Category: Reviews

A Moochie Winter Season in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022 – click any image for full size

The last time I wrote about Maia Macabre’s Moochie was in January 2019 – see A Moochie Winter in Second Life – in what was a post-holiday visit. So this year I decided to make a pre-holiday visit and drop in to see the region in its 8th iteration of its theme ‘Tis the Season and have a little looks around.

This is a theme that carries with it from year-to-year familiar elements whilst also offering something new/and or different for visitors to appreciate. For example, the landing point tends to be located alongside a railway track; a place where arriving visitors can receive a folder containing an introduction to the region, a schedule of campfire events and a map denoting points of interest; there’s the ice-skating and the walk along a boxed hedgerow pointing the way to the local chapel; and, of course there are the many places for people sit together and / or enjoy a cuddle along the trails and paths and amongst the trees.

Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022
The smell of roasted chestnuts drifts on the air, and mugs of steaming hot cocoa are generously filled to keep us fortified during the cold nights ahead. The gentle whisper of singing carollers draws your ear, as the flickering festive lanterns guide your eye through the woods to awaiting pathways.

– From the Tis the Season introduction

And speaking of cuddles – couples who wish to enhance the romance of a visit may wish to available themselves of the couples walking rezzer also available at the landing point railcar!

Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022

The centrepiece of the region remains the frozen pond occupying a portion of the middle of the region. Surrounded by trees, this is reached by following the railway line south to where it is replaced by a string of wooden logs laid out over the snow to form a path. Illuminated by lights strung from and around the trees and by lanterns, its outer edge offers various places to sit and keep warm, whilst at its centre is a dance machine for those wishing to avail themselves of it.

Two further paths run through the tree from (or towards, depending on the direction of your wanderings!) this frozen pond; one of them taking visitors to the aforementioned chapel, and the other to where a box bridge spans a river as frozen as the pond. Beyond the bridge is a welcoming sight of a baked potato and hot drinks kiosk for tummies and hands in need of extra warmth, with copious seating seat out on the ice alongside the boardwalk running along what would otherwise be the water’s edge.

Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022

The kiosk, and another one across the ice, are overseen by Grannies Glittercrackers and Snoozypudding respectively. It is also on the ice of the river that visitors can avail themselves of the opportunities to skate on the river, go sledding or enjoy a tour around the region in the back of a sleigh (seating up to 2 avatars) as it almost circumnavigates the landscape, looping back through the start-point of the tour in the process, allowing you to resume your explorations from there. You can optionally jump out of the sleigh at any time to continue on foot, but it will immediately de-rez to avoid cluttering things up.

As well as offering the path down to the pond, the landing point offers a second route of exploration: a snow-bound track winding through the trees to the right of the North Pole sign at the end of the tracks, and marked by a red lantern. Also leading the way to the river, this path is marked by sleighs parked-up for cuddles, braziers bright with wood fires warming them and offering further illumination along the trail.

Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022

In retaining much that is familiar cross the years, ‘Tis the Season at Moochie offers something of a sense of tradition, comfort and familiarity to those who return each year. At the same time, the little tweaks here and there Maia makes to the setting helps to ensure there is always something new to discover and enjoy.

Those who do appreciate their time in the region can show their appreciation by signing the guestbook located at the middle of the frozen pond or by leaving a donation towards the region’s upkeep at the landing point. It is also at the landing point that people can send a postcard from the region to a friend in-world.

Moochie – ‘Tis the Season 2022, December 2022

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Five at La Maison d’Aneli in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – Thanos Runner

Update: December 15th: Aneli has announced the exhibitions below will be the last for La Maison d’Aneli

Here I am at the end of my adventure as a gallery owner, of course I will stay on Second Life as a simple artist … I thank all the people who accompanied me …. what a beautiful adventure we have shared, more than twelve years with an exhibition per month, and you always there. Long live creation!

