Category: Art in Second Life

Located on the north coast of Nautilus and occupying almost the entirety of a region, sits the Peace is a Choice Gallery, founded and curated by Dove (TheDove Rhode). It is the home to an art display collected / provided over some nine years, from installations and artists past and present. As well as the gallery spaces, Peace is a Choice provides an event venue and an associated dance studio / meeting place.

Originally founded as the S&S Gallery of Fine Art, the current gallery is centred on a huge steel-and-glass building of sleek, modern design, and which is home to both 2D and 3D art. Outside of this, on the surrounding waters and the shoreline behind the gallery, larger pieces of 3D art can be found, together with the other facilities offered here.

The cross-section of art on display is astonishing, with pieces from Francis Bagration, Mona Byte, Giovanna Cerise, Treacle Darlands, Asmita Duranjaya, Russel Eponym, Duna Gant, Cica Ghost, Instincta and Stem van Helsinski, Stem van Kicca Igaly, Pol Jarvinen, Gleman Jun, Livio Korobase, Daco Monday, Robin Moore, Moya, Nessuno Myoo, Fuschia Nightfire, Bryn Oh, Cheen Pitney, sChan Resident, Spiral Silverstar, Miso Susanowa, Ub Yifu, Noke Yuitza, and Jedda Zenovka. Such is the diversity of the of the art on display, it’s very easy to lose track of time wandering through the gallery and exploring outside.

Whether you start your explorations inside or outside the gallery is entirely a matter of choice; there is no set path to follow, and Dove has wisely placed the art so that there are no assigned areas for individual artists. This allows for some interesting juxtapositions of art, technique and expression, allowing visitors to gain a strong feel for contrasting styles among artists in Second Life. That said, the interior of the gallery building can be a little bewildering: during one of my trips to the gallery, a fellow visitor candidly admitted in IM that he had been admiring two pieces of art on one side of the gallery, only to realise they were part of a small stage area for musicians!

I’m fortunate enough to have a SpaceNav, so I initially cheated with the art outside, flycamming around (although doing so does give a unique perspective for viewing 3D pieces of art). For those restricted to shanks’ pony, there are invisiprims set over the water, allowing visitors to examine the works up close without fear of vanishing under the waves.

The outdoor display also encompasses events area outside of the galley structure, where music events are regularly held. Another way to see the outdoor art is to catch a teleport to the neighbouring dance studio – still part of the overall complex – via one of the boards displayed around the gallery. From there, it is possible to stroll out onto the beach and appreciate the art (or take a dance lesson, if you’re also so inclined!).

Peace is a Choice makes for a fascinating visit, offer a lot to see. For those into sailing or boating, it’s location makes it reachable by water as well, although I didn’t spot any mooring facilities – so if you do visit boat, the teleport limo may well be needed when leaving. However, you do opt to visit, please consider a donation towards the continued existence of the gallery.

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• Peace is a Choice Gallery (Rated: Moderate)

Now open to visitors is Cica Ghost’s installation, Library, which she introduces with a quote from Albert Einstein, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” And to be honest, this one is pretty hard to miss, being another of Cica’s installations produced on a huge scale – something visitors immediately appreciate on their arrival, being reduced to the role of Lilliputians during a visit.

All good libraries are presided over by a librarian, who is there to provide assistance or – as the movies would generally have us believe – to ensure that Quiet remains the word of rule among the hallowed bookcases. Cica’s bibliothèque is no exception: across the wooden floor from the landing point, a matronly figure sits behind her desk, apparently engrossed in a tome of sheet music while a parrot alongside her keeps a weather eye on the comings and goings. They are the first indication of the scale of this particularly library – as you can see from the shot below, as Caitlyn takes a rest from exploring, perching herself alongside Polly.

Beyond the desk, the bookshelves rise into the sky, but so engrossed is the librarian in her own studies, the fact that there are more books than shelves seems to have escaped her notice.; Thus, ungainly towers of book rise into the sky across the vast floor, and giant volumes cascade down green slopes rising above the floorboards. A gap between the bookcases provides access to the rest of the library, or for those feeling energetic, wheeled stairways offer a way up to the lowermost shelves and back down the other side.

Also, for the intrepid and the curious, the library includes places to sit and / or lie down atop the piles of books, on the parrot’s perch and librarian’s desk, across the floor in the library’s “little” truck – even up in the branches of a tree. For those who aren’t fond of heights, a couple of the library’s cats offer ballet dances to be enjoyed individually or in the company of another, and which go well with the piano soundtrack gracing the region. Visitors should also keep an eye out for a hidden room where quiet conversations can be had out-of-sight of the librarian!

Library is another of Cica’s pieces which is bound to delight and have visitors smiling; there is whimsy aplenty, things to do and enjoy, and one can feel Cica’s humour at every turn. It’s a place which can so easily draw you back for further visits – as I noticed on my return, bumping into several people who had been wandering between the books and sitting atop piles and on branches when Caitlyn and I first set foot in the Library.

Should you enjoy your visit – and believe me you will – please do consider providing a donation for Cica’s continued work in Second Life.

