Category: Events

BURN2 2014 Burnal Equinox builders and artists announced

Posted on by Inara Pey

burnalOn the 19th February, the Burn2 team announced the names of the builders and artists selected for the 2014 Burnal Equinox, which will take place between Friday March 28th and Sunday March 30th inclusive in the playa regions.

The title of the event is Hotter Than Air, and the setting is the distant future where, to escape a toxin-ravaged Earth, the people have taken to the sky, building their homes beneath balloons filed with a mixture of the very toxins that poisoned the planet mixed with playa dust to create a lighter-than-air substance called Fairy Dust. In this multi-platform, multi-level environment, the people celebrate a renewal of life every Spring, decorating their balloons and platforms, travelling between them in fantastical lighter-than-air machines.

The builders and artists, selected by draw, who will help visualise this aerial setting and bring it to life are, together with the themes of their builds:

  • Annevonlinz – Latin expressions
  • Aurora Mycano – Fractal Recovery Sphere
  • Chic Aeon – Silent Contemplation
  • Cinnamon Ghoststar – Sky Garden #1
  • Ginger Lorakeet – Inside Art
  • Giovanna Cerise – Graden Glass
  • Herbie Haven – Weather Balloon
  • Instincta – Burning Ice
  • Krummis Blessed – Post Apocalypso
  • maddomxc Umino – Immortal Sculptures in the Universe
  • mongoflex – idk Yes Sorry …
  • polkamatic feller –  Burn The Past
  • Qwark Allen – Detox
  • Rogue Desmoulins – Air Brûlée
  • sirhc DeSantis – Just a Bar
  • Slatan Dryke – Yonder
  • St3m Resident – Keys to Fly
  • Veyot resident – Memories of Home
  • Yman juran – Universe of Love

Hotter Than air opens to the public on Friday March 28th, at midday SLT, and continues through until 22:00 SLT on Sunday March 30th, 2014.

Of cardbox boxes, alien aliens and Arthurian tales

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library SL.

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday February 23rd,13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Tea-time at Baker Street embarks on a new series of adventures as Caledonia Skytower, Corwyn Allen and Kayden Oconnell commence reading from His Last Bow.

A 1917 anthology of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow originally comprised seven stories published byThe Strand Magazine between 1908 and 1917. However, later editions of the book saw an eighth story included, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, originally published in 1892.

The affair begins when Miss Susan Cushing of Croydon receives a grisly parcel of two severed human ears, packed in salt. Inspector Lestrade is convinced that the parcel is a prank on the part of three medical students Miss Cushing was forced to evict from her lodgings due to their unruly behaviour. Lestrade points to the parcel as coming from Belfast – the home of one of the former lodgers – as reason for his suspicions.

On examining the parcel, however, Holmes is certain that they are dealing with a far more serious crime, pointing to the poor spelling used to address the parcel, with rough means by which the ears had been severed and the use of course salt as packaging as being indicative of someone with poorer education and lesser surgical skills as might be expected of a doctor-in-training. So who is responsible? Holmes considers the solution so simple that he asks Lestrade not to mention his name in connection with it …

Find out more by joining Caledonia, Corwyn and Kayden!

Monday February 24th, 19:00: From an Alien Point of View

When humans interact with aliens who are actually alien, we run into the fact that we’re as weird to them as they are to us. This can cause the most remarkable misunderstandings…. More thought-provoking sci-fi from the collection of Gyro Muggins.

Tuesday February 25th, 19:00: The Te of Piglet Concludes

Winnie the Pooh may have been a Bear Of Very Little Brain often bothered by long words, but in 1982, through him, his friends in the 100 Acre Wood and their adventures, Benjamin Hoff found the perfect means of introducing a western audience to the principles and ideals of Taoism.

That work was covered in a series of readings in mid-2013 by Caledonia and Kayden. Now they conclude their reading of the 1992 companion volume to that work, The Te of Piglet.

Te is a Chinese word commonly interpreted to mean ‘power’ or ‘virtue’, but which has far more depth than either, being more a special quality of character, spiritual strength, or hidden potential unique to the individual. Through this book, Hoff further explores Taoist concepts, notably that ‘the virtue of the small’, showing how Piglet has great Te, not just because of his diminutive stature, but because he has Tz’u – a great heart, even if – as is so often the case – he’s generally unaware of the fact that he has.

