Category: Reviews

Men in Focus Movember 2021 exhibition in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Men in Focus Movember 2021: OSO

The 2021 Movember art exhibition at the Men in Focus Gallery curated by JMB Balogh, open on November 1st, once again sponsored by the Men in Motion dance troupe. As with previous years, the exhibition is primarily in support of the Movember Foundation, the leading charity changing the face of men’s health, with the secondary aim of promoting and featuring photography by male Second Life artists.

For 2021, the gallery is displaying the talents of four invited 2D artists – Ethan Lane, Looker Lumet, OSO (akash25g Resident), and Akim Alonzo, whose images are displayed together with works by members of the Men in Motion Dance Troupe and 3D sculptures and pieces by Mistero Hifeng, Silas Merlin, Harry Cover (Impossibleisnotfrench) and Jⓞhan Lionheart (AndreJohan).

Men in Focus Movember 2021: Ethan Lane

The owner and designer of Tulum Reserve, a publicly-accessible region, Ethan Lane specialises in avatar studies, producing single frame stories with his images designed to give flight to the imagination of those viewing them. As an explorer and photographer, he is constantly seeking new themes to incorporate into his images and new or different styles by which he can bring them to life, whilst unabashedly admitting much of his own dreaming (and what he calls his geekiness) is bound within all of his pieces.

Looker Lumet is a Belgian photographer-hobbyist who discovered Second Life photography in 2007. That discovery led him into the world of digital editing and photo-manipulation, and he notes that more than a decade on, he is still honing his post-processing skills and continuing to learn about the tools at his disposal. Through the skills he has acquired, he attempts to present his images as realistically as possible, noting that many of the technical and other improvements that have been made to the platform naturally encourage photographer to move in this direction.

Men in Focus Movember 2021: Looker Lumet

“Art is always a way to express oneself when words fail and that’s the beauty of it,” OSO (akash25g Resident) says of his work and photography and art as a whole. Hailing from India, OSO has the misfortune of having witnessed many unpleasant things in life, a fact that has given him the desire to travel in a world that is free from hate and greed, and where love and care can be freely expressed – an attitude that sharply informs his photography, as can those things in life that have impacted him. His work is intense in narrative, beauty, metaphor and mood as can be particularly witnessed through his Flickr stream.

Hailing from Italy, Akim Alonzo is both a creative photographer and digital artist and the curator of the Itakos Project Gallery, which ran from 2017, when initially leveraged facilities provided by the former Linden Endowment for the Artist (LEA) grant system to display art by those artists in Second Life who might not be confident enough to apply for a grant in their own, through until 2021. Akim made the decision to close the gallery in order to focus his efforts on a new project, details of which are to be announced in the near future. as Akim has a new project in mind. In the meantime, the Itakos Project website remains as an archive of the exhibitions hosted by the project.

Men in Focus Movember 2021: Akim Alonzo

The upper floor of the gallery displays work by three members of the Men in Motion dance troupe – photographer and dance choreographer Antonio Atovio, Men In Motion founder Sebastain Bourne, who marks his work with as little post-processing as possible to give it a natural edge; and Quient, who came to SL as an explorer who used the platform to help educate his daughter, taking her on visits to in-world galleries and museums, before himself becoming enraptured with dance in SL and the opportunities for photography.

Located throughout the gallery’s floor are pieces by the 3D artists exhibiting at the gallery, none of whom need any introduction, their work being familiar across Second Life. All four never fail to engage their audience be it through pieces that combine the near-classical with the modern (Jⓞhan Lionheart (AndreJohan)), or those that engage the emotions (Mistero Hifeng) or offer the potential for narrative (Silas Merlin) or are simply and quite wonderfully quirky (Harry Cover),

Men in Focus Movember 2021: Troupe photographers

About the Movember Foundation

The Movember Foundation is a multinational charity raising awareness of, and money for, men’s health and welfare, with a focus on cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Its titular and widely known campaign is Movember, which encourages men to grow moustaches during the month of November. The foundation partners annually with the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to also raise money for men’s health.

