Category: Art in Second Life

Drink it with your eyes

Posted on by Inara Pey
Jadeyu Fhang - Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes
Jadeyu Fhang – Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes

In October 2013, the collaborative teaming of Natascha Randt & Karima Hoisan produced their 12th production, a machinima shot in Second Life featuring a poem by Karima set to music.

Called Drink Me with Your Eyes, it’s a highly sensual piece, strong in imagery and metaphor, particularly in the use of horses (desire) and stampedes (desire leading to passion and release) and the power of dance. It is, in a word, erotic.

Inspired by the video and opening at 14:00 SLT on Thursday February 13th at Gallerie Artemis, is a new exhibit by Jadeyu Fhang.

Set over the two floors of the gallery (look for the small record inset into the floor to one side of the ground area of the installation, next to the table and chairs), it features number of small vignettes, which either present or suggest scenes from the video.

Jadeyu Fhang - Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes
Jadeyu Fhang – Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes

Some of these are clear references – such as the horses running through water; others are more subtle, such as the empty chairs and table on the ground floor or the naked figure sitting atop a wine glass, eyes glowing faintly.

The installation comes with a windlight setting (midnight), together with a request hanging in the mist at the entrance that viewers be set to night for the benefit of those who miss the windlight prompt. If you have Firestorm  or a viewer with extensive windlight presets installed, I suggest you take a moment and have a little play with night-time options; some interesting results can be had.

Jadeyu Fhang - Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes
Jadeyu Fhang – Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes

One small word of caution: the installation includes a screen for playing Drink Me With Your Eyes in-world. However, there is  an ongoing issue between the webkit within the viewer, Flash and YouTube which can render the latter unwatchable via Media on a Prim in-world (see my report here). This being the case, you’re better off watching the video directly on YouTube. This doesn’t however, impact in any way on the installation itself.

Related Links:

Jadeyu Fhang - Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes
Jadeyu Fhang – Gallerie Artemis, inspired by Drink Me With your Eyes

Get ready to immerse yourself in the Singularity of Kumiko

Posted on by Inara Pey

Kumiko-poster

Bryn Oh will be unveiling her newest immersive piece on Friday February 14th, and it is something very special, as I found out after she kindly invited me to pop over and have a look.

The Singularity of Kumiko is an interactive story in which the visitor is very much a participant, and as such, open to some of the dangers inherent in the narrative!

The Singularity of Kumiko - opening February 14th
The Singularity of Kumiko – opening February 14th

Describing her approach to the piece, Bryn says, “As with Imogen and the Pigeons, I am attempting to look at the virtual medium and determine what is unique about it over other mediums such as painting, sculpture and cinema. Then I work towards using those strengths to create an immersive experience that is specific to a multi user environment. ”

As a part of the invitation, Bryn specifically asked me not to include any photos which might spoil the narrative of the piece, and I hope those included here meet that request. What I can say, having spent time exploring, is that this is a unique and engrossing piece, and Bryn’s note about possibly feeling lost and anxious at some points is true – it does add to one’s involvement in the story!

I’ll have more nearer the opening, but in the meantime, here is a stunning teaser / trailer of the piece from Bryn – and You’ll want to watch it!

{Lost} in a garden of sounds

Posted on by Inara Pey
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)

According to myths, the Ancients discovered a botanical species; a kind of reed that was capable of resonating a sound frequency when touched. The Ancients harvested these reeds and created a meditative and spiritual garden.

Quite by accident, the Ancients also discovered a symbiotic creature to the reeds; which they named the Pentapuss. The Pentapuss has the same form and biological structure as the reeds, and fed off the soundwaves made by the reeds. In doing so, their movements amongst the reeds nurtured the growth of the reeds to maturity.

The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)

So opens the first chapter of The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari, which is also the name of the first part of Xineohp Guisse’s interactive environment, located at LEA13, and part of the 6th round of Artist In Residence installations for the first half of 2014. The story goes on:

The Ancients built BioPods and BioSpheres; to nurture these reeds and the young, juvenile pentapussies. They built contemplative Elemental pods at the Chamber of the Ancients, to observe these creatures and plants. They built a music chamber, where they can physically interact with the reeds……

The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)

In time, the garden grew to become a beautiful space – to contemplate and be as one with the beings that surrounds them.

As you might expect, given the story, this is a place where you’ll need to have sound on – though not media enabled – in order to fully experience this city-like garden with its tall structures and musical chambers. The music, produced by Xineohp plucking the strings of a cello, can initially sound random and tonal (and at times faintly memorable of a guzheng); however, when walking through the interactive chamber, it is possible to produce something more melodic and soothing.

The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)

This is only the first chapter in what promises to be an unfolding story (and environment) which will be added to each month. As such, it is doubtless one you’ll want to return to as it progresses. I know I will.

Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the book at the arrival chamber.

The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)
The {Lost} Garden of Sundarya Lahari (click for full size)

Related Links

Visiting the Visitors

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Visitors
The Visitors

The Lost Town – La Città Perduta – has some new temporary residents waiting to meet you. The Visitors is a new piece  by Cica Ghost which features some twenty-ish of her popular cartoon-like stick figures scattered around the streets, alleys and buildings of the town.

