Day: May 6, 2024

I took some time to build something a little more ambitious I admit…I welcome you to this new edition, the first chapter of a long story. This story will evolve as the project does, so don’t be in too much of a hurry. Let’s not rush. Let’s evolve together in this adventure.

– Len Teardrop

With these words on her Flickr stream, Len Teardrop invites people to visit her Lenixus Project ~ Chapter I : The Snail Princess, an engaging installation occupying a sky build within a quarter (or thereabouts) of a Full private region.

This is intended to be an evolving story, told both visually and through prompts and sounds, with Len planning on presenting a new scene (a new chapter?) about every four months – although as she notes in the About Land description, the entire idea is still evolving, and so things might not be stable insofar as direction, updates, and so on, are concerned.

As it stands at the time of writing, the installation comprises a number of elements, starting with the landing point. This serves to provide an introduction to the story, present links to view the installation’s Group and Flickr and provide instructions on viewing the installation (essentially just set the viewer to Use Shared Environment and to which I would add, make sure that local sounds are enabled, as there are collision-triggered spoken word narrative elements in places); all perfectly presented as writing on a chalkboard and as drawing.

Note, as well, that the EEP setting used within the installation are available as a gift leaning against one of the chalkboards for those who wish to take them.

That morning she had resigned herself to walking through the mirror. The unknown, which was hidden behind the pale reflection of its slim shape, frightened its reason with obscure doubts and uncertainties, but her curiosity and her need for constant flight made her heart beat with an arrogant rhythm that led her to fall beyond the mirror.

That morning it all started.

– Lenixus Project Chapter I introduction

From here, passage through the door drawn on one wall carries visitors through to the first major scene.

Offered in the same white as the landing point, the first scene has a trio of vignettes, all laid out in such a way that they might be photographed as a whole, or as individual elements. Each has plenty of opportunities for taking avatar–centric image, and they should each be examined carefully, as there are a multitude of details which might help frame your perception of the tale being told.

What that tale might be is really open to interpretation; I found myself led in a certain direction, but as this was likely a result of my own personal bias towards matters of identity, adolescence, maturity, and growth, I’m not going to say any more here because I rarely don’t want to impinge my thinking on yours.

All I will say is that there is, perhaps, an interesting question to be asked from the outset; one posed by the framing paragraph of the story as it appears on its chalkboard: is this a tale told from the perspective of a child or young person (as suggested by the drawings and the use of the term “princess”), or might we actually be witnessing the narrative from the point of view of a much older person, a woman perhaps looking back on days passed? This may well become clearer in future chapters – but the fact that the question might be asked can have an interesting effect on how the entire installation might be interpreted.

Passing from this initial trio of vignettes to the next scene is a case of following in the footsteps of that girl / woman – finding and then stepping through a mirror (follow the water to find it!) and into the unknown.

Here, under a bent lamp, sits the figure of a man – father? Grandfather? Stranger? You decide. Reading a paper, he acts as the anchor point for three surrounding scenes, with opportunities to sign the installation guestbook and offer a donation to Len’s work on either side of him.

If there is an order to viewing the three scenes, it is one I didn’t see noted – but I would recommend taking the School first (indicated by the iron gate) the (possibly) indicative name Ecole Jeanne d’Arc mounted on the wall beside it, then move on to enter through the Castle gatehouse, and leave the road tunnel until last.

Once again I don’t want to say much about the School or the Castle. Both appear rich in symbolism and metaphor and offer multiple opportunities for avatar-centric photographs. All I will say is that to leave the School, pass back through the doors (they will be behind you on entering), and to leave the gardens of the Castle, pass back through the hole in the wall (again, behind you on entering).

As with the trio of vignettes in their white space, both the School and the Castle / garden (which could perhaps benefit from a surround to block out the looming distraction of the residential skybox next door) are rich in content and elements which might be taken as either symbolic of the story, or metaphors to direct how we might interpret it (for example, rightly or wrongly, I found the manner in which the thorny brambles are breaking through the walls of the garden to be potentially symbolic of the story’s possible meaning).

The final scene, reached through the road tunnel, drops visitors into a more worldly setting which is in part literally under construction, with a couple of men putting up prims and slapping on paint. This offers the suggestion that the tale is to be continued here, although it also contains elements which might already be a part of the story, together with at least two potential exits-in-waiting for onward transition. As such, it offers both an enticement for what is yet to come and further opportunities for considering the story thus far and  / or taking photos.

Imaginative, creative and with a near-perfect execution, Lenixus Project is engaging, intriguing, photogenic – and well worth visiting.

SLurl Details

• Lenixus Project ~ Chapter I : The Snail Princess (Enoshima, rated Moderate)