Category: Reviews

G.B.T.H. Contaminated in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
G.B.T.H. Project – Contaminated: Mistero Hifeng (foreground)

Now open at the G.B.T.H. Project is a an ensemble art exhibition featuring no fewer than 37 artists from across Second Life. Entitled Contaminated, it is both a fun piece and something of a curio.

The curators of the project – Marina Münter, Megan Prumier and Nath Baxton describe it thus:

Each participant was given figurine[s] to act as a blank canvas to be textured and decorated in their own individual styles. With Contaminated onlookers find themselves situated in a built-up urban environment faced with an intervention of an abundance of of characters.

G.B.T.H. Project – Contaminated: Nathali Luik

This description is offered at the landing point for the installation, which forms a part of the “urban intervention” (aka “street scene”) in which the figures are presented. Also offered at the landing point is a map to the installation, with a numbered key to where each artist’s piece(s) can be found.

A HUD is also available, which shows a total of 41 figures on its opening page (the additional numbers being the result of Luc Renoir presenting 2 figures in the installation and Mistero Hifeng a  total of four), and allows the visitor to page through individuals images of the figures in the alphabetical order of the artists’ names. To be honest, I found the HUD to be of passing value; it was easier to wander through the installation and just right-click / Edit figures, as this not only supplied the artist’s name but also the title for each figure – a basic piece of information missing from the HUD.

G.B.T.H. Project – Contaminated: Luc (eslucas), Kato (Kato Salyut), Praline (PralineBarjowski Ghost), Mich Michabo

The figurines themselves will be immediately familiar to anyone who has seen the classic LEGO® figures in the physical world. They are a fitting means of presentation, given it is possible to (at least to a degree) customise such figures, just as these have been customised by the artists. They present – like life itself – a rich mix of characters, each unique whilst remaining recognisably “LEGOy”.

While the figures may initially appear to be static, this is not entirely the case. Several feature animated textures. In this, I particularly liked I Am A Soul – I have a Body by Hope Something (NovaApache), with its burning soul, and Boy Meets Girl by miu miu miu (miumiumiusecond), which are in turn evocative and charming. Others are interactive, as with tutsy Navarathna’s Russian Dolls with its video media surface and Megan Prumier’s cheekily naughty “>_<“.

G.B.T.H. Project – Contaminated: Daze Landar

Some of the pieces might be seen as reflections on the rich diversity of life found within Second Life itself. Ash (Ashratum) offers 7 Faces of Dr Alt, for example, appears to be a comment on the manner in which Alt accounts can be used to deceive; Megan Prumier and Toods (Toodles Telling) appear to give a nod towards adult themes and nudity that are a part of Second Life (although obviously also found in the physical world). Yet others appear is reflections on life, love, memories, and more as we each encounter them on a daily basis.

To be honest, I have no idea why the title Contaminated was selected for the piece; is it perhaps a reflection of the figures being used as canvases? Might it be some form of comment on how we “contaminate” Second Life with out own thoughts, feelings, outlook and so on? Does it necessarily have to be contextualised with the figures rather than simply being a randomly selected title? I’ll leave that up to you to decide; I was happy simply wandering and viewing the figures as I came upon them.

G.B.T.H. Project – Contaminated: miu miu miu (miumiumiusecond), Mavi (Mavi Beck), Hope Something (NovaApache)

Contaminated will remain open for approximately two months.

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A slice of Russia in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

COBKOBO; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrCOBKOBO – click any image for full size

COBKOBO, a Full region in Second Life designed by Света Денискина (Seller Xenno), has been gaining a lot of attention of late for its presentation of a Russian provincial town. It’s a place Caitlyn and I were first alerted to (within a brief period to one another) by Annie Brightstar and Shakespeare.

In truth, it is a scenic setting – although apparently still under construction in places, given the fact there are footpaths being placed, rezzing boxes still visible. It is surrounded by tall, green hills coated by fir trees and wrinkled by fast-flowing streams that help to give the impression this is a town sitting on a small lake, a river meandering away through the hills.

