboration, by JD Lasica. Rita J. King is interviewed at the impact of social media on media, policy and cultural collaboration.
• July 21, 2009 IslamOnline.net The Future of Virtual Worlds: At the Crossroads Between Real and Sci-Fi, by Mohammed Yahia. Rita J. King is interviewed about the evolving image of virtual worlds.
• July 13, 2009 Virtual Worlds News “Louisiana to VirtualWorldsNews: Don’t Count Us Out.”
• May 9, 2009 Press TV “The Autograph,” Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts are interviewed by host Susan Modaress discussing Digital Diplomacy and their project “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds.”
• May 5, 2009 Policy Innovations Magazine, “Digital Workforce Initiative Transforms Gulf Coast Job Prospects,” by Rita J. King. Rita wrote an op-ed about Louisiana non-profit 3D Squared and their efforts to restore Louisiana’s economy.
• April 17, 2009 VentureBeat Magazine, “How I became a Virtual World Believer,” by Rita J. King. Rita writes a guest column for VentureBeat about the ROI of Virtual Worlds.
• April 14, 2009 BBC Radio, “Pods & Blogs,” host Jamillah Knowles interviews Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts about the virtual newsroom project (the interview begins about 20 minutes in).
• April 13, 2009 The Chronicle of Higher Education, “American U. in Cairo Presents a Documentary About Second-Life Journalism,” by Steve Kolowich
• April 9, 2009 The Yale Globalist, “The Business of Brand America,” by Alex Soble.
• March 20, 2009 Inside Islam, “The Imagination Age and Digital Diplomacy,” by Kait Foley.
• March 16, 2009 Media Rights, “What is Machinima,” by Kathy Craven. The article explores the nuances of virtual world video and highlights DIP’s Rita J. King and the work of our collaborators, Ill Clan Animation Studios.
• February 27 – March 12, 2009 The Layalina Review, “The Elusive Undersecretary.” Joshua S. Fouts is quoted discussing candidates for US Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy.
• 13-26, 2009 The Layalina Review, “New Media Redefines Public Diplomacy,” Joshua S. Fouts is quoted in article reviewing how Internet technologies are changing the stakes and terms in public diplomacy.
• February 16, 2009 — New World Notes, “Understanding Islam in Second Life, the Mixed Reality Report,” by Wagner James Au. Au describes the findings as, “A fascinating clash of best intentions and actual spiritual desires, transplanted into the virtual realm.”
• February 16, 2009 — Abu Dhabi’s The National, “A ‘second life’ for public diplomacy in the Middle East,” by Dr. Muhammad Ayish, a professor of communication at the University of Sharjah. Professor Ayish offers this observation on Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds: “The project’s use of Second Life virtual experiences, where internet users can interact with each other through avatars to engage in intercultural dialogue, is indeed a pioneering initiative.”
• February 13, 2009 — Religion Dispatches, “Dreaming Cyborg Dreams: Virtual Identity and Religious Experience,” by Rachel Wagner. This article explores how games, television and virtual worlds open up new areas of study for the role of virtual identity. Article cites research done in the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• February 11, 2009 — National Journal Online, “Clinton State Department Looks To Boost Online Presence,” by Amy Harder. Harder interviews Joshua Fouts about how well the State Department is using technology.
• February 10, 2009 — Abu Dhabi’s The National, “Call for greater online cultural dialogue,” by Roland Hughes. The article reports on the development of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• February 6, 2009 — Radio Islam, “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds” (archive) Joshua Fouts was interviewed by RadioIslam.com host Tuba Mujahid about the findings of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• February 5, 2009 — SL Talk, “Kulturelle Emergenz in SL – Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds,” by Michael Wald.
• February 4, 2009 — Softer Power, “An Ideal Word (On Screen),” by David Earl.  Earl reviews the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds report.
• February 2, 2009 — Soft Power Beacon, “Understanding Islam, Digitally,” by Paul Kretkowski.
• January 30, 2009 — TishShute.com, “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds,” Tish Shute reports on the release of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• January 26, 2009 — IslamOnline.net, “Welcome to War 2.0” by Mohammed Yahia. Joshua S. Fouts was interviewed on the use of social media tools in and around the conflict in Gaza.
• January 23, 2009 — Religion Dispatches, “Virtual Islam: Peace, Love and Some Understanding?” by Bill Berkowitz.  Joshua Fouts interviewed about the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project. This article was syndicated and also appeared on New Zealand’s Scoop and FreeDetainees.org among others.
• January 22, 2009 — United Press International/UPI.com, “Israel Tweets Gaza Conflict,” by Aram Zucker-Scharff. Joshua Fouts interviewed about the use of social media tools in the conflict in Gaza.
• January 15, 2009 — BBC Radio, “Gaza, Gadgets, women and tech,” hosted by Jamillah Knowles.  Joshua S. Fouts was interviewed by the BBC Radio 5 about the role of new technology and the conflict in Gaza.
• January 13, 2009 — TIME Magazine, “Facebook Users Go to War over Gaza,” by Deena Gudzer.  Article interviews Rita J. King about the power of social networking sites for political activism.
• January 5, 2009 — Press TV‘s “Hearts & Minds” program.  Rita J. King appeared discussing the “US and the Latest Middle East Crisis.”
• January 5, 2009 — BoingBoing.net, Cory Doctorow spotlights the January 29, 2009 release of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds report.

