The Tech Museum of Innovation (The Tech Virtual) announced the first four winners of its virtual exhibit design competition in The Tech in Second Life. The winning virtual exhibits have been selected to be built and physically installed in the “real world” Tech Museum, and will be unveiled in conjunction with the 01SJ Global Festival of Arts on the Edge in June. The new exhibits will be the first in a new Gallery at The Tech focused on the theme of the science and technology underpinnings of art, film and music. The first four winning exhibits to be incorporated into the physical museum include:

Artist-in-Residence: The Painter
An interactive view of the evolution of a painting over time. Artist-in-Residence was created by Marie Crandell, a systems accountant from Plymouth, England.

Musical Chairs
A musical carousel where each seat represents different instruments in an orchestra. Musical Chairs was created by Leanne Garvie, a philosophy graduate student and artist from Toronto, Canada.

Wikisonic
A three dimensional music box where viewers set the “pins” corresponding to the placement of notes on a staff. Wikisonic is the brainchild of Jon Brouchoud, an architect and designer from Madison, Wisconsin.

Connecting Point: Hole in (Virtual) Space
A real life/Second Life portal through which visitors on both sides can collaborate in a variety of games. Connecting Point is the product of Alan Hook, an artist, inventor and graduate student; and Pete Wardle, a lecturer from the Salford University, both from Manchester, U.K.

In December 2007, The Tech announced The Tech Virtual, an exhibition design competition focused initially on the theme of “Art, Film and Music”. The Tech Virtual encompasses a replica of The Tech’s San Jose facility in Second Life, including a creative common area where people can work together on exhibit concepts (called Parkside Hall); and a collaboration Web site called The Tech Virtual Museum Exhibit Workshop (www.thetechvirtual.org), designed to facilitate projects and community connections. Through this program, The Tech is calling for the development of new, virtual exhibits and educational programming. In January of this year, The Tech announced that up to fourteen cash prizes will be awarded for the top exhibit designs.

The Tech Virtual, which can be found at The Tech island in Second Life, is accepting exhibits on an ongoing basis. The Tech is awarding up to 14 cash prizes for exhibits selected to be developed in the physical museum, and on March 31, a world-class panel of judges will review all the exhibits in The Tech’s virtual workshop and award additional prizes. Winners will be honored at the 01SJ Global Festival in June 2008.