Category: Art in Second Life

Seanchai Library’s Crazy Eights in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Dox Quiote - opens Seanchai Library's Crazy Eights series at LE9 on Sunday, January 31st, 2016
Dox Quixote – Words and Images opens Seanchai Library’s Crazy Eights series at LEA 9, 13:30 SLT, Sunday, January 31st, 2016

Opening on Sunday, January 31st is the latest chapter of Seanchai Library’s distinguished history of bring stories and literature to life in virtual worlds through the spoken word. Running through to May 31st, Crazy Eights is a full region installation located at LEA 9, where the Library will be presenting and hosting a range of special story telling events and readings from the world of literature.

The region has been beautifully landscaped by Caledonia Skytower with the support of Shandon Loring, to present a series of event areas, all distinct from one another but linked together and to the landing point by the Story Forest, where visitors walk between tall trees on a path apparently paved in the covers of books, and can discover more about stories, folk tales and more, as they stop at any of the 20 Story Stations lining the paths through the woods.

Walk through the Story Forest to visit the themed area of the region
Crazy Eights: walk through the Story Forest to visit the themed areas of the region, stopping at the Story Stations as you go

The “eight” of the title Crazy Eights, refers to this being Seanchai Library’s eighth year of operation. It was founded in 2008 by Derry McMahon, a Master of Library Sciences in the physical world, after she toured Second Life’s existing libraries and found that while many were inspiring builds, most were empty and seemingly little used.

Derry realised that with all the rich immersive opportunities available in-world, people were unlikely to log-in simply to sit down and read a story or poem or extract from a novel on a note card or from a web page; reading simply doesn’t require a virtual space. It was from this realisation that she established Seanchai Library (“seanchai” – pronounced shawn-a-kee – being is a traditional Irish storyteller/historian): a place where people could come together and read and listen to stories from around the globe and covering all possible genres, giving literature in-world a voice.

The island area
Crazy Eights: the Featured Book Area

Initially, Seanchai Library focused on gatherings which allowed this to happen, establishing a convivial atmosphere in which tales could be shared. But such is the nature of Second Life that it became obvious that more could be done to present literature as a living statement of the arts. Thus, Seanchai gave birth to Storyfests (now folded back into Seanchai’s core activities), which allowed staff and volunteers to organise special literary events, such as their Bard on the Beach and Halloween inspired Boofest series, without detracting from the Library’s core aim of brining stories of every kind to life.

Crazy Eights allows visitors to immerse themselves in both literature and traditional verbal story telling as an art form, and discover more about Seanchai Library itself. The Featured Book Area, for example, will be used to present a book a month through February to the end of May, using a 360-degree setting. The series launches on Thursday, February 4th at 19:00 SLT,  when Shandon Loring, Seanchai’s Chief Storyteller, presents On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves in a suitably tropical setting (see the image above).

Crazy Eights:
Crazy Eights: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson feature large, through Seanchai Library’s popular Tea Time at Baker Street sessions every Sunday at 13:30 SLT from February through until the end of May, complete with the opportunity to learn more about those who have played the leading roles in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories on stage, film, radio, and television down the years

Crazy Eights also present the opportunity for visitors to attend one of the Library’s most popular series of readings: Tea Time at Baker Street. Here, in a setting inspired set of the ITV Granada (UK) television series The Return of Sherlock Holmes, visitors can enter 221B Baker Street every Sunday and hear of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. The first story, selected from the series will be The Adventure of the Empty House, the first story in the volume The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, at 13:30 SLT on Sunday February 7th.

Southward from here lies the Library Island, home to the Information Centre. Here visitors can discover more about weekly events at the Library’s headquarters at Bradley University, and about major productions such as Explore the Great Gatsby. Just a stone’s throw from this is the Storyteller’s Workshop, will hosts the first session on Saturday, February 13th, at 13:00.

Crazy Eights: the lounge at 221B Baker Street stands ready to receive guests
Crazy Eights: the lounge at 221B Baker Street stands ready to receive guests

Crazy Eights officially opens, however at the East Meadow, an area devoted to stories based on  or inspired by art displays mounted in the meadow.

Here, on Sunday, January 31st, at 13:30 SLT, Derry McMahon and Bear Silvershade will present Don Quixote – Words and Images, where guests are invited to sit beneath a windmill and listen to the story of  Miguel de Cervantes’s Gentleman of La Mancha. On display around the meadow are pictures by Derry inspired by Don Quixote’s adventures, which are simply superb (and which I had the good fortune to review in 2014, when some formed a part of that year’s Fine Arts Tour).