2008

• December 31, 2008 — Read, Write & View: “How the Israeli Consulate Brought the State to the People.” An interview with Joshua S. Fouts about the Israeli Consulate of New York’s use of Twitter as a foreign policy and public diplomacy outreach tool.
• December 24, 2008 — Press TV‘s “Hearts & Minds” program. Joshua S. Fouts appeared discussing, the “Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World” a National Intelligence Council report predicting global economic, social and political trends in 2025.
• Fall 2008 — Parabola Magazine: Endpoint.  Parabola Magazine‘s Fall 2008 “Man and Machine” issue features DIP’s Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• July 21, 2008 — Metanomics.net: The Imagination Age. Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts appeared on Second Life’s business and economics program to discuss new projects at DIP, including “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds.”
• July 14, 2008 — Metanomics.net: Manpower’s First Year in Second Life.  DIP hosted an event called the “Power of Collaboration” exploring lessons learned during Manpower’s first year in Second Life.  Second Life’s public affairs program, Metanomics.net in collaboration with SLCN.tv simulcast the event life on the web and in Second Life.
• May 13, 2008 — Wired.com: Project Explores Islam Through Virtual Worlds. Wired’s Earnest Cavalli reports on the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project.
• May 6, 2008 — RaphKoster.com: From the Fire Pit to the Forbidden City.  Legendary game designer, Raph Koster, head of virtual world company, Metaplace and former Creative Director for Sony Online Entertainment, comments on DIP’s report chronicling IBM’s entrance into virtual worlds.  According to Raph the report “gives interesting insight into IBM’s moves in the virtual worlds space. It’s a mix of forward-thinking (they have people who do nothing but machinima?) and catch-up (I particularly liked the moment where a few IBM staffers decided on a definition of “virtual universe” in 2006 — fortunately, it matches the one all the rest of us use!). It’s not very long, and it’s an interesting read.  The report can be downloaded on our Findings and Reports page.
• April 5, 2008 — Current TV: Live from the Doha Forum. Ben Stein of Current TV features DIP’s “Live from the Doha Forum” video.
• February 11, 2008 — New World Notes: “Muslims and the Metaverse: Can Second Life Improve US-Islamic Relations?“

2007

• September 16, 2007 — The New York Times:  Exploring the Vast Business Potential of the Metaverse. The New York Times report Cynthia Magriel Wetzler profiles Dancing Ink Productions.

The Imagination Age is DIP’s blog chronicling the evolution of a new global culture and economy through art, technology and business.

Learn more about our projects, partners and collaborators in our Public Projects page and our blog, The Imagination Age.

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Manpower, Inc., DIP developed and produced a major virtual event originated from the virtual world of Second Life and simulcast across the web to an international audience. DIP constructed a one-of-a-kind conference space for the event which culminated in the live event, the Evolution of the Virtual Workforce“. (Click here to watch an HD version of the complete event hosted on the Treet.TV archives.)

Over 250 people participated in the live discussion (a complete transcript is on The Imagination Age blog) via software that allowed viewers on the web to chat with people inside Second Life without the web viewers having to install the Second Life client.

