One of the more unusual gallery spaces to be found in Second Life is that of the Voir Gallery complex, created and operated / curated by Frenchy25, and home to both his art and that of his SL partner, Caly Applewhyte (Calypso Applewhyte), as well as featuring exhibitions by other artists.
Quite where to begin a visit is a little difficult in a quarter region space that boasts some eight gallery areas, each one uniquely defined. This being the case, I’ve arbitrarily selected The Canyon top, an outdoor area to one side of the parcel, offering foot access to the majority of the exhibition areas.
From here it is possible to walk along the broken landscape of Merdopolis, passing a tribute to the art of Donald Judd in Marfa, Texas along the way, to where a decrepit road bridge spans a narrow gorge. Cross this, and it will lead you to down a ramp and along a street to The Garage (currently without an exhibition), or by way of metal stairways, either back along the canyon’s side to a tunnel-like exhibition space, or up to the Voir Gallery proper (of which the aforementioned garage forms the lowest level).
The Voir Gallery and the tunnel below and alongside of it both currently house Frenchy 25’s vividly evocative imagery; beautifully post-processed avatar studies and landscape scenes. In addition, and just outside the main entrance to the Voir, are steps down to The Underground, currently displaying more of Frenchy25’s art.
If you prefer, there are two other routes to be taken from the Canyon top landing point. The first is down the wooden steps tto the floor of the canyon itself, and thence by way of a small street scene to the Wild Weed. This is a wonderfully steampunk themed exhibition space (take the stone steps down through the clouds of the “sky”), home to a recently opened and engaging exhibition of images by both Frenchy25 and Caly.
Alternatively, if you take the route along the Canyon top from landing point to the broken road bridge, but turn right, rather than stepping onto the bridge, you can make your way up to an outdoor seating area warmed by a brazier, and then down a fenced road to where a shuttle pod awaits (note that a similar pod is also available in the Wild Weed steampunk area). Climb into the pod, and it will carry you further aloft to the SS25 facility high in Earth orbit, offering both another place to explore and the opportunity to appreciate more of Caly’s and Frenchy25’s art, as well as pieces by 3D artists. A shuttle pod on the outer edge of the station will also return you to the launch platform above Topaz Square – or if you prefer, a teleport disk system links the two.
The shuttle pod is just one of the many interactive elements to be found within these gallery spaces. The cubes celebrating Donald Judd’s work, for example, include poses, while the art on display in the Wild Weed and be appreciated by sitting in the steel bucket suspended from a helium balloon, or sitting within the elevator car (although be careful here! Clicking the car when seated will cause it to rise, and it’s not quite aligned with the upper platform 🙂 ).
Should you find travelling on foot a little confusing, also note that there are teleport boards scattered throughout the parcel – although they may not be at all the locations described here. A typical example of these boards is at the Canyon top landing point, by way of an example.
The Voir gallery spaces make for an engaging visit, and offers something of a journey of discovery is seeking out all of the art on on display.
SLurl Details
- Voir Gallery Canyon top (Topaz Square, rated: Moderate)