In January, I relayed the news that Bryn Oh was one of 17 recipients of grants from the Ontario Arts Council. At the time she received news of the grant, Bryn indicated that some of it would be used in recreating and filming her outstanding The Singularity of Kumiko (which I wrote about here). On July 24th, and following a premier at Indie Teepee on July 21st, she formally released the finished machinima on YouTube.
In rebuilding the installation for the filming, Bryn has made a few changes, and as she notes in her post on the film (which I’m actually unable to link to directly, due to her post not having a title of its own, so I can only direct you to her home page), she’s also incorporated scenes in the film which are not present in the in-world installation. None of these changes in any way alter the narrative arc of the piece; rather they allow the film to further stand as a valid and independent artistic interpretation of the installation.
This is the third grant Bryn has received from the Ontario Arts Council with respect to her work in Second Life, noting, “I also would like to thank the Ontario Arts Council for their continued support over the years … It is very rewarding and encouraging for me to know that such an establishment sees the virtual space as a powerful and unique tool for creating art.”
The Singularity of Kumiko was, and remains an extraordinary demonstration of immersive art and storytelling in Second Life, and one fully deserving to be preserved within this film. The installation itself remains open on Bryn’s home region of Immersiva. Regardless as to whether you have visited it before, please do take this opportunity to visit it in person whilst it is available.
Update, August 2016: Regrettably, and as a result of illness, Small World Arts Gallery has closed.
In May I wrote about the Small World Art gallery in Second Life. Operated by Mikey Jefford (mikeythai), Small World Art (SWA) is a region-wide complex featuring two large gallery complexes on both the ground level of the region and also overhead (where there are a number of satellite galleries.
The main galleries are host to displays by many Second Life photographers and artists, including (but not limited to) Silas Merlin, Mistero Hifeng, Giovanna Cerise, Toy Soldier Thor, Nino Vichan, Gem Preiz, ieko Catnap, Kayly Iali, StarZ (StarZ33 McCullough), Gita Aura, Barret Darkfold, Harter Fall, Artée (Artistide Despres), Fafner Hofmann, Maghda – the list goes on.
Such is the extent of the art on display in and around the galleries, that more than one visit is needed to take everything in. However, Mikey Jefford was recently taken ill in the physical world, and is currently unable to log-in to SL to cover the cost of the region tier, thus putting the galleries at risk.
In order to avoid this and ensure that tier continues to be paid, the gallery’s designer, Addi Tachikawa (Adrienne Falconer) and Mikey in-world partner, Mrs candy Jefford (candy68) have put out donation kiosks around the gallery. These record both total donated, and the amounts paid out in tier in respect of keeping the region open.
SWA has a lot to offer anyone with an interest in art, and represents a significant commitment to art is Second Life. I therefore have no hesitation in once again in recommending a visit, and urge all those who do to consider donating towards its continued existence. Even if you are donation box averse, remember a percentage of to price of all art sold in the galleries also goes towards maintaining the region – so even buying copies of the art your particularly like during a visit can help.
Should you like to help with keeping the region open in any other way, please IM Candy or Addie in-world.
Physical world / Second Life artist Ceakay Ballyhoo has a new region-wide exhibition currently open in Second Life. A Watercolour Wander, which will run through until the end of the year, brings together art and storytelling guaranteed to awaken our inner child and bring back memories of childhood imaginings set free whenever a blank sheet of paper and palette of watercolours were place before us, or the unwritten page and sharpened pencil placed in our hands.
“The idea started to form some months ago when I started to paint watercolours,” CK (as she is known to friends) states. “I’d been playing with making my own textures through watercolour paint and watercolour pencils a while before that … The idea of walking into a painting has always been a very attracting and intriguing one. Ever since reading Stephen King’s Rose Madder and later watching Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come, the wish to do something with that concept has been on my mind.”
And thus, A Watercolour Wander is just that – a walk through a landscape rendered as a watercolour. But not just any watercolour; this one forms a part of a story, the text of which is provided as part of the introductory notes offered to new arrivals, and which should be read as an accompaniment to any exploration (you can also read the story on CK’s blog). In it, a little girl, tired from the exertions of the day is slowly drifting to sleep when she realises her bedroom has vanished, to be replaced with a newly painted watercolour landscape, a path on the ground running from her bedside and into the trees, inviting her on an Adventure.