Crazy Eights: the Story Forest path includes 20 story stations to be be discovered by visitors
Crazy Eights: the Story Forest path includes 20 story stations to be discovered by visitors

If you’re already familiar with Seanchai Library’s activities in-world, then you are going to enjoy exploring and spending time at Crazy Eights. If you’ve never attended an event or session by Seanchai Library, then Crazy Eights offers the perfect introduction to a group and their activities in Second Life and virtual worlds, as they keep alive the great tradition of story telling in voice.

SLurl Details and Links

 

Dutch Masters at Holly Kai Garden

Posted on by Inara Pey
Paintings of the Dutch Masters - Holly Kai Garden
Paintings of the Dutch Masters – Holly Kai Garden

In October 2014, I wrote about the Dutch Masters exhibition curated and mounted by Drw (Drwyndwn Tyne) at his Gallery, Tyne’s Fine Art. At the time, the exhibition made quite an impression on me, such was the sense of presence one gained in being able to view masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, uniquely gathered together and beautifully presented in a single location.

I’m therefore extremely delighted that Drw accepted an invitation to display his collection at Holly Kai as the inaugural exhibition in our new Art at the Garden  series.

Paintings of the Dutch Masters - Holly Kai Garden
Paintings of the Dutch Masters – Holly Kai Garden

Opening on Wednesday, January 27th and running through until 28th February, 2015, Paintings of the Dutch Masters presents 40 painting by the likes of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Ludolf Bakhuizen, Gerard van Honthorst, all beautifully reproduced and mounted by Drw, and displayed within the two terraces at Holly Kai Garden.

Each piece has been reproduced in the precise aspect ratio of the original, with an additional 15% added to allow for viewing in Second Life, thus adding to the authentic look to each of them, and care has been taken to ensure any copyrights held by the museums hosting the original pieces have not been violated. Further, they are all mounted in picture frames which heighten the feeling of viewing the pieces in person. Click on a frame, it will offer two options: Museum Card and Examine. The former will offer you a texture containing the notes accompanying the piece as presented by the gallery where it is displayed.

Paintings of the Dutch Masters - Holly Kai Garden
Paintings of the Dutch Masters – Holly Kai Garden

Select Examine, however, and you’ll be invited to click the painting again. This will place your avatar in a seated hover position and focus your camera directly on the art; thus, you are able to examine the painting in fine detail, almost as if standing before it in a physical world gallery  (should your camera fail to orient itself after clicking the painting, tap ESC once to adjust it).

Paintings of the Dutch Masters presents a marvellous cross-section of art from the period: portraits, landscapes, studies, all of which help to understand why this period in Dutch History, spanning the 17th century, was so influential; the new Dutch Republic being the most prosperous European nation at the time, leading the way in European trade, science, and art.

Paintings of the Dutch Masters - Holly Kai Garden
Paintings of the Dutch Masters – Holly Kai Garden

More than that, however, it offers the means to truly appreciate magnificent artwork for some of the great masters of their craft, side-by-side and in a manner which could not be enjoyed in the physical world, where many of the pieces are geographically separated by museums. We look forward to seeing you at the garden.

To mark the opening, there will be a special celebration at the garden terrace, from 4:00pm SLT on Friday, January 29th, featuring the music of DJ Anthony Wesburn. Anthony brings a unique style to his music in Second Life. Covering multiple genres including blues, classic rock, and jazz, he not only spinning the tunes, but brings his audience little tidbits of information on the songs and artists he’s playing. Dress code is smart casual / semi-formal.

SLurl Details and Links

Cica’s Beginners in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Beginners - Cica Ghost
Beginners – Cica Ghost

“I made these travelling houses, like migrating people,” Cica Ghost told me of her latest installation, Beginners. “And I was thinking, they are looking for new beginning. I didn’t want political thoughts, especially not in SL. So I think they are just moving., travelling. “Migrants” is such a heavy word.”

And it is, particularly in the current political climate and the situations occurring in Africa and the Middle East. Yet, with Beginners, it is in some ways hard not to see a reflection of what is happening in the physical world.

Across a rocky landscape, devoid of trees but covered in part by breeze-swayed grass, a caravan is slowly making its way up an incline. Pulled by gigantic snails, each with a house on its back, the caravan comprises two sets of wheeled houses, yoked one to another, the leading ones in each train harnessed to one of the aforementioned snails.

