Recollection, December 2019 – click any image for full size
Recollection is a 1/4 Full region designed by Edge Shabazz with HanaFairy that offers those who seek it, a summery place of rest, peace and – if they choose – reflection.
As one might expect from the description above, as well as from its name, the parcel offers a relaxing, gentle setting that is easy to explore and appreciate. It is also a place that hides a secret for people to discover. That said, at the time of our visit in late November, the landing point had a decidedly Halloween feel to it, with a tiny Japanese style cemetery complete with ghost, skeleton and pumpkin. This feeling is increased by the somewhat gloomy default parcel-level windlight – I’d actually recommend flicking this to something a little brighter to fully appreciate the setting.
Recollection, December 2019
On arrival, it’s clear this is a place where free roaming is encouraged – while there is a “path” running through the landing point, it is not necessary to follow it; there is more than enough to see beyond it. For those who opt to use it, it links a small island to the south and the bridge stretching over the water to it, to a central (to the parcel) pond or lake, the way marked by tumbled drystone walls.
To the west of this path is a small beach and to the east the ruins of an old tower. both offer places to sit and enjoy the location, as do the grasslands connecting them: benches midst the grass and sings hanging from tree branches.
Recollection, December 2019
Across the parcel are touches of fantasy, starting with the old tower mentioned above and continuing across the little brook that lies just over the little hillock from the tower, where colourful ‘Shrooms and a fairy ring can be found on the way to the central lake.
The sense of fantasy continues with the lake itself. Rich with a carpet of spider lilies, this is home to koi swimming serenely and quite naturally above the lilies and water as a flying boat is suspended overhead on a pair of balloons. Elsewhere, awaiting discovery is a summer greenhouse, an open air picnic bench and an ancient piano playing softly. Nor is that all that is to be found.
Recollection, December 2019
However, it is across the lake that the parcel’s secret can be found. Marked by a Torii gate and surrounded by a circle of rocks young trees, is a pond-within-a-lake. Step into the waters here and you’ll find them considerably deeper than those surrounding the ring, however, hiding as they do the entrance to a set of underwater caves and chambers within which can be found a hidden shrine.
Filled with oriental touches, Recollection is a delightful place to visit, finished with an appropriate sound scape. It is a place for photography or spending time with someone close or alone and reminiscing, and is very much a worthwhile visit.
The Hannington Endowment for the Arts (HEA) is a new, community-fostered arts centre and group that has been founded to “to unify The Arts and artists in SL by providing a central info location to find all participating art related events and locations .”
Established following the closure of the Linden Endowment for the Arts – with which it has no official connection, being entirely resident supported and run, HEA has been made possible by long-time Second Life resident Hannington Xeltentat, for whom the centre and group have been named, and who directly sponsors HEA activities and art installations available at the HEA’s in-world gallery spaces, which are managed by Tansee and available on a grant basis for 1, 3 or 6 months at a time.
HEA, December 1029: Cica Ghost
For the inaugural HEA grant series, which opened on November 30th, 2019, the gallery spaces present installations by Cica Ghost, Thoth Jantzen, Lorin Tone (building structure by Elicio Ember) and Betty Tureaud. Set to join them soon are two further installations by Patrick Moya and Bryn Oh respectively, although at the time of our visit, the space for Bryn’s exhibit was “temporarily” home to The Garage Gallery of Happy Stuff, presented by Impossibleisnotfrench (aka Harry Cover).
It’s important to note that the gallery setting – and the exhibits – are best appreciated by having your viewer’s Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) function enabled via Preferences → Graphics (you do not need to necessarily enable shadows, however), and having local sounds enabled. For Thoth Jantzen’s installation you should also be willing to accept the local parcel media.
All four of the “main” artists present at the time of our visit offer 3D installations that perfectly reflect their art. Cica offers Drawn Town Small, a charming miniature of her February 2019 installation Drawn Town (which you can read about here). Like the larger version, this one comes with sit points and animations for people to discover, while Betty presents a nicely layered piece with Art of the Game that reflects her traditional use of colour as expression.
HEA, December 2019: Betty Tureaud
For TJ’s Mess, Thoth Jantzen presents a selection of pieces, some of which might be familiar to those who have enjoyed Thoth’s work at events such as past SL Birthday celebrations. Combining light, colour and sound, Thoth’s work can be living pieces, interactive pieces, and this is certainly the case here with the three larger elements. Be sure to note the instructions on entering the exhibition space.
