Category: Reviews

Hypnopompia in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Hypnopomia

Now open at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, curated by curated by Dido Haas, is Hypnopompia, as exhibition by Cat Boucher. The title refers to the state of consciousness leading out of sleep (and not to be confused with hypnagogic state. The latter is associated with moving from wakefulness to sleep, and is referred to as a rational waking cognitive state).

Hypnopomia is more an emotional state of credulous dreaming, influenced by almost anything around us: noises, scents, touch, which on waking can lead to confusion, dissociation from our surroundings and confused (to others) speaking. The hypnopompic state is sometimes accompanied by lingering vivid imagery, and some of the creative insights attributed to dreams actually happen in this moment of awakening.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Hypnopomia

All of this is richly reflected in Cat’s images, which are quite stunning in their range. Among the 14 pieces on offer are monochrome images – perhaps reflective of the state experienced by around 12% of people, who only dream in black-and-white (a percentage, interestingly enough that has changed over the last 60-ish years: dreaming in colour was once a rarity reported by adults, and according to some researchers, the shift from “monochrome dreaming” to “colour dreaming” appears to be associated with the arrival and rise in popularity of colour television broadcasting).

Other images in this selection are presented in deep, vivid colours, perhaps reflective of the more vivid influence our surrounding can have on us as we move through hypnopomia to full wakefulness. Most, reflect not a scene, but a moment in time: bones of a fish; a face caught in sharp focus; a figure with legs curls and entwined, but seemingly without a body. In this they mirror how we so often recall our dreams – not as a continuous narrative, but as flashes of images and colour that we can only recall as a single, brief frozen moment, there rest having been lost as another stimuli causes the mind to discard the imagery and move on.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Hypnopomia

There would appear to be some plays here on the state of dreaming; one image seems to reflect an erotic dream – but whether it is brought about as a result of the brain processing actual events or simply the hypnopomic reaction of something, I leave to you to decide. There’s also an echo of the sepia tone so often loved by Hollywood directors when portraying dreams, while the clever use of vignetting can be said to both also reflect the Hollywood use of pinhole focus to convey dreaming and also, as noted above, as a metaphor for the way in which certain images in our dreams come into crystalline clarity and sharpness, imprinting themselves so strongly on our emotions, that the remain with us through our waking hours.

Evocative and captivating whether considered individually or as a part of the exhibition’s theme, these are stunning images – and all the more so given none are post processed; all Cat uses to achieve her completed images in the SL camera floater, within its colour and filter options, and suitable windlights.

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Cica’s Daydream in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost: Daydream

A misted isle where the ground is carpeted in flowers, the rolling hills covered in grass, the beaches arced with sand and the tress provide shade from the sun during the day, once the mist has been burned away, or places to rest and sleep as evening heralds the onset of night.

Such might be the place we slip away to when daydreams come to let us escape the drudgery of everyday life; a mystic realm where turtles can be ridden, fae folk might be found, and mushrooms stand as captive groups should we be tempted to dance before them. A land watched over by a kindly, horned giant, and where snails the size of houses court one another or butterfly people flutter.

Cica Ghost: Daydream

This is the world Cica Ghost presents to us in Daydream, which opened to the public on Friday, August 10th, 2018. Another wonderful whimsical build, it is a place to which we can all escape and explore, with something to discover at every turn. From the arrival point, this is a world wreathed in morning haze under a cloudy, almost alien sky, the hills are undulating shadows all around, breaking up the skyline.

Where you might wander is entirely, up to you – but be sure that whichever way you go, you’ll find something to captivate the eye, including many echoes of past works by Cica. Cats, mindful of those from 50 Cats (here), for example, are to be found ready to invite people to come inside hollow tree trunks and sit or lie with them for a time. Meanwhile a great horned dragon lies with his body covered in stand, just his head and tail visible, reminding us of the dragons from Fairy Tales (here), while the giant on the hill carries with him a look of her Beginners (here) – there’s even a hint of Strawberryland (here) waiting to be found, although the berries are rapidly being noshed by another pair of Cica’s characters!

Cica Ghost: Daydream

All of which should not be taken to mean that Daydream is derivative; far from it. This is as much an original as all of Cica’s prior works; the echoes are simply that – echoes. And give this is a place for daydreaming, they’re not at all out-of-place; why shouldn’t Cica have little dreams of her art and creations? And why shouldn’t we enjoy her daydreams as well?

