Sarah Gillett

Investigating the life of things across space and time

Many hands make lightwork (2021)

Many hands make lightwork (2021)

Many hands make lightwork is a fantastical Minecraft world inspired by the lives, loves and fates of Rockingham Castle’s female inhabitants through history. 

It is a multiplayer Minecraft world for Windows and macOS that is hosted on the Fermynwoods Contemporary Art server from 1 May 2021 – 28 January 2022. It won’t work on a video game console like Playstation or Nintendo. 
 
This short fly-through of Many hands make lightwork introduces the three levels you can explore in this Minecraft world. The ground level represents a fictionalised night time version of the present, with moondials, a meteorite stone circle and a huge terraced Earthwork. The cloud level above represents the future – look out for strange glass structures in the sky. Wells and fireplaces will drop you down into the past, where you will find caverns, archeological remains of earlier Castle buildings and an underground maze. The soundtrack for the world is made up of theremin, birdsong, whispering voices and unique microtonal notes from natural sources.
 
If you have a Minecraft account then you can add to the world conceived by Sarah Gillett and built by Sarah and Stuart Moore. The world is set to Creative mode so you can go in, explore and build whatever you like. We want to see where your imagination takes you – from structures that reach the clouds to underground chambers only reached by a secret passageway. We monitor the world and will ‘rewind’ any activity we deem offensive.
You will need a Microsoft account to buy and play Minecraft Java Edition. You can set this up by following the instructions here:
During this process you may get a screen to set up an Xbox profile. If so, choose any profile and click next. On the last screen you will see an option to buy Minecraft. It is £17.95.
 
If you already have a Microsoft account and have bought Minecraft but haven’t installed it on your computer then you can download the game for free here: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/
You will find options to download the Java edition for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Once you have done this, follow the steps below.
 

Open Minecraft on your computer. The first time you visit Many hands make lightwork you’ll need to add the server details:

Click Play
Choose Multiplayer mode
Go to Add Server
In the box marked Server Name, enter any name you like (if you’re stuck we suggest the name Rockingham)
In the box marked Server Address, cut and paste this number: 51.195.141.218:25565 (with dots and colon)
Click Done and you will go back to the Multiplayer screen
Now choose the entry you have just created and Join Server (click on the server you just added)
You will get a Resource Pack Prompt – remember to click yes otherwise you won’t get to see the world properly
 
Basic controls:
W = UP
A = LEFT
S = DOWN
D = RIGHT
Double tap space bar to fly
Tap Shift to gently land
Left click to break
Right click to build

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Sarah Gillett is an artist and writer from Lancashire, UK.
She currently lives in London.

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