Category: Reviews

Art in the snow in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Templeton Farm: UNITY art exhibition

Currently open through December 2021 within a winter themed sky platform at Templeton Farm, is the UNITY art exhibition, featuring the work of 21 artists and photographers from across Second Life, each of whom presents (on average) two pieces of art for us to appreciate.

Offering a mix of art from the physical world and Second Life photography, the exhibition leans towards scenes of winter – not surprising given the overall setting – but is not exclusively so. Matt Thompson, for example, presents two of his abstract paintings, Happy Campers, which suggests much warmer times that the depths of winter, and Magical Nature, a richly evocative piece that can speak to winter in its colours, but which also has more than a hint of the sea about it.

Templeton Farm: UNITY art exhibition
Similarly, Sheba Blitz presents two of her marvellous mandala paintings, each of which, whilst capturing the essence of beauty that might be found in the crystalline form of a single snow flake, also carry us away to the warm on comfort of more spiritual realms.

Among those taking part are names that will be instantly familiar, and perhaps those who might offer a first chance encounter with their work. This was certainly the case for me with Amaya Mavinelli, whose work is tucked into the corner for the skating rink around which the first part of the exhibition is arranged. Softly and lightly post-processed, her two works, Bunny and Back Then, sit between pieces by Sisi Biedermann and Michiel Bechir, two artists whose works span the digital and the physical.

Templeton Farm: UNITY art exhibition

Dante Helios (Dantelios) is another artists with whom I’ve been unfamiliar, and his two pieces captured from within SL guard the path that links the ice rink with a snow-covered field around which the second major part of the exhibition can be found, with art also lining one side of the short walk between the two.

The complete list of artists participating in UNITY are: Carelyna, Dante Helios (Dantelios), Dragon (DragonAngelvs), Matt Thomson (MTH63), Pepper (PepperQuinn), Sparkle (SparkleSherbert), Michiel Bechir, Sisi Biedermann, Sheba (Sheba Blitz), Zia Sophia (Zia Branner), Ule (Uleria Caramel), Jaelle Faerye, Mareea Farrasco, Amaya Mavinelli, Moora (Moora McMillan), Robbyn (Robbyn Poliak), Jamee Thomson (Jamee Sandalwood), Viktor Savior (ViktorSavior), AmandaT Tamatzui, Vita Theas and Holly (Hollywood Topaz).

Templeton Farm: UNITY art exhibition

As well the art, the platform also offers walks through the snowy landscape. some lead to what appears to be a dance floor, one to a open-air store, and another to a winter garden that makes for a charming visit as well. All of which makes UNITY an engaging visit.

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It’s Snowing at an Ambience Hideaway in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing, December 2021 – click any image for full size

One day, I’ll sort myself out and get to visit Ambience Hideaway, the Homestead region held by yoyo Collas when it is not snowing 🙂 .

I say this because at the start of the year, and on the suggestion of Shawn Shakespeare, I paid it a visit and found it deep in the throes of winter, with snow laying deep over the ground of a rugged landscape (see: An Ambient Hideaway in Second Life). And when I returned for a further visit this month, snow was once again falling to blanket the ground – thus leading to the setting’s current name – It’s Snowing.

Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing

However, where the setting I visited at the start of the year was suggestive of a snowbound island, possibly lying off the coast of a northern latitude continent, the one I dropped into in December 2021 offered the look and feel of an Alpine village, high in the mountains, perhaps on the edge of a ski resort, close enough to offer chalets skiers can rent for their vacations, but far enough so that the local horse farm to continue doing business.

The landing point lies towards the north-west of the region, sitting on its highest point, a broad shoulder of land that appears to thrust outwards from the surrounding (of-region) mountains. A path runs south between a field set aside for events and a drop to where the rest of the village sits as the hillside falls gently away eastwards to what might be a mountain lake. to the east.

Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing

Two routes are available down into the village itself, each leading the way to the little market that stands before a large chalet-style building that sits as a kind of après-ski centre, a little café sitting next door. Chalets sit clusters along the slope, with a little chapel to add further atmosphere to the setting. To the north on the lower slopes sits the house farm, the herd gathering together to eat the hay that is being deposited via tractor.

Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing

For me, the horses came as a reminder of the region’s look at the start of the year. They were smaller in number then, but like here, they could be found roaming the snows. A further reminder of that start-of-year setting came as I reached the shores of the lake, where I found penguins huddled in defiance of this being a purely Alpine setting. A short distance away, and extending over the water, sits a place where humans can also enjoy huddling – this time around a fire.

