Saturday, November 24th saw the opening of a new exhibition at DiXmiX Gallery, curated by Dixmix Source. Osmosis De Un Sueño: The Return sees Kimeu Korg return for the second part of an exhibition first witnessed in June 2018 (read here for more), moving to the White Gallery at DiXmiX this time around.
Kimeu is perhaps Second Life’s artist most rooted in surrealism in the presentation of his work, which can easily equal the likes of Max Ernst and René Magritte. Sometimes blending in-world images with elements from the physical world, for this part of Osmosis De Un Sueño, he presents pieces firmly produced in-world, several of which include his sense of whimsy, others of which present a more pointed expression.
This part of the exhibition offers a baker’s dozen of images to b appreciated. I don’t usually ascribe an order in which to view an exhibition unless the artist has indicated one, but with Osmosis De Un Sueño: The Return, I would recommend starting a visit by taking the steps closest to the gallery’s main entrance up to the mezzanine level White Gallery.
Doing so will take you past Look and Retrato Equestre (Equestrian Portrait) into the core of Kimeu’s exhibition, allowing the full richest of his surrealist approach come to the fore, peppered in places with his sense of humour – and his ability to question norms, as with the subtle Prisoner, beautifully layered in potential meaning as it is, despite Kimeu’s disarming claim about his work.
Given the preponderance of skeletons in the pieces, one might think there is a little touch of post-Halloween in the exhibit, but to me these are in some way a lead up to what I consider to be the last piece in the exhibition – or at least, the one I would recommend coming to last of all, sitting above the entrance to the gallery’s events venue, The Atom.
Entitled Blind Obedience, it is a sobering piece, one which in the toxic political environment prevalent in parts of the world today, perhaps bears a special meaning and / or warning. Such is the imagery used, it sits well apart from the rest as it makes an extraordinarily strong statement, one given added impact by viewing it last of all (and the reason I’m not reproducing it here – it should be seen first-hand).
Another remarkable exhibition by one of Second Life’s most remarkable artists, and one that should not be missed as it remains open through until at least late December 2018.
Serene Footman and Jade Koltai specialise in designing regions based on real locations around the world. Each of them has always been popular among visitors and bloggers, perhaps none more so than Isle of May, which opened its doors in May 2018 for a month before closing once more.
As someone who certainly appreciated the original version of Isle of May, I was delighted to learn – by way of the ever-vigilant Shakespeare – that Isle of May re-opened on November 23rd, 2018, albeit it in a new location.
When we closed the Isle of May in June we promised ourselves that we would try designing a winter version later on in the year to see how it turned out. Having worked on the sim for a couple of weeks, we rather like it.
– Serene Footman, discussing the return of Isle of May
The actual Isle of May is located on the north side of the outer Firth of Forth. It’s a small island – less than 2 kilometres long and under half a kilometre wide – sitting 8 km off the Scottish coast. It forms a rugged finger-like uplift of basalt, home to over 285 bird species, including puffins, kittiwake, guillemots, razorbills, shags and fulmars. It is managed by Scottish Natural Heritage as a National Nature Reserve, and from October through Easter, is a home for seal pups.
The name of the island is subject to some dispute, but it is thought to be either of Old Norse origin, meaning “island of seagulls”, or from the Gaelic Magh meaning a “plain”. It is uninhabited outside of its wildlife, but open to day trippers between March / April through until October, and makes for and intriguing place to re-create.
What we were hoping to create is something wild and untamed: less desolate and abandoned than Khodovarikha, or even Furillen, but still a place where you’d feel the wind and snow hurting your face, and the cold gnawing away at your insides. We imagined a roaring sea, with north-easterly gales blasting onto isolated beaches.
– Serene Footman, discussing the return of Isle of May
Jade and Serene have certainly succeeded in creating a winter’s scene, and one that is not uncommon to the rugged Scottish coastline. Those familiar with the original Isle of May from earlier in 2018 will also recognise this design, which retains the core look and layout of the original – hardly surprising, given it is based on a real location. However, there are some subtle changes as well they go beyond the weather.
For example, this design appears to offer a broader path down to the beach from the landing point, while the greenhouse that once sat on those shingles has been moved a north-side beach, reached by a similar twisting path down from the island’s plateau. This northern beach runs around the north-west coast, to the east offering a walk between the greenhouse and an A-frame cabin, while to west it offers a way to a lonely stone cottage.