The event featured digital work expert Don Tapscott, best-selling author of “Grown-Up Digital” and “Wikinomics.” Tapscott was joined by Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres; Linden Lab Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing, Amanda Van Nuys; Manpower Senior Vice President for Global Workforce Strategy, Tammy Johns; Manager of e-learning Strategy and Education Solutions for IBM’s Center for Advanced Learning; Chuck Hamilton; and President of Louisiana Digital Workforce non-profit 3D Squared, Spencer Zuzolo. The event was moderated by CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions, Rita J. King.

“Since we established our presence in Second Life two years ago, social networks have completely evolved the labor market,” said Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres. “Now, every social network has some underlying current related to job searching or career development. We are seeing the emergence of a flexible new model for virtual work, led by entrepreneurial, tech-savvy individuals who dictate when, where and how they work. We are focused on what motivates and interests this new breed of workers, giving us the ability to create practical solutions that help our clients attract, engage and retain winning talent.”

A shorter, YouTube-friendly version of the event, written and directed by Rita J. King is below.

Also see:

Press Release: Manpower Inc. Convenes Avatar Thought Leaders in Second Life to Discuss Virtual Workforce of the Future

Battery Dance Company performs at Space on White. Video by Rita J. King

The above short documentary was recorded and produced by Rita J. King as part of Battery Dance’s May 14 participation in Space on White, a new collaborative art space in Tribeca in New York City. The video is a montage of a series of interpretive dances featuring Battery Dancers Oliver Tobin, Robin Cantrell, Carmen Nicole and Sean Scantlebury who joined forces with visual artists John Kessler, Prawat Laucharoen and Jody Rasch to present site-specific dance at Space on White. Also featured in the video is Battery Dance’s Artistic and Executive Director, Jonathan Hollander.

We first met Jonathan at a Cultural Diplomacy retreat at White Oak Plantation where we learned that Jonathan’s efforts go well beyond providing a home for modern, independent dance in Lower Manhattan, but around the globe in some of the most remote corners of the world exploring how dance can serve as a bridge for cultural relations.

Jonathan’s commitment to cultural collaboration is local as well. He was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal about his participation in the creation of the Lower Manhattan Arts League, an effort to create more synergies between arts organizations in New York City.

Battery Dance Company’s impact and reach, finding inroads for cultural dialog through teaching and sharing dance has, in the last year, gone from, among other places, Uganda to Ghana and Algeria. The below clip is from the YouTube stream of the US Embassy in Algiers.

Battery Dancers were recently interviewed on Algerian television.

I asked Jonathan a question I saw tweeted recently by one of the British Council’s TN2020 fellows: “Some dance forms imply a set of values, esp in the south side of chicago. So, how do you find neutral forms for dialogue?”

His response: “I guess my reaction to this ‘neutral forms for dialogue’ is that modern dance fits the bill perfectly because it is a constantly changing, evolving form that can stretch in all kinds of directions. For example, when we gave young dancers the opportunity to be creative within the form and architecture of modern dance, they dove into the process … in Cambodia, Ghana, Algeria, Uganda, Swaziland, Germany, Taiwan, New York City public schools.”

[Battery Dance Company]
[Battery Dance Company Blog]

In February 2008, Dancing Ink Productions’ Joshua S. Fouts and Rita J. King were invited by the Brookings Institution to be speakers at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. Dancing Ink Productions produced a mixed media event live from Doha and in the virtual world of Second Life. The event, which was entitled, “The Transfer of Cultural Energy,” featured Nashwa Al Ruwaini, host of the two top-rated television shows in the Middle East, “Nashwa” and “Poet of Millions”; Howard Gordon, executive producer of the Fox television show, “24″; and Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider.

(A portion of this work is also featured in the findings of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project, which was released January 2009.)

The event also featured two hip-hop artists, Palestinian Muhammed Mughrabi of the Jerusalem-based hip-hop group, G-Town, and Iranian Yas, who is the first hip-hop artist whose work is sanctioned by the Iranian government. The two sang a spontaneous Arabic-Farsi hip-hop performance, which can be viewed in its entirety here.

Proceedings of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum can be downloaded in PDF format here.

Dancing Ink Productions’ participation in the U.S.-Islamic World Forum so inspired us that we penned the following vision statement about the foundational aspects of our work, “Our Vision for Sustainable Culture in the Imagination Age.”

Dancing Ink Productions produced the below machinima video as part of their participation.

In Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider’s forthcoming report about cultural diplomacy, “Mightier than the Sword: Arts and Culture in the U.S.-Muslim World Relationship,” includes the following recommendations:

Virtual Worlds: Although participation in virtual worlds is minimal at present in the Muslim world, the technology off ers the possibility over the long term of lectures, dialogues, discussions, concerts, screenings and other performances that could break down barriers of geography and incorporate “audiences” from diff erent parts of the world. Contests, such as the remix contest with Salman Ahmed’s music, increase distribution and engagement with diverse types of music. At the 2008 U.S.-Islamic World Forum, the Brookings Institution, in collaboration with Dancing Ink Productions, held a virtual world panel discussion featuring Howard Gordon (executive producer of 24) and Nashwa al Ruwaini (CEO, Pyramedia) and attended by people (via their avatars) from the U.S., South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Th e session concluded with a freestyle hip-hop concert featuring top Iranian rapper YAS in Farsi and, in Arabic, Palestinian Muhammed Mughrabi, the leader and co-founder of the G-Town the Palestinian Hip-Hop Makers group in Jerusalem that had all the participants’ avatars dancing.

The Imagination Age: 1000 Inches in Loveland is an augmented reality neighborhood created by Rita J. King as part of Jerry Paffendorf’s Loveland project. Rita J. King is the largest “inchvestor” in Loveland and its first colony, which is named “Plymouth.” For background on Rita’s interest, inspiration and involvement in the project, see her essay below.

Rita J. King was recently interviewed on NPR about her involvement in Loveland. Read more about that here.

Download the PDF detailing the project here.

We are profiling other community members of Plymouth on the blog 1000 Inches in Loveland.

Background on 1000 Inches in Loveland:

By Rita J. King

Several months ago, I was commissioned by PROBOSCIS to create an installation on 27 cubes: “Transformation: How We Become Who We Are.” While working on the cubes (some of which are shown above) I first heard about the LOVELAND project in Detroit.

Perhaps because I was working daily with cubes and my imagination, the idea of a city of a million square inches that fits in a warehouse in Detroit and yet relies on technology and creativity to amplify the size of each inch made perfect sense.

The installation was immediately influenced by the LOVELAND project. “Transformation” (which will launch soon) expanded first into virtual and augmented realities and then evolved into a game that marks the first developed parcel in 1000 INCHES IN LOVELAND.

Stories have a tendency to get lost if they aren’t shared right away, so here’s how the 1000 INCHES IN LOVELAND deal went down:

CHELSEA (on a rainy night during the height of NYC’s new monsoon season)—

My collaborator, Joshua Fouts, wears round black glasses. We’d been invited to the event by David Green and Liz Dreyer with a pink lotus and two shining orange fish inked on her calf. We’d met at White Oak Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida, where we drove past rhinos and zebras on the way to the lodge to meet in groups and discuss the consequences of the economic downturn on the arts and how this might be overcome through meaningful participation in the digital culture. We promised we’d meet again in New York. I invited GG, who now stands in front of me, having run late from Brooklyn but committed to keeping his word.

There he is, all six-feet-six-and change of him, wearing a shirt that says, “I’ve got twelve inches in Detroit,” in neat capital letters that could only have been ironed in place by the man himself. He goes by Jerry because he’s not crazy about George Gerald Paffendorf III, but he doesn’t seem like a Jerry to me, so I call him GG.

“What’s going on in Detroit?” I ask. GG lifts his eyebrows because the answer to that question is going to take some time, but he’s excited for the chance to tell, and I can’t wait to hear.

The room has been set up as a bar for the night, so people come and go. Josh, GG and I sequester ourselves in a corner overlooking the amber rectangles of light spangling the wet slate street-scape. Josh had met GG in Singapore in 2007. I met them both on the same day in San Jose a few months later.

GG is 27 years old and he’s already an admired futurist, which may explain why he has an air of time travel about him, as if you could set the dial to any time or place in which humans have interacted and he would find a way to improve life through his imagination and capacity for catalyzing collaboration. For over two years I’ve been waiting for his Big Idea, but I had no idea it would end up being so tiny.

