In Perpetuity in Second Life

Perpetuity, July 2021 – click any image for full size

Designed by the in-world partnership of Tamara Sierota and Camis Sierota (Camis Lee), Perpetuity is a Full region presenting a refreshing pastoral setting that is open to visitors to enjoy and photograph. It offers much to see in as very natural setting that carries  something of an emphasis towards lovers and couples, as the About Land Description indicates:

A place for quiet moments & photography with areas to bring your date, lover, partner or to come alone & relax surrounded by nature in all its beauty. 
Perpetuity, July 2021

Group membership is open for those who wish to have rezzing rights, and motorbike and horseback riding are welcome along the dusty track that winds its way around the region, whist a bicycle rezzer is also available at the landing point for those who are sans horse or motorbike options, but who wish an alternative to wandering on foot. Poses for photography may also be rezzed via group membership, with the request that these are kept small and are discreetly used – and are cleaned-up afterwards.

The east side of the region features a ribbon of beach that runs north-to-south. Watched over by a summer house and a small café, the sands of the beach offer several places to sit and look out over the water to the far horizon, and is spanned by a long pier that forms the landing point while also providing access to the rest of the setting  as arrivals walk its length.

Perpetuity, July 2021

The majority of the region is given over to an arable / livestock farm, with corn, sunflowers and lavender in the little fields, and cattle and sheep grazing while horses wander.

How much emphasis is put on income from farming, however, is open to interpretation: one field has been given over to a music event space and the main barn appears to be more used as a front attraction for Camis’ Apple Pie & Moonshine bar than as a home for farming implements and / or horses, the old tractor parked within it notwithstanding.

Perpetuity, July 2021

Elsewhere across the region are further signs that that farm – assuming the entire setting was once all a single farm holding – has diversified its business comes in the form of the little cabins and old chapel that have been converted into retreats for artists, and what might have once been a barn that is now a motor-cycle friendly bar as it sits across the track from the farm’s produce shop.

The farmhouse itself sets to the south-west, tucked into a corner where the track loops around a small natural bay fed by fresh water that tumbles from a stubby thumb of rock poking its head above the surrounding fields. Backed by the high mountains that cup the region within their off-sim arms, it’s a cosy house perfectly set to give itself a sense of privacy without actually being divorced from the rest of the setting.

Perpetuity, July 2021

Given this is a place intended for the romantics among us, as well as explorers and photographers, there are numerous places to sit and spend time with someone close to be found throughout, indoors and out, on the land and on the water. All are gently washed over by the local ambient sound scape that adds a little more depth to the region, and all can be found as a result of gentle exploration of the island.

Rich in detail, easy on the eye, with a welcome and encourages people to explore, Perpetuity is a delight to visit. A calm haven caught in the midst of summer for both visitors and the local animals and wildlife (keep an eye out for the black bears!).

Perpetuity, July 2021

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Mihailsk’s Baptism of Fire in Second Life

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Mihailsk’s Baptism of Fire

Sometimes the best art exhibits come from a chance encounter. Dido Haas, owner and curator of Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (and a talented photographer in her own right), bumped into Mihailsk while he was visiting Nitroglobus in March. A couple of days after that first encounter, he posted an image taken at the gallery, which was then displaying Daantje Bons’ work (see here for a review of that exhibition) – and this image led to Dido looking through Mihailsk’s Flickr steam and then approaching him to exhibit at Nitroglobus.

Even so, he took a little persuading. Despite being active in SL for several years, Mihailsk has only recently entered the world of SL photography and artistic creation, as he explains:

Even though I am in SL since 2014, I feel my second life started the day I decided to dedicate a large part of my time in this virtual world to photography. It was [in] January 2020 when I started this beautiful journey in light, colours and emotions; a journey to fantastic places and loved persons, trying to capture special moments in eternity. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes with pain. 

– Mihailsk describing his journey into SL art

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Mihailsk’s Baptism of Fire

Given this, Dido’s invitation marked the first time he has been asked to display his art in-world – which can be a daunting prospect for an artist-photographer, even when well-established on a site like Flickr. Hence the title for this exhibition: Baptism of Fire.

Mihailsk’s work is probably best defined as avatar-focused; a term I use in preference to the more usual “avatar study”, because while a fair portion of his work does focus in on an avatar (either his or that of a friend) in order to frame a story, he also frequently sets his canvas much more broadly, framing an image that blends avatar and surroundings into a richly layered composition that is utterly captivating – as can be seen time and again throughout his Flickr stream.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Mihailsk’s Baptism of Fire

He is also an artist who uses a variety of styles to express his work, from full colour, to gentle tonal work through to monochrome, with techniques that touch upon sepia colouring, chiaroscuro, post-processing and digital layering. The result of all this being pieces of great visual depth.