COBKOBO; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrCOBKOBO – click any image for full size

There is a certain Soviet / historical feel to the town, dominated as it is by large theatre-come-music hall, outside of which stands a statue of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov – better known by the alias Lenin – holding the hammer and sickle in outstretched arms. Other suggestions of the past lie scattered around the region in the form of military vehicles parked or abandoned, the badge of the Soviet army displayed above a garage / barn, and so on. But whether the setting is meant to be representative of a bygone era, or a modern setting where echoes of the past linger on, is for visitors to perhaps decide. 

Certainly there is enough going on in the region for it to be set in modern times: the theatre is available for showing videos, and there are areas given over to live entertainment, both outdoors and indoors. And there are obvious Western touches – such as “Roady’s” bar, and a motel sign.

COBKOBO; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrCOBKOBO – click any image for full size

This is a place that appears to be newcomer friendly for SL’s Russian community. The block-like schoolhouse offers information boards on using the viewer and may also provide viewer lessons (I’m not entirely sure on this), with the events spaces offering a reason for people to come to the region.

The town is an interesting mix: large, solidly built structures on paved roads, their plain bulk suggestive (again) of the kind of structures we in the West regard as being from the Soviet era. But the roads quickly give way to tracks, the solid structures to wooden houses.

COBKOBO; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrCOBKOBO – click any image for full size

Around the edges of the region are open, rugged spaces, including a beach and a pair of islands. One of these is topped by camp sites, one of which can be used as a music venue.  There are also private places to be found scattered around the edges of the region, where it is possible to to get away from the bustle of visitors. All of this is watched over from a corner by a lighthouse sitting atop a drum-like base.

As noted earlier, elements of the region still appear to be under construction, but this doesn’t make it any the less photographic in its current state. However, it will be interesting to see what else is planned for COBKOBO, and how it will appear once completed.

COBKOBO; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrCOBKOBO – click any image for full size

In the meantime, the region makes for an interesting and somewhat different visit; a glimpse of a bygone era sitting within modern times.

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The Edge re-opens in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Edge: JudiLynn (JudiLynn India) and Anouk Lefavre

The Edge, Kultivate’s black-and-white gallery, re-opened on January 20th, 2019, with a new ensemble exhibition.

Also now housed in a new building – the rest of the Fanatik unit utilised by the Windlight Gallery which re-opened earlier in January – the exhibition is unthemed for the re-opening and presents the work of Roxaane Daniels (Roxaane Fyanucci), Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas), Kody Meyers (KodyMeyers), Sabine Mortenwold, Maaddi Benazzi (maaddi), JudiLynn (JudiLynn India), Anouk Lefavre, Reycharles Resident, and John Brianna (johannes1977).

The range of images is broad: avatar self-studies, drawings, original paintings rendered as monochrome images, Second Life landscapes and photographs from the physical world. As such, this makes for an engaging exhibition.

The Edge: Reycharles Resident

Of the artists and images on display, I admit to being drawn to the work of Reycharles Resident on the upper level of the building. These are richly evocative studies, vital in their execution; there is a depth of life about them that is intense and captivating.

Similarly, Kody Meyers  – as usual – offers a series of studies that are rich in narrative and beautifully posed and created. Kody’s colour work is always extraordinary, but here in black and white, there is something very special about them that kept drawing my attention back to his work.

Alongside of Kody’s pieces are five pen / pencil drawings by Sabine Mortenwold. Like Reycharles’ pictures, there is a strength of raw beauty about them that capture one’s attention – particularly the two landscapes.

The Edge: Roxaane Daniels (Roxaane Fyanucci), Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas)

But the truth is, the entire mix of art in this exhibition makes for worthwhile viewing, and it will be available for at least the next month.

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A Way of Life in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

A Way of Life; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrA Way of Life – click any image for full size

Update February 27th: A Way of Life / Snow Falls has been relocated. Refer to Winter’s blanket at The Four Seasons in Second Life for more. SLurls in this article now point to that location.

A Way of Life is the name given to the latest region design by Elyjia (Elyjia Baxton), and which replaces winter’s Snow Falls (read here for more).

This is another delightful setting, carrying with it echoes of Elyjia’s previous designs, developed in co-operation with Brayan Friller (Brayan26 Friller), such as Tavana Island (read more here), the gorgeous Au Petit Jour (see here for more), the Heart of the Sea (see here for more); all of which have been wonderfully exquisite island / pastoral / coastal designs we’ve always thoroughly enjoyed visiting. But while it does carry those echoes, A Way of Life offers its own unique setting and sense of place and freedom.

