Hosted by TH Ordinary and Bleu Oleander

Since the summer of 1983 when Thomas Houlon created Spirit of the Senses, this Phoenix based cultural organization has created more than several thousand art, science and cultural experiences called The Salon, which are candid conversations with talents and thinkers on their work and ideas.

Enhancing the salons with the architecture of private homes and spaces, Spirit of the Senses Arts and Cultural Organization provides a means to exchange ideas, question opinions, wonder about new possibilities, learn about our world, and appreciate the visual and performing arts. Members enjoy the art and cultural salon in a relaxed and inviting way in homes and private spaces in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and other Arizona cities.

In addition to the art and cultural salon created in the metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona area, Spirit of the Senses Directors, Thomas Houlon and Patty Barnes offer art, science and cultural salon tours to the New York City area for their members.

www.spiritofthesenses.org

Spirit of the Senses now hold Salons at the Kira Cafe on the second and fourth Sundays of every month as residents TH Ordinary (Thomas) and Bleu Oleander (Patty).

Please visit the Spirit of the Senses Second Life Salons page for a full calendar of Second Life salons, plus snapshots of past salons.


Events

September 29th (7pm SLT): A Conversation with architect/artist DB Bailey/David Denton: The firm of David Denton, AIA, Architect provides professional design services in the fields of Architecture, Urban Planning and Exhibition Design. David Denton has experiences in a wide range of project types and sizes as well as all phases of Architecture, Urban Planning, Exhibition Design and Virtual Design. This experience includes a variety of client entities such as corporations, developers, individuals and governmental agencies. www.daviddenton.com  

August 23rd (7pm SLT): A Conversation with Dr. Bryan Mnemonic: Virtual Harlem is a recreation of the legendary New York neighborhood during its Renaissance years by Bryan Mnemonic, a real world English professor. Mnemonic conceived of this project in the 90s, and since then, he's been using Second Life as a teaching tool, even conducting an entire writing class within SL. Just across the bridge is Virtual MontMarte, also his project in SL.
http://glsconference.org/2006/pop/carterb.htm
http://infoisland.org/2007/11/30/virtual-harlem-to-open-in-second-life/


August 9th (11am SLT): A Conversation with KK Jewel: Kirsten Kiser, editor-in-chief of Arcspace, one of the web's top architecture sites will speak with us at her SL office. Kirsten is also a leading proponent of Second Life as a platform for architects and artists, and is known in-world as KK Jewell. http://www.arcspace.com


July 25th (7pm SLT): Second Life Japan: The members of the Kira Institute's Japan Team will tour the Japan Sims of Second Life.
http://www.kirajapan.org/
http://www.kira.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=120


July 12th (7pm SLT): A Visit with AM Radio: AM Radio is an artist who uses Second Life to build interactive installations. He builds on plots of land, sims in Second Life, and creates narratives. We'll talk with him about his work in SL and his new project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUYEPBNg474


June 28th (7pm SLT): A Conversation with Eureka Dejavu: Eureka Dejavu (http://www.eurekadejavu.com) is Rita J. King in real life, and is CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions LLC (http://www.dancinginkproductions.com). She is also Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, seeking to foster the evolution of a new global culture and economy in the Imagination Age.

Together with Joshua S. Fouts, she is responsible for the "Understanding Islam Through Virtual Worlds" project at the Carnegie Council.  The project explores how virtual worlds can be used to enable nuanced understanding between and around Islamic culture.

Important! You must pre-register for this event.


June 14th (3pm SLT): A Conversation with Jan Northoff: Jan Northoff is one of the founders of newBERLIN, a true to scale interpretation of the German capital in Second Life.

http://www.berlinin3d.com/


May 24 (7pm SLT): A Visit with artist Thoth Jantzen: Thoth Jantzen, will discuss his Second Life art and tour his newest art installation 'Cosmosis'.  Thoth, the inventor of the "Kaleidoscopium", seeks to create immersive environments through visual- and music-based experiences.


May 10th (11am SLT): A Visit with some Real Life Artists Working in Second Life : The artists are part of the curated series Boom Pearls. Real Life artists working in Second Life.

http://www.boompearls.com


April 26: "The Constant Fire": Adam Frank, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester and a regular contributor to Discover and Astronomy magazines, discusses his book 'The Constant Fire: Beyond the Science vs. Religion Debate'. The Constant Fire tackles the acrimonious debate between science and religion, taking us beyond its stagnant parameters into the wider domain of human spiritual experience. From a Neolithic archaeological site in Ireland to modern theories of star formation, Adam Frank traverses a wide terrain, broadening our sights and allowing us to imagine an alternative perspective.

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10946.php


March 22: 'How Can You Know a Virus?': Bert Jacobs, PhD, a professor at The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University discusses 'How Can You Know a Virus?' Bert Jacobs conducts research in Africa searching for AIDS vaccine, and has worked for U.S. government at former USSR germ storage facilities in Siberia.

http://sols.asu.edu/people/faculty/bjacobs.php

http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/news/biodesign-institutes-bert-jacobs-finalist-for-governors-celebration-of-innovation-awards

February 22: David Pickus, PhD an Honors Faculty Fellow at the Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University.  David discusses the 'Allegory of a Cave' by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. http://honors.asu.edu.

Here is a recent article on Spirit of the Senses:
http://www.azcentral.com/phpbin/clicktrack/email.php/8601086