I’ve always enjoyed Lorin Tone’s use of sound and his demonstrations of what can be achieved with sound and LSL scripting in Second Life. Within BorealisRevisited, he presents another master class – one with a deeper narrative to it than might be apparent, so excuse me if I delve a little more deeply into it.
Within a structure built by Elicio Ember, lie four small moons / planets, all orbiting a central sphere. Together, these five orbs form a set of musical emitters, the sound from the lower four constantly shifting aurally as you sit on the benches below them. Between the benches and the upper spheres are four larger, interactive orbs (three of which have a passing resemblance to the Jovian moons Io, Ganymede and Callisto respectively, and the fourth to Mercury), also circling a central point while rotating slowly about their own axes. As Lorin then explains:
The build is based on and inspired by a musical piece titled Aurora, composed by Hans Zimmer (used with permission from his management). [It] has been cut into almost 60 pieces and rebuilt into five sound emitters. Each set gradually fades in and out, and each sound emitter has a different number of silences built in; the result is five musical sections that constantly evolve, never repeating the same combination twice. [The lower spheres] contain 36 solo female voice sounds. When clicked, each will randomly play one sound one time.
– Lorin Tone, on Borealis Revisited.
HEA, December 2019: Lorin Tone
Aurora was written by Zimmer to commemorate those killed or wounded in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, mass shooting (at the time the 3rd largest mass shooting in the United States but which is now ranked 18th – which says a lot in and of itself). It’s a hauntingly beautiful piece, and Lorin’s installation presents it as such and entirely uniquely given the way the composition constantly shifts and changes between each silence, complete with the opportunity for visitors to add their “voice” to the choral by touching the interactive spheres.
Harry’s The Garage Gallery of Happy Stuff – which as noted is a temporary installation pending Bryn Oh’s arrival at HEA, although I very much hope Harry considers an installation of his own work – is a charming mix of pieces, 2D and 3D, many of which cannot fail to raise a smile. When visiting, don’t miss the eggshibition of his charming mesh eggs, which present scenes drawn from Harry’s life experiences and memories. Most are interactive (touch the lids to close / open them and hear an accompanying sound), and the “?” plaque on the plinths supporting six of the smaller eggs can be touched for a note from the artist on the meaning behind the egg.
HEA, December 2019: The Garage Gallery of Happy Stuff – Impossibleisnotfrench
All of the HEA gallery spaces are gathered around a central landing point and information centre / arts hub, the lower part of which presents room for events, and the upper platform the information centre. The latter includes a seating area, a teleport connecting HEA to other major art galleries, installation and facilities in Second Life, and a computer terminal where artists can obtain a grant application.
As noted above, grants are available for one, three, or six month periods, with awardees presented with a total land capacity of 1,000 LI each. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the HEA staff on the basis of concept, originality, ability and space availability, and applications are open to all who are “dedicated to The Arts to learn, teach, and display their own unique original style of creativity in Second Life for all to enjoy.”
If you’re feeling ready for your close-up or you’re a film buff, then you’re likely to enjoy the latest region design by Lotus Mastroianni and frecoi (who have been responsible for A Little Havana, The Missing Whale, Kun-Tei-Ner, Hope, and most recently ChatuChak (read here, here, here, here and here for more).
Replacing the last of that list – ChatuChak – is RioSisco Studio Pictures, a homage to the great American film studios complete with nods to a range of films, genres and periods – and with multiple opportunities for photography and to be immersed in the magic of film-making. It is a setting that reproduces all the major elements of a film studio and studio tour, and presents some outstanding opportunities for geeting involved with all that is on offer – as the region’s Flickr stream already reveals.
RioSisco Studio Pictures, December 2019
Set out as a studio lot, the region features everything from prop warehouses to back lot façades to green screen sets and miniatures, all the way through to a studio’s public commissary to offices and a screening room. With it comes some of the bustle of a working studio – a set under construction, visitors touring and eating, and studio execs keeping an eye on things. Even the name of the region carries with it echoes of the silver screen: “RioSisco” offers a suggestion of the Cisco Kid, a film series made in the early decades of motion pictures through until the immediate post-World War 2 period.
