Category: Second Life

Landscapes and open spaces in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Michiel Bechir Gallery: Hazel Foxtrot

Currently open at the Michiel Bechir Gallery, curated by Michiel Bechir, are three exhibitions of art indirectly linked by themes, making for an interesting excursion for patrons of art in Second Life. On the ground floor, and in the north and south halls respectively, are selections from the portfolios of Hazel Foxtrot and Pavel Stransky, each of whom offer pieces largely focused on landscape images.

Hazel’s work appears to be largely without post-processing, a fact that leaves them with a raw and  – in an age where every image of Second Life is expected to be subject to PhotoShop and GIMP – refreshing naturalness to them. This is not to imply I have anything against the post-processing of Second Life images – such treatment can be used to add significant depth to an image or even transform it. However, it is refreshing to see images that have not been so treated, as they capture the places Hazel has visited as they might be seen  on a first visit.

Michiel Bechir Gallery: Pavel Stransky

Across the gallery, Pavel Stransky also presents works also largely focused on landscapes, although in difference to Hazel, he does use post-processing. This allows Pavel to present his work in a variety of styles: oil painting, water colour, photograph – all of which are highly effective in their presentation and in given that depth mentioned above, to each and every piece in the selection.

On the upper floor of the gallery is Balance, a join exhibition by Jessamine2108 and Zoe Ocelot. Offering a mix of words and images, it is a reflection on the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and its impact around the globe – but perhaps not in the manner you might expect. As has been noted in the news, the lock-down that has impacted the majority of the world has served to have a significant impact impact on pollution, leading to cleaner air within and beyond cities, and also cleaner water that can benefit humans and animals alike.

Michiel Bechir Gallery: Balance

Thus, through images taken and selected by Jessamine2108, and the words presented by Zoe, the two artists to offer their own view of how the pandemic is affecting humans and Nature alike, with an emphasis on the idea that – as one of the natural brakes on human activity – the pandemic is helping to bring the Earth back into balance.

While that balance may be – in the scheme of things – short-lived overall, Balance serves as a reminder than Nature actually doesn’t require human kind; that – as the artists note – the rest of world moves on as humans huddle and hide in their corners.

Michiel Bechir Gallery: Balance

And the link between the lower level exhibitions and Balance? All of them remind us of how important open spaces and the freedom to travel are to us and – hopefully – how much better we should be as caretakers of beauty present in the worlds around us.

SLurl Details

Mysteries past, present, and future in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Sunday, June 21st

13:30: Tea-Time with Miss Marple

Tea-Time with Miss Marple

Seanchai Library takes a short break is the unfolding events of The Murder at the Vicarage  to spend a little time in Miss Jane Marple’s garden in St. Mary Mead to bring to us some of the shorter stories of her adventures.

18:30: Magicland Storytime: More Folk & Tall Tales

Caledonia returns to the Golden Horseshoe to celebrate both Father’s Day, and the Horseshoe’s renovation with unbelievable adventures.

Monday, June 22nd, 19:00: Spock’s World

Gyro Muggins reads Diane Duane’s take on a classic figure from science fiction.

In the 23rd Century…

On the planet Vulcan, a crisis of unprecedented proportion has caused the convocation of the planet’s ruling council, and led to Starfleet ordering the U.S.S. Enterprise to the planet in the hope that its first officer, and Vulcan’s most famous son, can help overcome the issues the planet faces.

As Commander Spock, his father, Sarek, and Captain James T. Kirk struggle to preserve Vulcan’s future, the planet’s innermost secrets are laid open, as is its people’s long climb to rise above their savage pre-history, merciless tribal warfare, medieval-like court intrigue to  develop and adhere to o’thia, the ruling ethic of logic, and to reach out into space.

For Spock, the situation means he is torn between his duty to Starfleet and the unbreakable ties that bind him to Vulcan. Confronted by his own internal conflicts, he must quell them and prevent his world – and possibly the entire United Federation of Planets – from being ripped apart.

Tuesday, June 23rd

12:00 Noon: Russell Eponym, Live in the Glen

Music, poetry, and stories in a popular weekly session at Ceiluradh Glen.

19:00: The Bridge of San Luis Rey

With Willow Moonfire.

