Category: Reviews

I was pleased to learn that The Babel, the “sounds lab” created by the musical partnership of pianist Arabesque Choche and vocalist Juliet Heberle, finally re-opened to the public on March 21st, 2020.

Originally conceived by the duo in 2009, The Babel was a fascinating interactive setting whilst available through until 2013, when it was closed and removed from the grid. More recently, and as I found myself reporting in May 2019, it looked as if all of the couple’s regions looked set for closure, the couple believing the builds had run their course. Fortunately, they were encouraged to reconsider their decision, and in October 2019, it was announced that the Chouchou regions would be remaining in SL under the auspices of the Second Life Region Preservation Society (SLRPS) – with the promise that The Babel would also be returning (see: Chouchou set to remain in Second Life – and there’s more).

Well, it took a while to fully open but The Babel made its official public re-engagement on March 21st, 2020, and I took time out to jump over and visit after a somewhat hectic weekend, and am pleased to say that it remains an engaging visit for the musically minded.

To call The Babel a place would be a mistake; it is an experience, a musical construct comprising boxes, elements and levels, which may at first glance appear completely random – but there is order. Each box is a sound – a note or chord – which is played when touched. Some will play once when touched, others work on a toggle – they will play until touched again. These boxes are in turn grouped into elements, or collections of notes / chords / voices. By touching (and re-touching) the boxes around you, it is possible to create tonal harmonies and even “compose” your own pieces, although it takes a combination of practice and a quick eye / hand. Climb the stairs to play the upper levels, and you’ll find some of the steps also play notes, adding to the complexity.

If all this sounds confusing, Chouchou produced an introductory video to the build back in 2009, which once again has relevance.

Two books on the elements and boxes can be found at the foot of the spiralling stairs, but given the ambient lighting, these can be hard to read.

Climbing to the top of the stairs will take you in a room with piano notes and chords set out in two grids around a series of Julia’s voices, which some may find easier to “play”.

As conceptual now as it was in 2009 (or 2012, when I first visited it!) The Babel makes and interesting return to Second Life and once more rounds-out the trio of Chouchou regions in-world.

Related Links

• Chouchou in-world SLurl (Rated Moderate)
  • Memento Mori
  • Islamey
  • The Babel
• Chouchou blog
• Chouchou’s You Tube channel
• Chouchou on Facebook

We were drawn to ARNICAR India’s build of Lighthouse IMAGINATION, located on her Homestead region of Everlong, through another recommendation from Shawn Shakespeare, and it presents a truly marvellous, atmospheric location. Sitting beneath a cloud-marbled  evening sky (although I’ve admittedly used an alternate sky setting in the images here), it is a windswept place, largely denuded of trees, rich in detail and the kind of setting that calls on you to stay and immerse yourself in its wild beauty.

The island rises from a slightly troubled sea, waves breaking over offshore groups of rocks, a skirt of gravel coast sitting between waves and the rising rocky face of the island, the undulating back of which is covered in moss-like grass. It’s a place that is home to less than a dozen trees, many of which are wizened with aged, backs bent as if curled against the winds that must surely wail across this lozenge-like landscape when the weather turns. Shrubs fair better than trees here, cliff edges and the rills between rock tops heavy with their greenery even as finger of bushes stretch out across flatter parts of the island’s top.

This is a place dominated by a single structure: a massive brick-built lighthouse that stands firm upon a great stone foot anchored at the island’s northern end. The multi-faceted eye of this massive industrial-looking place turns unblinkingly, warning away the ships that can be seen to sail slowly by, their outlines softened by off-shore mists, and that might otherwise stray to close to the dangers posed by the rocks lurking beneath the waves.