As always with Cica’s creations there are things to do while exploring here – quite a lot, in actual fact. I’ve already mentioned a couple – sitting with cats or dancing before mushrooms, but there are many more, next to and on top of things – so be sure to mouse around yourself as you are exploring and taking pictures.

Cica Ghost: Daydream

I never cease to enjoy Cica’s work; it is always expressive, something whimsically, sometimes with a deeper interpretation. Howsoever you find it, there is always a sense of fun in life to be found. With Daydream. we’re presented with just that: a chance to jump into Cica’s daydreams and share in them with her, or to go exploring and find our own.

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The purpose of clouds in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Purpose of Clouds

I’ve been spending time at the Visions of Art complex of late, looking at the various exhibitions by visiting and hosted artists. Curated and managed by dj12 Magic. What tends to attract me to the complex is the broad diversity of art that has been gathered in a single place, mixed both physical world artistry with that of the purely digital medium of Second Life, offering plenty of scope for me to see work by artists with whom I might not be familiar, and to at times re-acquaint myself with the work of those I know but may not have seen elsewhere for a while.

One of the artists in the former category is Paula Cloudpainter (paula31atnight). Located on the top floor of the building – appropriate, given the subject – she presents The Purpose of Clouds, a series of her physical world digital photographs of cloud formations taken at different times of the day.

The Purpose of Clouds

Transient, ever-moving at the whim of winds and air currents, there is a wonderful magic about clouds. They can flow across the sky, dappling the ground and water beneath in shadow, allow the Sun or Moon to play peek-a-boo with us – and driven by our imagination, no matter how young or old we are, they can become a thousand different things, however briefly. Looking up at them, we can see everything from grey-white towers reaching majestically into the heavens or great rolling tides of cloudy surf rolling across the sea of the sky or the most fantastic of creatures, by they from the real world or works of fiction or mythology, while towering piles of cumulonimbus can trundle across the horizon like great mobile castles on their way to war, the level reaches dark and threatening. Clouds can even, at times, mimic the look of parts of the world over which they pass, offering fleeting outlines of Great Britain here or Italy’s boot there, a Caribbean like chain of islands somewhere else…

With the canvas of the sky and the aid of the Sun, clouds can also become nature’s unique expressions of art; sky paintings in which colours become layered, and even the apparent strokes of a giant brush can be seen, as cirrus cloud vie with cumulus and alto-cumulus to form exotic landscapes in the sky. Paula captures all of this, together with the sheer grace and beauty clouds have in and of themselves, through the images she presents in The Purpose of Clouds.

The Purpose of Clouds

These are wonderful reminders of the splendour of nature; and for those willing to let their imaginations flow free, there are perhaps stories to be seen in some. Is that a ghostly bat flying out of and orange-grey sky towards us? Dos the splash of white cloud among the grey and a deep blue sky look like and exotic sea creature hugged the relative safety of a shadowed reef? As we really looking up at a roiling sky of cloud caught in the light of a setting Sun, or are we perhaps hanging above an upside-down world looking at a rolling sea turned orange by its setting Sun?

While the images are perfect for purchase and hanging at home, I couldn’t help but wish that for the purposes of the exhibition, they’d been offered in a larger size, even if that meant fewer pieces (or perhaps using a little more of the central floor space). Doing so would immediate capture the eye with their sheer beauty. Nevertheless, The Purpose of Clouds is a wonderful exhibition deserving of being seen up close, rather than through the page of a blog post.

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A return to Summers Wind in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Summers Wind; Inara Pey, August 2018, on FlickrSummers Wind – click any image for full size

I’ve recently been drawn back to travelling to places in Second Life I’ve not visited for a while, and one of the places that sprang to mind – even though it has only been a couple of years since I was last there – is Summers Wind. The hub of Mexi Lane’s three “Wind” regions, the others two being Winters Wind and Autumns Wind, both of which adjoin it, but are given to private residential properties.

The major thing that drew me to Summers Wind the first time around was the extraordinary manner in which landscape designer Rumegusc Altamura has blended landscape and architecture in the public regions of the region to create something truly memorable: a great plateau of rock rises from the middle of the island. And I’m delighted to say that, but for a few changes, it is still very much the centrepiece of the design, with the region as a whole still a marvellous and eye-catching visit.

