Category: Exploring Second Life

Note: This is a Preview article; until Saturday, January 30th, access to MARFA is restricted to members of the [Valium] group  and invited guests of Vally Lavender.

Up in the high desert lands of the Trans-Pecos (and more specifically within the the Chihuahuan Desert) sits the town of Marfa. It’s not a particularly big place – the 2010 census put its population at around 1,900-2,100 – but it is a place of romance and mystery. Founded in the early 1880’s, even the town’s name has an air of romance about it.

“Marfa” is the Russian form of “Martha”, leading to the hypothesis the town is named for a character in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. However, this is apocryphal – the town is actually named after Marfa Strogoff from Jules Verne‘s novel Michael Strogoff.

The town started as a watering point for trains travelling the Southern Pacific Railroad and for most of its life, never grew particularly large. It reached its zenith in the period between 1920 and the end of World War 2 – the former decade marking the start of a period of rapid growth that included the establishment of military training facilities through the war years.

Following the closure of those facilities in 1945, the town gradually shrank both in the number of residents and its actual size: by 2010 it was said to cover just 4.1 square kilometres. It did, however, enjoy a period of movie making popularity in the 1950s with various western films made in and around the town – most notably Giant (released in 1956), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean – the film being the last Dean made before his death in a car accident.

In the last two decades Marfa has again become a popular location for films – notably There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men both filmed in 2006 – and for television, even featuring in an episode of The Simpsons (Mad About the Toy).  However, the town has perhaps become most famous for two things: the growing arts community within its borders, and the mysterious Marfa Lights.

And now it has a further claim to fame, being the inspiration for the latest ValiumSL region design – MARFA – instigated by Vally Lavender, who sent me an invitation to visit the region ahead of its Group opening on January 22nd, 2021.

The work of Vally, together with Fred Hamilton (frecoi), Lotus Mastroianni and Sofie Janic, MARFA captures several iconic elements of its west Texas namesake – the railway line, the surrounding desert prairie, a homage to the Presidio County Courthouse that dominates the centre of the town, the aforementioned arts community – as well as the general feel of “small town USA”.

Arts first came to Marfa in the 1971 when Minimalist artist Donald Judd relocated from New York to the town. Initially he displayed his work in two large hangers, but over the ensuing years he expanded his presence in and around the town, indoors and out. Following his death in 1994, two foundations took over the work of maintaining Judd’s legacy, with one of them – the Chinati Foundation – now occupying 30 buildings in the town and providing space for 13 artists in residence.

Chinati was also responsible in launching an open-house arts event that attracted – and still attracts – people from across the USA and around the world to visit it as a centre for contemporary arts, with more artists moving to the town in recent years to establish workshops and galleries. The town has also seen a writers-in-residence programme launched, together with a new theatre company, with pop art installations such as Prada Marfa being established within driving distances of the town.

This arts influence is fully reflected in MARFA, with reproductions of Prada Marfa (artistically relocated to the edge of the town)  and Judd’s unmistakable concrete “boxes”, while a trailer park that offers a bit of a nod towards Ready Player One sits as the venue for music and performance arts. I was a little disappointed the town’s high water tower was not presented, but this was countered by the presence of the large cut-out of James Dean, part of a display at Marfa celebrating the town’s connection with Giant.

Alongside the trailer park sits the MARFA observatory. Based on the Marfa Lights Viewing Platform, it allows visitors to the region a vantage point from which to witness the digital version of the mysterious Marfa Lights which routinely appear to the south / south-west of the town, attributed to everything from UFOs to ghosts or spirits – although science suggests they are the result of odd atmospheric reflections of vehicle lights or the light of camp fires. Legend has them dating back to at least the time of the town’s founding, although the first actual published record of the phenomenon wasn’t made until 1957 (the references to the 1880s only appeared in print in 1985).

You might just see mysterious orbs of light suddenly appear above desert foliage. These balls of light may remain stationary as they pulse on and off with intensity varying from dim to almost blinding brilliance. Then again, these ghostly lights may dart across the desert … or perform splits and mergers. Light colours are usually yellow-orange but other hues, including green, blue and red are also seen. Marfa Mystery Lights (MLs) usually fly above desert vegetation but below background mesas.

Marfa resident James Bunnell

Rich in photographic opportunities and offering several opportunities to appreciate art (including the Empty Chair Gallery), MARFA additionally offers a number of small rentals for those who fancy they’d like to experience life in the town.

SLurl Details

Open access from Saturday, January 30th at 11:00 SLT.