Taking a somewhat different approach to the original Tao of Pooh, this book uses the other characters from the 100 Acre Wood to show how our own humanity, in is different facets and forms, is seen by the Taoist as a series of impediments to our living in harmony with the Tao.

Wednesday February 26th, 19:00: Random Acts of Poetry

With Caledonia Skytower.

Thursday February 27th

16:00 The Ballad of Donny Granger

The Ballads of Donny Granger, Book One is the first full-length illustrated novel from the mind Stephanie Mesler, also known in Second Life as Freda Frostbite. Want to know more? Then join Freda at the Seanchai library!

19:00: Peredur son of Efrawg Concludes

Shandon Loring brings us one the three romances associated with the Mabinogion.

PeredurDating from the 12th or 13th century, Peredur son of Efrawg is a tale somewhat similar in nature to – but necessarily based upon – Chrétien de Troyes’ unfinished Arthurian romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, albeit with the Grail replaced by a salver containing a man’s severed head.

Left fatherless from a young age, Peredur is raised in isolation by his mother, deep in the woods. After meeting a group of knights, he determines he will become like them, and so travels to the court of King Arthur. Here, while he earns respect for his valour and pureness of heart, he also discovers prejudice, in the form of Cei’s (Sir Kay’s) attitude towards others.

Determined to restore the honour of a recipient of Cei’s insults, Peredur sets out on a series of adventures which mirror those of Chrétien’s Perceval, and which in turn lead to further adventures very different from any in Chrétien’s work, before eventually revealing to Peredur the truth concerning the misfortunes of his family, allowing him to avenge them.

21:00: Seanchai Late Night

Details still TBA, so please check with the Seanchai Library blog as the week progresses.

—–

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for January and February is The Xerces Society and their efforts at world-wide conservation and education for some of the smallest creatures on our earth.

Related Links

Paradise Lost: in conversation with Becky and Harvey

Posted on by Inara Pey

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Canary Beck and Harvey Crabsticks about their upcoming production of Paradise Lost: The story of Adam and Eve’s original sin, which is set to premiere with the Basilique Performing Arts Company in Spring 2014.

As regulars know, I’ve been following the work of the Company of late, both with their production of Romeo + Juliet (soon to be a part of a special AIR installation with the LEA), and now with Paradise Lost itself, so I was especially pleased when Becky and Harvey pinged me with an invitation to sit down with them.

Taking a break: Canary Besk (l) and Harvey Crabstocks take a break from production preparations to chat with me about Paradise Lost
Taking a break: Canary Beck (l) and Harvey Crabsticks take a break from production preparations to chat with me about Paradise Lost

This is an incredibly ambitious project, setting Milton’s classic poem in blank verse to dance and the music of the Süssmayr completion of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, and one which – as Harvey unsurprisingly told me – has tended to push SL’s capabilities hard, particularly as they approach curtain up for the first time.

After getting ourselves comfortable, Harvey picked-up on the technology headaches they’ve encountered in preparing Paradise Lost. “The last couple of weeks we’ve been pushing things to the absolute limit,” he says wryly. “We’ve had to do a lot of work to overcome those hurdles. One of the toughest challenges over the last few weeks has been dealing with script memory limits, but we’re mostly over that hurdle now.”

Scripting isn’t the only element that has proven challenging for this production. Choreographing up to nine avatars on  – and over – the stage at the same time, and in time to the movements of Mozart’s Requiem  is no easy matter, as Becky points-out, “I think we really hit a few roadblocks when started introducing nine avatars into one scene together,  totalling over 600 independent actions inside 3 and half minutes!”

Traditionally, when working on a theatre production, directors turn to a process known as blocking scenes: arranging where actors appear on stage, how they move around the stage during interactions, etc., and then leave. However, Paradise lost includes battles between angels and demons within the heavenly realms above the stage. “It’s not something you see every day,” Becky confides with a smile. “Sometimes that can get a bit mind bending!” It’s also something not easily handled by conventional scene blocking.