The chalets are all open to people popping in if they wish, and all are comfortably furnished. As well as these and the lakeside deck, there are other places to sit and pass the time – such as the converted rail car that is being guarded by a copse of trees, or the wagon on the hillside or the pavilion sitting at the end of the trail leading away from the landing point.

Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing

With snow falling on the high ground, and touches of humour scattered around – Santa might need some help getting his sack down the chimney of the large chalet – there is much to see here, without the region being overly taxing on a half-decent system (or at least, it wasn’t on my mid-range PC). Opportunities for photography abound, and exploring across the snow is easy, on and off the the obvious trails.

Should you pay a visit, be sure to say “hello” to the alpaca!

Ambience Hideaway – It’s Snowing

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Clay and Seed in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Clay and Seed

It has been a fair while since I’ve had the pleasure of viewing Haveit Neox’s 2D artwork in SL outside of the entertainment regions he and Lilia Artis produce annually for Fantasy Faire. So when Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori) informed me he and Lilia would be teaming with another artist I admire – Bamboo Barnes – to present a new installation at her Akimori art centre, I knew I’d have to pay it a visit.

Located within is own skybox, Clay and Seed takes as its core theme the erosion of the environment and human relationships, with the work of all three artists interwoven, each taking inspiration from the other two. But before getting into specifics, it is worth noting some key points: you should use the local EEP settings (World → Environment → Use Shared Environment); you’ll need to have ALM enabled (Preferences → Graphics → make sure Advanced Lighting Model is checked) and you should set your draw distance to 256m so that the entire skybox remains rendered during your visit, as it is a part of the overall installation.

Clay and Seed

This skybox offers a desert scene centred around a single body of water, the dunes rolling away into the distance under a sky rich in fields of clouds, the Sun low in the west. The predominant colour caught by the clouds is red, as if the light of the lowering sun is illuminating them from below. But the more one looks at it, the more the red, the more it speaks to rusting metal, its surface bubbled and marrred.

Together, the desert and sky speak to that theme of erosion of the environment, and each supports various elements making up the core of the installation. On the desert sits a number of structures. In particular, sitting close to the lake – possibly the last body of water in this realm? – is a combined 2D and 3D mini-installation by Bamboo Barnes that utilises lighting projectors within cube-like spaces visitors can wall through to experience her 2D art.

Clay and Seed

Around this are several structures placed by Akiko. Through the largest of these – a Japanese style house that partially extends out over the water – a train of horses prance before they snake their way up into the sky to where the second element of the installation, a pair of citadels, are floating.

Linked by curling paths that wind about both buildings and around a central set of net-covered rings over which fish-ships float, the two citadels are home to more of Bamboo’s art whilst their high windows offer poems by Lilia. Their combination of words and images further convey commentaries on destructiveness, growth, abuse, hope, gratefulness and loneliness. Follow the paths that roll and wrap themselves around the two citadels, and further vignettes by Haveit, each with its own symbolism.

Clay and Seed

And symbolism is very much the key here. Whilst offering something of a fantastical scene with centaurs and merfolk, Haveit’s city in the sky offer echoes of our own religious mythology. These range from painting on the outer walls of the citadels, and are also formed by the the likes of the the procession of horses that rise from the desert to climb the steps leaving up to the fish-ships in what might be seen as an echo of the story of Noah’s ark.

Further metaphor might be seen in the manner the the citadels and their surroundings float in the sky like a kind of New Jerusalem with all its promise of salvation. But the the desert below and sky above, together with the centaur vignettes speak the the reality of the matter, as do the images and words by Bamboo and Lilia: we, and we alone, are responsible for the fate that might befall us – just as we alone might yet be able to lift ourselves into a form of salvation (or at least, one of recovery), if we are prepared to work together.

Clay and Seed

Or that is my interpretation at least. Your might well be entirely different. And that is the marvel and beauty of Clay and Seed, in presenting the interwoven work of three superb artists, it has the power to speak with many voices.

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Between Autumn & Spring in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021 – click any image for full size

It’s been over a year since my last visit to ARNICAR India’s Homestead region, making it long overdue for a re-visit. So when Shawn Shakespeare sent me the LM for the winter 2021 setting, it served as a reminder to get my boots on and go pay a visit.

Sitting beneath a twilight sky that gives the setting something of an other-worldly feel, Between Autumn & Spring offers a marvellous winter setting that is one of the cosiest and most romantic I’ve so far visited this winter. This actually comes as no surprise, given ARINCAR’s eye for detail.

Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021

The primary landmass rises from a frozen body of water, a low-lying, if semi-rugged island. Somewhat oval in shape, it is crowned by a tall house occupying the flat top of its rocky spine. Warmly furnished, it sets the tone for the rest of the setting’s touches of fantasy, comprising two floors connected by an external ladder that climbs one wall to reach a balcony outside of the bedroom.

Ringed by trees, the house sits on a hill that, under its blanket of snow, forms a series of broad steps down to the lowlands between it and the frozen water. Stone stairs pass down the slope to the south, passing by way of the setting’s landing point and onwards to a garden space marked by an old stone wall. From this, paths around the outer edge of the island offer routes of exploration – and there is a lot to see in following them.

Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021

To the east, for example, a bridge supported by balloons passes over the ice to reach a little circular bump of rock that, in spring and summer, would be shaded by the broad span of the oak tree that sits upon it. A second bridge, rough in form, then leads on to a second small island and and a covered skating rink offering a seasonal diorama.

From the main island’s north shore extends a finger of land pointing to a solidly built ruin of a building that has been converted into a summer house. Inside, a fire burns in the hearth, and the table facing it is set for two to sit and enjoy a slice of Christmas cake – or cuddles on the room’s large bench seat.  Westward, meanwhile, and across the ice where children skate, sits a second pair of islets. The larger of these offers an old greenhouse that has also been converted into a summer house. But how to reach it in warmer months when the water is no longer frozen might appear to be a problem – until one remembers the ice-locked rowing boat moored at the east side islands.

Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021

In and around all of these locations are multiple places to sit, vignettes to admire and photograph, and views to appreciate. Along the edge of the main island for example, visitors will come across a couple of snowmen (courtesy of Cica Ghost, and not the only pieces by her awaiting discovery) looking for all the world like an elderly couple out for a snowy stroll – and possibly not appreciating the cold in the air, going by their expressions!

Or there are the penguins who have clearly staked a claim to two more rowing boats. These have been pulled from the water and then unturned on a wooden deck to prevent the snow from filling them and so form the perfect perch. Meanwhile, out on the northern promontory, deer watch the comings and goings of visitors, unperturbed by their presence, and a couple of ptarmigan appear to be discussing the weather  – or possibly whispering hopes that no-one decides one of them might be better gracing a festive dinner table!

Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021

Throughout the setting are multiple places to sit, indoors and out, some of them providing views of these and the other vignettes awaiting discovery, other providing places to simply sit and think – or cuddle – and take photos. Fireplaces, again both indoors and out, help keep some of these warm whilst other might best be enjoyed wrapped up against the cold and drifting snow.

Rich in whimsy and seasonal delights, ripe for photography and wrapped in a charming soundscape, Between Autumn & Spring is another graceful setting by ANRICAR, and not one to be missed.

Between Autumn & Spring, December 2021

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Scylla’s study of the Virtual Toxic in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kondor Art Square: Scylla Rhiadra – Virtual Toxic
Elven Years ago, I opened a new exhibit that tackled the subject of representations of gender violence in Second Life entitled Is This Turning You On? About a month and a half ago, Hermes Kondor asked me if I’d be willing to return to the subject of toxicity and hypocrisy within Second Life.  This exhibit is the result.

– Scylla Rhiadra, introducing Virtual Toxic

Thus reads the introduction to Virtual Toxic, what will be for some, an uncomfortable exhibition at the Kondor Art Square.

Without a doubt, whilst Second Life offers a lot that is positive in life – physical or virtual; however, it also attracts the more negative aspects of human behaviour. And while other platforms also suffer from their own forms of toxicity, negativity and hypocrisy, the fact that Second Life does offer the means for positive immersion leads Scylla to frame this exhibition around a central question:

Why do we persist in replicating the flaws and toxicity of our sublunary physical existence in the virtual world as well? We can literally fly here. Why then do we fetter ourselves to the dark places on the ground?
Kondor Art Square: Scylla Rhiadra – Virtual Toxic

Thus we are presented with a baker’s dozen of images that deal with what can be seen as the more toxic – or at least darker – attitudes that can be expressed through words and activities in-world.

Virtual Toxic starts in the north-east corner of the square with Imagine Dark, a piece that offers a narrative on the fact that in entering Second Life, we are presented with multiple opportunities for discovery and expression, light and dark – and ask the question as to which we might chose. From here, the remaining images progress clockwise around the edge of the square with the last sitting in the centre. Each has a particular focus on behaviours and activities that all have an uncomfortable edge to them – sugar daddy / baby girl role-play, direct violence, rape “play”, the objectification of the female, and more. Each comes with its own text element offering  either direct or narrative context.