Founded in 2003, in Melbourne, Australia by Adam Garone, Travis Garone, Luke Slattery, and Justin Coghlan, the organisation attained registered charity status in 2006, and has raised approximately US $700m in charitable donations. These funds have been used to fund more than 800 programmes focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health, men’s health awareness and healthy lifestyles. It is active in 21 countries and has a global workforce of 130 people. In addition, Movember coincides with International Men’s Day (November 19th), which among its aims, shares the goal of promoting the health and well-being of men and boys.

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Visiting ancient Greece in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Delos, November 2021

In October, I visited ancient Alexandria, a two-region build by Kleopatra T. Philopator (Kleopatra Alpha) and Elio Donat, and which offers an historical / role-play environment set in the reign of Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BC – 10 August 30 BC) – see Cleopatra’s Alexandria in Second Life. However, adjoining the two regions representing Alexandria is a third, offering settings from ancient Greece within the same period (centred on around 43-42 BCE). At the time I covered Alexandria, I had intended to include the settings from ancient Greece; however, in talking to their creator (and holder of the region where they sit), Ellen of Sparta (ellenharriet) it became apparent they should be covered separately – hence this article.

As their joint name suggest, Sparta and Delos offer setting representative of the famous Greek city-state and of the the island said to be one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. In addition, the region also offers the opportunity to visit ancient Crete. All three locations stand separately on their own sky platforms, but are interlinked via a teleport system. In addition, both Sparta and Delos can be reached from the “Library” landing point above Alexandria.

Sparta is today probably best known for its connection with the mythology of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War, and its military might, most notably enshrined in the reign of Leonidas I and the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) during the second Persian invasion of Greece, led by Xerxes I. However, the city-state’s entire history is rooted in legend and mythology, which states it was founded by Lacedaemon, son of the god Zeus (by way of the nymph Taygete), and later became the seat of descendants of Heracles.

Sparta, November 2021

Regarded as less sophisticated than the likes of Athens, Sparta rose to become the dominant land-based power in Ancient Greece, largely due to the system of education imposed by the laws of semi-mythical legislator Lycurgus (c.820 BCE). And whilst seen as “less sophisticated”, it wasn’t in any way backward. For example, Sparta was very much ahead of the rest of ancient Greece in terms of gender equality – women, (at least those classed as citizens of the city) enjoyed a status, power, and respect that was unknown in the rest of the classical world, being seen from birth as near-equals to male offspring and offered the same freedoms, up to and including education and competing in sports. As such, many women played significant roles in the city-state’s history, such as Queen Gorgo, heiress to the throne and the wife of Leonidas I.

As represented by Ellen, Sparta in Second Life sits at a time well past its heyday as an independent city-state (that having been lost in 192 BCE, when Alexander the Great forced it to join the League of Corinth), but when it was nevertheless enjoying a curious renaissance. Whilst subject to the rule of Rome, it was seen as a Free City, allowing at least some of the institutions of Lycurgus to be restored – a fact that lent it to becoming a “tourist attraction” for wealthy Roman citizens wishing to learn about it culture and ways. Hence why, within Ellen’s setting, we find a Romanesque colosseum rising up on one side of the city.

The core of Ellen’s build is laid out along Afetais Avenue, regarded as the major thoroughfare of Sparta. Here can be found a number of buildings that help represent something of Sparta’s long history and its roots in mythology. First among these, just beyond the training arena for those wishing to participate in combat RP and the tournaments that regularly take place at the  colosseum, is a temple dedicated to he mythical Helen of Sparta, daughter of Zeus and wife of King Menelaus of Sparta (and perhaps better known as Helen of Troy), as well as temples to the Muses and Heracles, the legendary hero of ancient Greece. He was said to have conquered Sparta two centuries after the Trojan war, causing the rules lines of the Agiad and Eurypontid kings claiming to be his descendants. Red plinths outside of these temples and the other buildings lining the avenue will provide brief note cards on the buildings and the roles of those they honour in the history of Sparta.

Sparta, November 2021

At its northern end, Afetais Avenue opens out into a broad square sitting before a representation of the main courtyard from the massive Mycenaean palace discovered at Aghios Vassilios Hill close to Sparta, a structure thought to have once covered some 35 acres. Here the palace courtyard looks towards the Sparta Acropolis, home to a reproduction of the Sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos, and the city’s civic amphitheatre.

