Friend and artist GoodCross recently opened a gallery of his own – and my sincere apologies to him for getting to this post later than intended. For it’s inaugural exhibition, The Good Days features Immersed by Hills (Hillany Schofield).
“Immersed is an exhibition about the duality of being an insular individual in a world of contexts, interests, opinions, rules,” Hills says of the exhibit. “Whether it is the so-called ‘real life’ or this, our ‘second life’.”
Around the walls of the gallery space are nine large format monochromatic pieces depicting uniform female mannequins all striking very similar poses to one another, with the exception of one individual, who is in a strikingly different pose. In a tenth image, which adds a subtle splash of colour, the single figure of an avatar hangs in repose, floating over the floor. Finally, over the central area of the gallery, a slowly rotating box displays two monochrome and two colour images of avatars, either alone or posing before the mannequin-like figures.
The juxtaposition of individuality and living within a world of contexts is clearly expressed in each image; the individual or contrasting figures in each piece a manifestation of the former, the groupings of mannequins presenting the latter. “We find safety, community and acceptance,” Hills says of our desire to find context among peers, the similarities expressed by the mannequins, “But we also stumble, fall, feel trapped and isolated.”
“So what do we do? We break out, we question ourselves, we go back with the flow. Or we try to dance away the pain.” And thus the individual figures express these latter responses – as do visitors to Immersed. To enter the exhibition space, we must walk between the mannequins, becoming the expression of the individual in their world of contexts, opinions and rules.
Immersed will remain at The Good Days through most of March, with GoodCross planning to hold monthly exhibits in the gallery.
There is no planned Main (SLS) channel deployment / restart planned for the week. On Wednesday, March 16th, the three RC channels should be updated with an improved server maintenance project comprising script fixes and internal improvements.
The lack of recent deployments remains down to ongoing infrastructure updates occurring across the Lab’s simulator servers.
SL Viewer
It is anticipated that an RC viewer – mostly likely either the current Maintenance RC or the HTTP / Vivox RC will be promoted to the de facto viewer this week. However, at the time of writing, the list of official viewers still stood at:
Current Release version: 4.0.1.310054, dated January 15th – formerly the Maintenance RC viewer
Release channel cohorts:
Quick Graphics RC viewer, version 4.0.2.312297, dated March 11th
Maintenance RC viewer, version 4.0.2.312269, dated March 10th
HTTP updates and Vivox RC viewer, version 4.0.2.312094, dated March 9th
I’ve previously written about my passion for pianos, both in the physical world and the virtual (where I can indulge my fantasy of owning a concert grand). Over the years I’ve shifted from the Musical Alchemy grand by Persephone Milk, through Ample Clarity’s 1 prim / LI PrimPossible sculpted grand, to the current piano gracing the music room at home, the 8 LI Lisp mesh grand.
On March 12th, 2016, Ample launched his latest piano. It’s again a model with just a single LI, but this time it is presented in mesh, and he was kind enough to pass over models for me to take a look at.
The new piano offers a far more natural grand piano form then the earlier sculpted model, with a much higher level of detail, including a 3D cast iron plate in the harp assembly (which can be substituted by a texture of the entire visible harp: plate, strings and soundboard, if preferred)
The new piano is s collaborative piece, Ample tells me, and on rezzing it is certainly striking. Not only is it unsurprisingly less taxing, rendering-wise, than its sculpted predecessor, the details and style are a lot more refined. The keyboard is one of the best I’ve seen in terms of attention to detail, and there is a nice little touch with a reflection of the keys in the open lid.
Controls are straightforward: touch (left-click) the piano once to initiate it. This presents the menu controlling the music selection (15 classical pieces, although a further 9 are included in a separate book which can be mounted on the music stand), the piano’s appearance (change the textures and / or shine and also switch between either a 3D cast iron plate for the harp, or one of 9 different soundboard / strings / plate textures), set general access permissions for the piano, etc.
They keyboard is beautifully detailed and includes and interesting “reflection” in the lacquer of the lid)
Left-clicking a second time will seat you (and add a 1LI invisible “pose shell” around the piano to allow the pose system to work). When seated, the animation / pose menu is opened, with the PG version offering some 400+ individual and couples animations, while the Adult version offers a further 400 “XXX” rated animations (again, individual and couple). A permissions option can also be used to limit access to this menu.
The playing poses are split between male and female and offer several playing styles, and all poses can be adjusted, as one would expect. Music playback is as good as any other high-end piano available in SL, although there is on occasion a slight distortion during intense passages – but again, this can be found in other models as well. When seated, the top boards automatically close to facilitate the animation system (which makes use of the top of the piano). To open it for playing again, type “open lid” (sans quotes) in local chat (you’ll have to STOP the system via the menu and then re-sit if you later wish to use the animations as part of the same session).
