Category: Art in Second Life

Do You Like Gold? in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Selen’s Gallery, April 2024: Gem Preiz – Do You Like Gold?

It has been a couple of years since I had the opportunity to visit and write about an installation by Gem Preiz in Second Life – the last time being in 2022, when I reviewed Exoplanet: One Step Further. So it was with a degree of expectation that I dropped into Selen’s Gallery to visit Gem’s Do You Like Gold?, an exhibition of work that is part museum, part retrospective, part homage to the humble prim and a delight for those who enjoy miniatures and Gem’s work.

I’ve followed Gem’s work for a fair number of years now, having first written about Cathedral Dreamer all the way back in 2014. Whilst primarily focused on 2D work in those earlier days, Gem also worked with 3D elements, his exhibitions frequently staged within 3D environments he specifically built for them, and included 3D components to help enhance the stories he folded into many of his installations – narrative also being an important part of his work (just consider Heritage: Vestiges and Heritage: Wrecks as examples of this narrative aspect).

Selen’s Gallery, April 2024: Gem Preiz – Do You Like Gold?

In more rent years, Gem’s work has shifted to bring his love of architecture to the fore in 3D installations of the most marvellous kind, with his fractal works often taking on more of the supporting role – or in some cases, tucked away as easter eggs awaiting discovery. 2020’s Arcadia is a good example of this, together with the impressive Skyscrapers of the same year.

Within Do you Like Gold? Gem takes us on something of a retrospective of a number of his more 3D-centric installations – notably Demiurge, Skyscrapers and Arcadia – in the form of reproductions of some of the structures used in those installations, which here have been given a gold leaf effect finish. Each structure is presented on its own plinth, together with notes on both its inspiration from the physical world and details on the installation(s) in which it appeared.

Selen’s Gallery, April 2024: Gem Preiz – Do You Like Gold?

Offered at scals of 1/40th, 1/25 and 1/10th, some with the flying vehicles Gem provided within them to help give a sense of scale, the models sit as graceful reminders that, in an age of mesh there is still much to be said for the beauty which can be achieved via the humble prim and prim linkset.

What I particularly like about this installation is the manner in which the individual structures displayed within it allow us to fully appreciate how Gem has taken his love of architectural masterpieces in the physical world – those both built and imagined and freely interpreted them within his various installations. It may not have been obvious, for example, that both 2018’s Demiurge and 2020’s skyscrapers incorporated the proposed Bride Tower (Basra, Iraq), or the likes of the Hotel de la Marine (Paris) or the US Capitol Building in Washington D.C. lay tucked away within Arcadia.

Selen’s Gallery, April 2024: Gem Preiz – Do You Like Gold?

Hence why Do You Like Gold is so multi-faceted as an installation – and worth taking the time to visit. And should you do so, be sure to give it a decent amount of time; not all of the miniatures within it are as static as they might appear to be; courtesy of a rezzing system they will change.

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Abstract Event Horizons at Nitroglobus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Currently open through most of April 2024 at the Annex of Dido Haas’ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery is Event Horizons, a series of abstract art pieces by  Kirjat Umarov.

The title of the exhibition draws directly on the astrophysical phenomenon defining a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Coined in 1950 by the Austrian physicist Wolfgang Rindler, it’s a term most commonly associated with black holes, celestials object so dense that no nearby matter or radiation can escape their gravitational influence. Most often, if rather simplistically, the event horizon is defined as the boundary within which black hole’s escape velocity is greater than the speed of light, and so light itself cannot escape it, and thus we cannot know what actually occurs on the other side of the boundary, we can only theorise.

The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Given that Kirjat’s work and studies encompass the theology of Christianity, religious iconography and thematic devices which might be considered as representations of an “unknowable God” (as well as touching on art history and philosophy and the human condition), the title of the exhibition is well chosen, inviting us to try to look beyond the surface presentation of the 16 images presented around the walls of the Annex (one being a triptych, and as such counts as a single piece), and consider their potential meaning and interpretation – or, as Dido states in her liner notes for the piece – allow ourselves to be drawn ever closer to the event horizon of each piece as we ponder its meaning and potential for interpretation.

