Arcanum: introspection through art in Second Life

Aria Solstice (Aria1111 Skydancer) is a multi-talented creator whose time and work has spanned not only Second Life, but environments such as AltspaceVR, Horizons  and VR Chat. Her in-world store ARTSY – is one of the go-to destinations for those seeking PBR materials and / or PBR-centric décor items, furnishings, skyboxes, buildings, or EEP packs – and now immersive art.

As a creator, she has worked hard to create her brand – one I first became aware of through her PBR tutorials and which I now use regularly for my PBR materials  needs. Her dedication to her work can be seen through the fact that she moved to Second Life in 2023, then spent a year refining her brand and stock specific for Second Life prior to opening in May 2024 showcasing her skills as a 2D and 3D artist-creator.

With Arcanum, Aria presents an immersive installation comprising  – at the time it opened – eight “realms” of light, form, tone and / or colour. Each is its own unique environment I’m not about to describe here – simply because they should be experienced first-hand for both their beauty and the the questions or statements they hold.  However, before turning to them in at least some degree, a few quick notes about experiencing the installation:

• Please note that it is fully PBR: you will need a PBR-capable viewer in order to see it.
• Make sure you have local sounds enabled.
• Accept the experience to use the portals to move to / from realms (starting with the door portal at the entrance to the installation, and including the telephone booths which will take you to each of the realms).
• Remember that Arcanum is highly introspective: each realm might offer or reveal more to you about yourself the longer you spend within it in contemplation of its visual offering and – most particularly – in the question it asks.

Perhaps the best way to define the installation is through the words found on the wall of the entrance foyer, which I recommend visitor take the time to read prior to progressing through the teleport door to reach the desert and the start of a journey through the installation:

You stand at the threshold of realities that exist between thought and form, dream and substance. Arcanum is not merely a collection of spaces, but a journey through the architecture of consciousness itself. Each realm awaits your exploration – luminous geometries, flowing energies and artsy dimensions that desire your presence and contemplation. As you move through these environments, you may discover that they are not separate from you, but extensions of your own perception. The questions you encounter are invitations – gateways to insights that may reveal themselves in unexpected moments. There are no right answers here, only authentic ones. 

Some visitors my find Arcanum speaks to parts of themselves they have forgotten. Others discover new territories within their imagination. What you find here is what you bring – your curiosity, your openness, you willingness to wonder. 

Arcanum introduction

Each of the eight realms offers a unique environment, featuring light, structure, form and three questions intended to resonate and encourage consideration / self-reflection. While there is apparently no given order for visiting each of the realms, the booths are arranged from left-to-right, and so perhaps subconsciously suggest an order to viewing. By coincidence, the leftmost booth – Silent Echo – perhaps offers the most ideal place to start; the static nature of its design and the presentation of its three questions before the waiting seats helping to encourage one into a necessary state of inward thinking and self-exploration as the colours within the hall gently change.

As one moves between them, each realm might be seen as reflecting the nature and spirit of the questions asked within it. Sometimes this is clear from the outset – notably in Duality; whilst elsewhere, the relationship might be more subtle in nature (Bioluminescence, Arcanum’s Lair), and sometimes it might be felt more than seen (Aura Doodles, Field of LED). Hence why time should be spent in each, contemplating their questions and statements and the responses they evoke – and in pursuing those responses and what they might reveal about self; all the while moving through and observing the very physical environment each realm presents.

For my part, as well as giving me pause to cogitate on the questions within Arcanum – both in terms of myself and what they might reveal about Aria as a creative.  I was also fascinated by two highly personal reactions it caused in me.

The first was  the way several of the realms evoked a desire to witness them fully immersed through VR, marking the first time I’ve felt such a conscious desire where headsets are concerned. The second was in the way they resonated with me as something of an alternative manifestation of Bear’s “Country of the Mind” (Queen of Angels, 1990); his fictional VR-like psychotherapy technique used in the exploration of personality, nature, identity and self. Yes, what is described in the book in no way resembles the environments found within Arcanum, but the underlying concepts are (to me) remarkably similar.

Richly immersive and – if you give it time and rally immerse yourself within it – deeply engaging installation, Arcanum is, I gather from Aria, sent to evolve further over time. Which, when you consider the fact that it is a manifestation of introspection and reflection, is entirely natural; Aria’s creativity and thinking are not static nor single-tracked. As such, I would anticipate Arcanum growing and evolving in response to her own continued growth – and to thus remain relevant as we also grow and change and re-visit.

SLurl Details

• Arcanum ([ARTSY], rated Moderate)