Given this, there might be a temptation to pull together a multiplicity  of styles and display them together; instead, Mihailsk has focused on presenting pieces that focus on black-and-white / monochrome, and which also fold into them elements of  silhouette art, chiaroscuro and minimalism that very much help to focus on his use of emotion in his art. In this he also differs from many other SL artists, who often construct their images to frame what amounts to a pre-determined emotion that they wish to convey to their audience. Instead, Mihailsk frames his pieces in a manner more designed to convey the emotion he felt within a scene or setting; thus they become windows into his feelings and outlook.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Mihailsk’s Baptism of Fire

The above all said, given the sheer depth and beauty of Mihailsk’s art, I admit I would have perhaps liked to perhaps see some of his colour art included here, simply because it is equally emotive. But make no mistake, what is shown within Baptism of Fire is utterly engaging and a more than worthy display of art from an exceptionally talented individual. and as well as visiting, I encourage you to also take the time to peruse his Flickr stream; you will not be disappointed.

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A visit to a Dark Tower in Second Life

Neverending: The Dark Tower, July 2021- click any image for full size

I was off back to Neverending, the Homestead designed by Jayden Mercury and Valarie (Zalindah), to see it in its latest iteration: The Dark Tower.

I’ve no idea if the region’s name is a reference to Stephen King’s series of of eight novels genre-crossing (dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and westerns) series of novels regarded as his magnum opus (or indeed the 2017 film they in turn inspired, or the 1952 narrative poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came by Robert Browning said to have been King’s inspiration).  Nor do I know if the likes of Tolkien’s Barad-dûr may also have influenced the naming of the region in this iteration; however, there are faint echoes towards both King and Tolkien writings to be found within the setting.

Neverending: The Dark Tower

The focus of the setting is a high tower towards which we are encouraged to travel just as King’s  protagonist, Roland Deschain, is also drawn (essentially following in the footsteps – metaphorically speaking – of Browning’s Childe Roland); although in his case, the Dark Tower is both physical and metaphorical, whereas here the tower is very much physical.

Rising from a domed island, the tower within the region may not be the centre of the universe, as per the tower of the film, but it does sit as the hub around which most of the rest of the setting has been built. It is ringed by a series of stone and wood bridges that sit wheel-like around it, with stone causeways connecting them both to it like the spokes of a wheel, and which extend outward to reach other points of interest.

Neverending: The Dark Tower

One of the latter offers the Tolkien reference: a tall volcano that issues forth lava and billowing smoke just as Orodruin did as it stood apart from Mordor’s Barad-dûr. A second outlier tops a pinnacle of rock to provide a lover’s hideaway within the hollowed trunk of an aged tree, whilst a third presents a walk through rain and dancing leaves that pirouette around frozen umbrellas periodically lit by lightning, to where a grand piano sits. Beyond this, across the water and within a curtain ring of stone and trees, sits a house on its own, a private residence.

From the low-lying landing point with its warning about AFKing whilst there, its Torii gate and off-shore orca that play in the shallows, it is possible to climb to the first of the high causeways as it leads to the tower.  From either side of this causeway, the ring of stone and wooden / rope bridges spans outward from either side for those who wish to follow it (but be warned; some of these may not be as stable  as they might first appear to be!).

Neverending: The Dark Tower

In keeping with King’s novels and the film they spawned, the tower appears to be a place of mystery and power for those who dare explore (there is even a “door” that will return visitors to their beginning – or at least in this case, the landing point). A dragon guards the entrance to the tower, although it appears willing to allow visitors passage through the great gate and doors and explore within. It is not the only such creature standing guard – a point to which I will return in a moment.

While the great hall to the rear of the tower might at first appear to be little more than a place nature is attempting to reclaim, careful eyes and hands might find a secret route by which the tower might be further explored, from top of highest tower through hidden room, and more as noted above. Others might simply content themselves with finding their way to the upper room, where sits the Book of Magic.

Neverending: The Dark Tower

Not all of the regions secrets await discovery above ground, either. Those who explore carefully enough should find their way to a garden where creatures of the sea swim and play, and tunnels lead to where a water dragon awaits those wishing to sit and converse with it.

