Category: Art in Second Life

Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room

Posted on by Inara Pey
Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room
Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room

Now open at The Living Room, the art and music venue operated by Owl, Daallee and Nora, is the May exhibition, this time featuring a personal favourite of mine: Mistero Hifeng.

Anyone who has seen Mistero’s work will known that it stands and some of the most instantly recognisable 3D art in Second Life. His pieces, with individual figures, couples, or set-pieces has a unique look, style and evocative presentation which has us instantly responding to it as much on an emotional level as on a more objective critical level, engaging heart as well as eye.

Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room
Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room

Spread across all three floors of the gallery space are some of Mistero’s most iconic pieces, together with more recent works, offering those who may not be so familiar with his work with the broadest possible introduction to it. Many of the pieces have been imaginatively displayed.  E rubero’ per te la Luna, for example, presents our erstwhile lunar thief gamely tugging the Moon through the gallery’s window,  while the gaunt figures of Veglio su di te form canopies over the circular seats scattered around the exhibit space, thus literally watching over those seated!

Among some of the more recent pieces from Mistero is Oltre l’azzurro (Beyond the Blue), which is featured flanking a piano – one of the motifs he also uses at his gallery space; it’s a fitting pairing as well, given Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue… Oltre l’azzurro is one of his pieces I find particularly interesting as its possible interpretation can vary with just the slightest change in mood on the part of the observer.

Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room
Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room

It is the suggestion of narrative which makes Mistero’s work so attractive. Take La vita…imparare vorra, for example. is the person leaning against the wall weary from thinking, weeping as a result of some loss or happening, or engaged in a game? The story is entirely ours to determine. And again, the story may well change with or own mood, or simply as a result of the local lighting.

Mistero will be on display at The Living Room through until the end of the month, and don’t forget the monthly music sessions there as well! Thursday, May 19th will see The Vinnie show providing the music from 17:00 SLT, followed by Mark Allen Jensen at 18:00 SLT. Then, on Thursday, May 25th, Tone Uriza will be taking to the stage at 17:00 SLT, followed at 18:00 SLT by Bat Masters.

Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room
Mistero Hifeng at The Living Room

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Gem Preiz: a retrospective in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Gem Preiz Retrospective: Complexity (2013)
Gem Preiz Retrospective: Complexity (2013)

Open now through June at LEA 26 is a retrospective of Gem Preiz’s entire catalogue of fractal art installations in Second Life. For anyone who is familiar with his work, they offer a visual treat in spades; while for those who have yet to encounter Gem’s stunning canvases of intricate, fractal-generated images, all of which combine technology with wonderfully organic forms, even when depicting artificial structures, there has never been a better opportunity to be immersed in his work.

The installations are reached via individual teleports, arranged in chronological, left-to-right order as the visitor looks at them, each with its original info card giver located on the wall above the teleport disc. This allows visitors to not only visit each of Gem’s past installation in turn, but also to witness his growing confidence in using fractal generators to not only create scenes, but to weave narratives through his work, offering insight into his own growth within his medium.

Gem Preiz Retrospective: Heaven and Hell (2012)
Gem Preiz Retrospective: Heaven and Hell (2012)

I have covered Gem’s work extensively in this blog (all of my reviews can be found by following this tag, or view the menu: Second Life > Reviews > Art Reviews > Art in SL > Gem Preiz), and so was personally delighted to see his two earliest installations, Heaven and Hell and Complexity are included in the retrospective, as I’ve not previously had the opportunity to view them.

Heaven and Hell, Gem’s first ever exhibition in Second Life, dates from 2012 and takes as its lead a quote from French artist Georges Braque, “Art is made to disturb, science reassures.”

“It seemed to me funny and interesting to evoke the concepts of hell and paradise, which are by definition irrational, by means of one of the most accomplished domains of the science: mathematics and fractals.” Gem says of the installation.  inviting people to cross the Styx and enter the devil’s domain before being reborn in paradise.

Gem Preiz Retrospective: Polychronies (2014)
Gem Preiz Retrospective: Polychronies (2014)

Complexity, first displayed in October 2013 at Timamoon Arts, is an intriguing voyage of creation and growth, physically and in terms of knowledge, reflected in a quote, “The detailed knowledge of the world helps us to better understand it, but we never understand it better than when we forget its details.”

It takes us through fifteen images, each an ever more complex outgrowth of the last, carrying us from a single fractal at the centre of a blue realm, to the most intricate and complex shapes which form their own universe, expanding ever outwards until at last we come to … what appears to be a single fractal floating in a blue realm. A perfect summation of the quote.

