Category: Reviews

Journeying with The Spirits of the Forest in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
New Life Gallery, : Hermes Kondor – The Spirits of the Forest

July 15th saw the opening of The Spirits of the Forest, an exhibition of pieces by Hermes Kondor at the New Life Gallery within the campus of St. Elizabeth’s University.

As a photographer / artist, Hermes is constantly extending his range of approaches and techniques, with a number of his recent exhibitions focusing on the use of AI tools – largely Midjourney, I believe I’m correct in saying – and also on his macro compositional work featuring still life on the smallest of scales. It is for its richness, range and compositional quality that I’ve come to deeply admire and appreciate Hermes’ work, and it is always a pleasure to cover one of his exhibitions in these pages.

New Life Gallery, : Hermes Kondor – The Spirits of the Forest

Comprising 27 images split across the three levels of the gallery – all of which are connected via an elevator rather than stairs – The Spirits of the Forest represents a collection of his more recent explorations with the use of AI generated pieces combined with other digital photographic techniques to offer some marvellously expressive pieces on the theme of “hidden guardians” – spirits, sprites and minor deities once thought to inhabit and protect forests and woodlands.

Such beliefs  – and the worship of trees themselves –  was common among many cultures, east and west, and often linked with ideas of fertility, renewal / rebirth and the cycle of life. The link to fertility tended to lean many such spirits to be personified as female deities in most cultures, although there were male figures among them. Similarly, while most were considered benevolent and giving, some cultures did have more malevolent forest / tree spirits or at least have a number given to a more mischievous nature.

New Life Gallery, : Hermes Kondor – The Spirits of the Forest

Within The Spirits of the Forest, Hermes appears to draw inspiration from the more western traditions of female woodland spirits, stirring in a touch of  what might be fantasy elven leanings. How much of this is by design and how much is the result of the parameters given to his AI software is unclear, but the majority of spirits within the images appear to have strongly western European looks. Not that this is in any way a critique; the figures are not intended to be representative of specific tree deities, they are rather intended to springboard our imaginations into mental narratives on he nature of the spirits and trees featured within them – and possibly more besides.

For me, these deeply expressive images brought to mind a range of thoughts, from reflections on the nature of matriarchal religion and the argument put forward by Robert Graves that, within western European cultures, the multiple beliefs in female deities in all their forms – including those of the forest – are rooted in an ancient belief in a single “mother goddess” whom he called “The White Goddess”. mixed with this came reflections on how common artistic interpretations of the likes of Tolkien’s elves down the decades since the publication of Lord of the Rings may have played a role in how the AI tools producing the base images on which Hermes has built his finished pieces, all the way through to the sheer artistry of the displayed pieces and how each presents a world of mystical beauty which appears to sit just beyond our reach, but is nevertheless fully visible to the imagination.

New Life Gallery, : Hermes Kondor – The Spirits of the Forest

Given such a rich mix of reactions, it should come as no surprise that I thoroughly recommend The Spirits of the Forest as a very worthy visit, forming as it does an exhibition of deeply captivating images  all of which can be appreciated in their own right both as digital art and for their ability to offer a single-frame story, and which collectively can take the mind on a journey of expositional enquiry and thought.

SLurl Details

An Evergreen visit in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Evergreen, July 2023 – click any image for full size

Elyjia Baxton sent me an invitation to tour her latest region design which recently opened to the public, and given her past work – often featured in this blog – I was delighted to accept as soon as time allowed.

Evergreen is a Full private region leveraging the land capacity bonus, and held by Karo Camorra (abella74). It has been designed as a public space by Ely to provide, in Karo’s words, a place where people can:

Chat with your friends in the town overlooking the beach, or enjoy a solitary or romantic stroll in the forest or follow the path along the river while taking advantage of the various places to relax in a calm and lush setting, and take some photos.

– Karo Camorra (abella74)

Evergreen, July 2023

The town and beach in question lie to the north-east of the region, the landing point sitting at the top of steps connecting the former with the latter. Extending into the south-eastern quarter of the region, the town is a small, but distinctly European-looking affair, the tall houses  – some with ground level business – are all façades, rather than furnished buildings. However, it offers numerous little places to sit and pass the time, while the steps and path leading down to the beach run between saplings and shrubs before reaching the warm sand. This is guarded by a tall tall wooden watchtower / radio shack, now converted into another cosy hideaway, under which the path runs, but accessed directly from the beach.