Some of the detailing, such as the top board props and music stand are a little heavy compared to the rest of the piano, probably due to the fact the entire instrument is a single mesh
Given this is a 1 LI item (2 with the pose shell, as noted above, and which is required for the piano to work in SL), the amount of detail and capabilities packed into this piano is remarkable. However, the fact that the piano is just a single mesh has led to one or two minor compromises in detailing which for me had the annoying habit of attracting my eye once noticed, leaving me feeling that perhaps the use of a second mesh (the 1 prim approach of PrimPossible notwithstanding) might have avoided them.
But that said, the PrimPossible mesh piano is a stylish, ultra-low LI design. The L$950 price tag for both No Copy models equates to that of most Copy versions of other upmarket SL grand pianos, but few others have the range of animations associated with this model. The Copy versions, meanwhile are priced at L$2,400 (PG) or L$2,800 (Adult).
I’ll be honest and say that the PrimPossible mesh piano hasn’t persuaded me away from the Lisp at home, but it certainly now adds an extra grace at Caitinara Bar. Certainly, those who like their pianos to give something a little extra beyond music will be hard pressed to find a piano to match this one, while those operating on an LI budget who want a really nicely style grand piano simply won’t find better.
The PrimPossible mesh piano is available via the PrimPossible Marketplace furniture store and via the PrimPossible in-world store.
Ironwood Hills, designed by Cyrus Knight (josman2088) and Jestyr Knight (Zeke Jestyr), is perhaps not the neighbourhood we’d ideally like to pick to live. When I last visited, the town appeared to be deserted, caught within a forever twilight of swirling mist and rains, thrall to the soulful wailing of forgotten sirens.
Now occupying a new location, the story of Ironwood Hills continues – and the darkness shrouding it has not lifted; and as with the last build, this is a design which makes superb use of space, creating the feeling that the region is much larger than the supplied 65,536 square metres.
It is also a place where anyone who visited the last instalment of the town will, on arrival, feel an immediate sense of déjà vu. This may be a different location and the sirens may no longer be audible, but it is clearly part of the same town. Rain still falls from the heavy sky, lightning flickers, and the down town streets still offer the last vestiges of working electric lights amidst the decay. Here, however, water flooded the streets and alleys, perhaps the result of the same disaster that inundated the fairgrounds of the older Ironwood Hills build.
The flood presents the visitor with a problem. How to explore the streets without having to wade through the water and perhaps risk injury? Fortunately, the answer is supplied by a rowing boat sitting by the arrival point, allowing us to make our way around the ruined streets, past guttering street lights and the wrecks of cars and trucks; the broken windows of stores in places staring back at us like empty eye sockets.
With careful navigation, it is possible to reach a route up to drier land, a route which will carry you past a church. But this may not be a the place for spiritual restoration as one might expect. Carved stone figures, faces hidden under the hoods of their robes stand menacing guard at the church gates, while alongside the entrance a sign offers Ready or Not, Jesus Is Comingmore in threat than in promise of salvation.
Beyond the church, the road continues upwards, climbing to a plateau sitting just above the roof tops of the down town area. Here, behind a protective wooden palisade, sits a cliff side residential area. Beyond the houses nestled here, the rooftops of the taller down town buildings show more signs of habitation: a makeshift hospital here, a bar and still there, little huts, the gaps of alleyways separating them bridge by wooden planks while ladders connect roofs at different heights.
But where are the survivors now? To find that out, you must make your way between the houses and follow the road and it winds further up into the hills, the way getting darker, the warnings more grim as you progress. I’m not going to say any more here, because to do so would spoil the element of discovery.
Suffice it to say that there is as much to seen below ground here as there is above, and that the coiled snake of tunnels that leads you beneath the hills perhaps stands as a metaphor for the twisting descent into darkness taken by those who once survived here.
All told, this is another superb design by Cyrus and Jestyr, one that adds a further chapter to the dark legend of Ironwood Hills. If you like your explorations of Second Life to have something of an edge to them, this is definitely a place to visit; and if you have enjoyed the town in its earlier incarnation, then this latest chapter is certain to be one you will not want to miss.
Xiola “show us your video tutorials!” (image by Strawberry Singh)
On Wednesday, March 9th, I blogged about a new Tips and Tricks blog post which appeared on the official SL blogs, with the general title of Tips and Tricks from the Community.
In writing my article, I pondered if the Lab’s post marked a one-off or the start of a new regular or semi-regular series from the Lab.
In response to my musings, Xiola Linden dropped me an e-mail on the matter:
Hello Inara,
I wanted to let you know that we would appreciate if anyone spots a particular tutorial they found helpful that they consider sharing it with us for consideration.
I’d love to revive that section of our blogs and highlight the wonderful Resident generated content available and yet to be created.
So, if you do have video tutorials you’re like to have shared with other Second Life residents, get in contact with either Xiola or Torley and let them know where they can find your work. They’ll take a look at it for possible inclusion in a future Tips and Tricks from the Community post.
