The Edge, the fashion division of Kultivate Magazine, is celebrating it’s one year anniversary between November 11th to 30th, As a part of the celebrations, Haveit Neox has been commissioned to design and build a special, one-of-a-kind artistic runway, bringing together art and fashion.
Entitled Baroque Dreams, the installation serves a dual role, both as an art installation, which will formally open at 16:00 SLT on Sunday, November 13th, with a live performance by Dimivan Ludwig, and as the setting for a special The Edge anniversary fashion show featuring the designs of Lyrical Bizarre, which will take place between 14:00 and 15:00 SLT on Sunday, November 13th. Thereafter, the installation will remain open to visitors for a period of a week.
Baroque Dreams takes visitors to one of the fashion capitals of Italy and the world: Venice. On arriving, visitors walk between two tall figures and into what might be a portion of the Grand Canal; gondolas lay moored on the water, and buildings rise on three sides. A set of stepping-stones mark the way to where the runway rises from the water, arched like a canal bridge before it splits and loops around audience seating. From there it climbs towards a set of fountains – another Venetian landmark, to where a huge Fashion Queen rises as if toy oversea proceedings, her headgear and dress suggestive of St. Marks Basilica.
Within this are many of Haveit’s hallmarks: a rich use of colour, sculpted centaurs, proud ships – also indicative of Venice’s history as a centre of commerce and seaborne trade. While around everything, the tall buildings of Venice rise.
Compact and yet with a grand sense of scale, Baroque Dreams is a unique installation, ideally suited to embodying The Edge’s aim to bring together art and fashion. Congratulations to all Eles, John and all at The Edge on this first anniversary.
Tout Est Allumé: a scene from Tutsy Navarathna’s Death of Death?
Second Life is a powerful medium for machinima. It caters for everything from promo videos for events, stores, and activities through to music videos, or showcasing region builds and role-play locations, etc., through to offering the perfect medium for telling narrative series and short films.
One of the great masters of machinima in Second Life is the award-winning Tutsy Navarathna. At the MetaLES art region, curated by Ux Hax and Romy Nayar (and reached via teleport from the landing point), he is presenting a special retrospective of his work.
Tout Est Allumé (“everything is lit”) is a festival of 16 of Tutsy’s films – including the award-winning The Residents and Metaphore. The films are being shown together with 19 of his animated shorts, and a series of 3D art pieces by Yoon (Toyono) and Romy Nayar.
It’s a machinima tour de force, one which ideally requires more than one visit in order to capture everything, particularly given the display environment itself requires a little exploration. However, the effort is mote than worth it; Tutsy’s mastery of the medium and his gift for storytelling are both outstanding and guaranteed to capture your eye and mind.
There is just one slight technical point to note: it is recommended that the films are watched using QuickTime. However, QuickTime is no longer supported on Windows, leaving it with some potential security vulnerabilities. So, if you are a Windows user, and your viewer can’t play the videos at MetaLES, it might be preferable for you to swap to the current official viewer rather than installing QuickTime. This uses the VLC media plug-in, which will play the videos without issue (TPVs are in the process of swapping to VLC or GStreamer for Windows media support as well).
But this aside, Tout Est Allumé is an outstanding opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of one of SL’s more visionary and creative visual storytellers. Just catch The Residents, from 2013, below, to get a flavour of his work and then hop on over to MetaLES to see the rest.
Now open at Dathúil Gallery, curated by Max Butoh and Lυcy (LucyDiam0nd), is a display of art by Mi (Kissmi), entitled Overviews. In some ways, it’s a curious exhibit, comprising 20 very large format pieces, together with an assortment of posters and 3D items. However, as one spends time within it, so the artist’s approach falls into place.
“To make and exhibition is much more than to show my images,” Mi says of the display. “It is also to have a project, to think about it, to build it, to share with others and it making sense.
Every look on our work is a particular look, and obviously interesting. I don’t pretend to be an artist, I am just a sensitive person who likes to create images. My exhibition at Dathúil is named Overviews because it is a panel of pictures showing abstracts and more realistic topics.”
The more abstract pieces Mi refers to can be seen on the mezzanine level of the gallery, where current installations by Livio Korobose (The joy Formidable) and Boefje (Bufje) (Ephemeral) are represented with six impressions by MI apiece. The bold colours used within these images offer a striking contrast to, and interpretation of, the two exhibits which inspired them – something I found to be particularly true with the images of Ephemeral, which is otherwise a predominantly white installation.
It is also with regards to these two installations Mi used as her inspiration, that some of the additional elements within the exhibition space align. The two large paper aeroplanes by Livio, for example, point our attention to Mi’s interpretations of his exhibit, in which paper aeroplanes also appear. Similarly, the ladders, which can again be found within The Joy Formidable, present visitors with perches from which they can further appreciate the art. Meanwhile, the small field of flowers and the figurine placed before the images of Ephemeral stand as a physical link to that installation.