The beach also offers various places to sit and pass the time as it runs along the north coast to arrive at stone steps rising to the western side of the main island, passing by way of a raised wooden deck where an artist appears to have taken up shop. The beach is given a sense of popularity courtesy of a schooner apparently passing by in full career just off-region, and two Linden Endurance-class sailing boats moored in the shallows.

Evergreen, July 2023

Prior to reaching the beach, the gravel path almost branches to the left, passing alongside a low wall separating the little town from the land flowing down to the sands. With birch trees lining one side of it and saplings  the other, the latter also providing some shade to the wild growth of flowers sitting between the path and the beach. Narrowing as it reaches the western side of the town, the path meanders its way west, passing by a summer house, a cylindrical folly and a gravel pool, all of which offer places to sit, with the latter linking to a path pointing back eastwards to a gazebo and chaise lounge sit among the wildflowers and overlooking the beach.

As it reaches the summerhouse and folly, the westward-pointing path splits, a rougher trail continuing west to offer the way up to the region’s lighthouse as well as the means to reach what had likely once been a north-western headland.

Evergreen, July 2023

Now separated from the rest of the land by a narrow channel, this former headland has the feel of having been long since deserted; Nature is in command, what had once been a brick-and-wood greenhouse sits abandoned to her claim. This may have once have been a base of operations for the artist who has taken over the wooden deck mentioned above; if so, then perhaps advancing years had caused the artist to foreshorten the walk from town to studio, leaving the latter to its fate in favour of using the deck for their artistic expression.

The path to the western isle also branches prior to reaching the channel separating the headland from the bulk of the region. Pointing south, this passes by a very modern-looking pavilion built over the west coast before branching yet again, one arm looping back to the summer house and folly, the other continuing on through the trees and plants to a little cove cuddling a secluded shack and its dock within its shallow arms, a home for moored rowing boats and deckside rocking chairs.

Evergreen, July 2023

Inland from this shack, the land is split by a stream which descends in a series of low falls from the uplands on which the town sits, to finally turn south and fall into a broad pool which does much to help form the landscape of southern half of the region. In doing so, the stream gives form to a tongue of land running east from the edge of town, caught between the stream to one side and the drop down to the waters below on the other. It is home to a steel-framed conservatory, home to tropical plants within an otherwise temperate setting.

With the waters of the pool and the streams flowing outward from it, the southern side of the region is perhaps the most photogenic. Once again, paths meander around it, starting with the one descending from the town to the south-east. Here, streams flowing out from the pool cut the land into slices and give rise to very natural lowlands which are in equal part rocky, rich in plant life and with plenty of places to sit and pass the time – as well is in which to take photos.

Evergreen, July 2023

The south-eastern corner of the region is dominated by a wooden windmill overlooking the south coast. It is reached via a gravel path which curves south and west from the foot of the steps descending from the town and carried over the gorge of a stream by a covered bridge. After passing the furnished windmill, this path continues onwards to offer the best route of southern exploration.

Following it will take visitors past a pier extending out into a shallow bay (and the home of table-top games which can also be reached from a teleport station near the region’s landing point), and by more places to sit – a riverside covered picnic spot, another folly and an old bandstand – to cross another small stream before curling itself around the large pool mentioned above. It ends in at a little cottage on the east coast.

Evergreen, July 2023

All of which is a long-winded way of saying this is a region worthy of seeing first-hand; there is a lot to see and appreciate – more so than I’ve presented in the last 1,000+ words. Offered under a fairly neutral selection of environmental settings, Evergreen naturally lends itself to a broad range of EEP settings, with opportunities for photography large and small throughout.

Finished with a matching natural soundscape and given a sense of age through the scattered ruins and derelict building awaiting discovery and live via the presence of wild and domestic animal and the furnished cottages and cabins, Evergreen makes for a thoroughly engaging visit.

Evergreen, July 2023

SLurl Details

Asian Cinema in Second Life Art

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kiku Art Gallery: Daikota Wind – 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films

I was drawn to the boutique-style Kiku Art Gallery, operated and curated by Rafael Nightshade and Suzanne Logan – who also operates the Amatsu Shima estate within which the gallery is located – for an engaging and fun exhibition with combines Second Life photography with another visual medium: Asian Cinema.

Occupying the South room of the gallery, is 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films by Daikota Wind, which also carries this shorter title Asian Cinema. As both titles suggest, the focus of the exhibition is on cinematic productions of the Far East, which film-making is (as if it needs saying) as rich and genre-spanning as cinema in the west (or anywhere else in the world).