Beginners - Cica Ghost
Beginners – Cica Ghost

Progress is slow. the snails stretch and contract, the wheels on the house turn, but forward momentum seems non-existent. And all of this is watched by enormous figures standing on nearby hills or seated on the edge of the grasslands. Somewhat unkempt, their faces twisted, the sleeves of the jumpers they wear stretched and hanging over hands, Cica refers to them as trolls, and notes they mean no harm; they’re just there to watch.

Taken as individual scenes, the snail caravan and the huge figures offer a humorous study; the poor snails stretch and try, stretch and try, without ever showing signs of reaching a particular destination, hauling gaily painted houses (which show signs of wear), while the troll figures offer a clown-like face and look to the world; their oversized jumpers giving them a gentle charm.

Beginners - Cica Ghost
Beginners – Cica Ghost

Nevertheless, the echoes of migration and the displaced cannot be entirely put aside. It’s there within the caravan, where a closer examination of the houses reveals that their careworn look might actually be the result of being caught in strife. It’s there in the idea of people moving their entire home to seek a new beginning and leave the past behind. It can even be found with  the trolls, although this might not initially be obvious.

As tall as they might be – easily matching the wheeled houses in height – the trolls and their relationship with the caravan take on a new meaning as you cam closely around them. As the caravan on the rigid comes into sight, the trolls aren’t giants any more. They are instead transformed into figures in the foreground, watching the distant caravan roll by, their expressions now filled with pathos and bewilderment, perhaps a reflection of inner turmoil at being unable to go on the journey as well.

There are other subtle nuances as well. For example, the landscape is pockmarked with craters, giving it an alien look in places. And “alien” is often a term we use is respect of those arriving in our lands from elsewhere, or when referring to lands and customs removed from those we have lived with.

Beginners - Cica Ghost
Beginners – Cica Ghost

Beginners is again another marvellous piece by Cica, working as it does on several levels. Whether or not one is struck by the potential parallels with the dispossessed, this is an installation which is hauntingly beautiful in its presentation. There is also Cica’s trademark sense of fun: you can sit on the roofs of the houses if you wish as the snails struggle forward, or you can ride a balloon over the fields (and beneath the waters!), either on your own or with a friend. And if you do look hard enough, you’ll find a little secret spot where you can curl up and relax, leaving the world above you to get on with itself.

SLurl Details

Windlight Magazine: Mardi Gras challenge: L$5k prize pool

Posted on by Inara Pey

mardigrasOriginally a religious festival, Mardi Gras (“fat Tuesday”), refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three King’s Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday.

This year Mardi Gras falls on February 9th, and Windlight Magazine has partnered with Riel Estates to help Second Life residents get into the party / festival mood with a photography challenge offering a total prize pool of L$ 5,000.

All you have to do is pay a visit to Riel Estate’s St. John’s Parish, where you can find old New Orleans circa 1916, and take your photos! Up to three pictures per person can be submitted to the official Flickr Group to be entered into the challenge.

On offer are three prizes to the lucky winners, who will be selected by an independent panel, who will select the winning entries based on originality, creativity, technique, incorporation of your selected location and adherence to the challenge guidelines. The prizes are:

  • 1st Place: L$2,500 plus a double page ad in Windlight Magazine
  • 2nd Place: L$1,500
  • 3rd Place: L$1,000.

Guidelines

  • All photos have to be posted in the official Mardi Gras Photo Challenge Flickr Group
  • No more than 3 submissions per entrant
  • When posting your photos please use the following naming convention: Mardi Gras Photo Challenge – Photo #1-Your SL Name (Do not use display names). Add a #2 or a #3 for the additional photos you wish to submit
  • All photos must:
    • Include the SLurl of the St. John’s Parish location that you used
    • Be new and original. You can add the photo to other groups (please do respect the covenant of any club or venue, and make sure you obtain the permission of the venue owner to use their location in your submissions)
  • Nudity or adult behaviour is not allowed
  • Editing via Photoshop, Gimp, or any other graphics tools is permitted.

All entries must be submitted by midnight, Friday, February 5th, 2016, and the Flickr date and time stamps will be used to assess whether or not entries meet this criteria, so check your time zones. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, February 9th, 2016.

Congratulations to Bryn Oh on Arts Council grant

Posted on by Inara Pey
Bryn Oh by Tara Cetti
Bryn Oh by Tara Cetti

Second life artist Bryn Oh recently announced she has received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council.

Bryn, whose work is known and appreciated by many in Second Life, is one of 17 recipients in the latest round of grants awarded by the Council, and this marks the third such time her work in the virtual medium has received funding via a Canadian government grant.

The funds will in part be used to re-assemble and film The Singularity of Kumiko, and to create a first life exhibit using the Oculus Rift and Stem system. In addition, Bryn also notes the grant will additionally be put towards various other projects and activities, including marketing, voice acting, music, and travel.

