Several years ago, I was pointed towards a You Tube video showing the creation of a scene in Second Life. The video was posted by Sharefestival, but was originally produced by Robbie Dingo.
Watch the World, made far back in 2008, poses the question “Ever looked at your favourite painting and wished you could wander inside, to look at it from different perspectives?”, and takes us on a time-lapse journey through the in-world recreation of what is perhaps Vincent van Gogh’s most celebrated work, The Starry Night.
The Starry Night is one of many the artist created depicting the view from the window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is the only noturne he produced in the series and was painted a little over a year before his death. In it we see the pre-dawn countryside visible from the artist’s bedroom, but with a styled village of Saint-Rémy – which was not visible directly from van Gogh’s room – added in the middle distance. It’s a poignant painting, and one which inspired American singer-songwriter to compose the equally poignant Vincent.
The Starry Night (889) by Vincent van Gogh, part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City
In the video, we are taken on a journey with Robbie as he recreated The Starry Night in Second Life, offering visitors the opportunity to enter van Gogh’s world and visit his village. It’s a wonderful video, hauntingly framed by McLean’s lament, and it is one I’m often drawn back to time and again, so much so, that I had convinced myself I’d already blogged directly about it.
Sadly, the build itself has long since passed from Second Life, but as I’ve not dedicated a post to the video, and again found myself watching it recently, I thought I’d rectify the latter and write about it now. It’s a timeless piece, and a beautiful demonstration of how Second Life can be used to present a new perspective on art.
Robbie also offers a Revisited video on the piece, in which he shows footage not used in the original cut:
Now open at Gallery 24, curated by Kayly Ilali, is a beautiful exhibition entitled The Portraits of Silas Merlin. And it is, in a word, magnificent.
Silas is better known in the physical world as Jean-François Le Saint, a Maître Pastelliste of the Société des Pastellistes de France. In Portraits he presents a number of his pastel studies from the physical world, all beautifully reproduced for in-world exhibition in a manner which loses none of their context or the power of his chosen medium.
Spread through the two floors of the gallery is a virtual treasure trove of his work, offering a unique and involving insight into Silas’ world as an artist who uses modern and traditional means to produce a portrait, mixing photography – while he does enjoy live sittings, he much prefers capturing his subjects on camera, often taking hundreds of photographs whilst visiting traditional or medieval festivals in Brittany – with the great tradition of pastel art.
Through the images, with their layered, textured richness, it is possible to appreciate just why pastels have been a favoured form of portrait art since the Renaissance period. The pale colour tones which are available or can be mixed result in incredibly life-like images which can often transcend the use of paints, capturing the very essence of the subjects in a study.
You might wonder why an artist established in real life might want to bring their work into Second Life, where the ToS is seen as being hostile. In talking to Kayly Iali about his work, Silas offers a more relaxed view on the benefits of exhibiting in-world:
Second Life is warm and cozy, I want to be here. Importing my real life work into Second Life and rezzing it on a virtual wall gives me a new perspective on it. By contrast sticking it on a website or posting on social networks does not add anything or give me new insight to my paintings.
Natalya Gousseva: The Portraits of Silas Merlin – Gallery 24
Artwork comes into being in the virtual world, (especially when you don’t use the full bright lighting feature in Second Life), it is affected by the day cycle, local lights that can be coloured, projectors [that] cast shadows…
On a more practical level, Second Life offers him the opportunity to learn about using new mediums. He’s particularly interested in sculpture, and adapting some of his work into 3D pieces.
The platform also present Silas with the ability to socialise more easily with visitors to his in-world studio, something he notes isn’t easily achieved in the physical world, where he is often lost in the flow of his work.
There are many facets to this exhibition which are both fascinating and enticing – the presentation of physical world art; the insight into Silas’ work and talent, the glimpse we get into the lives of his subjects. Speaking entirely personally, all of these aspects for me come together in one particular piece Silas has chosen to display: his portrait of Russian actress Natalya Gousseva, as she appeared as a 12-year-old in the mid-eighties Soviet television mini-series, Guest from the Future.
There is something fabulously intimate and compelling about the portrait, while beneath it, a bright panel offers us a glimpse into its creation: a link to a time-lapse video of the piece being drawn. Taken together, portrait and film offer a wonderful insight into Silas’ world, and I again offer him my thanks for allowing me to embed the video here, hopefully as a further enticement for people to visit the exhibition.
As well as the pastel studies, Portraits includes a number of photographs featuring young subjects Silas sketched during live sittings, presenting a further means of witnessing his work. And for those who might wonder how their avatar might look rendered in pastel art, a trip to the rooftop terrace will reveal a number of avatar portraits, work he still does today on a commissioned basis.