Delos, meanwhile, transports us to the historic island of the same name. Located near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, it is home to some of the most extensive archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean. These show the island has been inhabited since around the 3rd millennium BCE, with Thucydides claiming the original inhabitants were driven from the island by King Minos of Crete (he of the Minotaur infamy). By the time of Homer, the island was reputedly the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis (although Ortygia is also given as the birthplace of the latter), a legend that led to the island undergoing several “purifications” by  Athens in an attempt to render it fit for the proper worship of the gods.

By around 42 BCE, the importance of Delos had waned. Under Roman rule, the island has rises to the heights of being the premier trading centre of Greece after the Romans has soundly stomped on Corinth, but the Mithridatic Wars brought an end to this, such that by the 1st Century BCE, Delos as a centre of trade and culture. Even so, it did remain a centre of population through until the 1st Century CE (after which things get spotty), so Delos as seen here is perhaps representative of the island as it sat during Roman rule, and when its sanctuaries and temples  were sill very much maintained.

Delos, the Temple of Apollo, November 2021

Dominating the island is a temple celebrating Apollo, sitting on a hill overlooking the rest of the island, a tall statue of Hebe situated on one shoulder of the hill. Also to be found here is a sanctuary to Dionysus  – Delos was the centre of a cult that revered both him and Leto, mother of Athena and Apollo, and an Erechtheion dedicated to Athena. The later stands to one side and slightly below the temple of Apollo in a manner that is mindful of the way the Erechtheion in Athens sits to one side of the Parthenon. Also to be found within the setting is a further grand temple and the palace of Queen Ellen, together with a small wharf, open fields, a marketplace a landowner’s villas, and assorted points of interest, all of which offer a more relaxed environment for potential role-play when compared to the possibly more combat-centric Sparta.

Sitting within its own sky platform, Crete is the work of Ellen with the help of Delia Kleopatra (Naburita), and appears to take us to the Minoan era. It centres on a great palace, seemingly inspires by the Knossos, and within which can be found a tripartite shrine of the kind discovered during excavations at Knossos, and reproductions of frescoes of the kind that may have once decorated the walls of buildings at Knossos.

And role-play (and combat) environments, these settings (notably Delos and Sparta) are home to a wide range of events, which are detailed at the landing points. Dress code for visitors is not strictly enforced, but those wishing to blend into the settings can join the local group and obtain free outfits from the vendors at the Delos and Sparta landing points. When exploring Sparta and Crete in particular, do not that there are private residences to one side of each setting, some of which are available for rent by interested parties – contact Ellen of Sparta (ellenharriet) for information.

Delos, November 2021

Taken on their own, collective and or / with Alexandria, Sparta, Delos, Crete make for an engaging and historically rich visit.

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Note Starr is rated Adult.

Bryn Oh’s Brittle Epoch in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Bryn Oh: The Brittle Epoch

Opening on November 1st at her arts region Immersiva, is Bryn Oh’s latest work, entitled The Brittle Epoch, an installation that has been several months in development.

Whilst it can be viewed as an installation in its own right, The Brittle Epoch forms the second part of Bryn’s Hand trilogy, and so a degree of context with that story is extremely beneficial for visitors. In addition, the Hand trilogy are themselves contained within a universe and timeline that frames and encompasses all of Bryn’s core works, a point those who are not so familiar with her work may unaware. To this end, the landing point for The Brittle Epoch includes a number of reference resources, as do the notes for the installation; for convenience, I’ve gathered the core of these at the end of this article.

However, if you have not previously visited Hand, I would strongly urge you to do so before entering The Brittle Epoch -you can find it on Bryn’s adjoining region courtesy of a grant Bryn received from the Ontario Arts Council.

Hand is the story of a time when society transitioned to living and working in the virtual space. In this society people housed their bodies in inexpensive pods hooked up to food cannisters. They discarded their houses and furniture as they were no longer needed. They evolved past their physical bodies and lived digitally as the person they wanted to be. Overseeing all of this is a singularity AI named Milkdrop, first seen in the Singularity of Kumiko, though only now revealed to be an AI.

– Bryn Oh on Hand

Bryn Oh: The Brittle Epoch

To help understand the overall context / chronology of the narrative flow of Bryn’s installations, the landing point at The Brittle Epoch offers a timeline of core events, together with the various installations and pieces Bryn has created over the course of the last decade or so. For those of us who are admitted “Brynists” (so to speak), it is worthwhile pausing to consider this before moving on to the start point proper.