This time in colour, the figures are a pretty happy bunch, despite the rain, all going about their lives under the guardianship (for the most part, at least) of umbrellas held over their heads. Couples stand hand-in-hand or kiss, individuals are walking their dogs – and perhaps use the walks as an excuse to meet – or stand as if waiting for a friend or loved one.

The Visitors
The Visitors

Finding all of these quirky characters may take a little time; not all are out on the streets, but may be watching from windows or standing on balconies, while one determinedly rides his bicycle into the wind and rain, scarf flapping behind him.

There’s an innocence about these creations which is both charming and somewhat at odds with their surroundings with its old buildings, some in a bad state of repair, and its crashed and overturned vehicles. It’s a creative juxtaposition of moods, in which Cica notes her characters, “with their colorful energy, and open the windows of the Lost Town La Città Perduta on the sensitive and poetic vision of their creator.”

The Visitors
The Visitors

When visiting, do be aware that it can take a handful of seconds for the characters to render. There’s a lot going on in the region (including the rain!), so do give these charming people a little extra time to show you their smiles.

The Visitors officially opens at 13:00 SLT on Friday, February 7th.

Related Links

Paradise lost: the third trailer – the first sin

Posted on by Inara Pey

A little while ago, I was invited by Canary Beck and Harvey Crabsticks, the creative team behind the The Basilique Performing Arts Company, to witness three scenes from their upcoming production of Paradise Lost: The story of Adam and Eve’s original sin, which will premiere this Spring (see the comments at the end of my review of the Company’s Romeo + Juliet).

Now the company has released the third trailer for the production. It features elements of the scenes the cast enacted on my behalf in January, comprising Adam and Eve’s sin and consequent banishment from Eden. Accompanying the trailer on Canary’s blog is a passage from the Ninth Book of Milton’s epic poem, which I offer here as well, in both the original and modern forms, as Adam laments what has come to pass.

O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear
To that false Worm, of whomsoever taught
To counterfeit Man’s voice—true in our fall,
False in our promised rising; since our eyes
Opened we find indeed, and find we know
Both good and evil, good lost and evil got		 Oh Eve, it was an evil hour when you listened
To that false worm, taught by somebody
To imitate the voice of Man, truthful in saying we would fall,
Lying about our promised rise; since our eyes
Have opened we have indeed discovered that we know
Both good and evil; good lost and evil found.

Paradise Lost: The story of Adam and Eve’s original sin has been specially choreographed and set to the fourteen movements of Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor. It promises to be a tremendous production. I’ll be bringing you more news as it is announced.

Enter the Dragon Curves

Posted on by Inara Pey
Dragon Curves
Dragon Curves

In January I visited a Cathedral Dreamer, Gem Preiz’s Full Sim Art  installation at the LEA featuring images of his amazing fractal art. At the time, I commented to Honour McMillan that I’d love to see something like his work translated into in-world, real-time constructs which could be explored. Little did I know that Mac Kanashimi would be on-hand from February through June to provide something very close to what I’d been musing about!

Dragon Curves is Mac’s installation as a part of the LEA’s round 6 AIR selection. Despite the fact the regions were only handed over to the artists at the start of February, it is already open to the public. Don’t let the quick opening deceive you – there’s some six months of work gone into the piece – and it is simply stunning, particularly if you’re of a mathematical bent.

Dragon Curves
Dragon Curves

Mac says of the 1216-metre high piece, floating over LEA 26: “The Dragon Curves exhibit showcases sim-wide variations of dragon curve art. The spectacular script-controlled dragon curve landscape changes continuously.”

For those unfamiliar with the concept of the dragon curve, the concept grew from the Harter–Heighway dragon first investigated by NASA physicists John Heighway, Bruce Banks, and William Harter, and documented in 1967 in Scientific American. Essentially, it is any member of a family of self-similar fractal curves, as depicted by Heighway, Banks and Hartner.

When seen from above, this pattern of self-similar curves is visible throughout this remarkable, ever-evolving piece in which the landscape within the three levels constantly changes as elements rise and fall and change colour (their colour being derived by height), and even resize themselves.

Dragon Curves
Dragon Curves

It is possible to find your way down from the arrival point at the top of the build to the lower platforms by way of the “dragon stair”, an 8 kilometre long, 1024m high stairway, itself a dragon curve, while each of the levels within the build comprise 10 dragon curves apiece and individual objects within the build comprise 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 48 prims.

It really is an amazing and dramatic piece, a companion to Mac’s Mandelbrot Art, which was featured on an LEA region in early 2013. When visiting, set your draw distance to around 500 metres, if possible, in order to see the installation more fully. Also note that there are six safe junctions (including the landing point) where you can stand as the landscape on each level changes. Mac also notes that there is an “Emergency button to derez the dragon curves in case of crises”(!).

Dragon Curves
Dragon Curves from the inside as I descend

Related Links

Addendum, April 4th: Teno Theriac sent me a machinima of Dragon Curves he’s made of Dragon Curves: