Category: Art in Second Life

Running through until July 23rd at Solodonna Land, operated by Sniper Siemens and Elettra Beardmore, is an exhibition featuring the work of a personal favourite of mine in Second Life: Mistero Hifeng.

Art on Roofs is precisely that: a display of Mistero’s work imaginatively placed across a series of tiled rooftops, complete with courtyards and narrow streets below. These are overlooked from a terraced landing point, giving visitors the impression they standing on a hillside terrace looking out across the packed rooftops of an old Mediterranean town or village.

The overall effect, beautifully framed by Annan Adored’s Dusty windlight setting, is visually impressive. The feeling of looking out over a small town is complete, and Mistero’s art, reached via wooden board walks which guide the visitor around the roofs, has been integrated into the scene with both flair and care.

Anyone familiar with Mistero’s work will instantly recognise many of the 3D pieces displayed here: E rubero’ per te la Luna, floating over the town, the bubbles of Una vita quasi Umana rising slowly from a courtyard, the figures of Volare once again playing out their quite deadly game of chess..

I was particularly drawn to the placement of Siamo ciechi…io…e…te and Il tempo Perfetto. (seen below). The two figures in the  former make a magnificent statement about love, the blindness it can bring. The couple are beautifully framed by the four pocket watches of Il tempo Perfetto ticking quietly behind them, perhaps counting away the time the lovers have – and to which they may also be blind.

While Mistero’s 3D work can be widely seen across Second Life in a variety of settings, his 2D artwork may not be so familiar to some; so its good to see a number of his paintings included here.

I’ve always found Mistero’s art to be a powerful draw (indeed, his beautifully evocative Per te is displayed in my garden). The imagery and emotion evident in some of his pieces may be discomfiting to some – but this doesn’t deny either the beauty or power of his work, all of which can be seen at his own gallery space at Cammino e Vivo Capovolto.

As noted, Art on Roofs will be open through to July 23rd, and my apologies to Sniper, Elettra and curator Terrygold for not covering the exhibition sooner.  When visiting, do please consider donating to the venue via the tip jar. Also, keep an eye out for some sculptures by CioTToLiNa Xue, which are also present on the rooftop board walks. She is someone else who most certainly deserves exhibition space of her own.

SLurl Details

• Art on Roofs, Solodonna Land (Rated Moderate)

Opening at 13:30 SLT on Wednesday, July 15th at ItalianVerse, is Giovanna Cerise’s latest installation, Tristan und Isolde. Based on Richard Wagner’s 3-act opera of the same name, the installation is, like the opera itself, a remarkable piece.

Premièred in 1865, after a difficult gestation, Tristan und Isolde is acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertoire, and one of the most influential works in the development of western romantic music, providing direct inspiration to the likes of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Benjamin Britten, as well as spurring composers such a Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky to develop their styles of romantic music as a sharp and lasting contrast to Wagner’s more tonal approach.

The core of the story is based on a medieval tale of love between the titular Tristan, a knight of Cornwall, loyal to King Mark(e), and Isolde, an Irish Princess. Within it are the classic themes of murder, love, betrayal and forgiveness played out on three sets, all of which are reproduced in Giovanna’s remarkable installation.

The arrival point, which might be said to be fashioned after the foyer of an opera house, is filled with images of Wagner, Mathilde Wesendonck (with whom Wagner was infatuated at the time Tristan und Isolde was written), promotional images from and 1859 production, and elements of the musical score, gives a hint of what is in store for the visitor.

From here, stairs ascend upwards, leading one to a balcony overlooking the opera’s first act: the ship commanded by Tristan that is bringing Isolde, somewhat by force, from Ireland to Cornwall, where she is to be married to Tristan’s uncle, King Mark(e). On and over the deck of the ship we see symbols representing the unfolding drama.

Above it sits a net about to enclose two pairs of hands coming together in a clasp, indicating both the love between Tristan and Isolde (itself not entirely the product of the potion they both unwittingly drink) and the events that are enfolding them. Then there is the little box of potions – poison and love – which play pivotal roles in the unfolding story.