Staring from the from the little girl’s bed, we are invited to follow that path, scenes from her adventure presented to us in both 2D paintings and unfolding across the landscape before us: Mr. Nut, the squirrel, Pinkie Papillon, the gurgling river. Each painting marks a step in a story which – as is the nature of a good children’s story – has by turn its lighter and darker moments before all turns out well in the end.
The story is engaging, and very much as part of the overall experience – but it is the paintings and landscape that capture the attention. Beautifully rendered, the colours slightly washed and the outlines of trees and rocks and buildings perhaps outlined a little heavily, they perfectly embrace the idea that they have been painted by the little girl of the story to illustrate her dreamworld adventure; the reflections of a personal story imagined by a young mind.
The images from the story are all available at the end of the walk, together with a painting of a mermaid. CK has also created a Flickr group for those wishing to post their own wanders through her watercolours.
Now open at LEA 21 is the first part of Giovanna Cerise’s Soul of Colours, an installation which will unfold over the coming months. For this initial instalment, open through until the end of August, Giovanna presents Variations in The Magic Flute, based on the 2-act opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute, K620) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an opera which has, in my opinion at least, one of the most rousing and engaging overtures ever written.
This is an installation which first appeared in-world some four years ago, and which takes the visitor on an interactive, allegorical journey of light, colour and sound through key elements of the opera, complete with extracts of the music from some of the key events in the unfolding story.
Premiered just two months before Mozart died prematurely, on September 30th, 1791, The Magic Flute is, at its heart, a love story, focusing on handsome Prince, Tamino and Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, and involving an additional tale of desire and love between Papageno and Papagena, as well as the aforementioned Queen of the Night and her handmaidens and the enlightened Sarastro and his retinue.
Within Variations in The Magic Flute, Giovanna invites visitors to engage on a journey through key scenes and events from the opera: the grove with its serpent, where Tamino is rescued by The Queen of the Night’s three ladies in the opening scene; an expression of the Queen’s anger from Act 2, Scene 3, Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (“Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart”); allegorical representations of Sarastro’s garden, pyramids and the Temple of the Ordeal / Temple of the Sun (which it is depends on your interpretation of the opera as you come to it).
Passage through these scenes and locations is a matter of ascension – something which is itself an allegorical reflection of the opera’s story, following Tamino’s rise from the Queen’s deception into the enlightenment of Sarastro’s benevolence and also the rising triumph he and Pamina share in overcoming their individual trials and tribulations to finally be united in their love.
Passage between the levels / scenes are via crystal staircases (also triangular in shape, reflecting the pyramids of Sarastro’s domain), although you can fly if you wish. I’d personally recommend the former, as the latter does run the risk of missing things.
The interactive elements come in the form of music spheres which will play excerpts from the opera,together with locations where you can sit, and animations which will place you within some of the scenes. You can, for example, be tossed around by the vengeance which rocks the Queen’s dark heart.
I have no idea of the direction Soul ofColours will take from the start of September. I will, however, say that as I missed Variations in The Magic Flute when it was first displayed, I’m delighted to be able to visit it this time around; Giovanna and I appear to share something of the same taste for musical inspiration. With this piece, she has captured the essence of the story through a marvellous symbolism, while the use of light perfectly captures the heart of the music.
SLurl Details
Soul of Colour: Variations in the Magic Flute (Rated: Moderate)
Update, August 6th: Karkassus dropped me a note to inform me that his exhibit of his father’s work has now relocated. The SLurls in this article have therefore been revised to match.
Artist and friend Silas Merlin kindly pointed me towards a recently opened exhibition at the Small World Art gallery’s sky complex. Peter Vos in Second Life celebrates the work of Dutch illustrator, humorist, caricaturist and artist, Peter Vos – and it is an absolute must see.
Born in 1935 in Utrect, Peter Vos – full name Petrus Antonius Carolus Augustinus Vos – was the son of Cornelius J Vos, a well-known journalist of his time. He attended the Amsterdam Academy of Fine Arts when compulsory attendance was very much the order of the day: 9am through noon, then 1pm through 4pm and then 7pm through 9pm – something which may have contributed to Vos’ own work ethic in adult life.
Central to his work is a wonderful mix of styles and approaches – and also a deep and loving intimacy with his subjects and audience. In his twenties, he produced Portrait of Papa for his ailing father, followed by a book of pastiches lovingly depicting his father in a series of guises. Later, when he had a young son of his own, he would demonstrate this love for his family again, writing loving letters and postcards to the young boy, relating marvellous journeys around and beyond the Earth, opening his son’s own imagination.