Kiku Art Gallery: Daikota Wind – 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films

When considering Asian cinema, thoughts are likely to focus on the likes of Chinese (/Hong Kong) and Japanese productions which have a long history of western exposure (and inevitable re-makes / re-interpretations), together with – more recently – that of South Korea. Due to the prolific output of these three powerhouses, they do dominate this exhibition, although Indonesia and Thailand also get very honourable mentions. However, rather than focusing on national output, this exhibition seeks to offer insight into the aforementioned genre-spanning nature of Asian film-making.

To achieve this, Daikota presents 18 images of films ranging from action to thriller, passing by way of comedy, drama, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, romance and more, each image inspired either by a scene from the film it represents or from the posters used to advertise it. Each image shares its space with a brief synopsis of the film’s storyline.

Kiku Art Gallery: Daikota Wind – 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films

The images themselves appear to have been subjected to minimal post-processing, adding to their connection with the film they represent, rather than suggesting how the artists interprets the film. The accompanying text offers a fair description of each film’s plot, together with some insights by Daikota giving each one more of a personal feel.

Some of the films – Infernal Affairs, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ju-On, to name three, but Daikota’s images and synopses give them a freshness and vitality which certainly increases the desire to go and watch them. Light and engaging, 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films offers a worthwhile exploration of Daikota’s photography and the films of the far east.

Kiku Art Gallery: Daikota Wind – 18 Images Inspired by Asian Films

SLurl Details

A summer in The Shambles in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Shambles, July 2023 – click any image for full size

I last visited The Shambles when it occupied a Homestead region and presented a steampunk-come-sci-fi theme (see: In The Shambles in Second Life). But that was a year ago (or, when put in purely Second Life terms – a decade ago!). A lot has happened in that time. For one thing, Tolia Crisp has relocated The Shambles to a Full private region; for another she has once again teamed with Dandy Warhlol (Terry Fotherington) to offer another engaging and photogenic region under the Frogmore banner.

At the time of my visit, The Shambles was open to members of the Frogmore group, who are also invited to participate in a landscape photo competition with a L$8,500 prize pool, including L$5,000 to the outright winner (+a 4-week free stay at Frogmore Cottage). Details on this competition are available through the Frogmore group, and it will remain available for entry by group members until August 4th, 2023. However, The Shambles itself will open to full public access on Saturday, July 15th, 2023, and will remain so through until Tolia closes it for a Halloween redressing – so this might be considered a little advanced promotion for the region.

The Shambles, July 2023

Those who have visited the core Frogmore regions will find much that is familiar within this iteration of The Shambles. It offers something of a continuation of the rugged coastal environment that mixes touches of England’s Cornwall and Devon with a stirring of European coastal areas, bound together with a touch of summer days perhaps made more bearable by the cooling influence of an light breeze drifting in from over the sea.

This is not to say that The Shambles doesn’t have its own personality or independent looks – it most certainly does. In fact, the overall styling contains more of a lean towards parts of Europe’s multi-faceted coastlines than it does the UK’s, and there is, as ever, plenty to see and discover whilst exploring.

To the west, the land is low-lying and formed by a deep inlet / bay complete with a broad sandy beach to one side, facing an headland which rises as a broad shoulder of rock protecting the inlet from the wilder elements, capped by a small fishing wharf suitable for trawlers at the head of the bay. This sits as one of two guardians watching over the entrance to the bay, the other being the (inevitable? – We SLers do so love them…) lighthouse.

A broad cobbled street parallels the beach, offering multiple points of interest whilst aged steps climb the eastern uplands as they rise to a roughly flat top before falling away sharply to the seas below again.

This highland area is home of a variety of locations, each one with its own charm and beauty. There’s the dirt track running past stables, the horses from which graze both in the field alongside it and the meadow above from which rises the head of a tumbling stream which steps its way down along the east side of the setting before using a waterfall to jump down to the sea on the north side.

The Shambles, July 2023

Or – and keeping to the north side of the region – there’s the campsite with its mix of caravans and tents. It’s a cramped but clearly popular location, although how the caravans got up there is a nice little enigma. Certainly, the same track as runs past the stables was used for the final leg of their journey, but its southern end ends in a rocky drop descended only by more aged stone steps and by more water tumbling from a small pair of pools.

Watched over by a tall bell tower, the southern end of the island seems to exude a sense of age, a careworn spit of land splitting the waters between open sea and narrow channel. Another fishing wharf sits on the narrow spit, itself crossed at several points by a variety of bridges, whilst its eastern end is guarded by two lighthouses, one of considerable age, the other perhaps one of the more recent structures on the island.