– From a note sent out by Aneli Abeyante

The exhibition below will remain open through to January 14th, 2023. Aneli also notes that the La Maison d’Aneli group will remain open for people to share information on their artistic events and exhibitions.  

—-

December 14th, 2022 sees the official opening of five new exhibitions to see out the year at La Maison d’Aneli, curated by Aneli Abeyante. Produced and presented by five artists with highly individual skills and outlook, they present an intriguing mix that can engaging, amuse, possibly confuse, and provoke – and all of which are now available for viewing ahead of the formal opening.

Before going into specifics, when visiting all of these exhibitions, do make sure you have Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) enabled in your viewer (Preferences → Graphics → make sure Advanced Lighting Model is checked); although shadows do not have to also be enabled, so you can set the drop-down to No Shadows to reduce the rendering load. Also note also that this piece includes SLurls for teleporting directly to each exhibition.

La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – Yann Gyro (sempiternel)

Yann Gyro (sempiternel) is an artist whose work I do not recall having come across before, so his 3D installation at La Masion d’Aneli came as a new experience for me, being a piece I had difficultly in interpreting. Predominantly greyscale / black-and-white in nature, it appears to comprise multiple elements which at first seem to have no connection: a bridge wit water running over it and a broken egg below; black snow falling from a white sky, a series of heads in various stages of being drawn, a female head gazing upwards through a hail of falling musical notes and with a starscape and astronaut floating within, a map of the world formed by irregular blocks mounted on an irregular grid, and so on. Footsteps on the ground provide a guide to exploring the installation – and should be followed. But how might it be interpreted?

I eventually concluded this is a piece about finding balance. That on the one hand we have been given the gifts of evolution, creativity and the power to shape our own future (symbolised by the evolving heads, the musical notes falling from the sky; the dream of space travel an our quest to understand the cosmos contained within the female head; and the figure rising within the double helix); whilst on the other, those same gifts can result in environmental and physical destruction (the falling black snow; the shattering bridge and broken egg; the flower in the bell jar). Thus comes the suggestion that should we fail to balance these two sides in the manner of a gyroscope, they we will inevitably wobble, falter, and fail to keep to the true path of our potential.

La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – ZackHerrMann

ZackHerrMann, meanwhile, presents a further chapter in the life of his alter-ego Linda Cluster in celebration of art and music, using the virtual immersion of Second Life to recreate his physical world works representing Linda Cluster to give them greater depth and visual appeal.

Vibrant in their use of colour, animations and sue of geometry and symmetry, be aware that some of the surfaces within this installation are media-enabled, so be sure to click the “movie camera” icon in the top right of the viewer window to make sure media is enabled (you do not need to have the audio stream enabled, as this applies to the gallery as a whole (unless to want to).

La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – Thanos Runner
Drawing is above all my favourite discipline, because everything starts from drawing. It’s the idea, it’s the mood, it’s the choice, and all artistic work begins with a drawing. For me, drawing expresses the gift of self, communicating the sensitivity, character, and sentiment of the individual. 

– Thanos Runner

Using his own words is perhaps the best way to introduce Livlic Ateliers by Thanos Runner. A multi-talented artist who prefers to focus on the human body and produce portraits of those he encounters through the medium of drawing rather than painting or digital composition.

His work is utterly captivating in the manner in which he captures his subjects and brings to the fore the beauty which can be called forth through the use of graphite lines on what paper by the skilled hand. At the same time his offers a richness of dialogue on the human form through his coloured images as they celebrate the human body.

La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili)

Located in northern Tuscany, the Apuan Alps are renown for their  Carrara marble, the most quarried marble it the world and used since Roman times for monumental sculpture and in architecture, but which today sees much of the 9 million tonnes quarried annually devoted to the production of toothpaste – and in the process is devastating the mountains at an accelerated rate.