As an experiential installation, The Brittle Epoch is interactive, as with Hand and other elements of Bryn’s work. Once within the installation itself, be sure to mouse over and touch items, as many can either provide additional information or offer an object. It is also essential you have local sounds enabled, as sounds are used both immersively and narratively. Finally, in terms of general set-up, the installation is also best experienced under its default environmental settings (World → Environments → Use Shared Environment) and with Shadows enabled (Preferences → Graphics make sure Advanced Lighting Model is checked, and then select Sun + Moon or Sun + Moon / Projectors from the Shadows drop-down  – both will give the required lighting).

Bryn Oh: The Brittle Epoch

Again, as with many of Bryn’s pieces, a HUD forms a central element. If you are not a member of the Bryn Oh Experience, you’ll be asked to join in order to receive it. When attached to your screen (this happens as you pass through / touch the doorway to be teleported to the first scene in the story), the HUD will provide an unfolding narrative as you progress through the installation – instructions on its use will be displayed in local chat.

The focus of this installation is the character of Flutter, the girl first introduced to audience in Hand and one of the children left out of the VR “nirvana” entered into by adults, leaving them forced to fend for themselves. She, together with her friends, will lead you through the installation as they embark on a journey from the heart of the city featured in Hand to the suburbs – a place very, very, different in nature, being caught in the midst of a hard winter suggestive of a new ice age that is befalling the world. As such, we follow them into an airship for the trip out to the ‘burbs, and then through the deserted homes that lie there – and beyond.

Bryn Oh: The Brittle Epoch

Here you need to keep an eye on the butterfly icon / listen for the tones so you witness the unfolding story – and be sure to touch the green button when you get to the Medusa, to follow a story-within-the story (and click the black balls before the glowing doors to progress on through this story, which on its conclusion will return you to the snowbound suburbs, allowing you to continue your journey through the story.

I do not wish to give too much of the story away here to avoid spoiling it as it unfolds through its sixteen scenes, so that you might follow and experience it for yourself. What I will say is, that as The Brittle Epoch is bringing Bryn’s larger, decade-spanning story to its conclusion, so too does it reacquaint us with a number of Bryn’s characters from previous works, including Lady Carmagnolle, Rabbicorn and the Daughter of Gears, and others, There is also a lot that might be extracted in terms of familiar mythologies and tales, and enough discrete elements that can also engage our own imaginations, allowing us to add our own twists to the story – a habit I’ve tended to have with several of Bryn’s installations!

Bryn Oh: The Brittle Epoch

The concluding part of the story will be unveiled in due course. However, in the meantime, I would note that Bryn’s work – in particular The Singularity of Kumiko, Hand, and The Brittle Epoch, form part of a course being taught by Carolyn Steele of York University, Toronto, and I hope to cover more of this in the near future with both Dr. Steele and Bryn.

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As noted, Bryn’s installations all take place within the same over-arching universe, and thus share degrees of connectedness. As such, for those possibly unfamiliar with her work, or who wish to re-acquaint themselves with her themes and idea, I recommend the following resources:

Artistic Sensuality in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Art Korner: Izabela Navarathna – Sensuality

Update, June 27th, 2022: Art Korner has Closed.

Words have a habit of evolving over time. Take “sensuality” as an example. Within the English language, it has its roots in the 14th Century Old French sensualite (“the five senses”), which in turn lies rooted in the Late Latin Sensualitatem (nominative sensualitas) “capacity for sensation,” or  “endowed with feeling.” As used in the 14th Century, the term was oft used as a sign of “spirituality”, describing the ability to sense or perceive the meaning of Holy Scripture. Two hundred years later, however, “sensuality” was largely frowned upon by the religious, who saw it as a direct reference to our baser animal instincts and lusts of the flesh.

Today, we tend to use the word to express the the idea of enjoyment of the innocently pleasurable to give it an edge of “naughtiness” (“the sensually smooth dark chocolate”; ” the rich, sensual aroma from the blend of oils…”, etc.), as well as in reference to the lascivious and suggestive – particularly in reference to the female form. The latter use is perhaps most noticeable within the world of photography and advertising, where images – generally in monochrome – are used to encourage desire without actually being in sexually explicit it is the suggestion of want might happen or might just have happened, that is used to taunt our senses and emotions.