The Shambles, July 2023

All of which is just the start of a description for what is a genuinely captivating setting, rich in content, with many places to sit and pass the time or enjoy a drink or two. There’s also a bungee jump for the more adventurous, although this may be absent whilst the photo competition is running. As one would expect from the pairing or Tolia and Terry, there is a deep since of natural beauty throughout; a feeling that – as is the case in the physical world – the land was present long before people arrived, the wind, fresh water, sea and rain forming it into folds and turns, high points and lowlands, slopes and drops, humans have in turn used to their advanced in establishing a lasting presence here.

Needless to say, the entire setting is highly photogenic and those of the Frogmore group wishing to enter the competition should find lots here by which to create an entry, whilst those wishing to take avatar-centric photos which are not for the competition but purely for pleasure, can also join the Frogmore group for rezzing rights with props.

The Shambles, July 2023

Again, the region will be open to the general public from Saturday, July 15th, 2023, but those wishing earlier access can – again – join the Frogmore group. Enjoy.

SLurl Details

Do You Believe? An artist’s question in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

Recently opened within the main gallery at NovaOwl Community Centre & Gallery operated by ULi Jansma, Ceakay Ballyhoo & Owl Dragonash,  is what might be called a 3-part exhibition of avatar studies by photographer-artist Ninae Trallis. I say three parts, because there are three elements of equal import within Do You Believe? – the images themselves (together with their supporting 3D elements), the selection of music offered with each picture, and how both resonate individually and jointly with our emotions / imaginations.

Unlike most exhibitions I’ve visited within the main gallery at NovaOwl, Do You Believe occupies both the 3-room gallery space and the adjoining space which had, during part visits, been generally given over to a café / lounge space – and rightly so, as these are genuinely captivating images. Ninae is one of the few artists in SL who focuses on avatar studies whilst largely eschewing the use of post-processing to enhance her images. Instead, she uses framing, composition, environment and the viewer – Black Dragon in this case – for her work, relegating tools such as Photoshop to the role of small-scale touching-up.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

This gives her images a crisp richness and depth which is immediately engaging. Her use of lighting ensures most colours are softened to natural pastels, while her use of black and white gives a further sense of authenticity of live and vitality. Each image sits as a single-frame story, expanded upon through the use of the 3D elements placed before and around the images. What that story might be folds another of the three elements into the exhibition: our imagination.

Through the title we are offered a challenge – to believe in … something. Through the images we are offered hints of ideas, some obvious, some more subtle: to believe in love, fantasy, the existence of fae and / or faerie tales, our own ability to create, to trust in another – be it with secrets, or hearts or even our submission to them – and not to fear rejection; to believe in the power of nature and in things unseen.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

How we might opt to interpret individual images is given a further little tilt in that each image is accompanied by a piece of music (click the music notes found to the lower left or right of each picture – under under the middle of a couple! – to be offered a You Tube URL to the music in question. As Ninae notes, these pieces, which range from classical pieces through soundtracks through to rock and pop ballads, might be completely unrelated to the image in question – like many of us (myself included), Ninae listens to music whilst the creative juices flow – but then again, they might not (as hinted by her use of “sometimes” in the notes accompanying the exhibition).

Which of these might be the case is left open to personal interpretation – and while some might appear “obvious” in their influence on the production of the image they accompany, the lyrics, when listened to in full, might actually suggest otherwise. But discerning whether or not the choice of music for any given piece is intentional or simply the result of it being a piece Ninae likes independently of the image is actually irrelevant here. Each piece, whether Chopin, Lewis Capaldi, Hans Zimmer, original composition or cover version, echoes that challenge of the exhibit’s title, the music mixing with the images to set our imagination free to reflect, to travel where emotions might lead, to conjure feelings and ideas in which might believe, however transitory their existence in our minds and imaginings.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

Rich and eye-catching – and potentially containing a little in the way of personal revelation through the selection of music as much as the images themselves (which adds to its beauty and mystique, Do You Believe? is an engaging, gently layered exhibition.

SLurl Details

  • NovaOwl (Novatron, rated General)

A Viper Heaven in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Viper Heaven, July 2023 – click any image to view on Flickr

Cube Republic (of landscaping fame) poked me recently concerning Viper Heaven, a skyborne installation built by Markarius Viper high over one of the regions of Viper Estate, which Markarius runs along with JimSqu Sunbelter. An artist, builder and regions designer, Markarius’s name is not new to me, although I had to go all the way back to 2016 to find the last design I’d blogged about in which he played a role in designing (Osprey Ridge, which he designed with Flo (SweetFloXO), a place now gone from SL and the region repurposed as a marina). Given this and – most importantly – Cube’s recommendation – I stepped on the pad, figuratively speaking and ordered “energise.”