Summers Wind; Inara Pey, August 2018, on FlickrSummers Wind

Pitted and sculpted into to great sweeps and curves as if by wind and water, the plateau is worlds away from the usual tables of rock seen in Second Life. At the foot of that massive upthrust of land is a series of deep caverns, each fronted by marvellous Graeco-Roman architecture: ornate lintels supported by great Doric style columns. All bar one of the caverns is home to a small store, the exception being offered as a conference space.

Running northwards from the southern coast of the region, the plateau splits Summers Wind roughly in two. On its west side are private rental properties – so please keep this in mind when visiting. To the east (and atop the plateau) are the public areas, albeit it with a couple of private residences.

Summers Wind; Inara Pey, August 2018, on FlickrSummers Wind

Nestled against the eastern coast sits the Café des Arts. Maintaining Mexi’s patronage of the arts in Second Life – she has supported the arts in SL for most of her in-world time, most notably through her former arts region, MIC- Imagin@rium – the café regularly hosts informal exhibitions set out along its wooden decks, and at the time of my return, it featured a display of physical world art by Italian artist Giancarlo Petrini.

Just to the north of the café are little bumper boats that can be use to explore the waterways around and through all three of the Wind isles – but again, do please remember Winters Wind and autumn’s Wind are primarily residential in nature. These can be accessed overland via a stone footbridge in the north-east corner of Summers Wind, which links it to Winters Wind, with more private residences scattered long the north shore of Summers Wind to face Winters Wind across the intervening water.

Summers Wind; Inara Pey, August 2018, on FlickrSummers Wind

When we first came to Summers Wind, there was a glorious underground club space beneath the north reach of the great plateau. While the entrance remains, the club has now gone (sadly, as the design was exceptionally well done), a spa now replacing it. There was also a way up to the top of the plateau – a winding trail and steps, which also seems to have been removed at some point. Now, so far as I can tell, the way up to the top of the plateau is via the signpost near the landing point. Clicking on the various boards on it indicating the various public locations – including the cliff-top conservatory – will deliver a landmark to the destination, allowing visitors to teleport to their desired destination.

In writing about Summers Wind back in 2016, I used a stanza from Summer Wind, the 1965 classic by Johnny Mercer and made famous by Frank Sinatra. I did so both because the name of the region put me in mind of the song, and because the song’s source, the German Der Sommerwind (Bradtke and Meier) uses the Sirocco wind of the Mediterranean as a metaphor, which fits with the wind-sculpted look of Summers Wind’s great plateau. Given how little has changed with the region, I still find the song as applicable today as I did back then.

Summers Wind; Inara Pey, August 2018, on FlickrSummers Wind

Which is another way of saying Summers Wind remains a stunning and beautiful design that is a delight to visit, explore and spend time within, containing its own unique look and a special sense of romance.

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Barbara and Cherry at La Maison d’Aneli

Posted on by Inara Pey
La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Barbara Borromeo

Currently open at La Maison d’Aneli Gallery, curated by Aneli Abeyante are two exhibitions, both of which run through until August 16th. The first features Barbara Borromeo and the second, Cherry Manga.

Barbara Borromeo is an artist whose work – much to my shame – was unknown to me until June of 2018, when I gained an introduction to her work. The exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli follows on the heels of that event, and actually contains a number of pieces that were also featured in it as well. However, that there is some repetition doesn’t matter: Barbara’s work is simply extraordinary, and at La Maison, we are additionally treated to more of her physical world art as well.

La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Barbara Borromeo

Several pieces are presented around the walls of the gallery, of which I found myself particularly drawn to Woodstock Hendrix (seen at the top of this article, on the left), and Words Never Said, two remarkable studies full of visual and emotional impact among a tour de force of stunning art that really captures the eye, heart and imagination.

However, it is the main slide show element of the exhibition that really captivates. Using a large screen, Barbara presents a rich cross-section of her portfolio – and it is not to be missed. Photographs and paintings from the physical world are displayed along with images captured from Second Life and – in what makes Barbara’s work fabulous to the eye – collage pieces that appear to combine both Second Life (or at least digital art she has produced) with images from the physical world. Given the number of pieces included in this slide show, use of the provided armchairs is advised – and taking the time to see all of the pieces it has to offer really is worthwhile.

La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Barbara Borromeo

I confess to have fallen for Barbara’s work; her layered collages are among the most creative pieces of artistic expression I’ve seen either in Second Life or the physical world. The compositional work within them is sublime; the subjects evocative and, on occasion, provocative (as art should on occasion be); and the images bring to Second Life the full breadth and deep of a truly extraordinary talent.