A Way of Life; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrA Way of Life

Surrounded by open sea and with two of its buildings clearly of Tuscan design / heritage, A Way of Life seems to suggest a Mediterranean setting. Perhaps it might be a part of the Tuscan Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea. But a further look across the undulating island reveals structures that are perhaps more American in nature: a water tower sitting atop a great steel pylon structure, a classic wood framed and clad barn, a broken wooden windmill. Together these push the mind perhaps to an island of mixed history and settlement sitting within a more temperature region of America’s vast coastlines.

When I say “island”, I should perhaps clarify: the setting is almost a mini archipelago in its own right. While dominated by two large landmasses to the east and west, separated by a narrow channel that’s spanned by a single bridge, the region presents a number of islands of varying sizes, some occupied by structures, others the home of grass and trees or rocks and sand.

A Way of Life; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrA Way of Life

Wherever it may reside, A Way of Life is clearly popular: sailing boats sit moored in the mouths of bay and channels while a large schooner appears to be passing close by to the east, sails fully unfurled in the light wind that ruffles the wave tops. The large villa to the east, with its paved terrace, folly and track winding west and south to a pavilion hiding behind the hunched shoulder of a low hill, suggests this is perhaps a holiday getaway point, or a stop-off on a coastal route followed by weekend sailors. The beach just below the villa, pointing a tongue of sand out at the sea certainly adds to this.

But then, close to the channel separating to two large islets, and on the land to the west, the presence of a workshop-like barn, together with the larger barn and water tower, suggests this might be a working island with the villa and nearby house sitting on its own small island perhaps the home to those who husband the sheep and horses under the squeak and clank of the sails belonging to a traditional European-style of windmill.

A Way of Life; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrA Way of Life

It is perhaps the nature of these contrasts that make A Way of Life appealing. The aforementioned juxtaposition of European and American influences, for example. Or the contrast of Mediterranean skies with the trees and foliage suggestive of more northerly European or American climates; or the wagons and old truck (and perhaps event the schooner) hinting at a bygone era contrasting with the modern lines of the sail boats nestled around the coast. These all draw the visitor into the setting.

Throughout the landscape are numerous places to sits and rest and appreciate your surroundings. In this, I particularly like the little cove between villa and island house, where a small deck and a stranded old rowing boat (now converted to a little snuggle point festooned with flags and lights) can be found.

A Way of Life; Inara Pey, January 2019, on FlickrA Way of Life

Finished with a natural ambient sound scape, A Way of Life makes for an idyllic visit well suited to its name. Photographs taken within the region are welcome at the Hrodas Fen Flickr group, and  should you enjoy your visit, do please consider making a donation at one of the tip jars to help towards the region’s upkeep and future design iterations.

With thanks to Shakespeare for the nudge to re-visit Hrodas Fen.

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My Anonymous Shadow in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
DiXmiX Gallery: My Anonymous Shadow

My Anonymous Shadow is the intriguing name of an exhibition of work by Dixmix Source, owner and curator of DiXmiX Gallery, that opened on Saturday, January 19th, 2019. On display are 12 images focusing on – as the name implies – the photographer’s shadow, or in some cases the artist’s avatar presented as a shadow; hence the intriguing nature of the exhibition.

It’s an innovative approach to presenting what might be thought of as avatar studies; within each image we see an anonymous figure; a silhouette, sometimes cast by light across a floor or wall, and others, the shadowy outline of a figure expressing emotion or framed within a setting, or abstractly caught in what otherwise be the pages of a graphic novel. But in each and every one of them, the black figure is both the centre of the image, yet (literally) a dark unknown.

DiXmiX Gallery: My Anonymous Shadow

With a considered use of colour in some of the images (more blatant in the likes of Shadow 5 and Shadow 7; softer and more refined in the likes of Shadow 9 and Shadow 11), the use of abstract presentation (again, Shadow 9 together with Shadow 3 and its mirror twin, Shadow 12), and carefully composed character studies (such as Shadow 8  and Shadow 10), this is a fascinating series. There is a narrative within each piece, waiting to be told – and that narrative very much depends on how you approach this exhibition.