And am I ever glad I did; Viper Heaven is one of the most visually engaging, photogenic, imaginative, potentially romantic and mysterious designs it has been my pleasure to visit. Built high over a Full region utilising the Land Capacity bonus, Viper Heaven seamlessly brings together elements of fantasy, mythology, ancient civilisations, art, lighting, and a light smattering of religious iconography in a genuinely captivating setting which is an utterly Must See destination.

However, before getting into specifics – no easy task in itself, given the visual richness of the setting – there are a number of points worth keeping in mind ahead of any visit. The first is that everything within the setting has been carefully orchestrated – including the environment settings. It’s therefore vital it ensure your viewer is set to Use Shared Environment (World → Environment menu) prior to visiting. Alongside of this is the fact that Viper Heaven uses a localised Experience to handle seamless transitioning between the different environment settings as visitors move between locations and levels. This Experience also allows for automated teleports when the setting’s various portals are encountered, therefore, it is essential you join the Experience when the pop-up dialogue is displayed by your viewer.

Finally, and while Shadows do not need to be enabled during a visit (in fact, because of the surrounding shell of the “sky”, I would suggest leaving shadows off, even if you do normally explore with them enabled), due to the use of projectors, it is vital you make sure Advanced Lighting Model is enabled in your viewer (Preferences → Graphics → check Advanced Lighting Model if not already checked – and am I ever glad the occasions when I’ll have to give that reminder will start to draw to a close in the future!).

Viper Heaven, July 2023

To describe Viper Heaven is something of an exercise in futility; the simple truth is that this is a genuinely rich and immersive setting folding so much into it, and to appreciate it properly, it has to be seen first-hand. That said, and just to whet appetites, visitors will, within the three primary levels of of installation, find touches of ancient Egyptian and Grecian religion and mythology. For example Isis, Anubis, Bastet and Sobek occupy a setting that might easily suggest a location on the banks of the Nile at Thebes or perhaps Memphis; elsewhere, there is a ruined temple of an Oracle – still visited, it would seem, given the fresh fruits laid out before her statue in the hope of receiving divination by those leaving the gifts. Then, perhaps most noticeable of all – there are the three mighty Titans holding aloft the upper level, as if in honour of Atlas as he held aloft the celestial spheres, whilst  Ganesha / Ganesh sits on a stone plaza, offering another touch of religious mythology.

And that’s just to start; also awaiting discovery are touches of Elven and Fae fantasy – particularly in the form of plants and structure by the Master Elf himself, Elicio Ember, whilst one corner of the setting carries a strong hint of Fritz Lang, another carries a Lovecraftian air, and still another a suggestion that dwarfish tools have been at work in hidden caverns. As all this is just for openers. From the landing point on the uppermost level paths wind around the main island as it is held aloft by the Titans, bridges reaching out to islands floating close to hand, stairs rising to different levels and exotic plants floating among the trees to cast a further air of alien fantasy into the mix.

Viper Heaven, July 2023

As mentioned, portals link the various levels, and these take various forms. Some are animated and rather indicative of their purpose. Others many appear as doors partially opened or tight shut. Still others might appear to be just a blank face of rock or wood into which the path seems to collide. No clue is given as to where they might lie or where they might lead – so if you want to discover all of Viper Heaven’s myriad secrets and appreciate its beauty and design to the fullest – walk is the order of the day!

Nor is Viper Heaven alone within the estate; also awaiting discovery is Viper Hell, as well are several other public locations. These are separate to Viper Heaven – giving me an excuse for return visits in the future! – but Markarius has developed a HUD to help people get around, which will hopefully soon be generally available at landing points, etc. But in the meantime, if you do pay a visit and catch Markarius on radar or in person, he’ll be happy to provide you with a copy of the HUD on request.

And all that said, I’ll leave you with my impressions of the setting on video – the first I’ve been able to produce of any reasonable length in a good few years thanks to ne hardware. I’m not sure how many videos I’ll produce going forward (I have some outstanding obligations to fulfil now I have everything sorted once more!), but frankly, Viper Heaven was simply too beautiful not to attempt to film it.

My thanks to Cube for the pointer, and to Markarius for taking the time to chat with me.

SLurl Details