Like the iteration before it, Sakura Tales (see here for more), this version of Neverending continues a narrative that first started with Jayden Mad Wonderland build (see here): the tale of an artist, with chapters of the story awaiting discovery throughout the setting as they lie as pages waiting to be found. When discovered an clicked upon, these pages will present their part of the story to you on a private channel, and (perhaps) offer a clue as to what is to come next.

Neverending: The Dark Tower

Rich in detail (although the default EEP settings can make this difficult to appreciate – I actually opted for Bryn Oh’s Bluniverse, which comes as standard with EEP, so that I could appreciate the setting better without going too far from the intended environment), with lots of opportunities for photography, discovery and simply appreciating the creativity of Jayden and Valarie  whilst following the third instalment of Jayden’s tale, The Dark Tower is an atmospheric and engaging visit.

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Diamond’s views of the Moles and Lindens in Second Life

Beckridge Gallery – Diamond Marchant: Work Look

Second Life’s 18th anniversary is, at the time of writing, almost over. The celebrations have come to an end and the regions themselves will be closing to public access on July 6th, 2021.

I mention this because the SL18B regions are part of the broad-ranging work that comes under the remit of the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW), and the contractors – the Moles – who are employed by the Lab through it.

As well as the SLB regions (this year put together with the assistance of residents like Walton F. Wainwright (Faust Steamer)), the Moles are also responsible for – as we all doubtless know – the likes of the Mainland infrastructure, Bellissera, the Linden Portal Park and associated experiences / games, and more. All of this is in part celebrated with the annual Meet the Moles session at each year’s SLB celebrations, when we get the opportunity to see many of the Moles all gathered together as the answer questions and talk about their work.

Beckridge Gallery – Diamond Marchant: Work Look

However, for her summer exhibition at her Beckridge Gallery in Bellisseria,  Diamond Marchant presents another opportunity for us to see the Moles. Work Look, her new exhibition, presents a series of portraits of many of the Moles (and some of the Lindens) as they go about their work in-world preparing the SL18B regions for the 2021 celebrations.

Mounted on the walls of the gallery and the attached greenhouse are around 27 portraits of the Moles (Dion gets to appear twice, to make the total number of images 28), together with portraits of Grumpity, Strawberry, Brett and Patch Linden with a surprise appearance by Philip Linden, who looks to have dropped in on the celebrations as well.

Beckridge Gallery – Diamond Marchant: Work Look

So, if you fancy taking another look at the Moles and celebrating / recalling SL18B, the Beckridge Gallery might be the place to visit!

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The Slender Man gets arty (and more) in Bellisseria

Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery

An entry in the Destination Guide highlights for July 2nd, 2021 pique my curiosity: the Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery.

He has visited your home. Have you visited his? Come and experience the Very NICE & Very EVIL home and art gallery of the Bellisseria Slenderman. If you can find it, take a ride on “Slender: The Eight Pages” THRILL RIDE!

– From the Destination Guide

For those who may not be aware (are there any?) the Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character created by Eric Knudsen (aka “Victor Surge”) in 2009 on the Something Awful forum.  It has gone on to become an Internet “folk legend” spanning multiple narratives – as well as becoming a focus of controversy when fiction connected to the character was connected to a number of physical world acts of violence in 2014,  including the Slender Man Stabbing.

The Slender Man in the skies of Bellisseria

The character also became the inspiration for an independent  first-person survival horror video game now called Slender: The Eight Pages.

It is this game that in turn forms the inspiration for this new Second Life experience, located within the Log Homes regions of Bellisseria, and which forms a further chapter in the Slender Man’s involvement with Bellisseria, something that commenced in February 2020.

Centred on a gallery images that record the character’s visitations / appearances within Bellisseria that is spread across the three floors of the house, the Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery includes a number of interactive elements, as indicated in the information note card available at the landing point:

  • A roller coater ride, reached via a “hidden” teleport.
  • A “hidden” basement awaiting visitors.
  • A hunt based on the eight pages that are at the heart of the the game – except there’s no trying to avoid the Slender Man (unless he happens to pop-up!), but instead offers various prizes.
  • For those with a Bellisseria passport, the opportunity to have it stamped (or maybe “unstamped!”) by the Slender Man.

In addition, the experience makes uses of the parcel as a whole, with various elements indoors and out to make it more a atmospheric setting. These include a dedicated EEP setting that is well worth seeing if you don’t have your viewer set to use shared environments by default (World → Environment →  Use Shared Environment).

To be honest, locating the teleports for the roller coaster and basement isn’t that hard, but be aware that not all teleports are referenced in the introductory notes, so careful mousing is recommended.