All of this – the rich diversity of styles, the ability to move from keen observer to drawer of the fantastic, and his intimate expressions of love – is displayed throughout Peter Vos in Second Life. It is a most remarkable tribute to a most remarkable artist; one made all the more moving and intimate when one considers it has been curated by his son, known in-world as Karkassus Jigsaw.
Set against a perfect black backdrop, the artwork has been reproduced in-world with breathtaking clarity which brings Vos’ attention to detail, whether as an illustrator, humorist, artist or father, fully to the fore. These are all exquisite pieces which instantly capture and hold our eye – and our imagination. Commentary is strong within many of them, as is a wicked sense of humour, together with some poignant observation.
In an exhibition as remarkable as this, it is difficult to draw attention to any particular aspect, as they are all deserving of our time and attention. However, there are two parts within Peter Vos in Second Life which should perhaps be given additional mention. The first is on the ground floor of the hall, where Karkassus presents reproductions of the miniatures his father started painting in 1966. And by miniatures, I mean entire paintings and portraits the size of a rijksdaaldar – just 33 mm (1.3 in) across; so small some of the detailing meant working with just a single hair on a brush.
These are truly wonderful pieces (see the example above), carefully reproduced for in-world display so that when you click on one of them, your camera will zoom and centre itself on the image (press ESC if it doesn’t), and remain there until you click Stand. These are displayed alongside Peter Vos’ stamp designs and some of his postcards to his son, which offer a further personal dimension to this exhibition.
On the upper floor of the exhibit, nestled between the images on display is another personal tribute to the artist. Lit by a single lamp sits his desk, chair pushed back. The paraphernalia of Vos’ work are scattered around: books reflecting his interest in mythology sit on the floor, while pencils, pens, ink, coffee, a pouch of tobacco and more, vie for space beneath the cone of light cast by the lamp. And amidst all this, again marvellously reproduced and scaled for avatars, are the artist’s notebooks, displaying his meticulous studies of birds. Looking at them, it is hard not to believe he has simply stepped away from his work for a minute or two, and if we wait quietly enough, he’ll return, and allow us to watch him as he continues sketching a sparrow.
Sadly, Peter Vos passed away at the start of 2010. However, this exhibition, which mixes elements from earlier celebrations of his work, stands as a fitting tribute to his art and his life; a man gifted with a wonderful talent he chose to share with us. It is perhaps one of the most engaging exhibitions to be found in Second Life, and one fully deserving in gaining a continued audience.
Many thanks to Karkassus for once again sharing his father’s work with us.
At the end of June, I wrote about the start of the University of Western Australia’s new art challenge, IMMATERIAL, which is currently open to 2D, 3D and machinima artists through until July 31st.
While not a competition in the manner of the UWA’s Grand Challenges (there are no cash prizes or judging panel), IMMATERIAL offers those who enter the opportunity to have their entry displayed at the UWA’s Gallery, and featured in a companion exhibition catalogue, which will be published on-line as part of the UWA Studies in Virtual Arts (UWA SiVA) journal series.
Krystali Rabeni: “If Wishes Were Kisses” – “Shadows are such straightforward things: cast a light on an opaque object, and a shadow of it is thus born,” Krystali says of the piece. “Yet shadows can be manipulated to resemble entirely different shapes…” And so a poignant message is born …
IMMATERIAL asks entrants to consider the concepts light, shadows, textures, motion, and ideas, and to: Highlight the technologies of SL as a medium for creative expression. We especially want work that uses advanced techniques, in addition to objects per se.
As such, entrants are encouraged to work with mesh, materials, projected light and shadows, particles, pathfinding, avatar and object motion/animation and advanced scripting/interaction.
Since the announcement, entries have been arriving steadily, as they do, UWA’s curator, FreeWee Ling, has been putting them on display.
Yoon (Toyono): “The Dark Queen” – using projected light and a black background, Yoon creates a powerfully evocative image
As usual for such a UWA, the breadth of entries is quite breathtaking, and many of them deeply evocative, already marking this as an exhibition very much worthwhile visiting. I’ve selected just a small handful here as a sample to encourage you to do so, and repeat visits are recommended as the exhibition grows.
If you would like to submit a piece for IMMATERIAL, note that the deadline for submissions is 23:59 on July 31st 2016 at 11:59 PM SLT. You can find the full set of entry requirements on the UWA blog.
Silas Merlin: “Guardian Angels” – Silas says he was just having a little fun with this piece. The result is nevertheless stunningly beautiful
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 