• MARFA (ValuimSL, rated Moderate)

 

 

As is often the way, the changing of the year sees a lot of people in the northern hemisphere turn their thoughts away from winter and towards the promise of spring. With region designers, this often means moving to replace the snowy looks they may have set out on their regions for the holiday period with something with more colour and the promise of warmth.

Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight – some regions can continue to offer snowy scenes well into February and perhaps March. However, as January does move to February and thoughts of spring bubble up even more, it can mean that those who do like walking through a snowy white blanket or celebrating falling snow or taking to ice skates or sleds and are starting to miss opportunities to do so – or who simply like to witness / photograph the scarecrow form of trees without leaves, standing with arms upraised -, MoonStone (Hecatolite) and Louise (Sallielouise) may have just the right Panacea.

Occupying a Homestead region, this is a setting that – for now – remains caught in the grip of winter, although the thaw is showing signs from gradually breaking through.

Laid out along an east-west orientation (don’t be fooled by the map tile, that is still awaiting post-Uplift update at the time of writing), this is a rugged place. The highlands sit predominantly to the west:  hills that while not high, are already showing signs of greening as the days lengthen and the air warms. The lower slopes, however, are still wreathed in snow, some of which are are under curtains of snow that is falling gently, testament to the fact that winds across the island are low.

As the land rolls down towards the eastern coast, so it is cut by water that almost splits it in two, it extends as far as the green-topped hills that form an open-ended ring around it. But is this a river that is flowing out from the hills – or an inlet of water that, having forcing its way around a little eastern island, found the line of least resistance to cut its way deep into the landscape?, as suggested by the water’s direction of flow within the semi-iced channel.

The land is also cut by a second channel reaching to the west side hills; however, it is still largely frozen, with two large tables of ice sitting against the step slopes of the hills holding it in. One of these appears thick enough to withstand a complete thaw: is is home to a wooden bench that would not be any fun to try and haul by up the precipitous slopes.

Scattered across the island are a number of buildings and structures. These include two cabins – a blocky one sitting up among the hills, and a more traditional steep-roofed one encompassing a single room, sitting on the north-east headland, close to the rocky coast  and accompanied by a small folly. A lighthouse sits on the little eastern island guarding the river mouth / inlet, and beyond it, on the south-east headland, a gazebo provides a covering for the local ice rink.

Elsewhere, cafés offer places to enjoy a warm drink, while paths and trails winding through the land and the hills, watched over by the local wildlife. Most of the latter are birds, waterfowl, turkeys, squirrels and deer – although you might want to keep a wary eye on the wolves and polar bears that reside here. None of them appear to be aggressive, but you never can tell!

A simple yet carefully detailed winter setting, with sleds available for those wanted to have a little fun whilst a box at the ice rink will provide skates, Panacea offers a photogenic visit, and is also suitable for those who have a wearable horse and would like a winter’s ride. In this it’s name might also be taken as a pointer to the region offering a chance to sooth whatever stresses you might be facing.

With thanks to Shawn Shakespeare for the tip.

SLurl Details

• Pancea (Ember Vale, rated Adult)

 

In 2019,  we made our first visit to Amrum, the Homestead region presented for public enjoyment by Sunrise (Sunrise Avalanche) – see Amrum in Second Life. A lot has happened since then – most notably the fact that Armum has relocated, and has undergone at least one makeover. Back in 2019, our first visit to the region came at the suggestion of Shawn Shakespeare  (SkinnyNilla), so there is a certain serendipity in the fact a return visit in January 2021 also came after Shawn nudged me about it.

Sympathetic, charming, cosy and photogenic island…with many hideaways…time for feelings…dancing…time for two…waves..lonely beaches…riding….dreaming…meeting with friends…talking….

– from Arum’s About Land description

The current iteration of Armum contains a number of echoes of the version we visited just under two years ago: it retains its Adult region rating and the hint of BDSM activities (although not in a manner liable to put people off visiting), whilst the overall look of the setting retains the idyllic feel of a near-tropical region. Its open spaces means it remains welcoming to those who want to wear a horse and take a ride around the island.

The landing point lies towards the middle of the region and immediately reveals its sandy, open nature. The entire island is low-lying, the sand broken by scrub grasses, shrubs and relatively young Terminalia catappa, aka sea (or beach) almond. From the landing point, visitors are free to roam where they will.

The two main buildings on the island make for obvious destinations, each being a short walk from the landing point. The nerarer (and larger) is clearly visible to the north, and forms a large blockhouse style building. Flat-roofed and relatively high-ceilinged, its interior offers a cool relief from the outdoor warmth, the three rooms it provides simply furnished whilst still presenting a cosy retreat in which to enjoy the company of others, with further seating available on the outside deck that separates the house from a rectangular outdoor swimming pool.