However, I confess to finding these sets of images somewhat overpowering – possibly in part due to their enormous size – they are by far the largest I’ve seen displayed at Dathúil, the layout of which perhaps isn’t the best for gaining a broader perspective of such enormous pieces. Instead, I found myself drawn more to the five images displayed on the ground floor of the gallery.
Equally large format, these benefit from being presented in a more enclosed space, thanks to the mezzanine area above. This gives them a more intimate presentation, which is ideally suited to their subject matter. All five, together with an additional pair of images on the mezzanine over the gallery’s entrance, offer scenes of a personal nature; moments of contemplation, reflection, and more, caught in a flick of frozen time, each as evocative as the name it has been given.
This is another exhibition where more than a casual glance is required; the images offered, upper and lower levels offer such diverse approaches in style and content, that Overviews could be taken to be two exhibitions in one, each offering a glimpse into Mi’s approach as a photographer and – despite her claim otherwise – an artist.
Overviews will remain open through until the end of November 2016.
Softie Gallery, a part of the Black Label Exhibitions corner opened its doors on Saturday, November 5th with an ensemble exhibition featuring artists from across Second Life – including two who have not previously shown their own in-world in public before.
Organised by Storie’s Helendale (GlitterPrincess Destiny), Kristine Blackadder and AnnaFrancesca Helendale (AnnaFrancesca Kira), building on an idea by Storie’s, the three storey gallery space features work by Aldiladeisogni, Astralia, Bryn Oh, Catt Scorpio (cattivella), Cica Ghost, Ciottolina Zue, Eleseren Brianna, John Brianna (Johnannes 1977 Resident), Enrico Yamden, Judy Barton (mitla) LeMelonRouge Lil (Lilarya), Magda Schmidtzau, Mistero Hifeng, Poala Mills, Seersha Heart, Terrygold, Vangogh Rembranch and Stories herself. Joining them, and showing their art in-world in public for the first time, are Blip Mumfuzz and MM Mysterr).
“I am excited because this gallery was empty so long a time,” Storie’s told me ahead of the opening as she gave me a preview of the exhibition. “I was honoured when so many artists said they would exhibit here, so now the gallery can live and breathe again!”
The gallery space is presented in black, offering a strong contrast to the 3D and 2D art on display. The latter leans strongly towards avatar studies in a range of complimentary styles: colour, monochrone, photo and painting; together with sculptures, real life art, one or two landscapes, to more abstract-like pieces, and real world, all of which, combined with the 3D from four artists I greatly admire, makes for a fascinating mix of styles and presentation.
I understand the gallery is a permanent exhibit space for the artists, although they are going to be encouraged to rotate the art they place on display there. Art installations focused on specific artists and / or ideas will continue to take place up in the air above the region. As such, I look forward to seeing how the various displays evolve over time.
The November 2016 Art at the Park exhibition opens at Holly Kai Park on October 29th, 2016 and runs through until November 27th.
For this exhibition, we are both pleased and privileged to be featuring the work of five more talented artists, who between them offer a rich diversity of art and styles. They are: Sheba Blitz, Maxi Daviau, Skinnynilla, Terrygold and Sorcha Tyles.
The exhibition will formally open on Saturday, October 29th at 12:00 noon SLT, with a live performance by Winston Ackland, making his first appearance at the park, with music streamed from 1:00pm onwards. Formal attire is requested for the opening.
We look forward to welcoming you to Holly Kai Park and our November exhibition, and hope you’ll join us for the opening event on Saturday, October 29th!
About the Artists
Sheba Blitz
Sheba Blitz
Sheba Blitz is a SL and RL artist who exclusively paints Mandalas, and her who have captivated me since I first encountered it at Kayly Iali’s Gallery 24.
Mandalas are ancient and mystical symbols of the universe. And represent the way of the “peaceful path”. Classically in the form of a circle (the Cosmos) enclosing a square (Earthbound matter).
Sheba’s Mandalas generally contain what is called a quarternity or a multiple of four. This squaring of the circle is a common archetypal image of wholeness and order. Mandalas are perceived as sacred spaces and remind the viewer of the immanence of sanctity in the universe and its potential to themselves. Used for meditation, contemplation, healing and pure visual pleasure.
Sheba was born and lives in Australia; she has studied, explored and accumulated many Art Diplomas from different art processes over the years but always returns to her love of geometrical hand painted mandala designs in mixed media. As someone who loves mandala art, I’m elated she agreed to join us at Holly Kai Park.
Maxi Daviau and Skinnynilla
Second Life Partners Maxi Daviau and Skinnynilla are both superb second Life photographers and regions designers. The Mill, their homestead region is a delight to visit, and their Flickr streams completely absorbing.