Blocking the way: a digital update to the traditional means of "blocking" actor movements through a scene. Coloured prims represent each character and plot the moves they must make and actions they take through a scene
Blocking the way: a digital update to the traditional means of “blocking” actor movements through a scene. Coloured prims represent each character and plot the moves they must make and actions they take through a scene

To cope with this – and the 43 credited roles within the production – Becky and Harvey have literally taken the process of blocking back to its original roots as first used by Sir W. S. Gilbert, who employed a model of his stage with actors represented actors with small blocks, hence the term. However, with Paradise Lost, the approach has been given a distinctly digital twist; characters and their movements (both on the ground and in the air) being represented by coloured prims which can be placed within the actual sets themselves, allowing cast and production crew clearly visualise what is going on and when; essential when a single actor may be responsible for more than one character.

It’s a time-consuming task, as Becky confides. “It takes 36 hours to plan the most simple scene.” Harvey nods in agreement, adding, “The biggest scene – the aerial battle, is up over 100 hours of effort so far.” However, it is also one vital to such a complex production.

Another view of the blocking process, captured up in the Basilique Company's workshop / rehearsals area
Another view of the blocking process, captured up in the Basilique Company’s workshop / rehearsals area

By using blocking this way, and combining it with the choreography and timing imposed by the music, it is possible to construct what Becky calls a “score”. Like its musical namesake, this score allows the actors, stage manager and director to clearly understand what is going on and who is doing what and when and where they’re doing in, and the correct cues given and followed.

Another element to the production which has presented its own challenges is that of sets. Not only are there multiple sets required – ten in total, some of which extend into the audience space, thus making them a part of the story – but some contain elements common to one another, and scene changes need to be relatively smooth and seamless. The result has been to layer the scenes over one another, using transparency and phantom capabilities together with scripting to enable fast, fluid control of the sets – which is visible, which aren’t, what common parts are there for use, and so on.

Taking all of this approach into account, it seemed to me that Paradise Lost is very much a theatrical production in the fullest sense of the word; a view Harvey agreed with, “One of the things that we’ve been quite pleased with is that we’ve been able to transition from a largely danced based production,” that of Romeo + Juliet, “to one that has dance as a key element, but which is far more theatrical. I think it’s fair to say our ambitions for what we want to say and how we want to say it have elevated as a result.”

Even so, the dance element is obviously apparent; indeed, dance here is very much the narrative, more so than even with Romeo + Juliet. Was this a deliberate choice of direction, rather than opting for something perhaps leaning back towards more use of voice or text?

Becky and Harvey
Becky and Harvey

“We’ve seen lots of SL theatre that is essentially avatars voicing,” Becky observes.”While we appreciate it can be done well, we find that SL as a platform lends itself to so much more than mimicking what might be done on stage by fleshy actors. But we have so much more control over what we can do here.”

“We feel quite strongly that what we do is something different, and new,” Harvey continues, again demonstrating the closeness of their creative minds. “Some elements of RL theatre are present of course, but it’s a new medium.”

Continue reading “Paradise Lost: in conversation with Becky and Harvey” →

Mysterious lodgers, alien enounters and chivalrous affairs

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library SL.

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday February 16th

13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street: The Adventure of the Red Circle

Tea-time at Baker Street embarks on a new series of adventures as Caledonia Skytower, Corwyn Allen and Kayden Oconnell commence reading from His Last Bow.

A 1917 anthology of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow originally comprised seven stories published byThe Strand Magazine between 1908 and 1917. However, later editions of the book saw an eighth story included, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, originally published in 1892.

In The Adventure of the Red Circle, Holmes and Watson come to the assistance of Mrs. Warren, a landlady with a worrying situation involving a lodger.

It seems the lodger, a young, heavily bearded man, paid twice the going rate to rent a room from Mrs. Warren on the condition he had the room on his own terms. After going out the first night, and returning well after everyone else in the house had gone to bed, nothing has been seen of the man. Communications – such as requests for the Daily Gazette to be left outside the room each morning – have been via notes left on a chair outside the door to the room.

