Lily Havener is a visual artist and livestreamer residing in Iryna. She is known for her synthesis of the Neostructurist and Technologist artistic movements.
Lily Havener was born in Upper Old Iryna to Jeron Havener and Rieke Havener in the year 999. Jeron and Rieke were both influential in Upper Old Irynian politics; Jeron would eventually be elected District Representative during Reiner's term as Governor. Lily Havener demonstrated interest in the arts from an early age, receiving private instruction from artists who the Haveners had previously patronized. Lily Havener's earliest works were derivative of her mentors' Neostructurist style: large-scale paintings of Upper Old Irynian structures depicted with geometric precision and shining elegance. "48 Strides / 320 Degrees", one of her most well-known works, is from this early period. It was commissioned by former Governor Vincere Rae and is currently located in the Governor's Mansion. The piece is a cityscape, and the name simply describes the vantage point from which it was painted - 48 strides above sea level, from the northwestern side of Iryna.
As Lily Havener entered her teenage years, she began to experiment with integrating modern innovations into established techniques. Other artists who incorporated similar strategies became known as Technologists, and Lily Havener has been included in that artistic movement, sometimes even being credited for its popularization. Instead of painting from life, as was historically the norm, Lily used magitech-powered drone cameras to capture unfamiliar angles of familiar cityscapes. She progressed to depicting visual elements associated with magitech devices in a traditional medium, such as the blurring and warping typical of early-model or malfunctioning SmartStone screens. In addition to the technical qualities of her work, she also began livestreaming her process. She gained a devoted following, who were interested in seeing both the behind-the-scenes aspects of her creations and the private life of an Upper Old Irynian.
Despite the popularity of Lily Havener and her work, she has been the subject of criticism for the privilege that allowed her to gain her current level of success. Her generational wealth granted her access to expensive magitech, private mentorship, and pre-existing fame that allowed her to bypass the struggles of most amateur artists. However, her sympathizers argue that Upper Old Irynians before her attempted to establish artistic careers without success due to a lack of genuine talent. The emotional connection and aesthetic appeal that Irynians derive from Lily Havener's creations, they argue, exist independently of how she achieved her current position. Lily Havener herself has stated: "I would be making art no matter what. I can't control who my parents are."
Although her parents left Iryna in the Intercalary Emigration, Lily Havener remained in the city, moving out of her family's residence in Upper Old Iryna.[needs update]