Day: July 27, 2016

Windlight Feed A Smile fund-raiser: 180 meals for Kenyan children

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Winfdlight Magazine / Feed A Smile / Brique Topaz
via Windlight Magazine / Feed A Smile / LLK

In July 2016, Windlight Magazine ran a hunt in aid of Feed A Smile, the a programme run by Live and Learn in Kenya (LLK) to provide nutritious warm lunches for over 400 children in Kenya every day, paid for entirely from donations to the project.

The hunt featured Prism Designs, Miss Darcy, FLOOD, Bindu Gallery, % Percent Furniture and Lighting, The Edge Gallery, CKB Gallery, Kaerri, Maven Homes, Windlight Workz, and Windlight Magazine. In organising it, Windlight Magazine pledged to match all donations made through the hunt, and to make a large donation at the end.

Enjoying the mael: 180 happy faces (via: Windlight Magazine / Feed A Smile / Brique Topaz)
Enjoying the meal: 180 happy faces (via: Windlight Magazine / Feed A Smile / LLK)

On July 27th, writing on behalf of Windlight Magazine John Brianna (Johannes1977 Resident) published a blog post on the results of the effort: funds to cover 180 meals for children in the Feed A Smile programme, who enjoyed their meal on Wednesday, July 26th.

Commenting on the effort, John said:

Putting this all into perspective, this is what  Second Life should be about, coming together to help others. We have seen it time and time again, with the recent Pulse fund-raisers, to the various charity organizations in Second Life (Rock Your Rack, Creations For Parkinson’s, Autism Speaks, Team Diabetes of Second Life, Homes For Our Troops), that the charitable spirit is alive and well in people.

The children themselves sent a special message of thanks to both Windlight Magazine and the residents of Second Life who supported the fund-raiser, which can be seen at the top of this piece.

Kudos to all involved!

About Feed A Smile

Feed A Smile is a programme run by LLK to provide nutritious warm lunches for over 400 children every day, paid for entirely from donations to the project. Over a third of the money directed at the programme comes from donations received through Feed a Smile in Second Life – and that’s a remarkable figure.

Feed A Smile in Second Life - in the foreground is a model (by RAG Randt) of the school in Nakuru, Kenya, Live and Learn Kenya (LLK) are building
Feed A Smile in Second Life – in the foreground is a model (by RAG Randt) of the school in Nakuru, Kenya, Live and Learn Kenya (LLK) are building

The money is raised through fund raisers like this, and through live music played at the Feed A Smile Region, which stages around 5 or 6 events weekly. At these music events, musicians donate their tips, and visitors are asked to donate just L$100 ($0.30), which is enough to purchase a filling meal for a child in Kenya, a fact that within itself is also quite mind-boggling!

If you would like to offer support to Feed A Smile through fund-raising, etc., please contact Brique Topaz in-world.

The Singularity of Kumiko: the film

Posted on by Inara Pey
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The Singularity of Kumiko by Bryn Oh

In January, I relayed the news that Bryn Oh was one of 17 recipients of grants from the Ontario Arts Council. At the time she received news of the grant, Bryn indicated that some of it would be used in recreating and filming her outstanding The Singularity of Kumiko (which I wrote about here). On July 24th, and following a premier at Indie Teepee on July 21st, she formally released the finished machinima on YouTube.

In rebuilding the installation for the filming, Bryn has made a few changes, and as she notes in her post on the film (which I’m actually unable to link to directly, due to her post not having a title of its own, so I can only direct you to her home page),  she’s also incorporated scenes in the film which are not present in the in-world installation. None of these changes in any way alter the narrative arc of the piece; rather they allow the film to further stand as a valid and independent artistic interpretation of the installation.

This is the third grant Bryn has received from the Ontario Arts Council with respect to her work in Second Life, noting, “I also would like to thank the Ontario Arts Council for their continued support over the years … It is very rewarding and encouraging for me to know that such an establishment sees the virtual space as a powerful and unique tool for creating art.”

The Singularity of Kumiko was, and remains an extraordinary demonstration of immersive art and storytelling in Second Life, and one fully deserving to be preserved within this film. The installation itself remains open on Bryn’s home region of Immersiva. Regardless as to whether you have visited it before, please do take this opportunity to visit it in person whilst it is available.

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