Category: Art in Second Life

Tabula Rasa is a Latin phrase meaning “clean slate”, it is a term often used by some epistemological philosophers to encompass the theory that we are born without built-in mental content, and all the knowledge we attain comes purely through experience or perception. We are a clean slate upon which our natures are formed as a result the nurturing and influence we receive from those around us, and through the environment we live within.

It’s a doctrine that sits in opposition to that of innatism, which holds that the mind is born already in possession of certain knowledge and traits which form the basis of our nature and personality, and thus are unlocked, rather than formed through the process of gaining experience and our developing perceptions. Both doctrines have long histories, tabula rasa can be traced back to the writings of Aristotle, whilst innatism was a doctrine held by the likes of Plato and Descartes.

Tabula Rasa is also the title Theda Tammas has selected for her latest installation, which recently opened in Second Life. It Occupies a sky platform on which is set a stark setting – a construction site, if you will – has been established; a place of beams both horizontal and vertical, here and there with sheets and strips of fabric attached. Within it, and under the overcast sky, figures stand, walk and twirl on the spot. Most do so individually although some are in pairs; all have their faces covered as they appear to be exploring their environment.

The symbolism here is clear: the covered faces reference the idea to the blank slate, the we are all initially vessels empty of knowledge; their motions and poses of the individual figures suggesting they are exploring their environment – that through these acts, they are embodying the core concept of tabula rasa – that the knowledge we gain, we we become, is the result of exploration, experience and the growth of our perception.

This is further exemplified by the pairs of figures, their poses encompassing both the idea of experience and the concept of nurturing: in one place a hood figure cares for another by carrying it; in another two hold a loving embrace, suggesting the love and care passed from a parent to a child, further helping the latter gain understanding of love and care through the contact.

Nor does the symbolism end there; it extends to the construct that forms the setting: the fact that the setting is that of a construction site underlines the idea that who we care, what we become, is a process of construction through experience and growing perception – just as a building is formed the the bringing together of beams and joists.

Whether or not one agrees with the doctrine of tabula rasa (studies have show innatism can be shown to exist, whereas tabula rasa is much harder to establish), this is a fascinating and rich exploration of the latter. When visiting – and as per the sign at the landing point – make sure you have ALM and shadows enabled (Preferences → Graphics), and use the local environment settings (menu → World → Environment and make sure Use Shared Environment).

SLurl Details

• Tabula Rasa (Sevenfold, rated General)

Since entering Second Life in 2019, Milena Carbone (Mylena1992) has demonstrated her talent as both an artist and as an agent provocateur in the way she has utilised her art to encourage us to think about matters of import to us all: the environment, climate change, the preservation of wildlife, the nature of our relationship with God and the controversial role religion has played in both that relationship and on the course of our history as a growing civilisation, and the greed that has also played that central role in the unfolding of our history. At the same time, Milena’s work serves as all art should: as pieces that stand as images to be individually appreciated in their own right for the beauty and / or simplicity of appearance and statement.

With the recent overhaul of her gallery space to form The Carbone Studio – a reflection of Milena’s expressiveness in art and dance – Milena opened her latest exhibition Light and Life, a selection of portraits that follow the lines of her more recent works in that that are engagingly minimalist in form whilst offering a depth of meaning and story.

Life and light are – as the introductory notes for the exhibit state – deeply intertwined. Both are born out of darkness, both express all that we have and are – and from whence we came. Between them, they offer us a chance too be renewed each and every day as we awake from darkness as the light of day calls us, and the life of wakefulness returns.

Within the nine images Milena presents in this exhibition is a glorious minimalism that personifies a part of the relationship of light and life: images that express the richness of life as captured through the message of photons travelling through space to be captured by the eye and lens to capture a moment; a memory.  At the same time they also speak more broadly to the themes noted above the birth of life from darkness, its growth through the nurturing warmth of light from simple organisms lost in a drop of water through to the complex creatures we are today, able to take joy in each new day, to share, create, to give and receive -even if darkness still sits within some of the poorer more selfish decisions we make as individuals and as a civilisation.

Whether you wish to enjoy Milena’s images and portraits of her avatar and life as she expresses it through it or whether you which to ponder the deeper questions and ideas Milena postulates in her introduction to the exhibit, Light and Life is again, a rich collection of images with an engaging, provocative core theme. It is reached via the main landing point for the Carbone Studio; while there, and before jumping to the gallery space, I also urge you to read Milena’s statement about herself and her art.

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• The Carbone Studio (Woiler, rated: Moderate)

In August 2021 I made my first visit to what was then the Elven Falls Gallery, operated by Ant (AntoineMambazo) and Aires Hax (see A quartet of artists at Elven Falls in Second Life). At that time the gallery was fairly new, and comprised four main buildings, each of two floors, fronted by a sculpture garden for 3D art.

Since that initial visit, Elven Falls has expanded and undergone a name change, becoming the Elven Falls Art Collective, offering an expended arts hub which now includes an option for artists (or those who appreciate living adjacent to an arts venue!) the opportunity to rent one of a number of spacious homes at what is a very modest price.

The Full region on which the collective stands (and which includes the Full private island LI bonus) has been split into two primary areas: to the south and running east-to-west lie the art spaces. To the north, offering the same overall orientation and separated from the art spaces by a channel of water, lay the rental properties.

With the landing point sitting at its eastern end, the arts venue can be very broadly split into four equally engaging areas. To the south lies the Left Bank, a broad, paved area overlooking open waters and off-region islands offering an outdoor display space for (primarily, at least during my visit) 2D artists. To the north, and forming one bank of the intervening channel between the two main parts of the region, sits a meandering sculpture garden that lies beyond the bridge that links arts venue to residential area, and continues all the way to the western end of the region and the Memory Garden.