For example, they might be considered individually, and as they were formed: pieces depicting an actual shadow cast on a surface, or a figure shown in deliberate silhouette. Viewed in this way, the story each image tells tends to be one of composition, balance, tone, capture and presentation; the play of light and dark, the contrast of shadow and object, in which the shadow / silhouette is divorced from association with a person, but is simply a component part of the artist’s use of contrasting elements to complete the whole, even when as expressive as Shadow 8.

DiXmiX Gallery: My Anonymous Shadow

But if they are considered as a whole, and within the context of the title, the narrative becomes more involved and branched. On the one hand, they could be taken as imaginings on what our shadows might be doing whilst we are otherwise occupied: out in their own world, exploring, experiencing, searching. On the other, these pieces might be seen as reflections of thoughts and emotions; considerations on identity, place, relationships that are personal to the photographer; yet at the same time, the very anonymity of the figure within each renders them as reflections of moods, events, feels, that we, the observers have experienced and can instantly recall in viewing them.

Thus, My Anonymous Shadow becomes a fascinatingly layered exhibition, one which can be enjoyed purely from the artistic expression each piece presents, and / or for the more narratives and ideas that lie just below the surface – or should I say, within their shadows?

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Time at 2019-XS in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
2019-XS; Inara Pey, January 2019, on Flickr
2019-XS – click any image for full size

Update: 2019-XS has closed and Zee9 has relocated her Drune build – see Drune: a further visit in Second Life. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

On the advice of a number of people – starting with Annie Brightstar – we recently visited 2019-XS, defined as “a sci-fi sim in Second Life with a cyberpunk feel, inspired by films like Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, and Neuromancer.”

Designed by Hera (zee9), the region has an adult edge to the role-play, and is intended as an extension to her previous (and now departed) build Drune. I’ve not seen that design, but will say that while compact, 2019-XS has a certain ambience that is hard to define, but has seen me make three visits to it in order to fully appreciate the ambience and setting.

2019-XS; Inara Pey, January 2019, on Flickr
2019-XS

While the region is described as being inspired by the likes of The Fifth Element and Blade Runner, the setting feels more potentially “sci-fi / dystopian generic” than these films would suggest. This is not to demean the region in any way; rather it’s an acknowledgement that it has a broader feel to it than a narrow focus on a specific film or films.

For example, while the design has a vertical feel to it, with a street level and upper walkways, all with plenty of neon on display, the overall feel is perhaps too Asian, too industrial / metallic too clean to perhaps fit it fully into the streets of the 2019 Los Angeles witnessed in Blade Runner. Then the narrowness of the streets, the cluttering of their canyon-like forms and lack of aerial traffic doesn’t entirely sit with a Fifth Element vibe.

2019-XS; Inara Pey, January 2019, on Flickr
2019-XS

Nevertheless, there are motifs from both films. There are buildings that have an older, stone-built look that echoes places like the Bradbury building as imagined in Blade Runner, for example. There are also the spinner-like vehicles (both commissioned and decommissioned), while the elevated walkways between the buildings offer a suggestion of a crowded city, again a-la Blade Runner and the TV Series Total Recall 2070 that took many of its visual cues from the film.

That said, were I to point to a particular film influence on the setting, I would sway towards Neuromancer. Whilst never made (the film is still characterised as In Development by IMDB), the concept art from that production offers takes that do reflect the setting within 2019-XS. But even then, I’d suggest that the region be allowed to stand on its own, free from any frame of reference that could lead to specific preconceptions.

2019-XS; Inara Pey, January 2019, on Flickr
2019-XS

The main streets are laid out simply enough – but in doing so, they hide the complexity of the setting. There are back alleys to be found; stairs and elevators to the upper levels, while private clubs lie behind heavy doors or at the bottom of outdoors steps leading down to a basement level. On the upper levels can be found more eateries, small apartments and hallways.

Role-play is, I believe, of a free-form nature; but again, be aware that there is a lean towards more sexual play, so the setting might not please everyone. For photographers, there are numerous opportunities to take photos – both avatar studies or cityscapes. There is also a Flickr group where images can be displayed, and which also includes pictures from the earlier Drune.

2019-XS; Inara Pey, January 2019, on Flickr
2019-XS