Some of the pieces would appear to reflect current world events – perhaps most obviously Peace Glory Honour, referencing as it does the people of Ukraine as they face the aggression foisted upon them by Russia; together with Outbreak, which might be seen as a reference to the continued threat of pandemics in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (COVID-19), which might also lead to thoughts of the risk of such outbreaks spreading unnecessarily through people foolhardy ability to accept conspiracy theories over scientific fact.

The Annex at Nitroglobus: Kirjat Umarov – Event Horizons

Others with the set offer reflections on religion – some perhaps more obviously than others when going purely by their titles. I was drawn to Dekalogos, with its open invitation to consider the Ten Commandments both through its title and the presentation of its 10 symbols. More particularly, Hilasterion and The Holy Curtain gained my attention, each encouraging cogitations on the nature of the Ark of the Covenant, the “Holy of Holies” and the nature of God as portrayed via the Old Testament. Additionally, Hilasterion led me to thoughts of expiation and atonement and thus to reflections on the nature of Christ as a person and as a religious symbol – something that is today particularly relevant given the rise of the religious Right and their persistent misrepresentation of Christ spiritually, philosophically and physically.

But, as always, these are just my subjective thoughts and reactions – yours most likely will be different; which is fine Event Horizons is an individualistically expressive range of abstracts; a series both open to interpretation and, should you opt to purchase any, well suited to display within any SL home.

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Cica’s Bubbles in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost: Bubbles, April 2024

Under the sea,
Under the sea.
Cica makes it better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me.
Up on the shore we work all day
Out in the sun we slave away
While down in the Ocean
We can be floatin’
At Bubbles for free.

OK, so those aren’t exactly Howard Ashman’s lyrics (and yes, they are probably cringe-inducing – but then, that’s what I’m here for 😀 ), but they do apply to Cica’s Ghost’s April 2024 installation Bubbles, a fun trip down into the ocean depths (well, semi-depths at least).

Cica Ghost: Bubbles, April 2024

This is a place where fronds of seaweed rise from a quilted sea floor, their growths interspersed with small carpets of flowers while the flat patchwork of the sea floor is interrupted by gatherings of pointed, steep-sided knolls and lumpy rocks, the latter often sprouting plant growths from their tips / tops. Within this undersea realm bubbles rise effortlessly and a host of sea creatures are waiting to greet visitors – some of which might be responsible for the strange little houses scattered throughout the setting.

From a static clam (or possibly an oyster – you decided which!) that sits open as a place to sit, through little fishes happily swimming in circles to a giant sea turtle, the denizens of this realm pose no threats to visitors. Indeed, several offer opportunities to sit on / with them or to play with them as you do handstands, whilst a starfish clings to the side of one of the houses as if engaged in a game of hide-and-seek and hoping it will not be discovered.

Cica Ghost: Bubbles, April 2024

The little houses are all unfurnished, but that’s fine; fish rarely need a bed to sleep on and chairs offer little comfort to lobsters or octopi. However, the shells to be found outside the front of some of the houses do offer the chance to get together and dance for a while (perhaps while singing Ashman’s actual lyrics from The Little Mermaid). For those who prefer to make some music, Cica has provided a little electronic piano sitting on a hill – and the fish circling it  seem only too willing to listen to anyone opting to tinkle the keyboard.

When visiting, do keep an eye out mer-like couple who may be the custodians of this little underwater realm; they might appreciate a little hello from you as well!

Cica Ghost: Bubbles, April 2024

SLurl Details

  • Bubbles (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

Moni’s Discolouration Disrupted in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
IMAGOLand Art Galleries: Moni Beebe – Discolouration Disrupted

Having been caught up with things in the physical world for much of March (and still trying to clear up the last few issues as April 2024 starts its merry dance to becoming at part of the year’s history!), I’m caught in something of a game of catch-up with events, exhibitions and what have you. In terms of some exhibitions, there are some I simply won’t get to, as their days are numbered and they’ll have likely ended before I can get to them.