However, locating the eight pages in the hunt will take a certain amount of patience and careful camming / exploring (unless you’re using a viewer with Area Search and opt to cheat!). The prizes they offer are varied and clearly designed to appeal to a wide range of recipients. I admit to liking the Segway (and its instructions: “Say yes to any animation requests and turn your AO off so you don’t look like a big goof”!), even if it looks as if it has been designed for someone around 10 or 11 foot tall, rather than scaled more towards the “average” avatar heights commonly used nowadays.

Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery

My attempts to summon the Slender Man via the HUD failed miserably whilst initially exploring and working through the hunt.  However, when returning to the setting to take photos, he surprised me by popping up unexpectedly, and we ended up playing “let’s photograph one another”, as can be seen here and here on the Slender Man forum thread.

Meanwhile, the roller coaster makes for a smooth ride, and is best enjoyed in Mouselook. Taking it will provide hints on what to look for with the hunt’s eight pages for those who haven’t started / completed it; while those not so enamoured of hunts, etc., can wander around the back of the house and either climb to the seating platform on the roof or avail themselves of the bumper boats rezzer and mess around on the lake behind the house.

Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery

I admit, I’m not a great one for horror, and the idea of embracing a character that has in the past been controversial in inspiring acts of violence does cause a frisson of discomfort. However, what I do find fascinating about Bellisseria Slenderman Gallery is actually not so much the experience itself, but the fact it has allegedly been built by “Mouse Mysterious”.

This is a character who uses a Profile image / logo that has a certain similarity to that of a nonagenarian mouse logo used by a certain studio. I’m not aware of any link between said studio and the makers of the game from which the experience takes its inspiration, so no idea if this is purely coincidental or a possible hint of something in and of itself. Perhaps time will tell on this – or not!

Anyway, the experience is there to be discovered, and I’ll leave you to do so as the mood takes you.

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Akim’s Anima in Second Life

Kondor Main Gallery: Akim Alonzo

Akim Alonzo, owner and creator of The Itakos Project, is also an excellent photographer artist in his own right, as I’ve noted in a number of pieces in this blog where I’ve covered his exhibitions (see Water and a Matrix: Reflections on Life by Akim Alonzo, for example).

The latest selection of Akim’s work is now on display at the Main Gallery of the Kondor Art Centre, curated by Hermes Kondor. It presents a mix of works that offer a choice of themes within it, and which also echo past exhibition themes Akim has produced, making for another eye-catching and thought-provoking display of art from a man who is a master of frame, tone and composition.

Kondor Main Gallery: Akim Alonzo

The images presented are offered under the title of Anima and comprise 27 individual images and 2 slide shows. One of the latter pages through a selection of the images on display, the other displays a collection of additional portraits. Between them, these two slide shows present the core themes to be found within this collection – both of which intertwine into a single, larger perspective.

One of these themes is that of the avatar-as-a-person. Avatar studies are a common theme with Second Life art – although more often than not, such studies tend to focus on presenting an emotional story / emotive response utilising the entire image – expression, pose, surroundings, etc., – that together form a single frame narrative. Akim, however, is one of the few Second Life artists who takes a very deliberate path in his studies: one that focuses on the emotions that may exist within an avatar.

Kondor Main Gallery: Akim Alonzo

Whether these emotions are real, or a projection of our own, or a reflection of the emotions Akim felt in composing each image, really doesn’t matter; although I would suggest that there is combination of all of these aspects involved. What is important is that each piece is a marvellously layered composition, the focus always on the subject, the  background and lighting a means to project / capture the emotions that we see as coming from within the avatar. This are pieces that make extraordinary use of chiaroscuro to imbue the subject of each image with a depth of life and feeling that is bewitching.

The second theme to be found within this collection is that of life itself – real or virtual – and the questions we can harbour about it; in this, some of the pieces are drawn from or reflect his 2019 exhibition The Matrix. There is a wealth of metaphor within these particular pieces – the majority of which can be found on the gallery’s upper floor – and also question: what is real? Is the digital realm any less “real” than the physical? Might we all in fact be unwittingly operating within a virtual realm, our need to project ourselves into a digital realm a reflection of this?

Kondor Main Gallery: Akim Alonzo

Both of these thematic strands come together to offer a broader set of ideas / questions related to the identity, self and who we are as individuals;  to questions of – dare I say it – soul.

Beautifully composed, perfectly executed and presented, Anima is an extraordinary exhibition by an extraordinary artist.

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