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• Library by Cica Ghost (Rated:  Moderate)

Song about Rain is an ensemble exhibition now open at the Pretentious Art Gallery, Crestwick Island ( a location I blogged about in June 2015), featuring images by Panteleimon Aeo, Burk Bode, MaryFelicity, Cold Frog, Nur Moo, Charlie Namiboo, Laura Richards, Mr. S., Sugar Silverstar, Maloe Vansant, and  Anita Witt.

As the title suggests, the central theme of this exhibition is rain, with each artist submitting a single avatar study on the subject. Thus, it is an eye-catching exhibition of subtle contrasts in using rain  to frame a scene, focus the eye and  / or tell a story. All of the images have much to say, but I confess that where storytelling is concerned, I found myself particularly drawn to The Rain Song by Mr. S. (featured at the top of this article), which suggested an entire novella to me whilst admiring it. All of the pictures are offered for sale at the set price of L$300 each.

Next door, at the Broad Street Gallery, Cipher (Ciphertazi Wandin), co-holder of Crestwick Island, presents eight of his superb images which mix landscapes, avatar studies and images of personal space together in an intriguing set of pieces. All are superbly and evocative of mood and place, and can be purchased for the exceptionally modest L$100 each.

Both the Pretentious Gallery and Broad Street Gallery are modest in size, making trips to see the two exhibitions easy to combine. Doing so also offers visitors the opportunity to explore Crestwick Island which, if you haven’t done so before, is very much worth taking the time to see.

Note that due to the landing point in operation, you’ll need to walk into town to reach the galleries – but again, this gives you the chance to enjoy Crestwick Island more fully than if simply plonking down in front of the galleries 🙂 .

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• Crestwick Island (Rated; Moderate)

In June, Kultivate Magazine published the first volume of Quill and Pen, a new twice-yearly publication focusing on the work of writers and poets from across Second Life. It features short stories (including flash stories), non-fiction and poetry, and is published each June and December.

You can obtain  / read this first volume in a number of e-formats on-line and on mobile devices:

• Quill and Pen via Issuu
• Quill and Pen via Kobo
• Quill and Pen via Nook
• Quill and Pen via Scribd
• Quill and Pen via Smashwords (epub, PDF, Mobi / Kindle)

On August 22nd, 2016 Kultivate announced submissions for the second volume of the journal are now open, with the publication date set for December 5th, 2016. Writers and poets from across Second Life are invited to submit their work for consideration / publication, with submissions are welcome in the following categories:

• Poems: one poem per page, single spaced and left justified, maximum of six pages
• Non-fiction: one essay up to 3,000 words, double spaced, no extra space between paragraphs, white space for section breaks only
• Fiction:
  • Full-length stories:  one story up to 3,000 words, double spaced, no extra space between paragraphs. White space for section breaks only
  • Flash fiction: up to 700 words, double spaced, no extra space between paragraphs. White space for section breaks only.

To submit your work, please complete the Quill and Pen submission form.

Please do not copy  / paste your work into the form when applying. All work should be made available via Google Documents or a similar service, with the link to its location included in the submission form. Kultivate will then download your work from the provided link, thus preserving formatting for publication. Thank you.

Now open at Ce Soir Arts is Sailing, a nautical-themed exhibition of photography by friend and long-time Second Life resident, Wildstar Beaumont.

Perhaps best known for his work as the official photographer of Relay For Life, and featured artist during the intermission period on Designing Worlds, as well as being the feature photographer for both the former Primgraph magazine and for Prim Perfect, Wildstar visually documents the ever-changing face of Second Life.

As well as sharing a common interest in Second Life photography, Wildstar and I are also avid Second Life sailing enthusiasts and lovers of tall ships; little wonder, then, that I was drawn to this exhibition. Tall ships are a particular focus in the pictures, but other vessels are also offered, with many of them also offering unique views of Second Life’s most famous water-bound locations.

Fastnet Rock lighthouse (Crows Nest) can, for example, be seen in several of the images. Other images incorporate places such as the Leviathan’s Skeleton (Ahab’s Haunt), the marina at Starboard’s Yacht Club, the paddle steamer quays at Dutch Harbor (see my August 2014 article on the magnificent vessels moored there), and the Temple of Neptune looking out over Blake Sea, to name a handful.

But I confess, it is the tall ships which capture my eye and heart. There is a romance to the great sailing ships of old which belies the often harsh life aboard them, whether merchantman or warship. Who cannot be moved by the sight of such a vessel, sails unfurled, white-foamed sea curling back from curved bows as it runs before the wind, unfettered and in full career – if I might borrow from Brecht. Or, equally as moving, laying at anchor, sails furled as the sun casts its last rays of the day across masts and deck.

Wildstar captures all this and more in his images; so much so that to point a finger at any one is perhaps unfair, but I admit to being very drawn to his images of the Star of Winterfell, (shown on the right in the banner image for this article) and the trio of studies showing the Bright Star passing the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse (below right, alongside a closer viewer of the Bright Star).

All of the pictures in the exhibition are for sale at a very modest price, and are presented pre-framed and ready to hang at home. And believe me when I say, they will more than grace any home with wall space to spare. For anyone in love with sailing or who appreciates Wildstar’s work, this is a must-see exhibition.

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• Ce Soir Gallery (Rated: Moderate)