Reached via teleport is a skybox featuring 3D art by one of Second Life’s long-standing artists, Cherry Manga, although sadly, she is nowadays rarely active here, preferring to spend her time in the Open Simulator FrancoGrid. As such, opportunities to witness her work in SL are always welcome.

La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Cherry Manga

There are actually two teleports to the installation – the teleport disk on the gallery floor, and a poster on the wall. Both deliver you to different sides of the installation, but for convenience, I’d suggest using the disk. Doing so will land you near a selection of Cherry’s art avatars, which she is giving away free. These are located on a cube bearing the legend Freedom and Random Stuff – which I assume refer to the avatars, but might also be the title of the installation itself.

The two primary elements of the installation are side-by-side cubes in which are displayed animated wireframe scenes of marvellous complexity and which could both be taken as commentaries on modern living. The piece on the right (when looking from the side with the free avatars), seems to suggest a figure breaking free from confinement, the overall design of hexagons suggesting he is escaping the hive-like thinking that modern society can demand of us.

La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Cherry Manga

To the left, the second cube offers a scene with strong metaphysical elements – and the chance to become a part of it by entering it and clicking on one of the spheres floating within the cube. This piece is perhaps harder to quantify, being strongly subjective. As such, while I have formed an opinion on it,  I’ll leave it to you to visit and to form your own.

A third piece, Freedom, floats and turns above the selection of free avatars. It presents a strong juxtaposition of ideas: the figure may well be floating and “free”, but she retains the chains which may once have confined her. While they are no longer locked or connected to anything, their presence seems to suggest that “freedom” can simply be an illusion – or, more positively – a state of mind to which we can all aspire, and possibly achieve.

La Maison d’Aneli Gallery: Cherry Manga

Two stunning exhibitions, both of which should be seen before they close on August 16th.

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In the forest of Chakryn in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Chakryn Forest

In my last couple of Exploring Second Life articles I’ve referenced re-visiting regions that have existed in-world without necessarily changing much over time. These posts prompted Miro Collas, another seasoned SLexplorer to remind me about Chakryn Forest, a place that has been in existence for getting on towards a decade.

A collaborative design between region holder Bettina Tizzy, landscape artist Andrek Lowell and Eshi Otawara, Chakryn Forest is a place that has changed little over the years since my last visit, back in 2013, and it was pretty well established even then. As such, it sits as something of a time capsule in SL; claimed in 2008, it has little in the way of mesh within it, retaining instead, and “old world”, so to speak, charm.

Chakryn Forest

As the name suggests, this is a forest realm, a place where gigantic redwood trees tower into the sky, spawned from megaprims spun by Zwagoth Klaar at a time when prims were limited to a humbling 10x10x10 metres. Their presence alone will set the bells of memory ringing for those of us who remember working in prims back before mesh arrived and we saw the size limit leap to 64m on a side…

There are no real paths here – it’s a forest after all – and so explorers need to find their own way from the landing point through the trees to discover what lay within, be it the exotic plants, the swooping, dancing sprites or the little camp sites and the more hidden places to sit. The supplied windlight is a little basic, so I do suggest photographers experiment – the images here were taken with a variety of settings, rather than using the default.

Chakryn Forest

For those in the mood, there are a number of quests to be found scattered through the forest and initiated by the likes of Elementals, Fae folk and Hobbits. All require finding objects and returning them to the start point of each quest in order to receive a reward. I confess to not having tried any this time around, so I assume all are in working order. When exploring, beaware that there is a secret place hidden away, lit by candles and offering another glimpse back into the history of SL; hanging decorative nets “woven” from textured cylindrical prims.

With the right windlight, Chakryn Forest has an ethereal feel to it; there is a sense of mystery between the trunks of the great trees, while the exotic flowers scattered about and the floating (in the air and on the water) Elementals give the forest an other-worldly feel. Animals are not in evidence, which is a good thing, given any wanderers would likely not handle the terrain with its slopes and folds while static animals probably wouldn’t look right. However, there is a rich sound scape to go with the setting, so have local sounds enabled when visiting.

Chakryn Forest

Like the tress within it, Chakryn Forest is enduring; old it may well be in terms of component elements, but it is still an engaging visit. More particularly, its age makes it very much a part of SL’s growing history; so when you visit, do please consider making a donation towards its continuance through one of the red flowers scattered across the forest floor.

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