On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travellers into the gulf below.

Thus begins Thorton Wilder’s second, and 1928 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Influenced in part by Wilder’s own conversations with his deeply religious father, and inspired by Prosper Mérimée’s one-act act play, Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement, Thorton described the novel as a means to pose the question, “Is there a direction and meaning in lives beyond the individual’s own will?”

The bridge of the novel’s title and opening is a fictional Inca rope bridge, and its collapse is witnessed by a Franciscan friar, himself about to cross over it. A deeply pious man, Brother Juniper finds his faith challenged by the tragedy, and as a result embarks upon a “mission” to prove that it was divine will rather than chance that led to the deaths of those who fell with the bridge.

Over the course of six years, he compiles a huge book on the lives of those who perished, much of it obtained through interviews with those who knew them, in an attempt to to show that the beginning and end of the lives of those lost in the tragedy might be a a window into the will of God, and that the beginning and end of every life is in accordance with God’s plan for the individual.

Thus, within his book, he records the lives of those killed, as presented in succeeding chapters of the novel, mapping all that led them to their fate. The novel itself weaves a story through time, from the opening tragedy, then back to the lives of those who perished, then forward to the book’s reception by the church, then back once more to the events that immediately followed the tragedy and before Brother Juniper embarked on his quest.

Through this, we not only witness the lives of those lost, but also Brother Juniper’s own fate as a result of his efforts – a fate itself foretold within his book, and which again leaves one pondering the question Wilder set in writing the novel: is there indeed direction in our lives beyond our own will – and if so, is it rooted in the divine, or humanity’s own attitudes of a given time?

Wednesday, June 24th, 19:00: The Phryne Fisher Mysteries

Corwyn Allen brings us stories about Kerry Greenwood’s Australian heroine of the 1920s, possibly made popular to a globe audience through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

Phryne Fisher is rich, aristocratic and far too intelligent to be content as a flapper in the Jazz Age. She collects men, fast cars and designer dresses. she flies, dances, shoots and has a strong bohemian outlook on life. But no matter how delicious the distractions, Phryne never takes her eyes off her main goal in life: bringing down villains.

Thursday, June 25th, 19:00: “Oh, and, uh, one more thing…”

Shandon Loring takes us into the cigar smoky and trenchcoated world of police detective lieutenant Columbo, perhaps most famously embodied by the late Peter Falk, and here given life through the fan fiction of T. J. Cluedo. Also in Kitely – grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI).

Konecta Art Gallery in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Konecta Art Gallery: Gonzalo Osuna’s Personal Collection

Gonzalo Osuna (Jon Rain) is the director of Konecta Radio, a streaming radio service based out of Bilbao, Spain. Offering a 24/7 service, Konecta has been streaming into Second Life and to the world since 2012. Gonzalo is also a patron of the arts in Second Life, and offers two gallery spaces at Konecta’s in-world home.

The first, on the ground level is an invited artist exhibition space. At the time of my visit, and through until June 28th, this is home to an exhibition by artist Dhyezl,entitled Travel Diary: Among Sand and Sea. On offer is a baker’s dozen of images depicting, as the name suggests, views that predominantly feature views that incorporate the sea and sands.

Konecta Art Gallery: Dhyezl

From tropical islands through to pyramids rising from a desert, it’s a mixture of landscapes from around Second Life, the majority of which are rendered in sun-washed tones that, with the more desert-like images, does much to add to their atmosphere and depth, giving them a richness of environment.

Other images in the set offer their own unique elements : the suggestion of clouds racing the sky over a coastal headland,the ageing, haunted beauty of a deserted fun fair as it fades into the arms of nature and more, all awaiting appreciation.

Konecta Art Gallery: Dhyezl

On the upper floor of the gallery is a special exhibition curated by Ciara Orssinni entitled Amoure Rouge. Comprising images obtained from the real world, it is described thus:

The red colour is always a sign of passion, danger, blood, sensuality, sex, and without a doubt it transmits strength with is own pulse.These photographs, studied by Ciara Orssinni from several aspects reflect all of those adjectives and much more – what everyone wants to imagine. Welcome to the world of “red hot” in “Amoure Rouge”: images transferred and obtained with the permission of the authors, from Pinterest, and whom you can follow on Konecta Radio.

