Category: Reviews

Khodovarikha – click any image for full size

Serene Footman, the man behind Furillen, (see here, here and here for more) and La Digue du Braek (see here) opened a further region in August 2017. Once again it is an atmospheric setting based on a location in the physical world.

Khodovarikha, a Homestead region, is modelled after the spit of land going by the same name which projects eastwards into the Pechora Sea off the coast of north-west Russia. As you might expect from this description, it is a lonely and desolate place – and such places hold an appeal with Serene. In 2015, the area was the focus of a Russian Television documentary, Arctic Limbo, and this appears to have served as Serene’s inspiration in designing the region.

Khodovarikha

Serene’s vision of Khodovarikha captures the desolate isolation of the area perfectly – and provides a magnificent  reproduction of its most notable landmark: the great wooden lighthouse. This ceased operation in 1996, but played an important role in guiding the convoys bringing supplies and munitions to Russia during World War Two. Within Serene’s setting, the lighthouse is both operational and truly dominates the landscape, but otherwise closely resembles the original right down to a hole in the tower’s base.

The region itself is split into two, with a slender finger running west-to-east to the north, a narrow channel of water separating it from the larger land mass to the south, where the lighthouse resides. The landing point is towards the western end of the northern finger of land, and the easiest route around the island is clockwise, following the rough wooden board walk pointing east from the landing point. This leads visitors over sand and past ageing buildings to where a large wooden warehouse-like structure topped by the dome of a Doppler radar system faces the lighthouse across the neck of water, an old wooden bridge linking the two.

Khodovarikha

The loneliness of the island is encapsulate in the spread of the building and their generally dilapidated state. The detritus of human living – oil barrels scattered across the sand, sanding in untidy groups or part-buried, sacks of rubbish left to freeze outdoors, and the spoils of collapsed walls and bonfires – all add to the sense of isolation. This is not a place where appearance and neatness matter.

There is also a wealth of detail to be found here that further adds to the remoteness of the setting, particularly inside several of the buildings, where care has been taken to reflect the lonely lifestyle of Khodovarikha’s one full-time inhabitant, Slava, and the work involved in keeping things running – if that’s the right term. The air of untidiness around some of these work spaces perhaps offers a subtle suggestion of  Slava’s one-time assistant, Ustin, moving listlessly around the scattered buildings, carrying out assigned tasks during his year-long stay, missing his family and home.

Khodovarikha

There is a gentle beauty always present in Serene’s builds, and this is certainly the case here. The overcast sky fading to a distant horizon haze, softens the setting and adds to the mystery. Looking out towards that distant horizon, it’s not too difficult to imagine the research vessel  Mikhail Somov looming out of the mists on its annual visit to deliver supplies to Slava. Or, for the more imaginative mind, to see the faint, distant shadows of the wartime convoys slipping past in the distance, ghostly shadows within the grey-blue haze.

Khodovarikha is a magnificent build, reflecting its physical world namesake almost perfectly. It is hauntingly beautiful rendering of desolation and loneliness, richly echoing the RT documentary. It is a perfect destination for those who – like Slava – wish to escape the world (at least for a while). And for those who do, there are plenty of opportunities not just for exploration, but for sitting and pondering or talking, indoors and out – some of which are quite imaginatively placed for the keen-eyed.

Khodovarikha

This is a place most definitely deserving of a visit, and you can find out more on the background of the build and on Khodovarikha in general by reading Serene’s own blog post on his inspiration in designing the region, which delves into things like the meaning behind the big building with its striped radar dome and the inclusion of a half-finished Rawin Dome on the south side of the island, all of which adds further depth and context to the build.

SLurl Details

• Khodovarikha (Porter Islands, rated: Moderate)

Sol Existence – click any image for full size

It’s been over four years since my last visit to Sol Existence, the Full region held by Sunshine Amelia Gilmore; as such, I thought it high time Caitlyn and I returned to spend a little time exploring. (Sunshine Zhangsun). At the time of my 2013 visit, Sunshine was collaborating with Jac Mornington; the current build appears to be largely Sunshine’s own design.

“Somewhat reminiscent of another time,” Sunshine says of the design, “Created with love and happiness. A small seaside island offering solace to the wanderer.” And so it is – albeit, perhaps, a seaside island approaching its off-season given the cast of the sky.

Sol Existence

A visit starts on the east side of the island, above the curving “c”  of a sandy bay, reached via broad wooden steps which descend gently sloping rocks in a series of platformed tiers.  The beach is dominated by a large warehouse with a low wooden key, and a trawler appears to be rounding the headline en route to coming alongside. However, a look inside the warehouse reveals it is not a place of work, but actually a place of recreation, housing a bar on the upper floor.  It might be the first indication that some of the buildings here are not as they might first appear.

Atop the cliffs, a little row of shops point the way eastwards, sitting within a ring of cart tracks which set them aside from a chapel and the second lighthouse, both of which sit to the north of them. The lighthouse again is not all it appears, being a centre for Relay for Life, reflecting Sunshine’s long-standing involvement with, and support of, RFL.

Sol Existence

Another chapel lies to the east of the houses, appearing to guard the south and west sides of the island. This is the home of Epilogue, described as a “special place for creation and imagination,” where  Charlotte Gilmore hosts reading clubs and craft creating sessions. Beyond this chapel is a pond and farm, the latter with geese, chickens and goats within the walls of its garden, the ruins of an old fortification close by. As with the east side f the island, cart tracks circle this part of the island, including the large pond fronting the farm-house, and a couple of old vehicles, a four-wheeled truck and a Tuk Tuk style mobile library.

A second beach sits in the north-west corner of the island offers another place to relax and enjoy the Sun when it is present over the island. At the top of the slopes above this, and nestled close to the lighthouse, is a hot air balloon and a playable game of chess, available to those so minded for a game. Nor is this the only opportunity for recreation – another little game sits inside Epilogue, while seagulls scattered around the island will be happy to offer dances to those touching them. There are also a number of places where visitors can sit and relax.

Sol Existence

Sol Existence is still and picturesque as it has always been, and photography is encouraged across the island, with Sunshine requesting those who do take pictures consider submitting them to the region’s Flickr group. Those who would like to rez props for their photographs can join the region’s Group by clicking on the seagull perched above village sign at the landing point.

All-in-all another pleasing visit whether exploring on your own or with a friend, with plenty of opportunities for photography and plenty of places to sit and relax. For me, the was a welcome return to a region which caught my eye, and which I’ve been away from for a little too long.

Sol Existence

SLurl Details

• Sol Existence (Sol Existence, rated: Moderate)