All of which forms a lengthy introduction to a collection of 32 images by Second Life photographer Izabela Navarathna entitled Sensuality, which is currently open through until November 15th, 2021 at Frank Atisso’s Art Korner Gallery.

Art Korner: Izabela Navarathna – Sensuality

This is a veritable tour de force of photographic depictions of sensuality that at first appears to be lifted from that monochrome world of suggestive advertising – but which is actually far more, offering as it does multiple takes on the idea of sensuality. And whilst the the use of monochrome might suggest an intent to emulate such advertising images, it is actually because since her entered the world of Second Life photography, Izabela has specialised in black-and white avatar studies, believing – and I would agree with her – that they convey a greater depth of emotional content.

Within them, we can find the full range of interpretations of sensuality from the clear pleasures of the flesh evoking by touch, closeness and – yes – the suggestion of sexual activity (which carries with it a discomforting frisson as we are cast also into the role of voyeur), through to pieces that might be considers personal takes on the “classical” suggestions of female sensuality, and the use of an image to engage our senses in response, through to a reminder that sensuality can be experienced in multiple ways, some simple others through our need to simply indulge ourselves, with many (if not all) of the pieces containing a subtle twist or layering of meaning.

The clearest examples of sensuality as experienced through physical pleasures are those featuring both man and woman together. But then there are images such as Wings, Hand in Hand and Back all of which present suggestions of sensual, sexual bondage – the placement of hands and arms behind back, the collar around the neck, together with an innocent twist through their titles. Elsewhere, Cherry, presents a classical image of the sensual / sexual: a ripe fruit caressed by pouting lips as they hold it almost teasingly; whilst the use of nude and semi-nude images present the that subtle projection of sexuality, the desire to be able to touch without tipping into raw nudity: it is the suggestion, rather than the exposure, giving them a sensual twist.

And then there are the likes of I Wait To See You Smiling, My Body Is My Temple, and Rose, all of which offer their own takes of the use of a partially-shadowed face, camera angle and / or single item – a hat, the cigarette, a rose, to evoke a system of sensual mystery and desire.

In this respect, I could wax on about individual images, but these are pieces that deserve to be witnessed first-hand and their richness experienced, they are a genuine and skilled demonstration of the art of photography, the ability to evoke an idea and / or sensation merged with a narrative skill that is utterly superb; Izabella has a unique ability to visually encourage the imagination in one direction, then pull the emotions in another, just be her consideration of the title she gives a piece.

Just take La Llorona (which, of all the pieces in the collection, for me is the most utterly captivating). Within it there are all the familiar suggestions of sensuality: the woman in the bath; pouted lips, lowered eyes, the symbolic cigarette held between languid fingers, the presence of the decanter indicating a rich liqueur / liquor awaiting consumption. All speak to sensuality (and a hint of sexuality).  But then take the title of the piece into consideration, and the emotional narrative is utterly transformed, and with it our perception of what each element in the image is actually saying.

Art Korner: Izabela Navarathna – Sensuality

Most of all, however, is the manner in which this collection offers a stunning demonstration of Izabella’s skills as a photographer, storyteller, and sensualist (in the most positive sense of the word) through her choice of pose, camera angle and lighting, followed by cropping and finish. to produce imaginative images that weave subtle narratives through perfectly framed images.

A truly engaging exhibition, offering much to appreciate and admire.

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Grauland’s lights in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Grauland, October 2021 – click any image for full size

JimGarand has established a reputation for making his Grauland region designs as places well worth visiting. Each iteration offers something just that little different around the central idea a setting for exploration and photography mixed with the idea of each also being an environment intended for artistic expression.

As my last visit was in June, I decided to jump across and see what the current iteration holds – and was surprised to note that (in August, I believe), Jim had relocated the Grauland builds away from their long-term home of Mobile to a new Homestead region – prompting me to update the SLurl featured in past articles in this blog. On bumping into Jim on the region, he explained he decided to take a break for a couple of months to recharge, and so needed to obtain a new Homestead on his return.

Grauland, October 2021

The new setting is once again an interesting mix, a scene suggestive of an older part of a city, one overlooked by more modern skyscrapers alive with their walls of lights and neon, but separated from them to indicate that while they may be part of the same conurbation, they are not the same neighbourhood.

