I recently received an invitation from Nero (NeroRhea Supermarine) to visit her new public setting in Second Life – her first such undertaking offered to everyone to visit and appreciate – entitled OBSIDIA.
Set within roughly a quarter of a Full region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus, OBSIDIA presents an engaging and enigmatic location, which is both highly personal to Nero both in terms of being her first public setting design and the fact that – as she notes herself – she has tended to keep her Second Life to a small circle of friends; thus, presenting her creative intent to an audience across Second Life and beyond the art circles in which she has operated is a daunting exposure.
After more than 17 years, I finally feel the desire to share something with the rest of the world. OBSIDIA is the latest of my visions brought to life in Second Life, a space open to anyone who wishes to experience it. It’s a remote and enigmatic place, suspended between the present and the unknown, somewhere between tranquillity and unease, where reality seems to dissolve. It may feel like an escape from everything, yet there is always a lingering sense that something more awaits, something yet to be discovered. Take your time to explore and enjoy its different areas, designed for private relaxation, contemplation, or intimacy.
– NeroRhea Supermarine
I was immediately drawn to Nero’s description on reading it’s a remote and enigmatic place, suspended between the present and the unknown because I’ve always felt there is something romantic and compelling about visiting a place that might be referred to as being caught somewhere between now and when; so I knew I’d have to hop along and explore – and the region does not disappoint.
Presented using both PBR materials and Blinn-Phong (“legacy”) “fallback” textures / materials (I would recommend using a viewer supporting the former when visiting), OBSIDIA is both marvellously Earth-bound (the dark rocks mindful of a long-cooled volcanic outflow of the kind that might be seen in places like Iceland and Hawaii), whilst the EEP setting overhead combines with the landscape given the setting an otherworldly feel, a place where meteorite streak downwards as a gigantic version of our own Moon dominates the sky.
The Landing Point sits well back to one side of the parcel, not quite tucked under one of the two tall, slender ribbons of rock which separate the parcel from he rest of the region in which it sits. From here, before the entrance to a large structure housing a photographic studio and art gallery (of which more in a moment), arriving visitors are given a commanding view out over the setting and across the open sea bounding the parcel’s two remaining sides. The sound of surf pushing and booming against the rocky shoreline throbs through the air, a dominating presence alongside that of the huge Moon.
Across the desolate landscape directly in front of the Landing Point, a squared shoulder of rock sits between the sea and the familiar forms of three large shipping containers. These and the old water tower just beyond them, seem to help to further anchor the setting as being here on Earth; but then, rising beyond them, and standing somewhat silhouetted against the star-spangled sky, there rises the most curious of lighthouses which beckons the feet to come visit.
Approaching the lighthouse reveals that in order to reach it, it is necessary to climb that shoulder of rock and then cross a bridge. In doing so, this reveals the lighthouse is something of a steampunk / dieselpunk build, the structure partially embedded in the cinder cone of an extinct volcano, a large engine under it holding it aloft and in place as it turns massive pusher blades. The lighthouse tower itself cannot be accessed, but the drum-like machine room connected to it can be, and a stairway winding up its flank provides access to the flat roof, where places to sit might be found. In a nice touch, the structure sits within its own parcel so that local chat conversations are confined within it.
The same is true from another coastal structure on the north side of the parcel. Taking the form of an elevated, glass-walled house, it offer another quiet retreat within its own parcel, complete with seating both within and underneath it. Between this and the gallery building at the landing point, sits a giant broken cat head. Whether it once stood here alone and complete or was once part of a larger statue is yours to decide; it appears someone is making an attempt to repair it, a scaffold having been wrapped around it, Whilst inside another seating area can be found. This head further reveals the feline element to the setting – cats very much having laid claim to it throughout
The gallery building is home to Nero’s art, at and the time of my visit was displaying Broken, an engaging series of six 3D nude pieces arranged in pairs across the floor of the gallery. These are engaging pieces in their presentation, the figures apparently suspended in Perspex (or glass, given its shattered appearance). No liner notes are provided, leaving the individual pieces and the collection as a whole open to our interpretation.
With space found across the landscape, indoors and out (including the shipping containers), cats keeping an eye on everything, the sense of individuality within the setting gives it depth and a sense of warmth, whilst encouraging exploration. My thanks to Nero for the invitation!
SLurl Details
- OBSIDIA (Midnight Garden rated Adult)
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