However, there is one exhibition I really wanted to try to cover before it vanishes into the ether (it having opened nigh-on a month ago at the time of writing, on March 6th, 2024). It is Monique Beebe’s Discolouration Disrupted, which (again at the time of writing this piece) is still available at Mareea Farrasco’s IMAGO Art Galleries.

IMAGOLand Art Galleries: Moni Beebe – Discolouration Disrupted

I’ve been an admirer of Moni’s work ever since her first exhibition in Second Life in 2017. Her work, which has until relatively recently focused on avatar studies, is always marvellously expressive and rich on both narrative and, frequently, a degree of subtext as well. Her exhibitions tend to be thematically driven and often highly sensual in nature, and the former is certainly true of Discolouration Disrupted, as evidenced by its subtitle Unveiling the Beauty in Imperfection, which itself might also be seen as a subtextual comment on modern society’s obsession with perfection when it comes to the human body.

No liner notes appear to be provided for the exhibition, allowing viewers to plumb the depths of the pieces and discern their relationship to the central theme for themselves. The pieces are a mixture of still life and animated works – be sure to enable the media option in your viewer (click the movie camera icon towards the top right corner of the viewer window) to see the latter in motion – and all appear (and forgive me if I’m wrong here, Moni) to be digitally generated.

IMAGOLand Art Galleries: Moni Beebe – Discolouration Disrupted
The still life images perhaps offer the clearest link to the theme of beauty in imperfection in the manner they juxtapose clearly beautiful / handsome figures (aka society’s “perfection”) with styles and colour mixes that whilst not undermining the stated beauty of the figure(s) within them offer a degree of discordance with their beauty, drawing the eye from them and imbuing a sense of mismatch or an unfinished feel to them – thus presenting the idea of the imperfect. Yet at the same time it is these very clashes of style and / or the sense of the unfinished which actually provides each piece with a depth of beauty that reaches well beyond what might have been had they been presented as “unblemished” works. The animated images share this to a degree, but also offer additional dimensions to the core theme – the blurring of images, the use of a mask and veils, etc.

And while it may just be my personal interpretation, some of the pieces perhaps present subtextual commentary on society in other ways as well. The likes of Break Away, Hiding, Undisclosed, Empowerment, and even Fish in the Sea, all appear to offer a degree of commentary on current reactionary moves in (particularly) patriarchal / pseudo-religious circles towards matters of a woman’s bodily autonomy, the dismissing of female equality / empowerment, the right to gender identification and self-identification and choice in general.

IMAGOLand Art Galleries: Moni Beebe – Discolouration Disrupted

But again, this is an interpretation informed purely by matters that impact my own thinking, and not necessarily those intended by the artist. You might well – in fact most likely will – find the images within Discolouration Disrupted speaking to you very differently. As such I do urge you to visit this exhibition, and to do so before it does vanish from IMAGO altogether, possibly in the next few days.

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Noa Cloud: Master of Landscapes in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Maison de la Chouette, March-April 2024: Noa Cloud

Maison de la Chouette is a new art venue – at least for me – operated by the veritable Owl Dragonash, a superb patron of the arts herself, and also a talented Second Life photographer. A further gallery nestled within the Corsica South Coasters area, it joins the likes of NovaOwl and the galleries at Port Emyniad (and locations in between) in presenting the opportunity for visitors to explore the local landscape and trails and appreciating a rich variety of SL art (see: Art and a walk in Southern Corsica in Second Life).

I was drawn to Maison de la Chouette specifically because it is, throughout March and April, hosting an exhibition of art by Noa Cloud. The holder and creator of [REN] (of Noa is perhaps best known amongst SL explorers as the holder and creator of [REN], which I last visited in May 2023 (see: The idyllic beauty of REN in Second Life). Noa is a gifted writer, a musician and actor, and himself an explorer of Second Life. He is also a talented photographer-artist ([REN] is also home to his own gallery) with a focus on SL landscape and avatar studies.

Maison de la Chouette, March-April 2024: Noa Cloud

At Owl’s Maison, he is presenting fifteen images showcasing his landscape work, and they are both beautifully rendered and carry a depth of artistic express which mark them as instantly purchasable for display in anyone’s SL home. Several of the pieces offer images of SL’s wildlife and animals, generally casting them in the most delightful way of telling a little stories of love, companionship, childhood and fun, utilising characters he discovered on his journeys around SL.