Konecta Art Gallery: Amoure Rouge

A teleport from the ground level gallery offers the way up to a sky gallery that is also open to the public, offering a selection of art from Gonzalo’s personal collection.

At the time of my visit, the selection comprises pieces by Patrick Ireland, Sophie Marie Sinclair (Perpetua1010), Tayren Theas, Moora (Moora McMillan), Raging Bellls, Ana (oceanida) and … yours truly.

Given the names involved, this is a rich mix of of art from well-known Second Life artists – and I’m flattered to have a piece included among them.

Konecta Art Gallery: Gonzalo Osuna’s Personal Collection

Both galleries offer a worthwhile visit for any patron of the arts, and I’ve not hesitation in recommending both.

SLurl Details

Konecta Radio and Konecta Art are located on Carpathian Island, rated Moderate

A summer’s island in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Conall-Vika, June 2020 – click any image for full size

Conall-Vika is the name given to a Homestead region designed by Second Life partners Madflex and Trin Adasia we were directed towards by Shawn Shakespeare, who is always the expert locator of regions to explore.

The name, according to region’s creators, is derived from the Celtic for “strong wolf” – Conall, as in Conall Cernach, the hero of the Ulaid in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology – and “Vika”, which they give as “from the watercourse”.

Conall-Vika, June 2020

It’s certainly true that water plays an important  part in the formation of the region: it sits as a lowland island that at first looks might be taken for a broad inlet that cuts its way into coastal hills and eroded the island’s shores into their distinctive shape.

The landing point sits to the north-east of the island, atop its one highland area: a flat-topped mesa of sheer-sided rock crowned by fir trees, course grass and the remnants of an ancient villa. The latter is apparently long-deserted, lavender plants encroaching into the walls and across the fading wood of a terrace even as the branches of a tree within that terrace are starting to apply their own pressure on the surrounding walls. 

Conall-Vika, June 2020

A single path winds down to the lowlands to join with a lone track that snakes outwards across the island. It offers a route around the region that gently meanders from point of interest to point of interest, offering a perfect means to explore and discover. Many of these form places to sit or pose, most with options for individuals or couples and range from a simple blanket under a parasol through a tricycle built for two, to blanket-draped hideaways, cosy summer houses and beach-side loungers.

Towards the centre of the island the track arcs past a second house. This is a split-level affair with whitewashed walls suggestive of some age. Comfortably furnished, it has a western terrace that looks down over ground that rolls gently down to the island’s ribbon of beach and gives a view out over the waters as they reach into the inlet through a narrow neck formed by off-region hills and another island.

Conall-Vika, June 2020

The tall north side windows of the house present a further enticing look, this one over the bay that cuts it way to the heart of the region. True, aged willow trees drop their branches across the vista in a green curtain that partially obscures the view, but, what can be seen encourages investigation. Doing so reveals they bay is perhaps one of freshwater rather than salt: reeds grow around the bank, whilst swans and ducks swim on the water.

The presence of ducks, swans and reeds transform the setting from the suggestion of it lying on the coast somewhere to one sitting towards one end of a great freshwater lake surrounded by hills. Swans that can be found elsewhere on the water or nestling inland further add to this feeling, whilst the northern end of the island’s bay is occupied by a wooden pier and deck against which a sailing boat is moored. The presence of the latter encourages explorers to walk the grassy tongue that lick west and north around the bay to reach the deck and the loungers on its back.

Conall-Vika, June 2020

All of this only scratches the surface of the region, despite the apparent open nature of the island, there is a lot to appreciate. For example, sheep graze in a meadow with fencing that have seen better days – a fact attested to by the presence of more sheep further afield, enjoying the grass in the lee of the landing point plateau. Art elements are also awaiting discovery, as are some ancient ruins and a little coffee house.

With all that is going on in the physical world due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic,  Conall-Vika is another in-world settings that offers a sense of the the outdoors and a relief from being cooped-up inside the house all day. Plus, with all the excitement of SL17B going on through the rest of June, it may also give the opportunity for people to catch their virtual breath. Oh, and the wolves? They are on the island as well – but you will have to keep an eye out for them if you want to find them 🙂 .