Such abodes are in keeping with the look and feel of many of the Scottish isles, and while Isle of May may not have permanent human residents, it has a long history of occupation that encompasses both the Vikings and the site of one of the earliest Christian churches in Scotland. So the cottage isn’t that out-of-place, while the religious history is reflected this time not only by ancient ruins, but also the presence of a small chapel on the north-east headland. Another path switchbacks down from this headland, providing access to one of my favourite Second Life house designs: the Skye Luxury Forest Cabin, by Alex Bader. Facing this across the southern bay is the peninsula mindful of the real Isle of May’s Rona headland.
This build also expands on the rich diversity of Isle of May’s wildlife. As well as the birds, the region includes otters, goats and wild rabbits, together with orca and dolphin out in the waters. The latter might be hard to see through the snow, but all are fully in keeping with the real island’s creatures. A couple of liberties have been taken, however, as Serene notes:
As always with Serene and Jade’s design, the region is rounded-out by a superb sound scape, one that should not be missed during a visit, as great care has been taken to incorporate he sounds of the actual wildlife found on the island (as well as mixing in the plaintive cries of both orca and wolves).
Rounded-out by off-sim islands, and a now moving fishing boat, the new Isle of May is a masterpiece of design – but I would add a small comment of my own: it is a very busy region, both in terms of visitors during this, its opening week, and as a result of things like the heavy snow falling. As such, it can take a toll on systems when visiting – so do be patient, and if you’re used to running with shadows enabled, you might want to turn them off except when taking photos – which can be shared through the region’s Flickr group.
In September, I wrote about Frog Hollow, a parcel designed by Stella Mahogany. Since then, Stella has moved on, and now offers a Homestead region for people to visit and enjoy. Called Winter’s Hollow, it is, as the About Land description notes:
Welcome to the winter version of ‘Frog Hollow’ Please enjoy your stay, take photos, ice skate or sit a while in the coffee shop but please pick up your items when you are done. Private residences are out-of-bounds.
Given the title, it should come as no surprise that this is a snowy, winter’s setting. As the description notes, there are some private residences on the region, but on the whole, it is open to exploration, and offers places for photography, but it is perhaps a little low on places to simply sit and cuddle and enjoy passing the time.
Which is not to say it is unpleasant – quite the reverse. Skating, dancing and sledging can be enjoyed, and the region does offer a highly picturesque setting, particularly as rezzing is open to props, etc.
The coffee shop mentioned in the description sits in the north-west. Seating is available inside and out, although the latter has largely been claimed by the local squirrels. A road lies close by, running along the north side and down the west, each branch leading the way to one of the private residences on the region – so do take care approaching them.
The western road also turns to run along the south side of the region a short distance, ending alongside a cabin. However, it was not clear at the time of my visit whether or not this is also private or public.
The promised ice skating can be found inland, a little to the north of the region’s centre – just look for the penguins having a little fun. Couples wishing to enjoy something a little less strenuous, a pavilion on the south side of the region offers dancing. Cuddle spots can be found in the form of a couple of old cable cars, long since removed from their lines. One offers sheltered views back across the region, while the second sits just off the loop of one of the roads, a place where a couple can be watched as they let their young son play on the local swings.
Winter’s Hollow makes for a pleasant visit, one where care has been taken not to overload the scene with too much scenery, an important factor given the use of mesh snow. Nevertheless and as mentioned, the opportunities for photography can be found throughout.
In July 2015, I wrote at length about Pfaffenthal 1867, a 5-region role-play environment and historical project accurately recreating the City of Luxembourg, circa 1867, and founded by Second Life resident Hauptmann Weydert (Weydert), also known as Pit Vinandy in the physical world.
At the time of my 2015 article, Weydert / Pit and his team were very much focused on the immersive opportunities presented by their environment. Thanks to the fledging work Linden Lab carried out in trying to bring Oculus Rift compatibility to Second Life, Pfaffenthal 1867 was at that time featured as an exhibit hosted by the Luxembourg City History Museum, which gave visitors the opportunity to visit and explore the virtual recreation of Luxembourg using the Oculus Rift or via desktop.
In this, the exhibition was part of a broader outreach by the group, with Pit also hosting workshops on virtual environments involving the general public and schools, in association with the Fortress Museum in Luxembourg and the Luxembourg National Museum of History and Art.
I mention all of this because at the start of November, 2018, I dropped into a new experience in Sansar. Called simply 1867, it is the work of Pit and his team, working under the VR Creative banner, presenting both the next step in Pfaffenthal 1867’s development and an opportunity to renew and further the work in presenting immersive, educational historical recreations to the public.
