EVE Online monument going up in Icelandic harbor
Reykjavic, Iceland is getting a new monument in its harbor, courtesy of EVE Online developer CCP Games. In collaboration with Icelandic artist Sigurdur Gudmundsson, the Reykjavic-based CCP will unveil the monument, entitled "Worlds Within a World," on April 30, the day before EVE Fanfest 2014.
Hilmar Veigar Petersson, CEO of CCP, said, "As we turn our gaze to the second decade of EVE, we have one more way we feel we must honor our first, anchor our creation in time and create a focal point that will gather energy and endure for decades to come."
The 16.5-foot monument has two main elements facing each other through a highly polished stainless steel surface in the middle. That middle element reflects and mirrors the elements and the landscape. It will stand atop a 1.6-foot metal-plated concrete foundation. That foundation will be etched with the names of each actively subscribed player's main character as of March 1. If the subscriber base has held steady since February 2013, that's over 500,000 names to appear on the monument. And if their subscriptions are still current, I know that at least two of those names will in fact be "Breezy Colon" and "Radddaxxxe." Also, one of them is "Gray County." A web-based app will assist in finding name locations on the monument.
Beneath the monument, CCP will bury a laptop. The laptop, serving as a time capsule, will contain videos, messages, wishes, and more from both players and developers.
Gudmundsson, the artist, said, "The sculpture had a long overture before it took on its current form. During this process it has manifested in numerous different iterations as the process was a search for a melding between myself, or my art, and the EVE Universe which as people know is the world of virtual reality inhabited by a larger group of people than the entirety of the Icelandic populace. I felt it was an incredibly interesting challenge as I had numerous times in many of my works elected to join exotic worlds unknown to me. Perhaps that‘s the essence of creating art."
Gudmundsson is correct: Iceland's population is 325,620. EVE's was 500,000 a year ago, and its made a habit of only growing its subscriber base ever since its inception in 2003. This monument is one more feather in CCP's "EVE is real" cap.
[drawing not to scale]
CCP to Erect Monument to EVE Online Players in Reykjavik, Iceland
All Active Players on March 1st 2014 Will Have Their Names Permanently Etched on Monument's Base
Reykjavik, Iceland -- 5 February 2014 – In celebration of the first decade of the EVE Universe, CCP Games today confirmed plans announced at Fanfest 2013 to erect a monument in the picturesque downtown harbor of Reykjavik, Iceland to honor those who have participated in establishing the massive virtual universe. The monument will serve as a physical manifestation of the respect and appreciation the company has for the millions of EVE Online players and followers who have contributed in the cooperative creation of the EVE Universe over the past decade. It also serves as a gift to Reykjavik, the home of CCP Games and EVE Online development for the past 16 years, as well as its inhabitants and those who come to visit the world‘s northernmost capital.
The monument will stand atop a half a meter tall metal-plated concrete platform that will have the names of all the main characters of all active EVE Online players (as captured on March 1st, 2014) etched upon it. CCP will be honoring EVE players who have passed away by adding their names to the monument as well. A web-based application will assist in finding specific names on the monument‘s surface. A laptop buried under the monument will serve as a time capsule with videos, messages wishes and more from the players and the development staff.
“Our intention is to immortalize the contributions of the millions of people of the EVE universe in a way that extends beyond their immortality in our games“, said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CCP. “Honoring them as part of a timeless monument shows how virtual lives and adventures have reached a new level of meaning and impact that weaves into and enhances those that happen in this world. We are humbled by all those that have joined us on the journey so far, and it’s our hope that this physical piece will continue to gather energy and relevance into decades to come, becoming like EVE Online and outliving us all. “
The monument will be unveiled on Wednesday April 30th, a day before Fanfest 2014, the annual gathering celebrating the EVE Universe held at Harpa Concert and Convention Center in downtown Reykjavik. At the event, thousands of EVE Online, DUST 514 and EVE: Valkyrie players will witness the dedication in a special livestreamed ceremony that will include CCP staff, city officials, friends, and family.
Concept art of the monument
The monument is an a outdoor sculpture by the artist Sigurður Guðmundsson with help and input from EVE Online‘s own art directors Börkur Eiríksson and Ásgeir Jón Ásgeirsson. “Worlds Within a World” will stand over five meters tall and consist of two main elements facing each other through a highly polished stainless steel surface that reflects and mirrors the elements and the landscape. On the left side of the model stands a dark aluminum structure with a quote from the EVE Universe and on the right a dark granite facial figure representing the game’s players.
In 2013, EVE Online was honored by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in the “Applied Design“ exhibition of the Museum‘s Philip Johnson Galleries and formally inducted into the permanent collection in the inaugural group of video games alongside thirteen others such as Tetris, Pac-Man, and The Sims. This monument extends CCP’s efforts to create a truly unique universe, in this case through a landmark that bridges the gap between the real world and the virtual.