The Lighthouse is a place that again speaks to the dark moods of nature that can perhaps lash this island: the great stone footings, the heavy brick walls, the use of iron girders and steel plates rather than wooden stairs and platforms to provide ways up to the lighthouse and around its tower to the light. Both metal and steel may be rusted, but they are robustly bolted together and embedded in the walls of the lighthouse, ready to stand firm against whatever Nature might throw at them – although it’s hard not to feel pity for the lighthouse warden who has to travel the exposed, curling path up to the light in times of storm…

To compensate for such times, the interior of the lighthouse is warmly furnished and equipped. A cast iron stove heats the main living room, a second, wood-burning stove likewise heating the room above and to one side of it while the third offers creature comforts: ale, billiards and a chance to forget what’s outside should the weather turn.

Getting around the top of the island  is assisted by an old bridge and lashed trunks of fallen trees, all of which span the rills and cuts that divide the land. However, getting down to the shoreline is a little harder (indeed, getting up and into the lighthouse can be a bit of a challenge); explorers need to find the appropriate points in the island’s flanks where the rocks dip to provide natural trails down to the surrounding ribbon of gravel.

It’s worth taking the time to find these paths down and exploring the island’s narrow coast, as both will reveal more of its secrets and beautiful detail; places to sit, owls, birds and waterfowl to observe, sheep to wander past, a shoreline photographer to slip but without disturbing – and more.

These delights extend offshore as well, both to the south-east and to the west. At both of these points, paths are marked through the shallows. One of these leads to a wooden birdwatcher’s nest perched on an outcrop of rock and raised above the risk of tidal flooding and the annoyance of waves and spray by stout wooden legs. It is a cosy little place, rich in art and ideal for escaping other island tourists – or for observing them from a distance.

The second path, marked by two of Cica Ghost’s ducks walking it, points to a tiny offshore setting that is an absolute delight: a partially sunken garden terrace, home to a grand piano sheltered by another aged tree, a chandelier hanging from one of its boughs. This is a totally unexpected setting to come across, utterly serene and offering a further nuanced depth to the region.

Quite marvellously designed, enriched by the local sound scape, offering much to explore whilst keeping a wonderfully desolate beauty, Lighthouse IMAGINATION is a fabulous visit – one bound to set your own imagination free.

SLurl Details

• Lighthouse IMAGINATION (Everlong, rated Moderate)

We first visited Studland Bay earlier in the year. At the time the region may have been under redesign, as it was primarily a snowy island, a little hilly in places, and with a few trees. A dirt track ran around the island, a trail for a team of horses and their carriage to follow, but there was little else to be found.

Since then, this Homestead region, designed by Eliza Quixote, has been enhanced to offer – at least at the time of our most recent visit in mid-March – it offers a pastoral setting still held by winter, making it an ideal visit for those who might otherwise be missing the allure of snow.

The landing point is located close to the island’s lone house, a be-porched farmhouse with barns close by and a frozen pond behind. The house is cosily furnished and offers an attractive break from the snowbound landscape, should the latter get to be too much (the house doesn’t appear to be a private residence). It also includes some highly acceptable rules for the use of the porch.

The most obvious way to explore the region is to follow the track. This loops its way around the core of the island, sometimes branching, including to find its way through one of the barns. It offers a comprehensive routine around the farmlands, the path well-rutted by the passage of the cart with its team and by the tractors available for farm use.

The fields here are mostly devoid of fencing, adding to the feel of openness in which the local cattle can roam in search of grass on which to graze – the snow being of a depth where the grass is not too heavily covered. Should it turn out that the snow falls again, there is plenty of hay that can be spread as required. The one fence on the island serves to ring a group of sheep, who similarly graze through the snow, and which are watched over by an eager collie.

The walks along the tracks will also reveal the surrounding regions in the estate, however, while these may appear inviting, the majority appear to be private, so be wary about being tempted to hop over an take a look.

Easy on the eye, with the opportunity to ride a horse-drawn carriage and plenty of places amenable to photography and with a easy, well-suited sound scape, Studland Bay makes for a restful, easy visit.

SLurl Details

• Studland Bay, Studland Bay (rated: Moderate)