All told, The Portraits of Silas Merlin is a compelling exhibition, one all lovers of art should make time to see. For those who, like me, become enamoured of his work, Silas has a gallery in New Babbage and a second on Escapades Island – do visit them as well.
Now open at the Windlight Art Gallery, the January-February 2016 Windlight Fellowship exhibition sees exhibits by Ceakay Ballyhoo, Eleseren Brianna, Jarla Capalini, Warm Clarity, Glitterprincess Destiny, Hana Hoobinoo, Victoria Lenoirre, Carley Noonan, Autopilotpatty Poppy, Jamie86 Resident, Jazsintha Resident, and Tempest Rosca.
On offer is another rich mix of styles and subject matter – landscapes, avatar studies, some abstract work and some images from the physical world. It is this mix of styles and subject which makes the Windlight Exhibitions more than worth the visit; the Gallery design encourages the visitor to focus attention on each artist in turn whilst at the same time allowing individual styles and approaches to be compared and contrasted, helping one to appreciate further the skills evidence by each artist in creating their work.
There are a number of artists in this group whose work I know and admire, and several who are new to me, but whose work I’m rapidly coming to admire as result of seeing them at Windlight. While I don’t like to seem as if I’m picking favourites at an event like this. I have to admit that I found myself drawn back time and again to Hana Hoobinoo’s and Jarla Capalini’s images; the latter offer rich portraits and landscapes with a marvellous painted quality to them, while Hana’s present a beautiful ethereal quality.
But all appearances of favouritism aside, all of the images on display through January and February are guaranteed to please and entice those who visit the gallery; so be sure to add it to your list of places to visit, and if you wish to find out more about the artists, be sure to read the special Meet The Artist articles in the Windlight blog.
Footnote: Due to issues with Second Life, the formal opening event for the exhibition has been rescheduled for 14:00 SLT on Saturday, January 16th, with formal attire preferred. However, the gallery is still open for people to visit and see the art on display.
The Windlight Artist Fellowship Programme
As a part of the magazine’s desire to help promote and support artists and photographers, Windlight Magazine and the Windlight Gallery operates the Windlight Artist Fellowship Programme. This allows artists to apply for free exhibition space at the Windlight gallery for a period of 30 days. Applications are open to artists from across Second Life, and the criteria for acceptance can be found in the Artist Fellowship Programme application form.
Opening today, Saturday January 9th, 2016, and running through until January 24th at the Art on Roofs gallery, Solodonna Land, is a small exhibition of my images I’ve called Through a Blogger’s Eyes. In it, I present a series of images I’ve taken of the places I’ve visited over the years; some of the images have been seen before in-world, while others are new to in-world presentation, although they have been seen on this blog.
The images selected lean towards my more recent SL region travels, all of which are documented under my Exploring Second Life tag, and by year through the blog menu (Events-Reviews-Travel > Exploring Second Life > select year), although some stretch back as far as 2013.
It’s the nature of places to come and go in Second Life, so some of the images are of places no longer with us, or as they appeared before more recent make-overs. However, most are still active today, and within the exhibition notes I’ve included a list of landmarks should anyone wish to visit the location depicted in a particular image.
Also, as a part of the exhibit I hope to be running a playlist of videos of the places, art installations and events I’ve filmed over the last few years. The playlist is set-up, but YouTube and SL were having a little bit of a fight during testing, so I’m seeing how that goes :).
As I say in the introductory notes, I don’t consider myself in any way a Second Life photographer or artist; my images are purely produced for illustrating the blog (I use Flickr to simply save on using the limited disk space WordPress provides). I’m therefore genuinely flattered when asked to display like this – and my thanks go to Terrygold, Sniper and Elettra for inviting me to exhibit at Art In Roofs; I hope you will visit and enjoy it.
The opening is at 13:00 SLT on Saturday, January 9th, with music by the folk at Solodonna club, and I hope you’ll join us.
Opening on Thursday, January 7th is the latest exhibition at The Living Room, and this month, it’s a double-header featuring the work of Mareea Farrasco and Faith Maxwell.
In About SL People and Places, Mareea presents a series of images of people and places from within Second Life. some of these have a distinctly photographic finish to them, while other lean more towards paintings. All of them are uniquely personal in both subject and the effect they have on the observer, drawing you gently into them, presenting glimpses of lives as they unfold, or places which seem both new and yet familiar.
This is particularly true of the images depicting rooms and places of work: an art studio, a bathroom, a desk on which sits typewriter; each carries the hint of places we may have seen or visited , but it at home or when out and about, whilst at the same time offering a glimpse inside the lives of people when they are otherwise engaged elsewhere.
“The pictures I create are small steps in the indefinite journey to myself. Join me and, who knows, you might find yourself,” Mareea says of her work; a comment which perhaps gives some of the images here an even deeper personal perspective in the suggestion that some of the spaces depicted in the image might be her own, and thus we are sharing in her world as much as in her view of the world.