The attention to detail poured into the region is astonishing; the nods to films and franchises are both large and small and numerous – and so are the touches of humour. Literally everywhere you look, there is something of a homage to be found. The treats start right next to the landing point, which sits outside sound stage 25. Look inside the building and you’ll see a city backdrop, a short street façade and a marvellous miniature of a street scene in which you can make yourself feel like a latter-day Gulliver visiting a modern-day Lilliput.
RioSisco Studio Pictures, December 2019
However, this is easy to overlook simply because, just down the road from the landing point Godzilla is out for a stroll among the buildings – and tend to capture the attention as a result. He’s passing a rooftop billboard celebrating the Star Trek franchise’s first foray onto the silver screen (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979), and is apparently in pursuit of Ecto-1 (disguised as a MadPea prop). The block of buildings to the right of both Godzilla and Ecto-1 reveals one of the more famous aspects of outdoor film lots: the building façade – the entire block is little more that plywood supported by scaffold – as visitors can see when they step inside or peep through the windows.
The centre of the region is where a new set is under construction, and some of the humour can be found. I’m not entirely sure how much protection a paper hat gives against falling timber, but the chap wearing it seems happy enough!
RioSisco Studio Pictures, December 2019
It is the inclusion of these construction figures and others throughout the region that give life to the region and the feel of it being a living studio that encourages visitors – just step into the commissary on the ground floor of the building across the construction site from Godzilla to see what I mean. And while there, be sure to take-in the various nods to a range of famous films along the back wall. Or you can pop across you Stage 34 and participated in a small stage / green screen shoot.
Take the steps to the upper floor of the building next door to the commissary and more treats await. Here can be found characters from the original Star Wars films, together with concept art and storyboards from a number of films – how many can you recognise?
RioSisco Studio Pictures, December 2019
Nor is this all; echoes of the Jurassic Park franchise abound throughout the location, and have already offered multiple opportunities for photography. Off to the south of the lot sits a homage to another franchise and the Universal Studios ride it gave birth to, while another iconic character from Hollywood’s monster movies pounds his chest from a rooftop.
Be sure, as well, to check out the warehouse in Stage 38, which has a range of props and vehicles, including some that might again be recognised by film fans, with one in particular likely to raise a smile; where else might you come across Chucky piloting a Mech walker from (I think) Avatar?
RioSisco Studio Pictures, December 2019
From an opportunity to stage your own version of Singing in the Rain or a scene from Blade Runner’s wet alleyways to getting chased by zombies or simply kicking back in the viewing room, RioSisco Studio Pictures offers a great visit with plenty to see and appreciate. Definitely one not to miss.
Officially opening on Saturday November 30th, 2019 at the Itakos Project, is A Homage to Surrealism, a dual exhibition by the gallery’s owner and curator, Akim Alonzo and PatrickofIreland.
Hosted in the gallery’s Blue Pavilion, the exhibition is split across two levels, with Patrick’s work on the lower level, and Akim’s on the upper, linked by reproductions of classic surrealist works by the great Salvador Dalí and Renè Magritte.
As a cultural movement, Surrealism encompassed multiple aspects of the arts: literature, music, film, theatre, sculpture, and – perhaps most famously – art itself – whilst also touching on politics. It has its roots in the early 20th century, rising to become a major form of expression in the 1930s – the period when the likes of Dalí and Magritte joined it.
Itakos Project: Homage to Surealism – Akim Alonzo
The movement carried within it its own manifesto, and was created with the aim of resolving “the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality”. Surrealist work is most often marked by the use of juxtaposition and non-sequitur elements and ideas. Within the visual medium, this can result in the most startling, attractive and thought-provoking pieces of art, and this is very much the case with the pieces presented by PatrickofIreland and Akim.
The eleven pieces PatrickofIreland offers embrace originality, with some almost touching on hints of post-modernism. Each is richly expressive, strong in narrative and engaging to the eye. So much so, that picking out individual pieces would be unfair; all need to be seen and savoured for their depth and appearance.
Itakos Project: Homage to Surealism – PatrickofIreland
With his exhibition, Akim builds on his Matrix series, a selection of his art I’ve covered previously in these pages (see: Water and a Matrix: reflections on life by Akim Alonzo, April 2019). It is a series rich in story and interpretation within it lie questions of reality and identity, and the riddle of worlds within worlds, that allows them to stand as a collection in their own right.