Gem Preiz Retrospective: Metropolis (2015)
Gem Preiz Retrospective: Metropolis (2015)

From Complexity, one can travel onwards through Cathedral Dreamer – my first exposure to Gem’s art,  to Polychronies, which still stands as one of my favourite installations by Gem,  and onwards through to Metropolis, with his most recent joint work: Heritage: Vestiges and Wrecks, also on display above the same entrance hall, thus providing a complete tour de force of Gem’s work to date.

Gem’s work is a wonderful mix of art and science, organised structure and organic growth. Within it complex themes are interwoven, which also doesn’t prevent him from having a little fun as well. But when taken as a whole, his work simply isn’t something to be missed, as this retrospective amply demonstrates.

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Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor is the latest immersive installation by Frankx Lefavre. Like all of his work, it is deep in imagery and symbolism, but it is also and in difference to his previous works, a very personal piece.

“Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the primary drug used to treat anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Last December, I was given a LEA grant for 2016. By January, I was suffering major attacks of anxiety and panic leading to depression. This is the resultant build,” Frankx says candidly of the piece.

The result is a piece that is deeply immersive installation making extensive use of projected lights and colours (so you’ll need to have ALM enabled in your viewer). In entering it, you are literally entering the artist’s mind, and witnessing first hand the tumult and confusion of a mind in turmoil and at odds with itself. Light, colour and sculptures all conveying the sweep of emotions: the helpless sense of falling; the demons of the subconscious  looming over all thoughts and feelings, and the desire for calm and emotional stability, which is perhaps symbolised by the image of Buddha located on one side of the installation.

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor

Such is the evocative richness within the piece, it really is one to be experienced, rather than witnessed in words and still images. For those who have experienced Frankx’s situation, there is perhaps catharsis and a demonstration that there is healing and release. for those fortunate to nave never trod this path, there is the opportunity for insight into what it is like, something one would hope foster greater understanding in our response to those suffering from anxiety, fear and panic.

Given it is a visual piece, I’m not going to say too much more about it here, other than to strongly urge people to hop over the LEA 23 and see it first hand. instead, I’ll leave you with a video in the hope that it will encourage you to do so. This is a truly extraordinary piece of art.

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Red – Girls – Hot – Fruit in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Art on Roofs: RED - GIRLS - HOT - FRUIT
Art on Roofs: RED – GIRLS – HOT – FRUIT

RED – GIRLS – HOT – FRUIT is the latest exhibition to open at the Art on Roofs gallery curated by Terrygold. It presents a series of distinctive watercolours by LeMelonRouge (better known in the physical world as Spanish artist Francesc Palomas), balanced between images of females (mostly nude) and images of fruits, all painted using a palette biased towards red and the warmer colours associated with it.

Red is often associated with passion / the erotic – we so often refer to the “heat of passion” – and several of the nude images reflect this, albeit with a slant towards the erotic, given hand placement. Others are more gentle in both tone and colour, suggesting restfulness; whether this is innocent sleep perhaps the “post-coital glow”, is for the viewer to decide.

Art on Roofs: RED - GIRLS - HOT - FRUIT
Art on Roofs: RED – GIRLS – HOT – FRUIT

There is another emotion we associate with red as well – anger; and this is also visible in some of the images certainly also visible here, through what appears to be a cry of anguish in “Alone 3” (above right) or distress (“Alone 2”, not pictured here).

Whether intentional or not, both of these images – “Alone 3” and “Alone 2”  – seem to also depict acts of violence. Taken as a whole, the pose and red splashes to one side of the head suggest  the moment after a heavy blow has been struck. Similarly, the red marks across the subject’s back in “Alone 2” might be taken as welts of received blows.

Art on Roofs: RED - GIRLS - HOT - FRUIT
Art on Roofs: RED – GIRLS – HOT – FRUIT

Contrasting with the dynamic imagery of the nudes, the painting of the fruits  – while in places suggestive of passion and heat (cherries and chilli peppers) – come across as havens of freshness and health (pumpkin and tomatoes), forming a soft contrast to the human figures whilst also offering a subtle reflection of the emotions displayed within them.

When taken as a whole, RED – GIRLS – HOT – FRUIT is a complex series of images in which more may be going on both within the images themselves and in their placement in pairs, requiring considered evaluation. The exhibit will remain open through until May 8th.

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Gravity is a Mistake in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Gravity is a Mistake
Gravity is a Mistake – I get some unusal headgear and accessories, Caitlyn discovers gravity, if not a mistake, might be a myth …

Now open for all to enjoy is the latest installation by Eupalinos Ugajin, Gravity is a Mistake. As one can always expect from Eupa, this is an involved, interactive and above all, fun installation to which additional elements will be added over time.

