Day: September 19, 2015

A little Hollandaise in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Cape Juniper; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrCape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

I was led to Danii Lyric’s Cape Juniper after seeing a series of images by Goizane Latzo on the ever excellent Bitacora Viajera blog, and was immediately attracted by all I saw.

The region – Hollandaise – is home to Danii’s businesses as a photographer and interior & landscape designer, and Cape Juniper offers a tour de force of her skills in both. Within it sit a series of environments beautifully crafted to attract the eye and camera, and which offer plenty of ideas for home design and landscaping.

Cape Juniper; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrCape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

The Cape Juniper LM / SLurl deposits visitors at one end of the largest of five islands making up the region. A road runs the length of the island, bordered on one side by a range of little shops, places to eat, playgrounds, and so on, leading the way from the motel next to the landing point to Danii’s offices on the little town square at the far end of the island, sitting nestled between a small pub and a 50’s style diner..

The other side of the road looks out over the rest of the region, visible beyond the ruins of an old castle, and offers cosy little seating areas at the roadside nearer to the main square, together with a broad set of steps leading down to a grassy headland on which sits a charming outdoor wedding area. A large barn to one said offers plenty of space for receptions, while the boat slips are set ready for the arrival of a bride by water. Those wishing to explore the old castle can find their way to it at the foot of the steps leading to the wedding area and mooring slips.

The four smaller islands all offer ideas for home designs, both exterior and interior, which are again beautifully presented. I confess to being unclear as to how they can be reached, save by flying; I didn’t notice and boat rezzers during my explorations. Three out of the four appear to be open to visitors, and include donation points. The fourth, located in the north-east corner of the region, appears to be a private residence.

Cape Juniper; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrCape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

Each island offers a unique design whilst keeping in tune with the overall slightly autumnal theme to the region. Given the size of the islands, superb use is made of the available space, and those with a copy of the Fanatik Rocky Island sitting in their inventory may well find their own creative thoughts on how to put it to good use flow as a result of a visit.

I must also confess to being drawn to one of the islands using this piece of landscaping myself, partly due to the fact I’ve used it in my own home island design, but also because the island in question stands apart from the others in having a decidedly Japanese look and feel to it. This makes it unique within the region without it appearing at odds with the surrounding designs.

Cape Juniper; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrCape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

All told, this is another quite lovely region, beautifully presented to visitors and offering a wide range of photo opportunities, places to sit and relax, and plenty to see and enjoy. In other words: a delight to visit. Should you find it as charming as I, please do consider making a donation towards the continuance of the region.

SLurl Details

Pop-up art in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Derry McMahon
Derry McMahon – Pop-up Art

Noted SL photographers Derry McMahon and Bear Silvershade have come up with a new approach to exhibiting art in Second Life, and they’re calling it “pop up art”. Bear explains the idea in a press release thus:

We’ve watched as galleries flicker in and out of existence, and had shows at several. Two things are consistent: nothing is permanent, and even with the most relentless, ongoing promotion, visitor numbers drop off dramatically after the opening and reach near zero long before a month – the usual length of gallery shows – is up.

Instead of fighting it, we’ve decided to embrace the ephemeral nature of Second Life and experiment with pop-up galleries. It goes like this: Rent a piece of suitable land, set up our work and open it to the public, but just for a couple of weeks.

Derry McMahon
Bear Silvershade – Pop-up Art

For their inaugural exhibition using the idea, the couple have rented an open-air space in Bay City – Falconmoon, where they’ll be opening a joint exhibit at 14:00 SLT on Saturday, September 19th. Derry’s half of the exhibit is called Double Vision and presents pairs of images she has created – one from the physical world, one from the virtual. These are not designed to offer pairs of similar images (although a couple are wonderfully alike), but rather offer insight into Derry art on both sides of the digital divide.

Bear’s pieces, as he notes, are largely taken from his monochrome Lonely Streets of Second Life series – a series I’ve always particularly admired, mixing a couple of his physical world images in with them as well. Taken together, the rich colours on Derry’s work facing Bear’s austere black-and-white pieces serve to complement one another very well.

Derry McMahon
Derry McMahon – Pop-up Art

Continuing the press release notes, Bear says of the approach – which originated as an idea with Derry:

The short time frame is key. For the patrons, it gives them more incentive to get out and see the show; no putting it off because “There’s plenty of time.” For us, it gives us the freedom to experiment and not feel tied down.

We can set up when and where we want, with whatever style we want. They might happen in different places once a month, or once every six months – whatever feels right.

Bear Silvershade
Bear Silvershade – Pop-up Art

I think it’s potentially a clever approach. As Bear says, it overcomes the issues of holding a gallery permanently open, generates interest in an exhibition due to the shorter time frame and could, if due consideration is given to the spaces which are rented-out for such exhibits, perhaps make them a part of an exhibition as much as the images on display. Kudos to Derry for the idea, and to her and Bear both for taking it on the road, so to speak.

SLurl Details