Category: Reviews

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.

SLurl and Additional Links

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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Mareea’s pastels at Konect Art in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Konect Art Gallery: Mareena Farrasco

Until I remembered the invite sitting in my inventory, I hadn’t realised it’s been over a year since my last write-up on art exhibitions at Konect Art Gallery, operated and curated by Gonzalo Osuna (Jon Rain). Why this should be the case, I’m not sure – but in that time, the gallery has relocated and downsized a wee bit. Nevertheless, a return visit was most welcome, as was the reason for making it – to see a further exhibition of Mareea Farrasco’s art, which is a couple of weeks into its exhibition time at the Gallery.

Mareea is an exceptional Second Life artist who has a talent for taking the pictures she captures in-world and turning them in elegant digital paintings through a gentle and considered use of post-processing. Her work encompasses portraiture, landscapes, and still life that can represent an image reflecting a moment in time, or offer the suggestion of a large narrative for the observer to create / interpret, and can even touch upon the metaphorical in tone and meaning.

Konect Art Gallery: Mareena Farrasco

Miscellaneous is a selection of 16 images that between them incorporate all of the above, and which also highlight other aspects of Mareea’s work I so appreciate. These include the way in which she can bring a sky to life in a landscape image, for example, to give it depth and mood; her eye for angle and depth of field; her ability to bring forth the subtle richness of colours present within nature without any sense of them being overblown.

Most clearly in this selection is Mareea’s love of pastels to cast a story and / or mood. Within the landscape pieces the soft colours speak to the calmness and beauty of a late summer field or the quiet of an autumn’s evening; meanwhile, her use of greyscale and blue tints provide a sense of winter and of a sea storm angrily reaching the shore. Then there is the use of soft focus / depth of field to draw the eye to a specific aspect of an image, in one place particularly married perfectly with a minimalist view (Bon Voyage) so as to offer an entire story through just a pair of walking boots, a shoulder bag and a hat.

Konect Art Gallery: Mareena Farrasco

Where deeper shades / colours are in evidence,, these again frame stories the mind is free to interpret, and metaphors of expression that can hold our attention, the colours offering a richness of expression without overwhelming the eye.

Poised, captivating and suitable for gracing any SL home, Miscellaneous is a rich sampling of art is an engaging exhibition that should be running for at least (I believe) the next couple of weeks.

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A little corner of Japan in Second Life

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

It’s been several months since I had the opportunity to jump into a build by Lotus Mastroianni and Fred Hamilton (frecoi), so when Shawn Shakespeare pointed me towards Hasunohana, I decided to start the week by hopping over and taking a look.

Occupying a 4096 sq m parcel, this is a setting that is not going to tax your feet (or camera!) when exploring – which is not to say it doesn’t have anything worth seeing. Rather the reverse, in fact, since the build makes good use of the placement of streets and buildings to give the impression of both being large than first appears, and a genuine sense of forming – as the About Land description states – a little suburb siting in a much larger metropolis. And also as the About Land description makes clear, and the setting’s name suggests, it is a setting with a lean towards Japan, something that is again liable to tweak my attention, given my love of the orient.

Hasunohana October 2021

A visit starts aboard a suburban monorail train as it arrives at the local station – something that adds a degree of depth to the setting, giving the suggestion that we are joining the locals in coming home after a day at work. From here, steps lead down to the first of the setting’s narrow streets, little more than an alleyway boxed on either side by the squat forms of apartment-style (at least in looks) houses mixed here and there with a little shop or store.

While the buildings are all façades, they nevertheless have a sense of homeliness about them: potted plans sit outside of doorways, together with shoe stands and benches, dustpans for cleaning down front steps hang from hooks on the wall, bicycles are parked on stands in alleys between houses – there’s even a thermos and steam mug outside one, suggesting the owner is not far away.

Hasunohana October 2021

Similarly, the balconies to the upper floors of some of the houses are rich in the floatsam of life: deck chairs for enjoying the Sun are folded against railings, toys clutter floors, clothes are draped over dryers – there’s even a washing machine clearly too big to fit inside a house that has been parked to one side of one of the balconies. Where balconies aren’t available, window railings and the tops of air conditioning units mounted outside of windows are used for various domestic purposes, whilst roofs that can be accessed have been turned into little garden spaces.

Although none of the occupants of the houses are to be found, this doesn’t mean the setting is deserted; curious eyes are to be found everywhere in the form of the local Feline Overlords as they sit on rooftops, balconies, sit in doorways and – in one case – carrying out an inspection of a cart of luggage.

Hasunohana October 2021

Finding your way around is a matter of keeping an eye out for the steps linking the streets that sit at slightly different heights one to another. Some of these steps are obvious, sitting directly at the end of one street to reach another that crosses it; others might not be so obvious; they might be hidden around a corner or at first appear to be stairways leading up into buildings.

Those who fancy a meal al fresco, one corner of the setting features a little street-side eatery. Tucked into another sits a little garden that offers one of those touches of green that can catch the eye in the most unexpected of places as we explore somewhere new.

Hasunohana October 2021

Small, richly detailed – if somewhat texture-heavy – Hasunohana is an engaging setting, neatly blended with its high-rise surroundings through the placement of the monorail, roads and mist. Rounded out by a balanced soundscape that fits it perfectly, it makes for a tidy visit whether or not photography is your thing.

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