Between these two sits what I’ll call the “Studio Avenue”, six spaces studio / gallery spaces. They provide something of an “artists-in-residence” parade pointing the way to the main gallery spaces, giving visitors a pleasant opportunity to browse / shop for art along the way to the exhibition spaces.

Forming the fourth element of the art venue, the gallery buildings have been reduced from four to three, but this has been somewhat compensated for by the largest of the three now offering a third floor of exhibition space, reach via the elevator found just outside the front entrance. At the time of my visit, the February exhibition had recently opened, and given the time of year had been given a suitable title: Love is in the Art.

The exhibition features four artists: Fuschia Nightfire, whose vibrant work I have not had the chance to see of late, so it was a pleasure encountering it once more; Nina Camplin, a gifted artist specialising in animal and pet portraiture and who, as well as participating in love is in the Art, is also the official Artist in Residence for Elven Falls; Leiland a physical world artist and photographer whose work spans multiple genres as can be witnessed here; and an artist whose work I believe I was encountering for the first time: Elven Falls Art Collective: Leiland.

All four exhibiting artists offer completely engaging displays of art; as noted, I genuinely enjoyed seeing Fuschia’s vibrant abstractions and sculptures; her work always have a depth and vitality infused into it through motion and colour. Similarly, Nina’s work captures the life and spirit of her subjects perfectly – and she offers the opportunity for anyone with a pet the opportunity to have her make it the subject of one of her pieces; Leiland’s work, meanwhile is so captivatingly broad in style, style and genre it is easy to lose oneself in his gallery space.

And then there is Tarozaemon. His backstory is as rich and engaging as his art – and I recommend a read of his bio, both for its level of storytelling and for the information it supplies on the nature of of fractal art – which forms his artistic forte, as demonstrated in this highly engaging exhibit. Nor does Taro leave the explanations to a note card; within his gallery space he has taken the time to provide a guide to the various fractal types, from the simple Von Koch Curve, through to the perhaps most famous of them all: the Mandelbrot set, passing by way of the Julia set and others,. It adds a further depth of appreciation for his work – and if you are not familiar with the mathematical and natural form of the fractal, I high recommend a visit.

For those interested in the Elven Falls rental accommodations, these all take the form of Cain Maven’s expansive Cranmore house.  Six such units are offered, each within its own garden (but not its own parcel), laid out around a communal swimming pool and terrace. Sufficient room is provided between the houses such that local chat won’t carry between them, and each has a waterside view to the rear aspect. At L$200 per week for rent, they are offered semi-furnished (kitchen and bathroom) and have 200 LI included. At the time of my visit, two units were still available for interested parties.

Offering a rich and diverse selection of art and artists, Elven Falls is an engaging community hub that continues to grow both in that broadness of art on display, and through its design and layout.

SLurl Details

• Elven Falls Art Collective (Elven Falls, rated Adult)

Indigenous Australian art takes many forms – rock painting, dot painting, rock engravings, bark painting, carvings, sculptures, and weaving and string art – and is the oldest unbroken tradition of art in the world.

It is rich in meaning and forms a central element of aboriginal life, the motifs, symbols and designs used revealing tribal relationships, social position, and more – all of which is noted by Sophie de Saint Phalle (Perpetua1010) in the introduction to Infinite, her latest exhibition which opened at the end of January 2022 in a new level of her gallery spaces, the Subcutan Art Gallery and Multimedia Centre.

Art is part of the main rituals in Aboriginal culture: it marks territories, records history, supports and transmits narratives about the Dreamtime. Similar to how Christians have their own story about the creation of the world, Aboriginal Dreamtime describes the creation of the world and each landscape.

– From the introduction of Infinite by Sophie de Saint Phalle

Laid out in a setting designed to evoke thoughts of the outback desert, with large rock-like blocks that appear to shimmer in the heat, Infinite presents a series of bass-relief paintings and watercolours by Sophie produced in the same manner and styles as those used by Australian aboriginals. However, these are no mere interpretations of indigenous art; rather, it is a genuine homage, as Sophie notes:

My art shown at this gallery was inspired by my stay in Australia where I lived with the Aborigines for several weeks.

From the Aborigines I learnt how to find and use the typical aboriginal paints. Mainly pigments derived from clay tinted with mineral oxides Very rare is the colour blue which you find in some of my paintings.

Some colours are mined from “ochre mines” and used for both painting and ceremonies. Inorganic pigments such as ochre or rock flour is sometimes collected only by certain men of a clan. Other colours are made from clay, wood ash, and animal blood. All colours are natural.

– Sophie de Saint Phalle

These are richly evocative pieces that speak to traditions, beliefs and a view of the world that is far, older than any European or other influences that have made their way to, and across, Australia.

They also stand as a mark of respect from Sophie to the peoples with whom she spent time and from whom she learned their techniques and approach to their painting as a expression of their history. For as she again herself notes: within aboriginal society, reputation is acquired through the gaining of knowledge and understanding and not by the accumulation of material possessions.

Thus the pieces in this exhibition speak to the knowledge and understanding Sophie has received from her mentors, and presents a reflection of the infinite depth of their beliefs and connection to Nature. They also offer a fascinating glimpse into a world the majority of us will never witness, much less encounter or understand, marking Infinite as much a journey as an exhibition.

SLurl Details

• Infinite, Subcutan Art Gallery (Ocean Island, rated Adult)