Category: Reviews

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet – One Step Further in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: One Step Further, February 2022

Wednesday February 22nd, 2022 saw the opening of the first half of a 2-phase art installation by Gem Preiz. Presented under the over-arching title Exoplanet, the installation carries the sub-title One Step Further, and is located on a sky platform within the region of Akikaze, held and curated by Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori) as a part of her “Akipelago” group of regions.

This is another exhibition by Gem that combines a prim-base build with his always fascinating fractal images; as such it follows in the tradition of past installation such as Arcadia, Skyscrapers, Elusive Reality, Sapiens, and The Anthropic Principle, allowing the visitor to consider an architectural theme and / or enter an immersive environment in which his fractal art offers an extension to the environment. At the same time, it is also something of a harkening back to installations such as No Frontiers, his two-part series Heritage: Vestiges and Heritage: Wrecks and Rhapsody in Blue Fractals, in which the fractal images are the nucleus of a tale – a journey, if you will, of the imagination to futures and places within the cosmos that await our discovery.

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: One Step Further, February 2022

In terms of the the build, this takes the form of a human outpost on another world. Where this may be is anyone’s guess; the environment outside suggests Mars, but that belies the main title for the exhibition – Exoplanet – so I prefer to think of it as somewhere beyond our solar system. It’s a curious place, sitting within a geodesic dome (which for me carried echoes of a much smaller dome sitting within Gem’s Skyscrapers city), powered by solar arrays which sit alongside a communications array beyond its curving walls.

In all, 14 different locations can be explored within the dome, either on foot or via the teleport HUD that is offered to visitors on arrival (and which contains a 15th destination – a point just outside one of the dome’s access points). These range from a control centres through to crew habitation units, although not all of the buildings are necessarily accessible. Within the base are also a number of vehicles: shuttles, hover cars and tracked rovers, which can be sat upon and driven, adding a dimension of fun, while the base is staffed by static NPCs that have a slight Star Trek edge to their uniforms.

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: One Step Further, February 2022

A point to note here is that  the base isn’t supposed to be in any way “accurate” in its representation of a stellar outpost, as Gem explains in the installation’s introductory notes:

Exoplanet does not intend to look realistic or even consistent from a scientific point of view. Rather, it aims to create an immersive 3D environment which evokes space exploration. It deliberately uses, as with all my builds, prims with their SL attributes (bumpiness, shininess, alpha etc.), and does not rely on meshes or textures to reproduce reality — except for crew avatars.

– Gem Preiz

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: One Step Further, February 2022

Turning to the art, a total of 18 pieces are offered within the installation and can be seen in one of two ways: via a large screen that hangs to one side of the dome, the 18 images displayed on it as a slide show, or by visiting the needle-like Tower that faces the screen from across the dome, where the images are displayed across several floors connected one to the next by wall-mounted teleports (note also that this tower also incorporates the Observation and Headquarters destinations on the teleport HUD).

While they may not necessarily all be new, these are pieces that all tell a story that is literally cosmic in its theme, carrying us to strange, new worlds orbited by vast space station-like structures, or upon which a civilisations has created massive cities and structures, and out into deep space where more structures are huddled – but whether they under construction or damaged and broken by events unknown and their age or finished articles built to some strange design ethos, is left entirely to our imaginations.

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: One Step Further, February 2022

With the facilities under the dome suggesting a human base sitting beyond our solar system but still on the very edge of the rest of the galaxy, the images present suggestions of both humanity’s journey to reach this point in history (BZ Fractal SF9, BZ Fractal SF18, BZ Fractal SF1 and BZ Fractal SF13), and of the far older alien civilisation whose remnants have both drawn humans to the remote location in the inky blackness of space, and which even now is the reason the people of this base are preparing to venture still further from their homeworld.

There is another aspect here as well, as again noted by Gem in his introductory notes:

The purpose of the combined mixture of fractals and 3D interactive build, is to make them resonate : the space base offers an immersive 3D experience, even if it is in a simplistic environment, while the fractal images show a complexity impossible to reproduce in 3D. 

– Gem Preiz

Gem Preiz: Exoplanet: OneStep Further, February 2022

All of which makes for an engaging exploration. When visiting Exoplanet: One Step Further, be sure to not the recommended environment setting displayed at the landing point. And for those interested, Gem has produced another of his soundtrack videos on You Tube, which offers a mixes of pieces that contain within them echoes, perhaps of M83 and Hans Zimmer.

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The rooftops of Paris in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Sous le ciel de Paris, February 2022

Sous le ciel de Paris (under the sky of Paris) is the name given to a sky platform designed by Tolia Crisp of Frogmore fame). It’s a little corner of Second Life occupying Full region parcel of 5120 sq metres. Little in the way of any description is supplied, other than Welcome to my home, but what is offered is bound to be a delight to those seeking a backdrop for their avatar photography.

This is a place set amongst the rooftops of Paris, a part of the city where many of the houses built in the Napoleonic period have been converted into apartment blocks such that rooftop spaces have become gardens, outdoor terraces and places to relax.