The images are present in both panoramic and square formats, with the latter offering a patterned border around them. This reminded me of the old postage stamps with there “crenelated” edges resulting from being torn off of their printed sheets along the perforations surrounding them. This patterning adds to the sense of these images belonging to a special collectable set.

Maison de la Chouette, March-April 2024: Noa Cloud

Noa’s gift in his photography is to combine a skilled eye for framing and cropping with an equally keen eye for spotting both detail and the opportunity to offer a story with his work. The result is that there is a certain visual poetry imbued in the finished pieces; a suggestion that if they haven’t had a story or poem written about them, then one is due. Just take Solitary as an example of this or, on a more humorous and enchanting level, Beby Bird (which also stands as testament to the creativity of whoever is responsible for this pairing of birds).

Not that these are pieces that need to be dissected to be appreciated; they can be enjoyed very much in and of themselves, and the setting within Maison de la Chouette’s gentle Tuscan flair of villa and terrace (the is displayed both indoors (both floors) and out) demonstrate how perfectly Noa’s images lend themselves for display at home.

Maison de la Chouette, March-April 2024: Noa Cloud

I understand that the “opening” party for the exhibition – in reality, a mid-point celebration – is to be held on March 19th, 2024, commencing at 13:00 SLT with live music by Grace Loudon, followed by a DJ set from 14:00 SLT. Might see you there!

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Presence: an artistic expression of absence in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
HeArt and Soul Gallery, February 2024: Scylla Rhiadra – Presence

In January 2024, Scylla Rhiadra presented an exhibition entitled Containers at Mareea Farrasco’s IMAGOLand Art Galleries (see: Containers: an artistic voyage of expression and constraint in Second Life). It offered an examination of how spaces – be they at home or at work or somewhere between, whether public or private – can both help organise and protect us as individuals whilst also giving us the freedom to fully express who we are, whilst at the same time they can also inform, contain, and constrain us in how we reveal ourselves to the world at large – and perhaps actually to ourselves as well.

Now, at HeArt and Soul Gallery, operated by Tom Willis and Lizzy Swordthain, she offers an exhibition of work which can be considered a further chapter on the theme, offering an alternative perspective. In Presence Scylla does not look and the manner in which the spaces we occupy and move through affect us – but how we impact the spaces and places through which we move, oftentimes long after we have departed.

HeArt and Soul Gallery, February 2024: Scylla Rhiadra – Presence

We all leave a mark on the places we move through, and on life as a whole. The size of that mark obviously varies from the celebrated statesperson or global celebrity down through the favourite uncle or teacher from school; but our mark is undeniable:

We are presences even in those places where we are not, by virtue of our actual absence: we leave a trace embedded in what did not happen: the somethings we might have said that remain unspoken, or the somethings that might have been done that we were not present to do.

– Scylla Rhiandra, Presence, February 2024

As with Containers, the images Scylla supplies are studies in composition and narrative. Each holds a story, or at least a vignette which is clearly discernible. In addition, each image is again accompanied by a board containing a considered quotes from a piece of literature designed to further illustrate the image itself; and like those found in Containers, it is hard not to feel these selections offer insight into Scylla – and allow her to leave a further little “her shaped” hole in use which accompanies the one created by each picture. Certainly, I again felt that distant kinship with her purely through the pieces and authors she has selected.

HeArt and Soul Gallery, February 2024: Scylla Rhiadra – Presence

Also like Containers, the collection making up Presence are layer in potential meaning and subtext. There is the meaning offer through the title of each piece, the reflection of that title and meaning through the selected text, the framing of the theme used to express the ide; all of which are expected. But then there are the more subtle aspects: those which lie in the way in which each piece chimes with us personally, the memories and thoughts conjured – perhaps most of all by the people who have touched our lives but who have now moved on in one way or another, only to leave one of those small holes in our thoughts and memories.

Another beautifully poignant and expressive series of Scylla.

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