Cica Ghost once again invited me to drop into her region of Mysterious Isle and her installation for October, Lune. And given the time of year, it should come as no surprise that it is spookily themed.
I’ll make no bones about it, Lune creepily fun and offers both tricks and treats wherever you go.
Cica Ghost: Lune – October 2026
As is usual for Cica’s installations, Lune features a quote. In this case, line from Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim, itself something of fitting choice given its focus on a young man haunted by a decision made in a moment of terror when he bowed to the pressures of his peers.
There is something haunting in the light of the moon.
– Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim
Cica Ghost: Lune – October 2026
However, rather than offering a treatise on the novel’s themes, Cica uses the quote to underscore the haunting delights of her setting, where even the Moon is looking a little skeletal in nature.
Indeed, under this Moon’s crescent, trees whip upwards like tentacles, a graveyard lies is shadow, some of its occupants attempting to rise even and others are already wandering abroad. At least one even appears to have returned home!
Four
This is a place where crows and vultures watch all that happens and bones lay scattered across the ground.
In the middle of all of this, an little quintet of Trick or Treaters appear to have wandered – one of whom has something of Cica’s own look about her as they glance nervously around, there costumes fitting the setting even if their eyes are wide in possible trepidation.
Cica Ghost: Lune – October 2026
This is a place where even the term “bat mobile” takes on a near literal form as it provides one mode of transport, the other being a little more gruesome. Not that it prevented me from, umm, revving up with fellow blogger and Second Life traveller, Sam Rougefeu (Dodderi Haifisch)!
Finished with a very suitable audio stream – do have music enabled when visiting – Lune brings a lightness and sense of fun to Halloween that’s delightful in its touch and difference to the darker region themes that tend to come out at this time of year!
Cica Ghost: Lune – Sam Rougefeu takes to a BAT mobile to avoid my SKUL(L)duggery 🙂
Dido Haas dropped me a line concerning an emotive exhibition by Second Life artist-photographer Christian Carter due to open at Limoncello Gallery, operated by Dave (Lord Junibalya) with the assistance of Fenella Allen, on October 1, 2026.
Dido’s note prompted me to realise I haven’t actually covered Limoncello since 2021, so before turning to Christian’s exhibition I will take a look at Limoncello as it sits within its most recent location and remains one of the longest-running art collections in Second Life.
Limoncello Gallery: Janus Fall, Sina Souza and Diconay Boa
The collection was originally founded nigh-on 20 years ago (at the time of writing) by the superbly-named LastDitch Writer in 2007, and stood as a private collection within the unique environment of a massive airship. In 2011, LastDitch departed SL for a time after the passing of his wife (although he is now again active in-world as the Chieftain of the Clan McDitch and live at Nyuvegan Castle on the Isle of NyuSkye).
Rather than vanish from SL, Limoncello passed into the care of Dave. In 2020 an annexe opened in Bellisseria, which I covered at the time. However, the main gallery now sits in a towering skyscraper rising over the City Borough of Manda Vale, itself located high above NyuSkye.
Limoncello Gallery: Janine Portal, Louvre, Stephen Venkman, April Acorn and Prins Evergarden
The many floors of the skyscraper contains pieces by artist right across Second Life, featuring SL landscapes, avatar studies, 3D pieces, physical world paintings. And yes, right up on the roof the airship with its gallery spaces is moored, reached via the Experience-based teleport doors on both the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground floor, where a similar teleport door connects to the Bellisseria annexe.
Movement between floors in the gallery is via elevator, which is where I have a minor niggle. Whilst “real”; the elevator is painfully slow if it is more than a couple of floors away from you. Perhaps a teleport or-whilst space-intensive – stairs might be a better choice.
Limoncello Gallery: Royal Shippe and ArtemisGreece
But be that as it may, the entire gallery is more than worth a visit for its collective history of Second Life Art. Also, while visiting, Amanda Tamatzui has a gallery a short walk from Limocello’s front doors, whilst the far side of the Bellisseria Consulate (facing Limoncello’s tower) is Art Galleries of Second Life, presenting teleport portals to many of the galleries to be found in-world.
Christian Carter: After You
Which brings me to Christian’s After You, located within Limoncello Tower. This is a small but emotional collection of pieces mixed with text elements. To describe it, I’ll simply use some of Christian’s own words.
These photos grew out of an experience of absence, loss and the strange space that remains when someone is no longer there. They are not meant to tell a complete story, but to hold fragments of one.
– Christian Carter, After You
Christian Carter: After You, Limoncello Gallery
These fragments as thus presented in four parts: Before (or connection); Loss (or distance), Aftermath (or disappearance) and Becoming (or what comes after).
Each section comprises two or three images, each one highly minimalist in presentation whilst including individual styling. This minimalism and choice of style – monochrome, light colour wash, chiaroscuro and deep colour tone – serves to give all of the images there emotional depth.
Christian Carter: After You, Limoncello Gallery
I’m not going to offer any personal interpretation of the art; how each piece speaks to us is down to our own experience of loss and absence and how that shapes our response to these pieces.
All I will say is that loss does not doesn’t necessarily mean being physically without; loss can be felt as much by a sense of distance in terms of mental / emotional separation as by any physical absence (and can eventually result in the latter) – which is beautifully represented here by Christian is the second and third parts of After You.
Christian Carter: After You, Limoncello Gallery
A sublime and moving collection, perfectly presented, After You formally opens at 12:00 noon on October 1, 2026 and will remain in place through until December 31, 2026.
Limoncello Gallery is an ideal destination for Second Life art lovers, and After You is the ideal exhibition from which to commence a viewing of the collection.