Sous le ciel de Paris, February 2022

There centre point for this is one roof area in particular, a space alongside a cosy little apartment laid out with planters growing flowers and vegetables, bee hives vie with a hen coop for attention, cats and kittens play in the Sun, and saplings sit within oversized vases to provide a further sense of the countryside in this otherwise very metropolitan setting.

It’s a welcoming spot; a place the apartment owner can come home to and unwind tending to flowers, gathering fresh veggies for cooking or tending to hens and bees – or just fussing with their cats under the blue sky. But that’s not all; this is a place that is clearly put together with a view to sharing it with neighbours, a little “coffee shop” having been set up to one side.

Sous le ciel de Paris, February 2022

Some of the neighbours also seem to have entered into the spirit of things – one has created a slight precarious walkway to link a home-made studio with the “garden”, and other has lain an iron ladder to bridge the gap from their rooftop, and a route via a fire escape that leads to another little hidden “terrace in the sky, nestled under high roofs and smoking chimneys; a place where yet more coffee and fresh baked goodies can be enjoyed and people might share a dance or two.

Sous le ciel de Paris, February 2022

With places to sit indoors and out, this is a location that could be idea for avatar photography, and joining the Frogmore group (the parcel is under the Frogmore banner) will provide rezzing rights for props  – but please be sure to ick them up afterwards.

I would point out that there are a lot of textures packed into the space and these can take a little time to fully render, and I did have one or two issues on my system with getting all the mesh to rez (solving with right-clicks here and there) – but none of this prevented me from appreciating this little corner of SL.

Sous le ciel de Paris, February 2022

Addendum: If you do take the opportunity to take photographs using Sous le ceil de Paris as a backdrop (e.g. for fashion  / style posts, etc.) – or indeed any other location in Second Life, please do make sure the location is credited.

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Theda’s “clean slate” in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Theda Tammas: Tabula Rasa

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.

Theda Tammas: Tabula Rasa

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.

Theda Tammas: Tabula Rasa

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).

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Admiring Adwehe’s Crescent Moon in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Adwehe – Crescent Moon

Monday, February 14th, 2022 saw the opening of Crescent Moon, the latest exhibition Dido Haas is hosting at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery in Second Life. Presenting the work of Adwehe, this is an exhibition that mixes 2D and 3D art together with a custom EEP setting for the gallery which really should be used (menu → World → Environment → make sure Use Shared Environment is set) if the exhibit is to be properly appreciated.

When the EEP is set, visitors will see that a crescent Moon dominates the sky along one arm of the Gallery; but this is no mere play on the title of the exhibition, there is a purpose in including this huge waxing crescent Moon and making it as much a visual element of the exhibition as any of the images and sculptures Adwehe has on display.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Adwehe – Crescent Moon

Perhaps the best way to sum up the theme of Crescent Moon would be to use a word that has become a common subject within the world of Second Life art: “identity”. However, this is also too simplistic a term when applied here; Crescent Moon is a multi-faceted exploration of interlocking themes: an exploration of self, identity, the relationship between human and avatar; questions of “godhood” and creation and artistic discovery.

As Adwehe notes, the Moon has a special attraction for humans down the ages and around the world. It has been a focus of worship, a reminder of our small place within the cosmos, encouraging our ancestors to see it as the seat of one deity or another. It is also something we only see thanks to the sunlight it reflects – reminding us the Sun is very much the source of life on Earth – whilst that reflected light causing us to see the world around us differently to how we perceive it by the direct light of day; a world both illuminated, yet distorted.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Adwehe – Crescent Moon

And like the Sun and Moon were once seen as seats of goods, so we can, in sitting behind our screens, become gods in our own right: we can create and destroy at will, whilst our avatars sit as the projection of “self”, but one perhaps distorted. They are not us but projections or who we are – or more correctly, what we want to present of ourselves – through the medium of photons – the same atoms of light that give us life – but organised into a form that is not truly “us”.

Thus we have the opportunity to explore, to experiment, be it through self-expression, through that ability to create with prim, texture, particle, and mesh – and for the artist to do both, through experiments at colour and art from, physical and digital, camera and canvas, Opportunities that both reflect on our inner natures and also to play back into ideas of creation, godhood and primality.  All of this is richly explored within Crescent Moon. Within the images we have a captivating mix of painting and photography; they speak to the artist’s acknowledged experimentation with her work in preparing for this exhibition.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Adwehe – Crescent Moon

But there is something more within them as well. The colours used in many of them are primal in tone: red, blue, black, green; colours that appear to have been painted on Adwehe’s avatar as much as the canvas. This gives the colour images a primal element, something added to by the fact that the character in them – and most of the more monochrome images – is dancing, something that might be seen as an act of worship – or given the Moon’s association with the female gender, perhaps they might also be seen as a celebration of femininity and woman as the source of life. Through these primal / feminine themes, we have a further intertwining of ideas of identity, exploration of self and place both as modern explorers of coming to terms with a new digital realm, giving birth to new means of expression and creation, whilst also presenting an echo of our ancient ancestors as they faced a new and strange realm of the world we have long-since tamed – or is that conquered?