Here, Akim’s work offers a unique perspective of both surrealism mixed with a strong sense of post-modernism and futurism – take the title of the series, for example, drawn as it is from the film series of the same name. This might appear to be a step away from the ideal of surrealism – until you consider that the Matrix franchise both presents a surreal world view and carries a manifesto (and warning) of its own concerning automaton and the superior reality offered by technology – just as surrealism carries its own manifesto drawing on the same themes – albeit one aimed at broadening horizons and opportunities. Thus, Akim’s works present both a visual representation of surrealism and an underlying thesis.
Itakos Project: Homage to Surealism – Akim Alonzo – note the Dalí reference
This is an engaging and provocative exhibition. It is already open to visitors, but those wishing to celebrate it with the artists might like to attend the official opening at 13:30 SLT on Saturday, November 30th, 2019, when the music will be provided by D.J. Ramel Markova.
Akim as also produced a video to introduce the exhibition, which I’ve taken the liberty of embedding below.
Currently open for group members to enjoy, and shortly to open to the general public, are the 2019 Calas Christmas regions. Once again, Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith and the Calas team bring a Christmas winter delight for all Second Life residents to enjoy, spend across two regions of snow-bound fun.
The regions once again feature all that we’ve come to love about a Calas Christmas: the Christmas Pavilion, entertainment, sleigh rides, skating, and balloon and reindeer tours. However, this year introduces some new twists to things.
Rather than being at the ground level, the landing point is located high over the regions., on an icy, snowbound plain where polar bear play with their young and a snowman dances in greeting. Follow the candy striped arrows to where the mouth of a tunnel beckons (be sure to pick up a note card of landmarks from the candy cane at the cave entrance – you can use them to return directly to points of interest in the regions). The tunnel leads the way down to what might seem to be a shallow cavern – but be careful as you step forward into it; the floor is not what it seems!
Calas Christmas 2019, November 2019
The cavern is in fact the entrance to a series of tunnel s that lead you through (and past) other caverns (including Santa’s grotto) and, in reflection to past Calas holiday builds, to a portal that will deliver you to the ground level of the regions. This sits with a snowy tunnel of rock, the traditional automated sleigh rides to one side. These offer a choice of rides for couples or for up to four people to share, and we thoroughly recommend them, as they provide an easy way to discover the sights of the regions, which can then be visited on foot or via horseback.
If you prefer not to take the sleigh rides, you can either opt to follow the path they take northwards out of the tunnel, and thus around the northernmost of the two regions, or they can take the southern exit from the tunnel, and a more direct path to the Christmas Pavilion and the ice skating.
Those who have wearable horses might want to wear them when exploring the northern region – although there are horse rezzers to be found that will provide you with a marvellous Shire horse to ride, and with kit in keeping with the season; just click the sign, accept the attachments, and you’ll be ready to go – use your usual movement keys to direct the horse (turn off your own AO!), and use double taps on your forward key to cycle through the walk, trot, canter and gallop option (your “backwards” key will step down through them).
Calas Christmas 2019, November 2019
As well as the sleigh rides, there are also flying reindeer tours (located along the trail of the sleigh tours) and a balloon ride (located to one side of the Christmas pavilion, just above the ice skating lake). All of the tours drop people off at the Calas Polar Express, where a meal and drinks can be had within the carriages – but don’t expect a ride home – not until “sometime after Christmas”, at least!.
A brisk walk down the slopes from the station will bring you to the lake and the pavilion. The latter is perhaps the most noticeable change from previous years, being of a new design for the regions. The main hall offers a stage and dance floor (look for the golden deer on two of the pillars for dances), while the two wings offer the traditional lounges and Christmas tree, but in a brighter finish than past years. I believe the Pavilion will be home to this year’s entertainment within the regions. Nor is this the only place to enjoy a dance – a smaller pavilion sits on the far side of the lake, also waiting for visitors.
As is always the way with the Calas holiday regions, there are a lot of little details to be discovered: a nativity scene here, penguins sliding and skating on the ice, reindeer awaiting riders – look far enough, and you might even spot a yeti / abominable snowman and a nod towards the Calas Halloween region designs! Group members should also keep an eye out for the group gifts (one per avatar).