From the evidence Mrs. Warren provides, Holmes deduces that the person ensconced within the room is not the bearded gentleman who rented it, and that the key to the mystery lies within the Gazette’s agony column. The game is then well and truly afoot when Mrs. Warren returns with news that her husband had been kidnapped, only to be dumped unharmed at the roadside. Realising that the kidnapping is a case of mistaken identity, Holmes insists he and Watson visit Mrs. Warren’s house to determine the identity of the secret lodger …

Find out more by joining Caledonia, Corwyn and Kayden!

18:00: Magicland Storytime

The Pooh Bear Pajama Party! Come suitably attired and join Caledonia Skytower at Magicland Park, in the Golden Horsehoe.

Monday February 17th, 19:00: From an Alien Point of View

When humans interact with aliens who are actually alien, we run into the fact that we’re as weird to them as they are to us. This can cause the most remarkable misunderstandings…. More thought-provoking sci-fi from the collection of Gyro Muggins.

Tuesday February 18th, 19:00: The Words of William S. Burroughs

Crap Mariner returns to Seanchai Library, bringing with him the wit, wisdom and wry observations of American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer, William S. Burroughs.

Wednesday February 19th, 19:00: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Conclusion

In 1915, a 54-year-old Sherlock Holmes find his retirement to the Sussex Downs, where he is studying the habits of the honey bee, to be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of 15-year-old Mary Russell. American by birth, Ms. Russell had come to England to live with her Aunt following the tragic death of her parents in an automobile accident.

Holmes is impressed by the young lady’s wit and intellect, ne before he knows it, he finds himself teaching her his former tradecraft of solving crimes. Thus was formed a new partnership is formed between the very modern young Miss Russell and the very Victorian Great Detective.

Now Caledonia returns with more tales from the pen of Laurie R. King, and her series of stories for young adults which focus on the adventure Ms Russell and Mr. Sherlock Holmes shared.

Thursday February 20th

16:00: First Nation Tales

Caledonia Skytower and Dubhna Rhiadra sit down to bring us more native tales from the first peoples of the North American continent.

Drawing on  number of sources and resources, Cale and Dubna have, over the years, drawn together collections of stories and legends from across a number of First Nation tribes, including the Zuni, Omaha, Paiute, and Hopi as well as legends from Kwaikutlsome in Western Canada. Some of these stories have been published, others of which have come from the long tradition of the spoken word, with archetypal tales handed down through successive generations.

“We have everything from Raven stealing the moon, to how Winter and Summer came to be, and the Creation of Corn,” Cale says of the stories. “The thing I like about them, is the imagery and the “themes” are almost Aesopian. They are all lesson/moral/cautionary tales.”

Join Cale and Dubhna as they delve into this treasure chest of tales and legends.

19:00: Peredur son of Efrawg

Shandon Loring brings us one the three romances associated with the Mabinogion. 

PeredurDating from the 12th or 13th century, Peredur son of Efrawg is a tale somewhat similar in nature to – but necessarily based upon – Chrétien de Troyes’ unfinished Arthurian romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, albeit with the Grail replaced by a salver containing a man’s severed head.

Left fatherless from a young age, Peredur is raised in isolation by his mother, deep in the woods. After meeting a group of knights, he determines he will become like them, and so travels to the court of King Arthur. Here, while he earns respect for his valour and pureness of heart, he also discovers prejudice, in the form of Cei’s (Sir Kay’s) attitude towards others.

Determined to restore the honour of a recipient of Cei’s insults,  Peredur sets out on a series of adventures which mirror those of  Chrétien’s Perceval, and which in turn lead to further adventures very different from any in Chrétien’s work, before eventually revealing to Peredur the truth concerning the misfortunes of his family, allowing him to avenge them.

21:00: Seanchai Late Night

Details still TBA, so please check with the Seanchai Library blog as the week progresses.

—–

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for January and February is The Xerces Society and their efforts at world-wide conservation and education for some of the smallest creatures on our earth.

Related Links

One Billion Rising: rise, release, dance in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
OBR in SL 2014; Victor1st Mornington's magnificent 4-region stage
OBR in SL 2014; Victor1st Mornington’s magnificent 4-region stage

One Billion Rising is set to take place on February 14th 2014. Around the world, men and women will be gathering “outside places where they are entitled to justice – court houses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.”

