Category: Reviews

2018 Raglan Shire Artwalk: call to artists

Posted on by Inara Pey
Raglan Shire Artwalk 2017: Utterly Wizardly

The Raglan Shire Artwalk is one of the staples of the SL art calendar, and for 2018, it will take place between Sunday, May 13th and Sunday, June 17th, inclusive.

Every year over 100 artists and residents in Second Life display 2D and 3D art across a number of exhibition spaces across all the regions of the Raglan Shire cluster. 2D art is displayed on hedgerows in and around the regions, offering visitors the chance to view pieces as they explore the Shire, while sculptures and 3D art is displayed in a number of designated areas across the regions.

Those wishing to exhibit their work at the 2018 Artwalk are invited to complete the  Artist Registration Form, which should be submitted for inclusion no later than 21:00 SLT on Sunday May 6th, 2018.

General requirements for entry:

  • The event is a non-juried show
  • Artists can display more than one piece if they wish
    • 2D (“flat” art pieces will be awarded a maximum of 15 prims, and individual pictures should be 1 prim, including the frame.
    • 3D art (sculptures, etc.), will be awarded a maximum of 500 prims for up to three pieces of work. Artists are requested to state the number of prims per piece in their application.
    • Sales of art are allowed.
  • Types of art supported by the show are: representations of RL photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and digital fine art that can be displayed on a prim;  and SL photography, manipulated SL photography and SL sculpture.
  • Pictures of RL crafts, such as beadwork, leatherwork, etc., are not part of the show’s  definition
  • All the above art forms are welcome, but should be rated PG / G – so no nudity, please!
  • Group membership will be required in order to display work
  • Questions and enquiries should be forwarded via note card to Artwalk Director Karmagirl Avro, or Artwalk Assistants Kayak Kuu & Shadow Marlin.

Details on set-up will be sent to participating artists on Tuesday, May 8th, 2018. Step-up commences at 09:00 SLT on Friday, May 11th and runs through Saturday, May 12th. Note that space along the hedgerows in Raglan Shire for 2D art is NOT assigned, but can be taken on the basis of first come first serve. Certain areas of Heron Shire will be designated for sculpture set up and available locations set with a marker.

Key Dates

  • Sunday May 6th: Applications close at 21:00 SLT
  • Tuesday, May 8th: Notification of exhibit space location issued to artists
  • Friday, May 11th / Saturday May 12th: Artist set-up days
  • Sunday, May 13th: ARTWALK OPENS
  • Sunday, June 17th: Artwalk closes
  • Sunday, June 17th (after 18:00 SLT) through Tuesday, June 19th: Takedown of works.

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Spring and romance at Luane’s World in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

It’s been two years since I first visited Luane Meo’s Luane’s World and some fifteen months since a last visit to the neighbouring Luane’s Magical World – so a re-visit to both was long overdue.

Luane’s World, home to Luane’s store of the same name, tends to change with the seasons, offering visitors something new to see as each year progresses. At the time of our April visit, the region was sporting a springtime look, rich in greens on boughs and underfoot, with just a hint of summer blossoms to be seen and flowers blooming in the grass. A visit begins (as always) at the store, located in the north-east corner of the region.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

From here, three paths mark possible routes of exploration. Two, marked by stepping-stones, lead the way south and east and south and west, respectively offering routes to  Luane’s Magical World or out into Luane’s World itself. A third dirt-topped paths bends north-east, leading to Luane’s World – Live the Dream, a third Homestead operated and designed by Luane. However, as this is largely private rental properties (enquiries to Luane), we opted to respect people’s privacy and keep out, despite the public paths leading partway around the region.

The path point south-west into Luane’s World leads you along the banks of the waterway which cuts between the region and Luane’s Magical World from the south, feeding into a large hearted-shaped pool of water sitting at the centre of the region.  The path circles this pond, carrying itself over the little channel feeding it to offer the way to an old windmill on one side, and the way past a cosy little café to where it branches, leading the way past a tree house to a beach that curves around the north and west of the region.  Above the beach to the west, the land rises a little, providing space for an old fort, watched over by a lighthouse sitting just off the coast.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

Throughout the region are plenty of places to sit, cuddle and relax – such as the little cottage on the little southern island or scattered across the beach.

Across the water to the east, reached by either stepping-stones or a wooden bridge, is Luane’s Magical World. Hidden by a veil of mist, this is definitely a place for lovers and romance. Frosted tree a spread across waters frozen in time. In this, it remains similar to the first time we visited in December 2016. However, beneath the boughs, the environment has changed – most obviously in the frozen water replacing the snows.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s Magical World

There is no set path through this region, it’s a place to wander and let go of time – although fallen leaves suggest footpaths to follow. Lights glow from the frozen trunks and branches, whilst waiting to be found throughout the region are places to sit and cuddle. These range from an old greenhouse to beds under nets to a hanging chair suspended from a leaf and watched over by unicorns, to a tent guarded by albino elephants.

Elsewhere, under a table of rock at the northern end of the region there are tunnels and caverns awaiting exploration, while those seeking a celebratory meal will find it in an old gazebo, or if a romantic dance is preferred, the impressive ruins of a Gothic chapel offers a stone flagged floor and dance machine.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s Magical World

Luane’s World and Luane’s Magical World can be visited individually or together, depending on your mood. Both offer plenty of opportunities to share time together, and both are beautifully designed (as always) by Luane, and make for memorable visits. Should you take photos during your visit, consider adding them to the Luane’s World Flickr group.