Calas Christmas 2019, November 2019
The Calas team always bring us visual treats to enjoy through December to the New Year, and have done so again for 2019. However, when visiting, there are some rules and notes to keep in mind:
To help lighten the load on resources, it is requested that active scripts are kept below 100Kb. So please, do remove unnecessary HUDs and accessories.
The regions can get very popular – and avatars can place the heaviest load on the viewer – so your own experience may be affected in terms of performance, by the number of other visitors in the regions (there is also a lot within the regions to render, so other than for photos, you may want to reduce your Draw Distance and turn off render-heavy options like shadows.
Given there can be a lot of people wanting to visit, be aware that if you go afk for more than a few minutes while visiting the regions and one is particularly busy, you may be asked to make your way to the other, or sent home if there is no response.
Nitroglobus: Maloe Vansant, “The moon lives in the lining of your skin”
Available at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, curated by Dido Haas, is an exhibition of art by Maloe Vansant that takes as its inspiration, words offered by Chilean Nobel Laureate Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto – better known as poet Pablo Neruda.
In Ode to a Beautiful Nude, Neruda offers a song of love and appreciation for the flawless beauty of a model appearing before him. The poem offers a lyrical examination of the woman, initially acknowledging his desire to appreciate her in a chaste manner rather than giving into more carnal desires – although the praise he goes on to offer towards her beauty carries with it an undertone of that desire throughout, before culminating in the line:
The moon lives in the lining of your skin.
– Pablo Neruda, Ode to a Beautiful Nude.
Nitroglobus: Maloe Vansant, “The moon lives in the lining of your skin”
It is this line that Maloe takes as the title of her exhibition at Nitroglobus. Within it, she offers an exploration of self and beauty as reflected in the moods and words found throughout the poem, whilst at the same time offering insight into the relationship between artist and avatar.
After creating little Maloe, my barbie doll, my pixel soul, I discovered the possibility of making snapshots and I started to make a graphic diary of Maloe’s journey in Second Life, showing the emotions she experienced in this pixel world … I am not a woman of many words, I try to express myself, my feelings, my passion and probably my dark side through my pictures.
Maloe Vansant, describing her relationship with her avatar.
The use of Neruda’s words might suggest that Maloe is offering a visual homage to his poem – something that has been done before in Second Life (see: Poems and art in Second Life, April 2016). However, this would not be a fair assessment. The art and poem stand apart from one another in the extent of their explorations, but at the same time they are entwined by common themes of giving for and depth to the the nature of natural beauty. Therefore, one is neither a homage to the other.
Nitroglobus: Maloe Vansant, “The moon lives in the lining of your skin”
One of the interesting contrasts been poem and art is in their examination of beauty. Whereas the poem perceives the beauty and reflection of the soul from without; Maloe’s art does so from looking out from within. One of the interesting links between the two is in their use of metaphor.
Take eyes, for example. In his Ode, Neruda acknowledges The two deep countries of your eyes, so often seen a a window into a person’s soul. Within The Face is a Picture of the Mind, focused as it is one the eye of her avatar, presents a similar examination of the eye and soul.
Elsewhere, each uses metaphor from somewhat different perspectives. With his poem, Neruda uses metaphor to encapsulate that push-pull between wanting to appreciate feminine beauty both from a celibate objectivity and that of a more carnal desire:
Flowering fire Open chandelier A swelling fruit Over the pact of sea and earth.
– Pablo Neruda, Ode to a Beautiful Nude.
By contrast, Maloe uses metaphor more broadly. Take Leaving the Light, Gold Makes Monsters of Men, and The Apple that Changed the World. In three both in words and image, might be seen as metaphors for the way in which west religion has cast the female as being complicit in the Fall of Man (The Apple… and Leaving…) and the subjugation of women as a whole (Gold Makes Monsters…).
Nitroglobus: Maloe Vansant, “The moon lives in the lining of your skin”
Thought-provoking, rich in substance and meaning, The moon lives in the lining of your skin is another outstanding exhibition at Nitroglobus, and will run through until the end of the year. Also still on display at the gallery (at least at the time of my visit) is Kaiju Kohime’s CRISP, an examination of CRISPR gene editing, and which I wrote about in Art, science, and the future, October 2019.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 