As a native of the region, Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili) presents Cave Hominem, a series of photographs of the quarrying operations as a pictorial diary of the destruction being wrought for Second Life users to absorb. Offered in monochrome shading which enhances the rude damage being wrought on a daily basis – damage which she notes has led to visible changes in the look of mountains from her home – and set within an environment reflective of that encountered within the quarries themselves, this is an exhibition encompassing environmental damage we all too willingly inflict on the world around us which rings out as loudly as the roar, clang and bang of the instruments and tools of destruction used to wreck the Apuans and lay claim to their rock.

La Maison d’Aneli, December 2022 – Traci Ultsch

With As Above, So Below, Traci Ultsch complete the circle of exhibitions by presenting an installation that is left open to interpretation in a manner similar to that of Yann Gyro’s at the top of this article. It is also a piece where, again, having ALM enabled is absolutely essential (otherwise all you’ll see is the inside of a white cube!). Presented in monochrome, eye-pipingly visual (perhaps literally so in the case of the main image?) I am at a loss to describe this work – so I’ll instead urge you to go see it for yourself, together with the other four exhibits herein reviewed.

The official opening for all five exhibitions will take place at 12:30 SLT on Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, with music provided by Traci Ultsch.

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More Mainland coffee houses in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Jitters Coffee Shop, Heterocera – December 2022

Back in November I wrote a piece on three cafés within the Mainland continent of Heterocera (see: The coffee houses of Heterocera in Second Life). At the time, I noted that I might do further pieces of a similar nature in the future – although at the time, I didn’t realise how popular that article would be; following it I received several notes card and IMs suggesting other cafés I might appreciate visiting (thank you to all who sent them!) and the Destination Guide has recently highlighted its section on cafés and similar social spots.

Given the feedback I’ve had, I thought I’d offer another handful of such spots in Second Life, starting with a further destination in Heterocera:  Jitters Coffee Shop.

Located in the north-east of Heterocera and bordering Beach Road (Route 4), Jitters is the property of Cynthia Deere and landscaped by Emm Vintner (Emmalee Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame (and who has helped with or formed other cafés with Second Life (and Heterocera).

Jitters Coffee is a feeling and a hope that we can all come together over a cup of your beverage of choice and have splendid conversations!

– Jitter Coffee Shop About Land

Jitters Coffee Shop, Heterocera – December 2022

Occupying a tidy 4,256 square metre parcel, Jitters was, at the time of my visit dressed for winter which, given the largely outdoor nature of the seating, might make a visit a little on the chilly said at this time of year! Fortunately, warmth can be found in front of the terrace fireplace or the open fire pit a very short walk from the shop, for those who feel they may need warming up.

This is an wildlife-friendly spot, the grounds around the coffee shop playing host to a number of bird boxes and houses (some of them occupied / in use), while foxes and owls keep a watchful eyes on all comings and goings, whilst deer, rabbits and a weasel are also to be found. Being sited at the roadside, it’s a place that can easily be added to a road tour which might also encompass the cafés feature in my previous piece.

The Rainy Café, Jeogeot – December 2022

My next stop keeps with the winter theme, although it shifts continents and isn’t accessible by road, although that shouldn’t keep folk from visiting. Designed and built by Evangeline Miles, The Rainy Café sits within a skybox setting above the southern coast of Jeogeot. Established in Autumn 2021, this is a place which, despite being down on a southern continent, is joining in the general winter theme common to Second Life at the end of each year.

Come in out of the snow. The coffee and treats are fresh & there are plenty of cosy corners to curl up in. Discover a carefully-curated space for those who think life is better with coffee, conversation, & calm snowy days.

– The Rainy Café About Land

The Rainy Café, Jeogeot – December 2022

Sitting with woodlands where snow is falling gently to blanket the ground, The Rainy Café offers respite from the weather with a cosy interior composing the central coffee bar and sofa-style seating warmed cast-iron and electric heaters, it has been extended with the addition of two glass conservatory wings with counter seating and high tables. It’s a functional setting edged with cosiness. For those who prefer, there is a table outdoors to the rear of the café, whilst sitting back among the trees is a glass Gazebo offering a warm, cosy retreat for those who seek it.