“Detroit,” he says. “Okay. Loveland, is what the project is called–a million square inches that I’m going to sell for $1 each. Anyone from around the world can buy one, or more than one, and be a part of the community. The inches are just a jumping point for people, and they can be as big as the minds of the community. Loveland is a platform to connect people. People will come together to build this new land. Every inch will exist in the physical world and in the digital realm at the same time. What’s going to happen? There’s no way to know in advance, and that’s the fun of it. But you know something will happen. Reality will…be…augmented!”

He stopped to eat a cheese cracker and a few grapes and then went on to explain why he’d chosen to tie a virtual project with the physical world by placing it in Detroit, a story I know all too well from my work in the Gulf Coast: economic decline, mass exodus of the jobless population, widespread systemic change and the absence of a clear path for transformation.

“Detroit was the most futuristic city that existed for a time,” he says, “an engineer’s dream of tinkering coming together with a possible vision of reality, like the automobile moving at sixty miles in an hour move a person to another place. The universe is like a seed. So it’s just how big can you make your inches? What can you do with an inch if the only thing stopping you from making it as big as you can imagine is your ability to imagine it? Think about all the things people can do with it.”

To GG, confusion isn’t an obstacle. If some people don’t get it, that won’t stop him from reaching those who do. Around us, people listen and gather, and someone asks for more information on the Loveland project. What can people do with an inch, really? Is this a real inch, or an imaginary inch that some guy from New Jersey will sell you for $1 because he has a million of them?

“The inch markers are just something that give a human feeling,” GG said. “They act as a connector for the sense of ownership. An inch sounds stupid until suddenly you have something that can be connected to other people, and then you see how big and important that is. I know it’s funny. I know it makes people smile. It’s game-like, but it’s a city that will fit into a warehouse.”

The population of Loveland, if all million inches are sold, might end up being higher than the current population of Detroit: 800,000.

“Dancing Ink Productions will take 1000 INCHES IN LOVELAND,” I say. “For economic and cultural development. Loveland is a new city and I’m going to create a neighborhood and document its development. The neighborhood will be known as the Imagination Age.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” said GG. “Right on.”

I grab a stack of paper and start to sketch out the grid.

“You already know where you want your inches to be?” he asks. “Look at that! It’s real!”

It *is* real. Starting next week, space within 1000 INCHES IN LOVELAND: The Imagination Age,” will be available.

Follow on Twitter: @1000Inches.

The virtual newsroom hosted a series of events, including a press conference with former US-Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy James K. Glassman; and a conference about coverage of the Swine Flu crisis with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Documentary reports on those events are below. Broadcast quality machinima for all the events is produced in collaboration with Ill Clan Animation Studios.

Virtual Journalism: The CDC Discusses Swine Flu is a documentary about a May 16, 2009 event in the AUC Virtual Newsroom.

Documentary Premiere: The machinima documentary, “Virtual Journalism: Inside the American University in Cairo Virtual Newsroom,” exploring journalistic and cross-cultural impact and potential of the virtual newsroom project premiered on April 6, 2009 at the Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication conference on Virtual Journalism. That video, which was produced in collaboration with Ill Clan Animation Studios can be viewed below:

Inaugural Broadcast: On January 12, 2009 at 11 am EST, the Inaugural Broadcast of the American University in Cairo’s Virtual Newsroom (designed and produced by Dancing Ink Productions for The American University in Cairo with funding from USAID) took place in the virtual world of Second Life and was broadcast to a live global Internet audience produced in collaboration with Ill Clan Animation Studios. The live audience communicated in real-time chat with event participants and moderators in Second Life. The event was produced and hosted by Rita J. King, the CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions, and Joshua S. Fouts, the Chief Global Strategist of Dancing Ink Productions and broadcast to the Internet by SLCN (videos below). The broadcast-quality machinima documentary produced by Dancing Ink Productions co-directed with Ill Clan Animation Studios features a moderated discussion about the transfer of power between US president administrations between Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman (also a well-known journalist) and eight Egyptian political bloggers who covered the US election. The documentary depicts the event itself, as well as the reaction of Glassman, the bloggers and project director Lawrence Pintak, a veteran war correspondent and author who runs the American University in Cairo’s Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research. Read the press release from the American University of Cairo summarizing the event here.

Second Life avatar of then-US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman in the virtual newsroom of the American University in Cairo in Second Life.

Below are videos from the January 12 event:

Short Clip from the AUC Glassman Event

Full-length video of the 45 minute live event.

November 2008: Construction of the AUC Virtual Newsroom begins