It’s an ambitious project – possibly the most ambitious experience yet attempted on Sansar. The aim is to make full use of Sansar’s massive 4km on a side virtual space and offer a fully immersive historical environment for both social and educational use, with high-resolution topographical maps being used to build-out the experience in stages.
Despite being in the early stages of development – many of the buildings that have been placed are little more than blocks awaiting surface detail (or complete replacement) – 1867 is already being promoted to the people of Luxembourg.
Since the start of November, for example, the project has been the focus of a series of weekday sessions at the Forum Geesseknäppchen, a campus occupied by a number of academic institutions in Luxembourg City. As reported by one of the city’s daily newspapers, the Lëtzebuerger Journal, the sessions are intended to encourage local interest in, and potential involvement with, the project, and will continue through until December 14th, 2018.
“We clearly see this as a collaborative project that is about to gradually create this world of 1867,” Vinandy emphasises. Therefore, he expects a strong participation as soon as the project is publicly available. In addition, he hopes for a lively participation of home owners and companies who want to see their part of the city represented.
In this, 1867 doesn’t sound that different from the public outreach undertaken with Pfaffenthal 1867, however, the opportunity to present richer, more immersive educational opportunities as well as a social VR experience is very much the driving force behind the Sansar development, again as the Lëtzebuerger Journal notes:
Vinandy sees particular interest for students, students and historians who can fully immerse themselves in the past “For example, we want to specifically invite teaching staff to take their school classes on a journey through time,” he says.
– Virtual Time Travel, Lëtzebuerger Journal, November 2nd, 2018
In order to focus on the project – and as revealed by Jo Yardley in a tweet while I was working on an earlier draft of this article (one pending an opportunity to chat directly with Pit about both 1867 in Sansar and the wider work of VR Creative) – Pfaffenthal 1867 is to be shut down in its entirety from Monday, November 26th, 2018.
This news has been greeted with some surprise, given that Sansar itself has yet to gain lot of capabilities needed for it to become a more rounded immersive experience – such as richly interactive non-player characters or working forms of transport such as trains, horses that can be ridden and boats, all of which would certainly enrich a setting like 1867. However, these will come in time, and it is going to take time to properly build-out 1867. As such, I doubt the lack of such capabilities or the lack of period clothing are really issues for the project’s development – although the lack of them could initially discourage Second Life users who have engaged in Pfaffenthal 1867 from dipping more than a toe into Sansar and 1867.
What might be of greater concern is how well such a vast setting loads at the client end as it starts to be fleshed-out to the level of detail found in Pfaffenthal 1867 in Second Life. With some quite modest experiences in Sansar already being quite hefty in download size and load time, something on the scale of 4km on a side could prove to be a significant challenge unless Linden Lab have some clever means of more pro-active steaming and loading / caching still to come.
But, time will tell on that. In the meantime, if you have enjoyed previous visits to Pfaffenthal 1867 and would like to say farewell before it vanishes, can do so between now and Monday, November 26th, 2018. For those in the Second Life 1867 group, and who missed the in-world announcement, there will be a farewell party on Saturday, November 24th, starting at 10:00 SLT, at Café Neuen.
I’ll also hopefully have more on the 1867 project in Sansar as the work progresses, including the outcome of that conversation with Pit.
They do so by bringing together artists, galleries, event organisers, musicians and speakers in a multi-faceted, art-centric season intended to focus on the levels of physical, sexual and psychological violence that are specifically directed towards women and girls around the globe, and raise awareness of the need to put an end to what is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.
Some of the facts surrounding violence against women are horrifying:
1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently by an intimate partner.
1 in 2 women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family in 2012; while only 1 out of 20 men were killed under similar circumstances.
Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care.
Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday, and often in force / arranged marriages, including in countries such as the United States where between 2000 and 2010, more than 167,000 children — almost all of them girls, some as young 12 — were married in 38 states, mostly to men 18 or older
While 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited.
For 2018, 2Lei is presenting No Violence, an installation that brings together some 73 artists from across Second Life, as well as offering a range of daily presentations and music events, details of which can be found on the 2Lei blog, or via the note cards provided at the installation’s central landing point.
As with the 2017 event, No Violence is one of the more involved art installations I’ve visited in Second Life. The core of the installation is spread across three levels, starting at ground level in the region and connected by spiral staircases. In addition, teleport stones at the landing point provided access to My Name is #25 / A Wrong Party, by Storie’s Helendale (glitterprincess.destiny). Others may also involve teleport elements, so careful exploration is recommended.