Also found within southern Jeogeot and down on the ground is Pumpkin Spice Café. This is an ultra-modern design set alongside a small garden, both the work of Nutmeg (NutmegPinch) and Becca Vichan. Unlike the previous locations, this is a two-storey café brought to life by the presence of static non-player characters (NPCs) either seated in the building’s lower deck or queuing for coffee indoors. Upstairs is a small lounge area where coffee appears to be offered on a self-service basis and the seating a chic mix of sofas and armchairs. Outside, the garden offers a relaxed circular walk and a circular seating area sitting below a shaded swing.

Pumpkin Space Café, Jeogeot – December 2022

My last two stops for this article like within Corsica, and between them offer the opportunity for a road trip, each with its own attractions.

The first is NovaOwl Café, down on the continent’s south coast. It combines both a café and the NovaOwl Gallery operated by ULi Jansma, Ceakay Ballyhoo & Owl Dragonash and a regular feature for art reviews in this blog, and which thus offers the opportunity to appreciate the current exhibitions on both the ground level alongside the café or in the sky galleries above. The outdoor deck of the café is used to host opening events at the ground-level gallery, whilst the indoor area offers addition dance space alongside the coffee bar whilst a mezzanine above offers a comfortable seating area.

NovaOwl Café, Corsica – December 2022

Across the water to the north, Circuit la Corse – the major road looping around Corsica – passes around the continent’s southern headlands. Follow this eastwards and eventual and by way of tarmac, cobbles and wooden boardwalks, it is possible to reach The Reading Room by Shoshin Café,  operated by Zoe Foodiboo.

A haven for those who love reading, this is a novel café in that it is divided sharply into two parts. Approached from the road, it appears to be a glass-fronted reading room / library with little hint of it being a café. However, two of the large bookcases forming the back wall of the reading room are in fact doors. Behind them is a single large room where group reading can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea or other beverage. With an opportunity to have your poetry feature on a board outside the front of the café, allowing The Reading Room to offer a personal touch for those wishing to available themselves to the offer.

The Reading Room Café, Corsica – December 2022

Diverse but linked by a common theme, the cafés of Second Life offer plenty of reasons to explore the Mainland continents and also, for those who wish to, the many private estates found throughout the grid – some of which are also connected by water and may well be the subject of a further article in this series.

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Cica’s Trolland in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost, Trolland, December 2022

Cica Ghost is back with a final installation for the year as she presents Trolland, a whimsical and fun setting much in keeping with her more recent installations. It comes, as all Cica’s installations do, with a little quote that helps describe it:

A troll is a class of being in Germanic mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings.

This, plus the title of the installation reveal what it is all about; in this case, a total of three trolls. In this, and given my fondness for Tolkien, I couldn’t help but conjure thoughts of three trolls in particular: Bert Bill and Tom from The Hobbit. Now to be sure, these three individuals have probably done more to give trolls a bad name in the last 100 years than any single other source. Brutish, rude, thieves, uncouth in their lack of manners – and quite partial to human flesh -they are perhaps the worse kind of Troll one might imagine. But in truth, they were born of a standalone story designed to appeal as much to youngsters as adults (The Hobbit was only “retconned”, so to speak, into he broader mythology in subsequent editions, as the likes of The Lord of the Rings were more fully fleshed out for publication), rather than being representative of trolls as a whole.

Cica Ghost, Trolland, December 2022

As such, and in fairness, the creatures depicted in Cica’s installation don’t appear to be drawn from Tolkien’s story either consciously or otherwise; its just something my imagination was bound to dredge up because, as they say – J.R.R. Tolkien is Hobbit-forming (yes, I’m here through the season, folks, get your tickets from the box office!). Perhaps the presence of a camp fire with a cooking pot suspended over it also contributed to setting my imagination off on its little flight of fancy; you might (and probably will!) see things otherwise.