From the thrust of Bryn’s post, it seems she is hoping the film project will help further her work in seeing immersive virtual arts gain wider appreciation, understanding and acceptance within the arts community as a whole. In making her announcement she notes:

I have spent a long time working in this area now and have witnessed the resistance of some curators to see outside their comfort zone.   Many curators have spent a life learning how to evaluate and understand painting, sculpture, film etc and to be honest, I think some of the resistance is from being intimidated by the prospect of having to learn something completely new and difficult for them.

The truth is that to understand an immersive artwork then one must become immersed, so the simplicity of pictures and text don’t apply to the Immersivist artwork and a curator just can’t hope to evaluate our artform by looking at pictures or even watching machinima.  They have to experience it and it’s not easy to do so.

Using a VR HMD with 360-filming would certainly help those unfamiliar with immersive, virtual art better understand the creative potential without the added complication of them having to need to understand the use of avatars, the viewer, and so forth.

The opening scene of The Singularity of Kumiko
The opening scene of The Singularity of Kumiko

The Singularity of Kumiko, which I reviewed here, originally opened in February 2014, and takes the form of a an immersive narrative which takes the visitor on a journey of discovery, focus on the exchanges between Kumiko and Iktomi (the latter communicating by means of letters placed inside bottles the visitor must find, while Kumiko uses a mixture of bottled missives and the spoken word.).

The journey the visitor must take, as with the flow of conversation between Kumiko and Iktomi is not always linear, further drawing the visitor into the piece and making them a part of the unfolding story. If you didn’t managed to visit it the first time around, I hope Bryn will leave it standing for visitors to enjoy for a while after she has completed filming.

In the meantime,her current work at Immersiva, The Gathering (which you can read about here), will remain open, Bryn says, for another month, after which it will be packed away to make room for The Singularity of Kumiko. so if you’ve not yet witnessed The Gathering, now is the time to do so!

Many (and belated) congratulations to Bryn on receiving the award!

Related Links

Bananas, trumpets, trailblazers and cacti

Posted on by Inara Pey
Le Cactus
Le Cactus

Maya Paris is a colourful, inventive and imaginative Second Life artist with a wonderfully wacky wit and knowing glint in her eye – as anyone who has visited the likes of Celebrity Blow Your Own Tits off, or Sauce will know only too well.

Now, at the invitation of Eupalinos Ugajin, she’s brought back a celebrated favourite creation:  Le Cactus, and it is every bit as wild and as wacky as ever, offering news delights for those who have not previously paid it a visit, while those who do remember it can revisit an old favourite for a fresh dollop of fun presented in a way that only Maya can master.

Le Cactus
Le Cactus

“[It’s] a celebration of the extraordinary talents of cultural trailblazer Josephine Baker, queen of the trumpet Valaida Snow, the lampshade-hatted dancers of the Casino de Paris and the offbeat irony of Jacques Dutronc,” Maya says of the installation, located high above LEA21. “Throw a banana on your head, dance on a cactus and tickle a tentacle. Everything’s interactive, so click away!”

And everything is interactive. At the landing point there are seven vinyl records, each of which will give you a costume to don; beneath them sits a box offering a HUD and the helpfully entitled “Le Cactus: What to do here” note card.

Le Cactus - Josephine!
Le Cactus – Josephine!

The outfits are as imaginative and a colourful as the setting (which has a delightful Art Deco look and feel to it), and you can wear them with your avatar either completely masked, or with body clothed and visible. I went for fully hidden for most of the outfits, but showed myself whilst wearing the Valaida and Josephine outfits (see right, flapping away).

The HUD provides links to YouTube and short films about both women and a playback of Jacques Dutronc singing Les Cactus.

From here it’s off down the stairs to click, dance, spin, swap outfits – all to the early jazz of Radio Dismuke, if you have the audio stream on (and you should). Then, when you’ve had enough, drop into one of the bar-side sofas, or claim your drinks and refresh yourself.

Like any bar, the atmosphere at Le Cactus increases in leaps and bounds the more there are enjoying the place, so grab your friends, mash-up the outfits, stick and banana on your head and have fun.

When you’ve done with your visit to Le Cactus, don’t forget to drop-in at group level, where other things will be going on. Eupa revealed a little of Life on Jupiter to me, which is currently under construction and promises to be every bit as offbeat as le Cactus, and joined me at the bar for a time, suitably attired for dancing, but opting to wear a model of Skylab as floating headgear, rather than the suggested banana.

SLurl Details