Category: Second Life

Elemental drawings in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Elemental – San (Santoshima)

“The exhibit is in celebratory recognition of the 9-year anniversary of Play as Being (PaB) in SL, and as such, is part of a year-long series of solo exhibits by PaB Guardians.” So reads – in part – the introduction to Elemental,  a set of photo drawings by San (Santoshima) on display at the Art of Being gallery through until the end of October, and to which I recently received a personal invitation to visit from the artist.

A total of 10 image boards are presented within the gallery space – six on the circular outer wall, four on the square central walls. Each panel contains multiple images, which can be viewed in turn by clicking on the panel (for the four images ranged on the sides of the central walls, click the left or right edges).

Elemental – San (Santoshima)

Thematically, the panels are similar in the images they present; the six outer panels focus on images of birds in flight and a figure with an umbrella. The colour wash in all of them suggest a breezy, perhaps rainy environment the birds and figure and flying / walking (drifting?) through each; thus we get – in part – the title for the exhibit: Elemental. The time of day which appears to suggest different times of day as well, perhaps adding to the title.

The inner four all share the same set of images showing a garden sitting with plants, rocks and trees, again taken at different times of the day. The natural setting for each image, combined with the watercolour-like tones, again suggests the images are Elemental in approach. As you click on the panels to page through the images, it is possible to By clicking on them to page through the images each holds, it is possible to form a story for each.

Elemental – San (Santoshima)

It’s important to note this is not just a visual exhibition. San has included a special sound scape to accompany the images, so it’s important to have local sounds enabled when visiting in order to enjoy the exhibition to the fullest. “[The] live sound recordings were made in a southern Gulf Island, British Columbia,” San explains. “Outside my cabin door; a raven pair conversing, raven parents with three fledglings, various small birds, and Pacific tree frogs.”

Also, as noted in the introduction to the exhibition, Elemental forms part of a celebration of Play as Being, an in-world group which describes itself as, “exploring reality by using our own life as a laboratory. A thought experiment to see what is left if we put down what we have, to see who we are.” More information on the group, together with a schedule of their events, can be found on their wiki page.

Elemental – San (Santoshima)

Elemental is a fascinating exhibition – and a peaceful one; a visit prior to closure is recommended.

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2017 Viewer release summaries week 42

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates for the week ending Sunday, October 22

This summary is published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.

Official LL Viewers

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V5-style

V1-style

Mobile / Other Clients

Additional TPV Resources

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A return to Sol Existence in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sol Existence; Inara Pey, October 2017, on FlickrSol Existence – click any image for full size

It’s been over four years since my last visit to Sol Existence, the Full region held by Sunshine Amelia Gilmore; as such, I thought it high time Caitlyn and I returned to spend a little time exploring. (Sunshine Zhangsun). At the time of my 2013 visit, Sunshine was collaborating with Jac Mornington; the current build appears to be largely Sunshine’s own design.

“Somewhat reminiscent of another time,” Sunshine says of the design, “Created with love and happiness. A small seaside island offering solace to the wanderer.” And so it is – albeit, perhaps, a seaside island approaching its off-season given the cast of the sky.

Sol Existence; Inara Pey, October 2017, on FlickrSol Existence

A visit starts on the east side of the island, above the curving “c”  of a sandy bay, reached via broad wooden steps which descend gently sloping rocks in a series of platformed tiers.  The beach is dominated by a large warehouse with a low wooden key, and a trawler appears to be rounding the headline en route to coming alongside. However, a look inside the warehouse reveals it is not a place of work, but actually a place of recreation, housing a bar on the upper floor.  It might be the first indication that some of the buildings here are not as they might first appear.

Atop the cliffs, a little row of shops point the way eastwards, sitting within a ring of cart tracks which set them aside from a chapel and the second lighthouse, both of which sit to the north of them. The lighthouse again is not all it appears, being a centre for Relay for Life, reflecting Sunshine’s long-standing involvement with, and support of, RFL.

Sol Existence; Inara Pey, October 2017, on FlickrSol Existence

Another chapel lies to the east of the houses, appearing to guard the south and west sides of the island. This is the home of Epilogue, described as a “special place for creation and imagination,” where  Charlotte Gilmore hosts reading clubs and craft creating sessions. Beyond this chapel is a pond and farm, the latter with geese, chickens and goats within the walls of its garden, the ruins of an old fortification close by. As with the east side f the island, cart tracks circle this part of the island, including the large pond fronting the farm-house, and a couple of old vehicles, a four-wheeled truck and a Tuk Tuk style mobile library.