Finally, lying on the deck and almost transparent, is a sword – a symbol of so much within the tale: Tristan’s role as a knight loyal to his king; his murder of Isolde’s fiancé, and the fact that Isolde once held Tristan’s own life at the point of his own sword, only to spare his life out of her own growing love for him, the result of having saved him from his own mortal wound prior to realising he was the one responsible for her fiancé’s death.

More stairs lead the way upwards to the scene of the second act. Here we find a tree, representing the night-time hunt led by King Mark(e), now wedded to Isolde, which departs the kings hall and leaves the two lovers free to meet. The figures with the net are clearly Tristan and Isolde, their pose reminiscent of the one used in the 1859 promotional material seen in the foyer.

Then there is the net itself; symbolic of so much: the love that binds Tristan and Isolde together; the way in which that love will betray them before the king; the truth behind Tristan’s declaration that only in the long night of death will they ever be truly united; and even Melot’s growing suspicions about the two of them, which also plays a role in their fate.

And so it is that the stairs bring use to a final set of balconies, these again lined by silhouettes of knights, as with the last, once again suggesting a courtly environment. But this is not representative of King Mark(e)’s halls; rather it represents Tristan’s own castle in Brittany. Here the final act is played out; one involving death, forgiveness and ascension, all of which is again beautifully encapsulated in the set of figures rising into he air over a dark shroud.

Opera is often said to be drama on a grand scale, and Giovanna’s installation is very much a reflection of this. It captures an influential piece of opera in the most beautiful and dramatic of ways, a magnificent reflection of Wagner’s work, exquisite in its detail and tone, right down to the selected windlight and the incorporation of musical spheres containing extracts from the opera itself (don’t have the local audio stream running when visiting!).

Truly an installation not to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Tristan und Isolde, ItalianVerse (Rated: Moderate)

Now open at the Broad Street Gallery, Crestwick Island, is a new exhibition entitled Not Dark Yet. Bob Dylan fans may recognise this as the title of his 1997 single, the first released from his Time Out of Mind album.

This is no coincidence; Not Dark Yet is a collaborative exhibition of art inspired by Dylan’s lyrics. The idea came from the gallery’s curator, photographer (and Crestwick Island’s co-designer) Isa Messioptra. She invited artists Cipherscape, Doc, .kiki, Senna Coronet, Dantelicia Ethaniel, Harbor Galaxy, Edie Horngold, Amona Savira, Hillany Scofield, and Maloe Vansant to join her in presenting one image apiece interpreting lyrics from one of Dylan’s songs.

Each artist was given free choice on the song and lyrics to be used; the result is a small, but changed display of images based on one or more stanzas from the selected songs: Visions of Johanna, Boots of Spanish Leather, Hurricane, It Ain’t Me Babe, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, Emotionally Yours, Sarah, One Too Many Mornings, Desolation Row, Most of the Time, and the titular Not Dark Yet (by Doc).

I say “charged”, because taken individually, each piece is rich in content; there is an emotional strength to each of them which allows it to stand in its own right in whatever context in is framed. But when seen in the context of their inspiring lyrics, each piece gains a further depth of resonance that literally draws you into it.

In some, the impact is almost physical, as with Cipherscape’s rendition of lines from Hurricane or Isa’s Too Many Mornings;  in others the effect is more subtle, as with Harbor Galaxy’s interpretation of  Boots of Spanish Leather, which is so beautifully inspired it really takes time to appreciate just how subtle all the references are: the guitar, the boots, the facial features, the hairstyle…

To single out just two or three pieces from this exhibit isn’t really fair; all of them are really superb, and should be seen for themselves. Not Dark Yet will remain open until around mid-September; should any of the pictures on show really grab you, they are available for purchase. Also, when visiting, do please consider a small donation at the door to help with covering the costs of running both the gallery and Crestwick Island.