Each image and its associated text is provocative in the statement offered for us to consider; statements that – due to the fact they are based on physical world situations, attitudes, outlooks, activities – obviously extend beyond the virtual and challenge us to think more deeply and broadly about how we interact with one another and why we might chose to engage in actions that are in the physical world abhorrent to us and / or why we opt to display toxic / hurtful attitudes towards others.

Kondor Art Square: Scylla Rhiadra – Virtual Toxic

The former of these aspects is duly noted in one of the three information panels on the exhibit in the centre of the square (Some Important Disclaimers), which should be read when visiting the exhibit. The latter is perhaps most clearly defined in the south-east corner of the square, and the pieces My Name Is… and Gaslit.

Within the former we see reflected the fact that there are some who have an unwillingness to view others as equals / individuals with thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc; the avatar stands with face blotted out by the word Whatever. It’s a term that can have both positive and negative implications – and here is the usage is reflective of the negative / passive-aggressive form (as in, “I don’t care about you or what you have to say or feel”). Gaslit, meanwhile, references our use of words to manipulate others into self-doubt or (possibly) taking an action they’d normally avoid.

Kondor Art Square: Scylla Rhiadra – Virtual Toxic

Offered for public consumption to overlap with the UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, which draws to a close on December 10th, 2021, a campaign specifically focuses on violence and abusive acts against women (1 in 3 of whom, globally, will be subjected to violent abuse at least once in her life, with that abuse extending well into digital environments, as seen through the likes of Gamergate), Virtual Toxic is an arresting exhibition. However, it is not polemic; in asking its questions – most clearly exemplified by the 13th image, Why? at the centre of the art square – it invites us to view, read and consider what is presented without undue sway on the part of the artist.

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Luane’s winter World in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Luane’s World, December 2021 – click any image for full size

Luane’s World is a region I’ve oft visited over the years, it being a popular destination that is always rich in detail and visually impressive through every iteration, thanks to the care region holder LuaneMeo pours into it. However, I have to admit it has been a few years since I last visited when it has been dressed for winter. Hopefully, this post helps rectify that fact.

For 2021, Luane presents a rural setting centred on a frozen body of water bordered by lowlands to the south, west and north and highland to the east, the latter also forming the region’s landing point, safely fenced off from the cliff edges and risk of falling to the lake below, while two routes of exploration extend away from it.

Luane’s World, December 2021

The first is via a high bridge spanning one of the three channels into the lake; the second takes a set of steps down the eastern slope to where the path splits north and south. The northern arm of the path points the way out for the region and into the adjoining residential regions Luane also operates, and which sit outside of this article. The southern arm of the path offers a route around the lands surrounding the lake, eventually meeting the path away from the landing point and the high bridge by the landing point.

The highlands across the bridge are home to an open air café presided over by bulldog riding mini Santas while their “little” helpers (who are a good deal taller than the Santas, if shorter than us!) take care of stuffing sacks with goodies. Alongside of them a long, snowy slope runs westwards to join the path circling the lake.

Luane’s World – December 2021

A relatively gentle incline, the slope can be walked down (or up), but for those making the descent, a sign board at the lip of the slope offers the chance to take a sled down the hill – just watch out for the gentle curve in the slope   and the slight risk of hitting some low stone marking the far side of the snowy trail!

Being frozen, the lake is ideal for skating, as proven by the penguins zipping and dancing across it (plus one Emperor Penguin who appears to have decided skis are a much better option!). Those who wish to join them ca find skates available at the little pier on the western shore, close to the box bridge crossing another of the channel leading into / out of the lake.

Luane’s World, December 2021

This pier is also home to a  – wait for it – bumper car rezzer. While this may at first sound odd, allowing for some unevenness in some the ice elements on the lake, the cars can be a lot of fun for scooting around the lake and offer three different modes of driving, depending on whether you want a quiet pootle or engage in a little friendly competition with friends – just do be aware of any skaters (including the penguins!) also on the ice.

For those seek a little respite from the cold, the lowland offer a number of places visitors can retreat into; a total of five cabins and cottages are available, all furnished and ready to offer a touch of warmth to counter the snow – although one might take a little bit of locating 🙂 . Also awaiting discovery is a cave with a touch of Christmas spirit hidden within it.

Luane’s World – December 2021
Luane’s World – December 2021

Beautifully laid out, easy to explore, rich in opportunities for photos, Luane’s World remains a delightful place to visit.

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