But that is, after all, the beauty and power of art, isn’t it? To call to our imaginations, and entice us on journeys. through their canvas and / or setting.

Cica Ghost, Trolland, December 2022

It cannot be denied that Cica’s Trolls look a lot friendlier than Tolkien’s and any grumpiness that might exude might the result of the landscape where they live. Cut through by deep channels which forced people to meander in their excursions, it may well be fun for explorers, the winding paths leading pat giant mushrooms, strange outcrops which might be rocks or petrified giant plants, some complete with wheels of stone suspended by rope from their arms to for swing-like seats, rock cars and a hidden gift.

But if you’re a troll and simply want to go from A to B to collect something? What might be a fun walk and photo opportunity for humans becomes, perhaps, an annoying chore. So, if these trolls do come off as not being especially helpful as you come across them, remember, you’re just visiting, they live here!

Cica Ghost, Trolland, December 2022

Caught under a mauve sky freckled with white clouds, a haze softening the horizon, Trolland makes for an engaging and fun visit to see out the year.

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A Calas Christmas Wish 2022 in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022 – click any image for full size

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

So goes the first stanza of the 1972 poem, A Christmas Carol, by Christina Rossetti, and which is perhaps known since 1906 – when it was set to music by Gustav Holst – as the seasonal hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter. It’s an odd poem in many ways, confusing the hard, cold winters of the Victorian era with the warmer climes of the Middle East and the birthplace of Christ.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

But putting the religious cast of the poem to one side, that first stanza does capture the essential point that winter can be an especially hard time for all; the weather can be bitter; snow, whilst fun for some, can also be isolating in many ways; the days are short and can often be leaden with heavy cloud or dulled by freezing fog which refuses the Sun’s urges to burn itself away, and so on.

That said, even in the depths of Midwinter do come times to celebrate, to revel – if just for a moment or two – in that the same snow on water gives the latter the strength of stone as it lay sheathed in ice; that we might look to the end of the year in joy, and perhaps think of the coming year and the opportunities it may hold and the joy it may bring. In short and despite the cold, the end of year and its association with winter within the northern hemisphere can be a special, precious time, with traditions aplenty.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

Within Second Life, one of the greatest of those traditions is the Calas Galadhon Christmas / Winter setting with its two regions of snow, entertainment, ice skating, dancing, sledding, balloon tours, sleigh rides, and lots of opportunities for photograph and exploration.

The theme for this year is once again A Christmas Wish, which this year is located on the regions of Midwinter and Midwinter 2 (the region names giving me the excuse to quote Rossetti’s A Christmas Carol!). This is perhaps actually a more relaxed setting than previous years with a greater sense of an open wilderness marked by snow and bounded by woodland and off-region surround elements which add to its since of remoteness and romance; all of which all come together under the guiding hands of Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith to offer a setting with a familiar mix of time-honoured elements and new trails to wander.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

Visits begin at the skybox landing point for those visiting for the first time. On arrival, new visitors are offered a copy of the music events schedule in texture form and a notecard of landmarks for direct teleporting to various locations within the regions, together with the option of visiting the Calas Galadhon website. From here, follow the candy stripe arrows across an icy landscape to where the portal to the regions awaits (if you’ve never done so before, you’ll be asked to join the local Calas Galadhon Experience in order to complete the teleport down to the ground level), where your explorations proper may begin.

Of course, the centrepiece for the setting remains the Pavilion, rich in its holiday / Christmas looks and home to the music and entertainment – check just inside the main entrance for dates and times of events, or join the Calas Galadhon in-world group for notices if you did not collect a copy of the schedule from the landing point. This sits above the giant skating rink at the northern end of the trails winding up from the ground-level landing point, allowing people to wander through the landscape, explore, take photos and find the little cosy spots indoors and out along the way by which to rest and maybe enjoy a cuddle or two.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