We have, in addition to bringing back the blog, started a playlist on our YouTube channel specifically for Resident tutorials that we’d like to continue to curate with more. There is a modest few there now, but it will grow as we identify more of the great content out there and hope the Second Life community will help us in doing so!
So, even if you don’t have (or know of) any tutorial videos which could be of interest to other Second Life users, you can still keep an eye on the Second Life You Tube channel and the tutorial playlist and keep abreast of resident’s own tips, tricks and teachings!
Fantasy Faire 2016, in aid of Relay for Life of Second Life, will take place between Thursday, April 21st and Sunday May 1st inclusive.
The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire It brings together fantasy enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts across 14 themed regions, with special emphasis on fund-raising for Relay for Life of Second Life.
Via Fantasy Faire
Merchant applications have been open since early March, and the ten core regions for the event are filling up fast, although there are, at the time of writing, some parcels still available. Blogger / press applications are set to open on Sunday March 20th.
This years brings some new names to the list of designers selected to bring the faireland regions into being, as well as seeing some familiar and popular names returning as well. The regions and designers are:
Blackmoor by Lokii Violet. “Fog snakes down the gas lit streets. Footsteps echo on the cobblestone but whether friend or foe approaches it is impossible to guess. Shadows loom in every corner as the bowels of the city wake up and the workings of another moonless night begin.” Store status: sold out.
Breeze by Kayle Matzerath. “A very bright and pastel watercolour village that harnesses the wind to turn it into magical energy.” Store status: themed stores only.
Bright Haven by Kilik Lekvoda and Rynn Verwood. “A fairytale market town brimming with wonder, happiness and magic. A stroll down the cobble streets might see you breaking out in song accompanied by your woodland friends.” Store status: sold out.
Dangarnon by Jaimy Hancroft and Eowyn Swords. “Villains roam the cobbled streets of a fallen Andolys where evil rolled in and blotted out the light. Skeletons of what once was are all that remain. Rotting and crooked the stone houses and towers are a sad reflection of their former glory. Darkness hangs over the land like a heavy blanket suffocating any ray of light. But even here, in all this blackness a shimmer of hope has managed to hide and survive, a tiny piece of what once was this magical place still lives within these dead walls. Perhaps all is not lost yet…” Store status: sold out.
Hope’s Horizon: Fantasy Faire 2014
Echtra by Loki Eliot. “The land is stuck in time. There is no summer nor is there any winter. There is just a grey emptiness hanging over the once busy town of Echtra and the surrounding moorland. And what of the legends that tell of a great sleeping dragon under the hill the town is built. Will the secrets of this once thriving community be revealed and if they can be discovered exactly who will awake?” Store status: not provided.
The Golden Delta by Alia Baroque. “The Immortal City bathed in gold and turquoise where the river and sands of life draw the passing of time.” Store status: themed stores only.
Lucentia by Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee. “There lies a realm in the depth of antiquity or perhaps its the distant future- where all is energy and light and physical substance has no meaning. A glowy world of shifting lights and undulating energies. A world of magic and emotion and beauty. Where the only danger is losing your mind.” Store status: sold out.
Ichi-Go Ichi-E: Fantasy Faire 2015
Serenity by Kaelis Ember and Aikeo Rieko. “They say there are one thousand steps to the top of Serenity, an ancient city, every nook and cranny carved to perfection, smooth curves, beautiful terraces, stunning waterfalls, latticed windows. Built by ageless hands so many moons ago, they also say that those who ascend to the top of the city will discover something more valuable than gold, the knowledge we’re not alone in our fights.” Store status: sold out.
Tinkers Hollow by Mayah Parx. “If you had the power to create anything you thought, what would you think? And if every thought you thunk took form, where would you store all the stuff? Welcome to Tinkers Hollow. The eclectic trappings of an unusual mind filled with everything from toys and cards to gears and cogs. Who knows what might appear?” Store status: not provided.
Twilight Illusion by Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Eldowyn Inshan. “The Realm of Twilight Illusion is a land divided. Rising out of a vast lake of lava, small islands pepper the view. Connected by rickety bridges the inhabitants make a life amid the hellish landscape of rotten vegetation, creepy trees, stinky mushrooms, bones, skulls and ravens. As sulphur and brimstone percolate below the breezes of the upper levels remind of sun and dew, welcoming the visitor into a flower filled meadow where worries are replaced with joy under rainbow skies and a picnic of nectar and honeyed cakes has been laid out by unseen hands.” Store status: themed stores only.
Crimson Field: Fantasy Faire 2013
In addition, the following regions will also be a part of the Fairelands:
Fairelands Junction by Saiyge Lotus
Fantasy Faire Radio / Literary Festival by Elicio Ember
Arts and Entertainment by Haveit Neox
Fantasy Faire Hunt by Rynn Verwood
As usual, I’ll be covering Fantasy Faire in these pages, but to keep right up to date with news and announcement, keep an eye on the links below.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 