Conall-Vika, June 2020

SLurl Details

SL17B the artists and the art

Posted on by Inara Pey

SL17B Welcome Area

Second Life’s 17th anniversary celebrations officially opened on Friday, June 19th – although members of the Second Life Birthday in-world group have been able to access the celebratory regions since June 18th. Those looking for a general guide to the region and facilities can do so by following my Pocket guide to the celebrations, which covers some of the major activities and includes links to all the core locations within the celebratory regions and to the SL17B Shop & Hop event that also opens on June 19th.

The seven regions devoted showcasing exhibitor builds are packed with installations that reflect the breadth of creativity and activities available in-world. However, for this article, I’m focusing on some of the art installations that are now available for your enjoyment and appreciation.

Astonish

Ethereal II “Where Will You Go?” by Pixels Sideways

A tiered installation offering a touch of the surreal. At ground level sits a display that offers what might be a commentary on the physical / social distancing forced on us by the SAR-CoV-2 pandemic: a series of sculptures asking people to indicate what they would like to do: just click to register your interest.

Ethereal II “Where Will You Go?” by Pixels Sideways

The second element of the installation is overhead, reached by three teleport spheres. Forming a globe of the world, it allows those using the teleport spheres to walk around the world, again perhaps in a comment on our current and necessary inability to travel freely – and a reminder that once the threat of the virus has properly receded / been countered, we’ll once again have that luxury. It also, perhaps reflects the fact that as a virtual world, Second Life brings us together.

A further teleport leads to an underground “surrealist gallery”. This offers numerous poses that can be found by exploring with your mouse pointer to locate them or via CTRL-ALT-T to highlight them or clicking on the Polaroid images on the floor of the platform.

Direct teleport.

G.O.D by Moki Yuitza

G.O.D. – Galaxies of Dreams – is a digital installation challenging visitors to consider the things they might dream about if they were a god. In describing it, Moki notes:

Nothing more appropriate in the context of a metaverse like Second Life is, which in its conception is a perfect metaphor of a Universe. A reality built as a result of different dreams, but combined by the same universal order, the creator’s thought itself, where they magically find logic and harmony. In this universe, eternally balanced between order and chaos, the single creations represent the wish of declare the dreamer’s existence, itself in everlasting memory of the thousands flights of Icarus.

G.O.D by Moki Yuitza

Direct teleport.

Captivate

  • Alchemelic Adventure by d-oo-b – jump on a robot with a couple of friends and take a ride around the installation and pick an Alchemelic tune from the jukebox.

Electrify

Conversation With a Stranger by FionaFei

An interactive exhibition in which visitors are encouraged to consider how lack of empathy for others can divide us. Visitors are invited to sit on a chair facing one of the multiple seated characters as if in conversation. Words on the floor and floating around the figures force us to reflect on the life of the seated figure before them prior to attempting to judge them.

In this way, we’re given pause to further reflect on the fact that in the physical world, judging someone purely on their physical appearance / situation can so easily mean we miss the opportunity to connect with someone who may share similar interests, values or background to us.

Conversation With a Stranger by FionaFei

Direct Teleport.

Further Installations Electrify

  • The Dirty Grind IAC and Radio Grind – visit their installation and learn more about this arts and performance community in Second Life, find out about the groups members and their ground-breaking field trip group and grab your gifts.
  • Join me in my dream. by Vincent Priesley – a novel examination of our voyage through second life as eyes looking at computer screens.
  • Ciottolina Xue – Second Life is a ship: a celebration of the many journeys Second Life allows us to take.

Incredible

  • Burn2, The Journey Home:  the trek to Burning Man in Nevada can be long, but here in SL at Burn2, the journey is a lot easier. Rez a car and take a ride to the “playa” for supplies at the top, and then get a ride back down!
  • John Huntsman: a personal installation.
  • United Artists of SL: UASL is an art group that supports all artists and art venues of SL.
  • Tempest Rosca: a personal installation.