Such is the size of this installation, and the message it contains, a single visit is perhaps not the most ideal way in which to appreciate all that is presented by No Violence. Simply put, there is a real risk of visual and / or emotional overload that could leave one numbed to the core message.
Hence the use of daily events, both presentations and musical. These allow visitors to break up time within the region over numerous days – not necessarily back-to-back – and perhaps focus their attention on two or three of the individual displays and installations at a time. And even if you’re not drawn the any of the live events, breaking your visit down in a similar manner may still help both with appreciation of the art offered within No Violence and it’s central, and important message.
Installations vary in form: some are static, some are interactive, several – such as My Name is #25 / A Wrong Party – are narrative in nature. Information plaques are placed with each, offering background and depth to pieces, as well as providing information on the artist responsible. Some, as with Betty Tureaud’s The Book Keeper Says, offer links to practical advice for those who may be the victims of violence and abuse (in this installation’s case, domestic violence / abuse).
No Violence will remain open through until the end of 2018, with the list of supporting events for December still apparently in development at the time of writing this review, so be sure to keep an eye on the 2Lei website, in-world group and other resources.
Cherished is the latest region design from Arol Lightfoot that opened recently to visitors. A homestead region, it differs from the current trend towards wintertime themes and opts to stay with autumn, as Arol loves that time of the year – and I can’t say I blame her.
This is – as would be the case given Arol is responsible for its design – a fabulous region, uncluttered by an off-sim surround and offering plenty to see and enjoy as your travel through it. A visit begins out on the east side, on a headland sitting between a small bay and a narrow channel of water that cuts deep inland. A single cabin sits here, connected to a the rest of the region by an ageing, low-slung bridge running over a rocky finger.
A track points west from the bridge, leading the way to where the ground rises to a rocky bluff, bracketed on one side by the water channel and on the other by a path that leads either up to the top of the bluff or down to where another track continues inland. The bluff, with a second bridge running between it and a rocky hill on the far side of the channel offers the perfect vantage point from which to observe the rest of the island.
To the west stands a large house, the only genuine abode to be found on the island. Calling it a farmhouse, however, would perhaps be misleading; while there is a barn close by and a traditional American-style windmill, the house itself seems too big and grand to be a working home. Rather, it has the feeling of being a coastal getaway home, one complete with swimming pool – albeit drained and partially covered ready for the eventual arrival of winter, and a luggage-laden (if humble) VW Beetle parked outside.
Cows are grazing outside of the barn, while horses shelter within it – together with a couple of turkeys – but not even the presence of a tractor close by can leave visitors with a feeling this is all part of a working farm; so perhaps the horse are purely from the riding pleasure of those using the house, and the barn is under the care of the landowner who otherwise rents the property out.
The main body of water extending inland turns south close to the house, running before the barn and facing it across another track, before turning east once more to end in a narrow, reed-lined pool from which morning mist slowly rises. This southern and western extent of the island is a rough grassland and rolling humps of grey rock, standing like a frozen tide caught in time as it rolled over the landscape. Tall trees grow throughout, presenting plenty of discrete spots where deer roam and people can camp out in peace.
To the north, the land beyond the little headland and its landing point is gently rugged, but more denuded of trees. A low ridge angling away from the rocky bluff here offers a good place to appreciate the lighthouse sitting on is own rocky spur, as it is framed against the early morning Sun.
What might be a fisherman’s dock sits between the arms of the headland the lighthouse spur, and testimony of the dangerous nature of the waters here can be found in the wreck of a fishing boat lying close to the lighthouse rocks.
Throughout the region are places for individuals and couples to sit and appreciate the setting, while the trails offer plenty and very clever, given the way they tend to naturally connect to one another, opportunities for exploration. Similarly, the gentle sound scape included with the region offer a very subtle added depth to the setting, further encouraging time to be spent within it.
Unsurprisingly, this is a highly photogenic region, one in which photography is actively encouraged, as Arol notes in the About Land description, “If you take photos and want to share please add them to the Flickr group. I would love to see them!”
For those not quite ready to face exploring all the winter themed regions popping up over the grid, or who need a break from the snow and ice, Cherished is likely to make for an ideal visit. Appreciation for Arol’s work can also be shown by “feeding” the Labrador inside the cabin at the landing point. My thanks to Shakespeare for the landmark!
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 