Maxi Daviau and Skinnynilla
“I have always loved and been amazed at the creativity in this virtual world. Exploring and taking pictures has always been my main hobby in Second Life,” Maxi says of her in-world time. “I love to see what all the residents create here,” Skinnynilla – show also goes by the sobriquet Shakespeare – adds.
Between them, they produce stunning landscape images that capture the very soul of the regions they visit, as well as producing incredible and intimate avatar studies. It is an absolute delight to have them exhibiting side by side at Holly Kai park.
Terrygold
Terrygold
“I do not like to say I am an artist,” says Terrygold of her work. “In my spare time I make photos in which at time, a quick idea – like a flash – is a starting point. I develop the idea, and the trip begins.”
It’s a disarming statement, made in all genuine modesty, by a true talent within Second Life. Terry’s work, which I’ve covered on numerous occasions in my own blog, is never anything less than utterly captivating in form, style and presentation.
Rich in narrative, unique in approach, Terry’s work is attractive, and I am genuinely thrilled to see her work on display at Holly Kai Park.
Sorcha Tyles
Sorcha Tyles
I confess – much to my shame – to not having encountered Sorcha’s work until Skinnynilla pointed me in the direction of her Flickr stream.
I’m glad he did.
There is a deep, personal richness to Sorcha’s work which is almost overwhelming. She regards SL photography as perhaps her biggest addiction in Second Life, and looking at her work, one can not only see why, but also catch a glimpse of Sorcha herself. Her images gracefully combine landscapes with personal studies, producing a range of art that is bewitching in its breadth and intimate in its depth.
My thanks to skinny for introducing us, and to Sorcha for being a part of Art at the Park.
Our Opening Event Musician
Winston Ackland
Winston Ackland is making his first appearance at Holly Kai Park. An accomplished physical world musician, who in-world provides smiles and tapping feet with his clever original works and quirky adaptations of obscure covers. Somehow, it all makes sense as audiences relax in a comfortable atmosphere and enjoy innovative songs crafted from a blend of rock, blues, bossa nova, jazz and lounge.
In 2008, Winston’s physical and virtual lives merged when his cover of Lithium hit the big screen in 20th Century Fox Films, Marley and Me. In 2012 his cover of Psycho Killer was featured in Oliver Stone’s Savages.
Stories at the Park
In addition, this exhibition will feature a special Stories at the Park event on Saturday, November 20th from 3:00pm. Presented by Seanchai Library, Stories at the Park features readings of 100-word short stories and poems of up to 100 words, inspired by the art on display at the park, and written by some of Second Life’s top writers. The event is open for anyone who enjoys writing, and details of how to take part can be found on our Stories at the Parkguidelines. Note that you do not have to read your own work if you prefer not to use Voice: Seanchai Library staff would be happy to read it for you.
Open now through until the end of the year is Monochrome, a full region installation on three levels, designed and built by Giovanna Cerise. It’s a hard piece to quantify – if indeed it requires quantifying. Spread over its three levels, it presents three different environments / structures, offered in black, white and red respectively.
The black element is located at ground level, facing the landing point, with a teleport door providing to the next level – white – which then connects to the upper, red level. There is no specific windlight for the installation; visitors are encouraged to experiment with different times of day / settings.
Sitting over the water, the Black level presents a series of cubic and rectangular boxes rising into the sky, some interlinked and stacked like great square hills. Their walls are phantom, allowing visitors to walk or fly through them (watch out for transparent floors when flying up!). Slender metal spars rise up around them, while string like strands loop through the air, threaded with cubes of their own.
At the centre of all this are three tall, cube-headed female figures. One stands threading a cube onto another metal-like strand, which is being fed to her by the seated and kneeling figures. One of these holds a pair of scissors, ready to cut the strand, presumably so it can also be set floating in the air once a suitable number of cubes have been threaded.
The pattern of cube-like rooms is repeated on the White level – only this time the cubes all occupy just one level, spread like a vast building across a white plain. Phantom in nature, they can again be walked through, only this time their walls can also be seen through from both sides. Once their bounds, this gives the feeling of being in some vast maze, one where many of the rooms have large magnifying glasses standing in their centres, while others are empty. Wandering through them, it is exceptionally easy to lose one’s sense of direction.
And on the upper Red level, lies a mass of red cubes, as if caught in a swirling wind lifting them into the air. At their centre is a red mass, like a congealed lump of spilled paint, on which four red figures appear caught in the same vortex, being pulled apart from the head down, their broken bodies rising and twirling together within the vortex, becoming a single strand rising into the sky, eventually to bind the spine of a huge red notebook.
All three levels offer intriguing montages. They challenge us to quantify them according to our own perception, by challenging that very perception as we study them each in turn. Is the binding of the book on the Red level really being drawn from the figures below, for example, or is it slowly unravelling from the book to fall and become those figures? And if it is, does this not alter our thinking about what is being portrayed here?