Pizzazz

Sparkle

If You Have a Sense of Distance by Kerupa Flow

An installation guaranteed to challenge your perspective! Rich in detail, it comprises numerous elements that will cause you to consider your cognitive abilities. Is the picture of a girl really what it appears to be? Why do floor tiles bend and sway when the lines between them all move at a constant speed? How can a floor be flat when it appears to roll like waves?

If You Have a Sense of Distance by Kerupa Flow

An engaging installation that fascinates at every turn, perhaps best experienced with your viewer set to midnight.

Direct teleport.

Further Installations Sparkle

Stunning

Phoenix Artists Collaboration

The Phoenix Artists Collaboration is a community of artists and their patrons working together to promote artistic expression and creativity through and in Second Life. For SL17B more than 30 artists in the group have each provided an image within the “PAC Motel” gallery. Some celebrate the SL17B theme, others provide a glimpse of the artist’s talents, all are eye-catching and engaging.

Drop into the gallery, enjoy the art – discover the artists by touching the images and viewing their biographies – and learn about PAC itself.

Phoenix Artists Collaboration

Direct Teleport.

Further Installations at Stunning

2020 Content Creation User Group week #25 summary

Posted on by Inara Pey

Thermae, May 2020 – blog post

The following notes were taken from my audio recording and chat log of the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting held on Thursday, June 18th 2020 at 13:00 SLT. These meetings are chaired by Vir Linden, and agenda notes, meeting SLurl, etc, are are available on the Content Creation User Group wiki page.

SL Viewer

  • It had been planned that the next viewer to be promoted to de facto release status would be the Love Me Render (LMR) RC viewer. However:
    • LMR is being held over pending the inclusion of various EEP bug fixes, including a fix for the HUD issues (see BUG-225784) and a fix for the specularity problems (see BUG-228781 and BUG-228581).
    • This means the next viewer that will likely be promoted will be the CEF RC viewer, and this could be promoted in week #26 (commencing Monday, June 22nd).

Viewer Caching

  • Work is continuing to try to improve viewer caching.
  • First outcome of this work is liable to be a viewer that has improved VFS caching (the system used to cache information on in-world objects). This will be a complete replacement of the VFS cache with a new format that retains data better and is more performant.
  • The next element of work after the VFS update is liable to be an overhaul of the viewer’s texture caching.

ARCTan

Project Summary

An attempt to re-evaluate object and avatar rendering costs to make them more reflective of the actual impact of rendering either in the viewer. The overall aim is to try to correct some inherent negative incentives for creating optimised content (e.g. with regards to generating LOD models with mesh), and to update the calculations to reflect current resource constraints, rather than basing them on outdated constraints (e.g. graphics systems, network capabilities, etc).

As of January 2020 ARCTan has effectively been split:

  • Viewer-side changes, primarily focused on revising the Avatar Rendering Cost (ARC) calculations and providing additional viewer UI so that people can better visibility and control to seeing complexity.
  • Work on providing in-world object rendering costs (LOD models, etc.) which might affect Land Impact will be handled as a later tranche of project work, after the avatar work.
  • The belief is that “good” avatar ARC values can likely be used as a computational base for these rendering calculations.

Current Status

  • Vir now trying to roll the jelly doll updates into the rendering cost calculations and performance measurements.
  • One thing the core work on ARCTan has been awaiting is a fix to the Bake Service for errors arising when calculating height offsets with complex mesh items, which can result in the avatar bake failing. The fix for this is in place, and the updated Bake Service should be exposed to a simulator RC for testing “fairly soon”. The change itself should have no visible impact other than to correct the rare instances where the issue occurred.

In brief

  • There have been reports of avatar bakes taking longer to complete recently.However, it is not clear if this is an actual issue; LL have not noted any Bake Service processing issues, and also note that users may be noting a perceived “slowing” due to changes made a while ago to try to prevent avatars de-clouding fully nude (e.g. due to latency between the viewer and the CDN, or local caching issues, etc.).
  • In terms of avatar rezzing, there is also work being put into reducing the instances of rigged mesh elements rezzing offset / incorrectly sized related to an avatar (e.g. clothing appearing off to one side and rotated to be on its side; gigantic heads rezzing, etc.).
  • Next meeting: Thursday, July 2nd, 13:00 SLT.