You too can be a Judge! (Vote Here)

[Dor of Sonoma]

Hail~

The following entries from the Iron Man Chef ll/Wrath of Bob competion (held yesterday at The Garbage Chute amidst much fanfare) have been submitted for your perusal. The fine folk that sponsored the event have decided that they would prefer that the winner(s) be determined by your vote.

Herewith! *trumpets blare*...we present to you the following candidates:

Please note: Vote for your favorite by selecting the matching number--in other words, if your favorite entry in the screenshot were Entry #1, you would select (and vote for) the button below labeled Entry #1. Thanks!

 

[Dor of Sonoma]

...that you may wish to have a clue as to what it is, precisely, you are voting for. As I cannot edit a Poll Post, I am going to add Pluffy's initial post here, which explains the competition: *hopes it works*

<blockquote><hr>

Are you a well rounded craftsman (or woman) with tons of skills and a secret creative side? Well, the Ordo Sylvanus has an event for you! That's right, it's IRON CHEF II: THE WRATH OF BOB. Your crafter, for once, can be the guy winning the l33t preizes and getting all the glory!

THE IRON CHEF FAQ: What is Iron Chef?
It's a no holds barred free for all art-fight, as crafters struggle to create the coolest, funniest, most beautiful, or most creative work of art while a gallery of screaming fans eggs them on and smack talks the competition. It's a chance for every crafter to be able to say:

Who can play Iron chef?
Any multi-skilled craftsman. The more crafting skills you have mastered--including carpentry, tinkering, smithing, and alchemy, the more effective you will be as a competitor. Those who have read gargoyle books are also at a slight advantage. You will be facing the Champion Iron Chefster from last year's competition, Lord Bob McForge, as well as up to four other Iron Chef Wannabes.

Great! My Mule can kick your mule's buttocks! How do I sign up?
Easy! You PM Hecubus via the Stratics UO message boards, or post in the thread containing this news story. Just click the "comment on this article" button in the title bar! Or you can ICQ Genjuro at 77129131. Remember, only five slots are open, so sign up soon! Is this event going to be, like, really dumb and boring?
NO! It's a weird event. It sounds odd. It's hard to explain. But it's a lot more fun than it sounds. Last year, I literally had to go out, net some wandering crafters, and drag them kicking and screaming to the competiton arena. As we untied them to let them leave after the event, every one of them stopped to make comments like, "Wow, I totally thought this would be the ubersuck, but I had so much fun! When can you have this event again?" and "I'm sorry I tried to bite you and escape being dragged here. This turned out to be the most fun I have ever had with clothes on, assuming my clothes are on now."

When is this event? So glad you asked! It will be Thursday, September 19th, at 6:30 PST.
Where is it? The event will take place at "The Garbage Chute," a large tower near the orc dungeon. Gates will be available at the East Brit bank and the Skara Brae bank to take the competitors and spectators to the event.

Macis Moved Plush by Pluffy

<hr></blockquote>

 

[BobMcForge]

Well, the job of Iron Chef conpetitor is MUCH harder than it looks. 15 minutes is not much time. You need a floppy hat, you say? Well first you must find the wool in your box, then you must spin it on a wheel to get yarn, then you must weave the yarn on a loom to get bolts of cloth, then you must cut the cloth to get usable cloth, then you make the hat only to find that a floppy hat doesn't tilt like you want it to so it won't do at all.

Then there is the delima of what to make. I myself went through several ideas before finally coming to rest on the one I used. To give you a peek into the process here's the first design I made and later rejected:

Option 1

I rejected this as I decided that cubism was a bit avante garde for a UO Iron Chef competition. I didn't want to throw the judges off by going too far off to the left of mainstream art.

Then I had another idea, so I started on the next idea. At this point the clock was down to 11 minutes and the pressure was on.

Option 2

I worked and reworked this one but I was never happy with the smile. After I got down to just six minutes and decided to scrap it and go with option three.

Which one is option three? Well, you'll just have to wait until after the voting to find out. (or ask someone who was there, heh).

I hope this little dab of insight gives you a bit more appreciation for the pressure cooker that is IRON CHEF!

Bob McForge
Iron Chef (At least for a few more hours....)

 

[Dor of Sonoma]

*laughs out loud*

Thanks, I needed that. /php-bin/shared/images/icons/biggrin.gif

 

[Jaric Mondoran]

what the heck is number 1?


Trash?

 

[imported_Hecubus]

Thanks so much Dor!!!

I think entry 1 was really trying to convey the "less is more" type deal.

But remember- this contest is VERY difficult.

I am Jack's busted gut over Bob's sig.

- Hec

 

[BobMcForge]

Hey, just for kicks. let's run a little contest within a contest. ooooooh the crafty layers at work here.

The first person who can name the work used as Option 1 in my above post wins, ummmm.... something. How about a full set of Valorite armor, and a bronze weapon of your choice. It's one of my personal favorite artists for many reasons.

Ready.... Set.... GO!

Bob McBob

 

[Ascension]

Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp.

*hugs Dogpile, which kicks Google's ass*

 

[BobMcForge]

Woohoo, Ascension wins the prize.

Marcel Duchamp was the best thing to come out of Dadaism. He was a brilliant artist and a ferocious critic of what society turned art into. He often wondered if art was art simply because he, as an artist, said it was. To test this theory he stuck a bicycle wheel into a kitchen stool and said, "Look, I say this is art. Since I am an artist, it must therefore be art". It's now in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Then, just to torment the people who insist that the artist is the untimate authority he made "To be looked at (from the Other side of the Glass) With One Eye, Close to, for Almost an Hour" It too is hanging in the Met. You can go there and watch art students stand for 55 minutes at a time to try and understand what the artist was saying. I'm not sure if Duchamp would laugh or cry.

Well, anyway, I just love the guy and thought I would share.

Now, back to your regulary scheduled Iron Chef Voting Gala!

Bob McBob

 

[Guest]

Grr...It's actually Nude Descending a Staircase #2. And I didn't need to look it up neither &gt;&lt;

 

[Cymeraen]

"To be looked at (from the Other side of the Glass) With One Eye, Close to, for Almost an Hour" was originally not on a cracked pane of glass, but it was damaged at the Met, and the museum curator contacted the artist to see what could be done.

Duchamp alledgedly looked at it, and said that it was better now than before. Doubtlessly finding fresh humor and disgust over the whole incedent.

----

Oh option one is obviously a carefully orchestrated commentary on the overblown state of the arts and crafting in the UO continuum. This piece clearly makes the statement that the artist is not greater than his tools, and by proxy, his craft. To highlight this point, the tools and materials themselves replace the convoluted arrangement of tinkered, tailored, smithed, and carpentried items. Their arrangement in the space seems random, but the precise randomness of this arrangement shows the work of a genius, carefully replicating with studious hand the appearent chaos of 'dropped in box' items.

The work is that of a master, who not only has spent a lifetime mastering his or her craft, but then went beyond this mundane calling, and invested his/her soul into the far more difficult task of comprehending the cosmos at that point where it transcends the human condition.

This is an inspired work, and gets at least one fat thumbs up!

 

[Drewdax]

I think we know who's responsible for entry number one.

 

[Shaman]

Is #2 a Vasectomy?

 

[Cymeraen]

I didn't compete. I am strictly an art critic.

 

[Apakoh]

Cool creations all.

 

[Dor of Sonoma]

The polls will be now be closed.

Thank you all for your time and participation.

Please stay tuned for a winner's announcement from Hecubus. Thanks again!