Around the frozen waters of the ice skating lake can be found other familiar touches – the Calas Polar Express, the balloon tour, the winter lodge and the fine dining pavilion with their own opportunities for dancing. For those who prefer, there are the sleigh tours alongside the landing point to carry you around the setting. Capable of carrying up to four, depending on which you select, they give the excuse of keeping a sense of warmth and you huddle under blankets and watch the sights of the region sliding by. Not far from the sleigh rides, and at the start of the Pavilion trail, is a horse rezzer for those who fancy time exploring on horseback.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

The Calas Christmas regions are always a popular destination, and avatars can place the heaviest load on the viewer, consider keeping your avatar dressed accordingly, use Bakes on Mesh, and avoid outfits that utilise multiple high-res unique textures. Also, to assist the simulators, do lighten your script load.

Also, keep in mind that because the regions are popular, you may want to make adjustment to your viewer to help with processing: reduce the maximum number of fully-rendered avatars, perhaps turn off shadow rendering, if used (other than for photography), drop your draw distance, etc.

A Calas Christmas Wish, December 2022

But above all, enjoy your visit!

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Note that the Midwinter estate is rated Moderate.

Mareea’s Enchanted Garden in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
IMAGOLand Gallery: Mareea Farrasco – Enchanted Gardens

Enchanted Garden is the title Mareea Farrasco has given to a small exhibition of her own work available at her IMAGOLand gallery. Comprising just 10 paintings reproduced within Second Life, it is nevertheless an engaging exhibition, taking visitors literally and figuratively on a walk through a garden whilst asking a question.

The paintings are of a classical nature, encompassing themes and styles familiar to any lover of art: nature, women in flowing gowns, hints of faery and fantasy, ideals of love and marriage, summer days with fields of flowers and lavender, and so on. They are presented with a dream-like finish, the haze and soft form suggesting horizons and ideals which extend far beyond the edge of the canvas.

IMAGOLand Gallery: Mareea Farrasco – Enchanted Gardens

Looking at these images, it is hard not to see within them the echoes of great painters mixed with the imagination of a modern-day dreamer with the rich range of image manipulation tools at her disposal and an imagination capable of carrying us on the wings of story to wherever our own imaginations and dreams choose to alight.

At least three of the pieces paint a story of their own: one of a wedding, the bride and her maids – possible post-ceremony – caught in moments of contemplation (or lightness) within a garden. Posed they might be, as all such wedding photographs are, they encompass both s sense of the romantic painters of a bygone age and the artificial construct of a posed photograph in a manner that might be seen through a certain lens as, well, kitsch.

It’s a sense evident within the other paintings to different degrees, and in using the term I am not in any way denigrating Mareea’s work; for in presenting these pieces, she asks us to define what is kitsch.

IMAGOLand Gallery: Mareea Farrasco – Enchanted Gardens

Often used in a pejorative manner to express the feeling that a piece of art – visual, written or musical – is naïve, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. “Kitsch” is a term that at its height became – ironically – somewhat passé, the means by which not so much to pass a critique but to demonstrate our own hipness. However, the term has other connotations; some kitsch art can, for example, be appreciated for the irony or humour or quirky nature without it being visually offensive.

More particularly, Kitsch as a statement has been around for long enough that it might itself be considered an aesthetic category and style of its own; and it is this idea Mareea explores through these ten images. For while they may well encompass themes and elements we might – in different ways – require as “kitsch”: the flowers in the hair, the “soft focus”, the posed nature, the themes of gardens and faeries, there can be no denying that each piece within this collection is beautifully executed as a work of art, and the pieces collective are an expression of art and talent that is richly evocative. As an adjunct to this, Mareea also asks us to consider kitsch more widely, pointing our thinking – if we are so inclined – towards how it might be considered as broadly as within the topic of politics…

IMAGOLand Gallery: Mareea Farrasco – Enchanted Gardens

However, I’ll leave that for you to discover and close this piece by saying this is a engaging, easy-to-view selection of art, whether you opt to see it in its own light, or through the lens Mareea casts upon it in her introduction.

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