It’s also a piece that is experience-led, so on arrival, you’ll be asked to join something called – in difference to the title of the installation – “Le Cactus”. Respodning with Yes grants you seamless interaction with the piece, and is a necessary part of Gravity is a Mistake. As with all experiences, remember that the permissions granted on joining will be automatically revoked when you leave the Gravity is a Mistake region, so there is no worry about what might happen elsewhere.

Gravity is a Mistake
Gravity is a Mistake – the starting point

Once you have accepted the experience, you’ll notice a couple of HUDs have attached to your screen on the right. The upper one will detach (if necessary), the other will teleport you back to the start of the ravine you’ll be delivered to on stepping through the doorway of the landing point.

This ravine cuts through a strange island. Objects are littered along and over the ravine (and scattered about the island), leading to a circular opening in the middle of the island. The key here is interaction; as you make your way down the ravine, be prepared to touch objects (and have some touch you!). Exactly what happens on touching an object is open to question. But remember, this is Eupa, so tongue is firmly in cheek, and a sense of humour will carry you forward. You may find yourself in receipt of a gift, doing a mad little dance, or unexpectedly wearing something, being transported to another part of the island, offered web page to look at …

Gravity is a Mistake
Gravity is a Mistake – The shape of things to come?

At the far end of the ravine sits a rather unique dragon. He’s determined to guard the circular opening, once a swimming pool, but now a public library. Getting past him may take some figuring out, but look for the door that comes with scales 🙂 .

The library is designed to be the second part of the build, which Eupa hopes will see those invited to join the project to add builds, sounds, and interactive elements of their own which can be enjoyed by visitors who manage to get past the dragon. As it is, entry will see you into a “gravity free” zone, offering me opportunities for fun!

Gravity is a Mistake
Gravity is a Mistake – the library awaits

In introducing the piece, Eupa notes the inspiration came from The Centrifuge Brain Project, an equally tongue-in-cheek mockumentary, well worth watching. And after playing in Gravity is a Mistake and watching the video, you’re still in the mood for silliness, hop up to Le Cactus bar, Maya Paris’ celebrated creation from times past, and which Eupa invited her to recreate here. You can reach it via the teleport at the top of the island, and read about it here.

All told – fun and silliness, and worth having local sounds on for as well!

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  • Gravity is a Mistake (Rated: Moderate)

 

Walking by Moonlight in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost: Moonlight
Cica Ghost: Moonlight

And if you’re ever feeling lonely just look at the moon,
Someone, somewhere is looking right at it too.

So goes the little verse which has found its way into all corners of the Internet over the last few years, and now frames Cica Ghost’s latest full region installation, Moonlight, which opened on Thursday, April 14th, replacing Strawberryland (which you can read about here).

This is another wonderfully evocative piece guaranteed to delight the eye and tickle the imagination. Sandwiched between teal sea and sky upon a rocky island thatched with tall stalks of wind-blown grass, sits a quintet of Cica’s quirky narrow houses. Immediately recognisable, they give an instant feeling of familiarity to admirers of Cica’s work, together with a suggestion of continuity with some of her earlier pieces.

Cica Ghost: Moonlight
Cica Ghost: Moonlight

This is a place wrapped in magic: a crescent Moon reclines overhead, eyes closed as if asleep, kept company by a little gathering of pulsating stars which add their light to the landscape below.

Nor is the Moon the only one caught in slumber: across the rooftops of the houses stand night-gowned figures, eyes closed, their presence apparently the result of sleepwalking. Below them, stardust drifts over the surrounding grass and between the houses, perhaps the cause of all this slumber.

Cica Ghost: Moonlight
Cica Ghost: Moonlight

While the little verse tells us that when lonely, we need only look at the Moon and know we’re sharing the view with another, somewhere, one little girl has taken things a step further. She has managed to cross the gap between her rooftop and the Moon, and now sits upon his chin as he sleeps, her head bowed even as her faithful cat attempts to gain her attention.

The cat appears to be one of only two inhabitants of the island to be awake; the other being a gangly giraffe ambling incongruously allow the shoreline, somnambulant residents oblivious to its presence.

Cica Ghost: Moonlight
Cica Ghost: Moonlight

Should you find the stardust drifting through the region causes a little drowsiness, or if exploring the hamlet and the surrounding landscape leaves you a little tired, you can always hop onto one of the beds which drift through the air, some perhaps escaped from the houses after their erstwhile occupants found their way to the rooftops. With both sitting and reclined poses, the beds offer a relaxing way to drift across the landscape and enjoy all it has to offer.

I’ve always enjoyed filming Cica’s work, and while time doesn’t always permit me the luxury of doing so, Moonlight brought to mind the lyrics of Rogers and Hart’s 1934 song Blue Moon, together with Cybill Shepherd’s rendition of the song from 1985. So once that was in my head, I had to put a little film together. I hope you enjoy it :).

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