A second beach sits in the north-west corner of the island offers another place to relax and enjoy the Sun when it is present over the island. At the top of the slopes above this, and nestled close to the lighthouse, is a hot air balloon and a playable game of chess, available to those so minded for a game. Nor is this the only opportunity for recreation – another little game sits inside Epilogue, while seagulls scattered around the island will be happy to offer dances to those touching them. There are also a number of places where visitors can sit and relax.

Sol Existence; Inara Pey, October 2017, on FlickrSol Existence

Sol Existence is still and picturesque as it has always been, and photography is encouraged across the island, with Sunshine requesting those who do take pictures consider submitting them to the region’s Flickr group. Those who would like to rez props for their photographs can join the region’s Group by clicking on the seagull perched above village sign at the landing point.

All-in-all another pleasing visit whether exploring on your own or with a friend, with plenty of opportunities for photography and plenty of places to sit and relax. For me, the was a welcome return to a region which caught my eye, and which I’ve been away from for a little too long.

Sol Existence; Inara Pey, October 2017, on FlickrSol Existence

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Myra’s Transitions in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Club LA and Gallery: Transitions

“My art primarily explores the freedom on-line communities, specifically Second Life, provide, allowing you to set aside your cultural roles and explore other roles.” Myra Wildmist in introducing her new exhibition Transitions, which opened at the Club LA and Gallery, curated by Fuyuko ‘冬子’ Amano (Wintergeist), on Sunday, October 22nd 2017.

She continues, “Real life cultural roles are necessary for a functioning society, but they are often extremely confining, almost forcing people into pigeon holes of expected behaviour. Second Life gives us all the opportunity to slip out of our pigeon holes and be almost anything we can imagine.”

Club LA and Gallery: Transitions

What follows is a selection of a dozen images offering some remarkable views of Second Life, each with a touch of the personal as then all include Myra herself in their frames – although it would be unfair to call all of them avatar studies; their compositions being such that the avatar forms a part of the overall scene rather than the focus of the image. Even those which do focus on the avatar do so in ways very different to more “traditional” avatar studies, allowing each one to tell its own story.

There are three pieces in the exhibit which might be considered NSFW, but all twelve are richly expressive, and demonstrate a broad range of approaches to photography which mark Myra as a true exponent of her art.

Club LA and Gallery: Transitions

Transistion shares the gallery space with Twain Orfan’s An Exhibition, which I reviewed in September, and a select of four images from John Brianna’s physical world photography.

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Sci-fi, fantasy and ghostly tales in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to kick-off 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 at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, October 22nd 13:00: Scare Me Silly 2017

The Seanchai Library team join Team Diabetes / Kultivate Magazine’s Scare Me Silly 2017 for an afternoon of storytelling.

Join Aoife Lorefield, Dubhna Rhiadra, Caledonia Skytower, Corwyn Allen, and VT Torvalar as they tell of ghostly goings-on, read from books about thing going bump in the night, offer terrifying tales and recite spooky sagas…

Monday, October 23rd 19:00: Reckoning Infinity

Gyro Muggins reads John E. Stith’s alien first contact story, once described as “Rendezvous with Rama meets James and the Giant Peach“!

Lieutenant Commander Alis Mary Nussem, her body partially bionic, isn’t to happy about finding herself aboard the same space vessel as the man she deems responsible for the accident which robbed her of a part of her natural body. However, she must put aside her differences with scientist Karl Stanton when a massive object enters the solar system, apparently on course to be swallowed by the Sun – but not before it will collide with a space station in Earth orbit.

Ordered to investigate the object, which is as large as a moon and quickly given the name “Cantaloupe,” Nussem, Stanton and the crew of their ship rendezvous with it, only to find they are not the first: the wreck of another vessel lies on the surface, a hole drilled into the object close by. The only means of entry to the Cantaloupe, Nussem and Stanton lead a team down through it – to make a stunning discovery.

Like Nussem, Cantaloupe is an bio-mechanical entity. It is alive, but it’s interior also have pipes, elevators chambers and more within. But it is also a place of danger – as Nussem and her also companions quickly discover – some to their cost. It’s also a place of unexpected surprises, as the crew’s biggest discovery proves…

Also presented in Kitely  hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.

Tuesday, October 24th, 19:00 The Water Mirror

Faerie Maven-Pralou reads Kei Meyer’s tale of magic.