OBer 2104: Kicca Igaly
OBR in SL 2104: Kicca Igaly

The event, first held in 2013, did much to raise awareness and bring people together through music, dance and helped provide information on organisations where victims of domestic and societal abuse and repression can find help  – and those wishing to give support could do so.

As with 2013, One Billion Rising will again be supported by Second Life users from around the world, with activities centred on a magnificent 4-region stage area surrounded by incredible works of art.

OBR 2014: Pallina60 Loon
OBR 2014: Pallina60 Loon

The gates officially open at 23:00 SLT on February 13th, with the music commencing at midnight and continuing non-stop through until midnight on February 14th. Everyone is invited to come along and rise, release and dance.

The term “One Billion Rising” is taken from UN findings which show that one in three women – one billion worldwide – are, at some point in their lives, the victim of violence at the hands of their partner, family members or complete strangers.

OBR 2014:
OBR in SL 2014: Giovanna Cerise

OBR in SL is not a fund-raising event. However, for those wishing to take direct action in support of women who have found themselves victims of violence, the four regions have multiple information givers which provide details on organisations around the world which will gladly accept donations and support.

The list of artists  – men and women – participating in this year’s event is phenomenal. Installations are located across all four regions and there is also a special 2D art gallery and a 3D art garden.

OBR in SL 2014: Betty Traud
OBR in SL 2014: Betty Tureaud

This year will also feature special poetry readings taking place at 08:00 SLT and 15:00 at the Poetry Cafe.

I hope all of you reading this will spend a part of you Valentine’s day visiting OBR 2014 for what promises to be another stunning community event. I know I’ll be there for at least part of the day – so do please say hello if you see me 🙂 .

The OBR 2014 map
The OBR 2014 map

Landmarks and Links

One Billion Rising in Second Life 2014 official press release

Posted on by Inara Pey

logo2014FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Saffia Widdershins
E-mail address: saffia.widdershins@gmail.com
Blog:  http://onebillionrisingsl2014.wordpress.com/home/

ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE –  IN SECOND LIFE
SECOND LIFE® RESIDENTS JOIN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN “ONE BILLION RISING”
TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

One Billion Rising for Justice in Second Life ill be held this Friday – ALL DAY FRIDAY 14th FEBRUARY

On February 14, 2013, for 24 hours starting at midnight Pacific Standard Time, Second Life residents will join with activists around the world in a spectacular 24-hour event for ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE, a very special day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations, poetry events and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play and perform over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2014, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Dance, and Release as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

A stunning view of the main OBR in SL event stage in 2013 (courtesy of Wildstar Beaumont)
A stunning view of the main OBR in SL event stage in 2013 (courtesy of Wildstar Beaumont)

One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Gos Boutique; Heart Garden Centre; Maven Homes; MESHWORX; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: CaLLie CLine; Fruit Islands; KittyCatS!; Liv-Glam; Style by Kira; Sway’s;and Prim Perfect Publications.

The four regions have been named for the four core elements chosen as the focus of this years global event, One Billion Rising: OBR Rise, OBR Dance, OBR Release and OBR Justice.

Maya Paris was one of many SL artists who donated works to the OBR event in 2013
Maya Paris was one of many SL artists who donated works to the OBR event in 2013

Press and Bloggers

You are invited to our special press day on Thursday 13th February.

There will be three sessions where you can talk to organisers of the event together with involved in the activities. these will be held at 10:00, 14:00 and 16:00 SLT.  Between those times, you will be free to explore the regions and see the art installations.

If you would like to attend the press day, please ensure you complete this form.

About One Billion Rising

One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is one billion women. In 2013, one billion women and men shook the earth through dance to end violence against women and girls. This year, on 14 february 2014 we are calling on women and men everywhere to harness their power and imagination to rise for justice. Imagine, one billion women releasing their stories, dancing and speaking out at the places where they need justice, where they need an end to violence against women and girls. Join us!

Rise. Release. Dance!

“ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a call to survivors to break the silence and release the stories of both pain and hope – through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way best expresses their outrage, their need, their desire, and their joy.  The path to justice begins with acknowledging and recognizing the violence – letting it be known.” – Eve Ensler.


The 2013 OBR in SL official video

Further Information