This expressiveness of art, dance, and exploration of our sense of self and place extends into the sculptures Adwehe also presents. With regards to these sculptures, I particularly like the way they both embody the themes of the exhibition and moods expressed by the images and even gently enfold JadeYu Fhang’s KHAOS, a regular piece Dido has on display at Nitroglobus, perfectly into Crescent Moon.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Adwehe – Crescent Moon

This is an exhibition that mixes so much into it: 2D and 3D art; primal body painting and modern abstractionism; contrasts of humanity and godhood; reflections of our modern mastery of the technology to create worlds of our own, and of our need to find comfort in what could be a strange and something frightening physical world through the worship of what appeared to be two great constants of life: the Sun and the Moon. It is also an exploration of self and mood as we join the artists in her experiments with light, colour, image and object.

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Spring at Aurora Falls in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Aurora Falls, February 2022 – click any image for full size

I was drawn to the setting of Aurora Falls after coming across it within the Destination Guide. The work of Suite Belle Stark (Suitelady DeCuir) and Zaccai J. Stark (Robesz), it utilises the western half of a Full region furnished with the private island LI bonus to present a mix of public and private spaces available for exploration and / or rent.

With a north-south orientation, the setting offers a rugged coastal setting, a place that would look perfectly at home along the northern coastlines of the United States or Canada, or perhaps along the Scandinavia or more rugged parts of the Baltic. To the south and north are upland regions, the former somewhat higher that the latter, the lowlands between largely given over to an inlet that cuts into the landscape to form a curling bay, a single channel, crossed by a bridge, facing the open sea to the east, and high peaks rising to the west that give the sense that this is a small island hugging the coast.

Aurora Falls, February 2022

The landing point sits on the southern highlands, where a broad road emerging from a tunnel; quite where the tunnel, topped by a crown of trees, might lead is left to the imagination. From it, the broad road rolls down from the uplands to double back on itself as it reaches the lowlands and what might have once been a little fishing hamlet. Here it eventually comes to an end facing the furthest reach of the inlet.

What appear to have been the original buildings around the bay have a distinctly working appearance: a warehouse here, a boathouse, shacks built out over the waters as if ready to receive fishing boats as they come alongside. However, if this had once been a little commercial fishing haven, those days are long gone. The buildings built out over the water and the old warehouse have all been repurposed; the former has been converted into an over-the-water restaurant, the piers close by now home to an old houseboat that has been converted into a little bar. The warehouse, meanwhile, as become a den for music and, shall we say, other recreational activities!

Aurora Falls, February 2022

In its current design, the island now appears to be given over to a vacation retreat. A little grocery has been built close to the local gas station, and a pair of small holiday cabins have been built along the curve of the bay cutting into the land. Part of the old fishing village even seems to have been knocked down and turned into a Zen garden; a place to release the mind and spirit (if the items available at the warehouse haven’t already done so!), in meditations and / or yoga. Only the old boathouse appears to have retained its original purpose – although perhaps this is just to support recreational fishing trips off the coast, rather than any commercial enterprise.

The vacation cabins form the core of the rental properties in the region. Two sit on the inner meanderings of the setting’s inlet, the third facing the open waters on the east side, where the land points towards the northern highlands across the single wooden bridge. Whilst within their own parcels, these cabins are located directly adjacent to public spaces such that it is possible to visit all of the latter, such as the local camp site, without passing them and possibly invading privacy. However, they offer comfortably furnished spaces for those looking for, say a short-term vacation home.

Aurora Falls, February 2022

Atop the northern uplands sits the largest of the rentals: a sprawling single-storey house. Reached via a single footpath, it sits behind high waterfalls that face the rest of the setting and is given additional privacy by a surrounding screen of trees.

Whilst this northern headland is largely presented as a private residence, the highlands here do hide a secret. Tucked into their eastern corner (and outside of the parcel given over to the large house above), a watery tunnel winds its way into the hill to where a large cavern sits. Lit by torches, it is the home of an over-the-water bar and little snuggle spaces extending from its circular wall.

Aurora Falls, February 2022

Throughout all of this is a wealth of detail awaiting discovery – including clues to the more North American setting for the island (just look for the racoons!). There are also numerous places to sit and appreciate the setting and – needless to say – many opportunities for photography. Those requiring props can join the local land group for rezzing rights.

Those on medium-to-low end systems may find they need to make adjustments to their viewer in order to enjoy a smooth experience in the region when moving / camming – but this should not deter people from visiting; Aurora Falls is an engaging visit to make.

Aurora Falls, February 2022

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Milena’s reflections on Light and Life in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Milena Carbone: Light and Life

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.

Milena Carbone: Light and Life

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.

Milena Carbone: Light and Life

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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