With Sky is the Limit in SL, Faith Maxwell presents a series of her sculptures which reflect the theme of her title. Several of the pieces have a distinctly astral / cosmos / space feel to them – witness Cosmic Reaching Out, Astroid 2, and Time Marches On. Others have a strong aerial / avian flavour to them, as is the case with Lifting Spirit, Pureness of Doves, Hummingbird in Flight, and Turning Point (with its suggestion of a gyroscope).
Within the free-standing works are framed or mounted pieces which hold their own fascination. I particularly found myself constantly drawn back to the elegant simplicity apparent in Fallen Leaves and its suggestion both of time passing and the promise of open horizons, together with the hauntingly powerful In Mask, which suggested new themes and feeling each time my camera passed over it.
Like Mareea, faith pours a lot of herself into her work, noting, “When I came to SL I wanted to try my hand in sculpture. All my work is totally a work of me; my mood, my feelings.” Thus, both are ideally suited to sharing space at The Living Room.
About SL People and Sky is the Limit in SL formally open at 12:00 noon on Thursday, January 7th to music by The Vinnie Show! The exhibition will remain open through until Tuesday, January 26th, when there will be a closing show with music by Aminius Writer at 12:00 noon SLT. And don’t forget the Thursday Music Party at The Living Room, which this month takes place on Thursday, January 14th, and features Bat Masters at 17:00 SLT, followed by Lyndon Heart at 18:0 SLT.
Heritage is the over-arching title of two immersive installations created by Gem Preiz. The first, Vestiges, opens On Thursday, January 7th, with the second, Wrecks commencing on Monday, March 7th 2016.
“Heritage is the theme of the two exhibitions,” Gem explains of the pieces. “The heritage passed to us by our predecessors, and the one we shall bequeath to our descendants in the endless fight of life against Time.”
Vestiges evokes the first of these aspects: the heritage passed down to us by others; a journey through the past, visiting the ancient places and secrets of long-past civilisations – but are they the civilisations which gave rise to us, or are we perhaps archaeologists travelling through space and time, witnessing the past of worlds and those who inhabited them, the examination of their past causing us to reflect upon what we might leave for those who follow us?
This is a huge installation, eighteen rooms in total, through which the visitor travels as if on a quest. Those who are familiar with Gem’s fractal art will know he can produce huge and beautifully complex pieces, rich in detail and grandeur, and the rooms the visitor travels through are intended to enhance the feeling of being immersed within the scenes they present.
The arrival point offers notes on the installation, presenting a wealth of background material as well as providing guidelines on how to both best experience your time spent exploring them, and how best to set your viewer.
Heritage: Vestiges – Gem Preiz
A teleport system (which will only be available to the public once the installation has opened to the public on January 7th) then carries visitors to the first room, and the start of their journey. Do make sure you enable the music stream here to enjoy the compilation of music Gem has created specifically for the installation.
From here you journey comprises alternating between witnessing the exteriors of vast citadels and then visiting “hidden” chambers within them, each with its own treasure to be found. The way forward is variously indicated by rocks on the ground marking a path, or pillars between which a footpath is set, or arches under which you must travel. Guidance is given in chat, and invisiprims help to ensure yo stay on the right track, gently nudging you in the right direction and lifting you to the phantom passages between rooms (use CTRL-ALT-T to see them if you find this easier).
Some of the citadels have a certain familiarity about them; there is s distinctly Egyptian feel to the second, for example, while another suggested to me an echo of the ancient orient. Whether these citadels represent our own distant past or that of another civilisation entirely is for you to decide. For while all we see is somewhat familiar, so to is it so very alien; And thus the installation – and the images within – toy gently with our sense of perspective, causing us to stop, examine, and ponder.
The intricacy of Gem’s fractal art is always a marvel to behold, and this installation is a veritable tour de force of his work, where the extent to which he has used fractals may not always be immediately apparent, and so considered study of both citadels and chamber images is required. The former are of such a huge scale that only careful camming can really bring out their beauty, allowing our impressions about what they are and represent to flow freely as we move across them. Similarly, it is only through considered study of the images within the chamber we can fully appreciate the extent to which Gem has used fractals in their construction.
If I’m totally honest, such is the scale and presentation of some elements, that it can, on repeated visits diminish their overall impact. But these instances are in the minority, and more than compensated for by the knowledge of what is to come. One thing I would recommend is that if you plan to make one more repeat visits (I found myself drawn back a number of times to specific rooms and scenes), they try to do so in the company of a friend who hasn’t previously visited Heritage; sharing in their reaction experience of seeing these cityscapes and images for the first time can be as involving as any first solo visit.
As noted earlier, Heritage opens to the public on Thursday, January 7th.