To the south-east, the second house sits partially screened from the landing point by a line of sea almonds. It occupies roughly the same footprint as the first house, but offers more interior space that, thanks to the interior windows between the rooms, has a very open, airy feel. It is also somewhat more cosily furnished – although BDSM items form a more obvious part of is décor together with noticeably items and images.

This second house additionally shares the south-eastern end of the island with  a single-room cabin that sits as a sauna / bath house, whilst the shallow cove they both face makes for a little private beach bracketed by rocky outcrops extending into the water.

Further around the west side of the island, and again a short walk from the landing point, sits a trio of little beach houses that each offer a place to relax, while further still along the sweep of coastal sands and facing due west, sits another single-room cabin with an open deck for music and dancing sitting alongside it.

The buildings and decks are not the only places to sit;  there are numerous outdoor opportunities as well – beach chairs, hammocks, and off-shore folly on its own sand bank, blankets, and so on, some of which are watched over by the local sheep. All offer opportunities for people to relax and unwind within the island’s boundaries. There are also various details to be found, indoors and out, that further help retain Amrum’s reputation as a photogenic spot, with the entire setting nicely rounded-out by a suitable sound scape.

SLurl Details

• Amrum (Secret Love, rated Adult)

It’s taken me a while to get to write about Adventures In Mad Wonderland, Jayden Mercury’s twist on Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s (aka Lewis Carroll) tales of Alice’s adventures. This is because, despite being a modest parcel covering just over 6,300 square metres, it is a setting that packs an awful lot into it – so much so that it is very easy to miss things in a simple walk through.

Using the theme of Alice’s adventures on which to build a setting within Second Life is not new; however, with Mad Wonderland, Jayden – assisted by Valarie Muffin Meow (Zalindah) – has created a unique take on things, as indicated by the location’s About Land description,  which invites us to follow the Adventure through the Storybook of an artist.

Thus, what we have here is a take on Dodgson / Carroll’s timeless tale is a series of scenes from the tales – and more – that frame the tale of an artist – perhaps someone charged with illustrating a version of the story – with “chapters” waiting to be found at various points within the parcel (mouseover and left-click to read them).

The story commences at the landing point, and the artist’s studio that resides there. This takes the form of a small shack sitting on a narrow stretch of coast.  Paintings are hanging on lines strung outside of the shack, whilst inside stands the artist’s easel and materials – although oddly, some of the latter appear to be paints for house decoration  rather than conventional oil or water colours. Subtle use of a sofa with a cascade of colour in its covering and a corner gathering of lights adds to the impression that this is an artist’s retreat. There is more here as a well, so be prepared to mouseover the objects you find within the shack and be prepared to  click on them.

The shack sets the tone for a visit: whilst walking the trail and exploring what it reveals, be sure to hover your mouse over anything that catches your eye, as it may contain the next chapter in the unfolding story of the artist. Such items vary in form, from a pen and notepad to the likes of multi-hued mushrooms – and some might be unexpected (“she said with a grin” – hint, hint!).

Also waiting to be found are obvious extracts from Alice’s journeys and other little vignettes. Chief among the former is a familiar tea party featuring a very Deppian Mad Hatter; one of the latter sits an an old piano, its wood faded by the Sun, a truncated quote from Alice In Wonderland chalked or painted onto the inside of its raised lid.

The end of the path is marked by wooden steps that rise to a white-walled castle that, with its angled towers, looks like something the Mad Hatter might build – or to look at it another way, a partially0inflated bouncy castle. Card guards outside of its gate suggest the Queen of Hearts may be waiting inside, as does the huge red heart on the wall above the gate. But is she? You’ll have to go inside and find out for yourself – particularly if you want to keep up with the unfolding story, as a chapter awaits discovery.

The castle may mark the end of the path from the artist’s studio – but it is not the end of the adventure. Those willing to look around carefully after exploring it might spot a little makeshift bridge leading to a shaded portal. Touch it, and it will carry you onward to the next stage of the story: a maze where more items await the touch of visitors, including one that will carry you even further, should you follow the familiar instruction to Drink Me when you find it.

I’m not going to give away all of the location’s secrets, but I will say that Mad Wonderland is a surprising and fun place to explore that taxes neither viewer nor mind, but does keep you engaged throughout. It is also one of those places I particularly appreciate within Second Life – the kind that demonstrate that you don’t actually need a full-sized region in  order to create something special either for yourself, or to share with others.

SLurl Details

• Adventures in Mad Wonderland (Heavenly Dream, rated Moderate)