Merle is apprenticed to a maker of magic mirrors. She even has one of her own, with a surface of water into which she can reach without ever getting wet – magic being a relatively common thing in Venice. Meanwhile, her friend Serafin, once a master thief, now works for a weaver of magic cloth.

Both Merle and Serafin accept the wonders of the city, from the mermaids in the canal to the stone lions on which the city guards ride on their patrols. But all is not well; beyond the walls of the city, the Egyptian Empire is laying siege, an army of mummy warriors and flying sunbarks held at bay by the power of the Flowing Queen, which runs through the city’s canals and hold the enemy forces at bay.

Then Merle and Serafin overhear a plot to capture the Flowing Queen and render the city defenceless. And while no-one actually knows what the Queen looks like, they set out to protect and / or rescue her. In doing so, they must ally themselves with the Ancient Traitor and journey into the realm of Dark Reflections…

Also presented in Kitely  hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.

Wednesday, October 25th, 19:00 Somewhere in My Mind There is a Painting Box

Aoife Lorefield reads Charles de Lint’s 2002 short story spin-off from his The Cats of Tanglewood series, and first published as a part of The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

In this tale, Lillian, the protagonist from Cats is now in her mid-teens and hungry for her life to broaden; she longs to be an artists, but has neither the money nor training to achieve her desire. Then, whilst wandering in the forest one day, she discovers a paint box, long abandoned. Examining it, she recognises the name on one of the panels with the box as that of  an artist famed for his pieces depicting the forest, but who disappeared years earlier, along with his apprentice.

Later, Lillian encounters the artist’s apprentice, looking not a day older than when he and the artists vanished. He tells her a tale of their having crossed into another realm, and her past experiences with magic allow her to accept the story. That world, the apprentice explains, is so beautiful neither he nor the artist wanted to return – and Lillian finds herself on the tip of a bittersweet voyage of discovery.

Thursday, October 26th 19:00 True Life Ghost Stories

With Shandon Loring in a special session at Octoberville in Second Life. Also presented in Kitely  hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.

Saturday, October 28th

 12:00 noon:Tales of the Season

At Innsmouth Opera House.

15:30: Victorian Ghost Stories

At the Victorian Time Portal.

Sunday, October 29th 13:00-15:00 The 2nd Annual Holly Kai GREAT BOO!

Scary stories followed by music and dancing. Stay Tuned!

 

Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The featured charity for October – December 2017 is Habitat for Humanity, with a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live – a safe and clean place to call home.

BURN2 2017: Radical Ritual in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
BURN2 2017

BURN2 2017 opening its gates on Saturday, October 21st, and will run through until Sunday, October 29th 2017, culminating in the burning of the Man the Temple on the closing weekend of the event.

The theme for this year is Radical Ritual, matching that of the official Burning Man event, and which is described thus:

Reinventing ritual in our post post-modern world – disregarding assertions of belief and focus on the immediate experience of play. Play can free us to envision truths of which we have no proof or warrant, and breaks down the distinction that divides belief from make-believe. Whole-hearted, creative play induces self-surrender to experience that is beyond the scope of reasoned thought.

The Festival commenced with a Lamplighters procession, which set out at 10:00 SLT on Saturday, October 21st, with a further procession taking place at 18:00 SLT.  There will be similar daily processions at 12:00 noon and 18:00 each day of the event through until Friday, October 27th.

BURN2 2017

Saturday, October 28th will feature two burnings of The Man, at 11:00 noon and 17:00 SLT. On Sunday, October 29th, the Temple will likewise burn at 11:00 non and 17:00 SLT, but each of these burnings will be preceded at  10:00 and 16:00 respectively by Lamplighter processions, which will each include a Fire Dance performance at the Centre Camp. You can keep track of all BURN2 activities through the event schedule on Google Calendar.

To ease your explorations of the regions, don’t forget you can pick up a ride at the Department of Mutant Vehicles, car rezzing point close to the welcome area.

As with previous years, participants have fully entered into the spirit of the BURN2 theme, and the five regions offer a tremendous carnival atmosphere, with Today Nakamura’s Temple build beautifully and brilliantly capturing the essence of the theme and the playa as a whole.

About BURN2

BURN2 is an extension of the Burning Man festival and community into the world of Second Life. It is an officially sanctioned Burning Man regional event, and the only virtual world event out of more than 100 real world Regional groups and the only regional event allowed to burn the man.

The BURN2 Team operates events year around, culminating in an annual major festival of community, art and fire in the fall – a virtual echo of Burning Man itself.

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