While there are high-rises within the main portion of the region, they are clearly older and smaller, speaking to a part of the town much older than the gleaming towers of glittering light. And while there is light and neon to be found here, it advertises establishments that might be considered unsuited to upmarket downtown spaces.

Grauland, October 2021

Caught under a twilight sky, the region is bracketed to the east and wet by a beach with pier and the tall city blocks with mountains beyond respectively. Between, it offers road that cut the buildings into tidy blocks – the majority façades, admittedly, but which offer numerous opportunities for photography.

However, that’s not the primary purpose with the build: whilst it blends that familiar sense of space with physical art elements – which I’ll come to in a moment -, the primary focus of the build is that of lighting. In this respect, I cannot stress strongly enough that the resign is viewed under its default EEP setting and with Advanced Lighting Model (Preferences → Graphics enabled (no need to also enable Shadows, etc).

Grauland, October 2021

This theme is represented in multiple ways, from the aforementioned skyscrapers with their shimmering rows of lights to represent towering floors, through the presence of the neon business signs, the lights that illuminates advertising hoardings or the streets themselves. Some of this is subtle in nature and form – such as at the Japanese noodle bar (inside and out), and elsewhere a little more obvious but still artfully presented – such as the red used at the strip club façade, compete with reflections in the puddles from a recent bout of rain.

The most striking elements of light and art however, can be found within the setting’s largest structure and around the south and west coastlines of the region. In and along these are pieces of modern art – blocks, triangles and squares, all of which have holes running through them, which offer projected lights to illuminate the inner circumference of the holes in the most engaging of effects. Further lighting can be found a long the sides of the main road, whilst further examples of lighting effects sit hidden around corners and within alleys, encouraging exploration and – again – photography.

Grauland, October 2021

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Dido’s Minimal art in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Dido Haas – Minimal

Dido Haas has slipped back into the smaller exhibition hall of her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery – a place I’ve taken to calling “Dido’s Space”, as it was used to be reserved for her personal art selections prior to her offering it as a space other artists might use. On display is a selection of eight images Dido is exhibiting under the title of Minimal.

All of the images are, as Dido notes herself, a step away from her usual style of work on a number of levels. Noted for her elegant, posed avatar studies and art that offers a clear narrative or sentiment to entice the audience into it, Dido’s work also tends to carry with it a delicate hand with post-processing to offer works that are richly finished in terms of their photogenic depth.

With this selection, however, Dido present pieces that are lighter in the touch of post-processing (if used at all) that is minimal in its finish, thus giving us the first reflection of the exhibition’s title. Further reflections of the theme are found in the way each piece is minimal in terms of its setting and framing, together with the fact that the props, etc. used by Dido all come by way of the Minimal in-world brand. Finally, there is the placement of Dido’s avatar; for those of us familiar with her exceptional still life and avatar studies, the majority of the pieces within Minimal reduce her avatar’s presence to a minimum, encouraging use to consider the scene as a whole.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Dido Haas – Minimal

And this is where the final take on the idea of the “minimal” theme can be found: each and every piece is of such a nominal nature that, a Dido herself states:

The images … depict several scenes which make you wonder ‘what is happening there’? Use your imagination and make up your own story. 

In other words, these are pieces framed without overt commentary by the artists (other than the title), leaving the audience totally free to consider each piece, thus making them pictures that should be viewed as much by our imaginations as they should be by the eye of arts appreciation.

Take Telephone Booth for example – what brought the woman to the public telephone? Is it an innocent chain of events – such as being in a remote coastal area where cell ‘phone coverage is poor; or is due to more clandestine reasons – such as trying to avoid any record of the call appearing on her ‘phones records? Is her call to a loved one or is there something more to the call? Indeed, is she even making a call – or was it chance that she was passing when the ‘phone oddly rang; or is she even interested in it at all? It sits on the hook, and her attitude suggests she has no interest in it. Is the booth a means of escape, a place to hide  – and if so, from whom or what?  So many potentials for what may have happened  – or what may follow, as each image need not be the end of its narrative, but the beginning or even the middle.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Dido Haas – Minimal

Intriguing and cosy in size, Minimal is an engaging experiment by Dido, one that exposes a different side to her work, one I certainly hope to see more of.

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