SLurl Details

• The Broad Street Gallery
• Crestwick Island (Rated: Moderate)

Tuesday, July 7th saw the opening of the latest art exhibition at The Living Room, the music and arts venue operated by Owl Dragonash and Daallee. Sadly, I was unable to make the event, due to it clashing with another in-world appointment; however, I did hop over as soon as the opportunity arose to see what the latest in what has been a fascinating monthly series at the venue has brought us.

Sacred Light is a display of 2D and 3D art by Kiesta Aljon, whose work often richly expresses contrast pairings: light and dark, big and small, motion and stillness, and so on, in an effort to engage the observer in her work and encourage them to see the creative process through her eyes.

For this particular exhibition, several of these contrasts are on offer, both in the images and the sculptures which are presented on both the main and mezzanine floors of the Living room’s gallery space; and all of them are linked through the central theme of light and them impact it has on us.

This is a fascinating display because to the richness of contrasts that are on offer, both within individual pieces and between the various groups of pieces. For example, on one side of the gallery’s main floor are two animated digital images, both entitled “A Whirl”. Each offers a captivating contrast of fluid light against  a dark, static background which is almost mesmerising. At the same time, and on the mezzanine above them, sits a trio of mandalas, all of which again offer a rich contrast of colours within themselves, while their serene stillness offers its own contrast to the perpetual motion embodied in the two “Whirl” pieces.

The title of the exhibition is also fitting, as there is something “sacred” to many of the pieces – not in any religious sense, but simply because the contrast (and balance) of colours breathes a special amount of life into them.

For me, this is particularly evidenced in the three pieces entitled “Ship Storm” (seen at the top of this article), where the colour of the sky and the shadowed vignetting of the clouds seems to breathe life into the ships themselves, giving them form an existence entirely of their own. But the feeling is also true in many – if not all – of the other works exhibited here; so much so that you could find yourself contemplating various pieces individually and collectively for longer than you might have anticipated. I know I did.

July brings with it another Thursday of music to The Living Room. On July 16th, Jed Luckless will be taking to the stage at 17:00 SLT, and will be followed at 18:00 by Bandit Eddingham. Sacred Light itself will remain open throughout the month, and will feature a special closing party on Tuesday, July 28th, with Lazarus Doghouse presiding over the music (time TBA at the time of going to press).

SLurl Details

• The Living Room main SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The Living Room gallery space SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Opening on Sunday, July 5th at Kate Bergdorf’s Berg by Nordan Art gallery, located overhead of her home region, Nordan om Jorden, is an exhibition of images by Harbor Galaxy.

Running through July, August and September, the exhibition is called Undone, which is described as, “An examination of the physical loosening of restraints:  collapse, contemplation, release, surrender.” On display are nine nude studies of the female form, the majority either seated or reclined, set against minimal backgrounds which serve to drawn one’s eyes directly to the figure on display – and I do use the term “display” deliberately here. While most of the poses are natural enough, it is clear that they have been carefully set in order to emphasise the various aspects of the exhibit’s subtitle: collapse, contemplation, release, etc.

Not that there is anything wrong with the images being so poised in their execution – that is after all the case for any life study. Here, however, the posing draws us deeper into each image, encouraged to consider just what it is being contemplated or what the collapse signifies and so on. Some of the pieces also seem to have a subtle, layered context as well, offering more than one potential interpretation, which becomes clearer as one re-examines them.

The artist behind Harbor says of her work:

Through Harbor and the creative possibilities of SL, I have been able to explore my own creative impulses and give form to the pictures that have been swirling around in my head for years now.

I do want to add that I see my pieces as a collaborative work, dependent upon the countless creative energies of others like myself here in SL  and I am grateful and in awe of those energies.

Quite who or what the creative energies are isn’t entirely clear, which is a little regretful. Does the reference mean the models featured in the pieces? Comments and support from others? The influence other artists may have had on Harbor’s work? All of the above? It’s an enigmatic and intriguing statement; just as this is an intriguing and intimate exhibition.

Nudes may not be to everyone’s liking, but this is an exhibit worth seeing, one very well suited to the warm intimacy of Kate’s gallery space. As noted above, it will be running through July – September.

SLurl Details

• Berg by Nordan Art Gallery (Rated: Moderate)