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Of Martin Luther King and Hindu temples in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Martin Luther King

April 4th, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. To commemorate this, and more particularly his work advancing civil rights through non-violence and civil disobedience, Adams Dubrovna has put together an exhibit entitled Martin Luther King, which is now on display at the Museum of Sacred and Narrative Art.

Across 32 display panels, Adams traces key points in Dr. King’s life, starting with an examination of his education, and concluding with his final public appearance  on April 3rd, 1968 at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters), at which he gave his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address.

Martin Luther King

In 1954 Dr. King became pastor of the Dexter Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. In March 1955, Claudette Colvin – a fifteen-year-old black schoolgirl in Montgomery – refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in violation of Jim Crow laws, local laws in the Southern United States that enforced racial segregation. King was on the committee for the Birmingham African-American community that looked into the case – but a decision was made not to pursue it, as it involved a minor.

Then, in December that year, Rosa Parks also refused to give up her seat, and was arrested for “civil disobedience”. The NAACP, working through their local chapter president Edgar Nixon, saw Parks as the best candidate for seeing through a court challenge on the matter of segregation, and she so and Dr. King become central figures in the American civil rights movement, starting with the Montgomery bus boycott.

Martin Luther King

This – together with the bombing of King’s home on January 27th, 1956 (he was preaching at the time) and his own arrest (the first of many) – mark the starting point for the exhibition tracing his civil rights activism.  The panels the trace the key moments in his life and the civil rights movement in chronological order, many of them using Dr. King’s own words. These include the Albany Movement, the Birmingham campaign, the 1963 march on Washington DC,  and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

Also marked is the King’s place on the international stage (through a look at their visit to India in 1959 and his opposition to the Việt Nam war). Many of the panels include Dr. King’s own words, making them particularly poignant, particularly the excerpt of his April 3rd, 1968 address at the Mason Temple. This reads as prophetic in light of the events that followed on April 4th, 1968. Wisely, the exhibition doesn’t unduly dwell on Dr. King’s death at the hand of James Earl Ray, but rather passes on to some of the monuments erected in his memory in the United States.

Ellora Caves Exhibit

On the floor above Martin Luther King is an exhibition of images and plans of the Ellora caves, one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It features Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600-1000 CE period.

The exhibition focuses on the latter two: Hindu and Jain temples and art, referred to as caves 13–29 and caves 30–34, respectively. It’s something of a mixed media exhibit, featuring photographs, slide shows and information boards / givers. The Hindu caves form the first part of the exhibit located at the top of the steps from the Martin Luther Exhibition. It is centre on a pair of large format photographs of the Kailasa Temple.

Ellora Caves Exhibit

There is a route around this display – commencing with the early Hindu period, then the Kailasa Temple images, complete with floor plans, and on through the Jian caves and art. The information note cards provide a fair amount of information, although the information buttons on the slide shows might be a little confusing – they provide a landmark to the in-world store for the slide show panels rather than information on the images they display.

For those looking for an exhibition or two with a historical lean, Martin Luther King and the Ellora Caves display could be well worth a visit. The former nicely compacts Dr. King’s life into an easily digestible presentation and avoids reading as preaching. The Ellora Caves display offers some excellent images of the caves, art and temple ruins, although it would be nice to have some form of credit offered for them – even if they are from the exhibitor’s own collection – would add a little more depth for those wishing to do further reading.

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Spirits of the Sea in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Spirits of the Sea – Serena Imagine Arts Centre

Now open at the Serena Imagine Arts Centre, curated by Vita Theas is a new exhibition of images by Storie’s  Helendale (GlitterPrincess Destiny). Spirits of the Sea is, as with Storie’s previous exhibitions, a themed piece, the images reflecting a thought or narrative.

The core element of this theme is provided via a blank verse Storie’s provides with the introduction to the piece:

In my imagination I felt to create the sense…
… that spirits or ghosts
inhabit the sea
with maybe an untimely demise
never the less they continue with their lives
pieces of memories
as seen through my eyes… or the spirits.

Spirits of the Sea – Serena Imagine Arts Centre

So it is that, under a lowering sky befitting the theme, are more than 20 ethereal piece set out over a foaming sea broken by a rocky shoreline. Twelve of the images are set out either side of two cylindrical walkways pointing out to sea. These give the impression you are perhaps in an aquarium or under the sea, looking out at the images within the waters “surrounding” the tunnels. Ladders at the far ends of the tubes allow you to climb down to the water itself – invisiprims prevent any risk of sinking – so you can walk out over the water to see the rest of the pieces.

Taken as a whole, Storie’s pictures displayed here at first appear to be an eclectic mix. All are very ethereal in tone – again, as befitting the theme of spirits and the departed. However, some suggest memories being recalled – the woman putting washing out to dry; the children playing basketball. Others perhaps suggest past tragedies or illness which led to the people within them becoming spirits, lost to the physical world but still going about their business in the other world of our oceans.

Spirits of the Sea – Serena Imagine Arts Centre

But is their existence a happy one? Again, some suggest being caught in a particular moment – that point of death where, beneath the surface of the waves with lungs aching, that final inhalation has been taken, and the body started on a slow journey into the Deep; the torment of helplessness evoked by wheelchair and straitjacket as fears are manifested in the form of sharks circling.

But not all of the images are dark like this; there is also a sense of friendship continued, a flicker here and there of love, dance, companionship – and waiting. In this the clue to all that is going on within these timeless moments is perhaps encapsulated in another blank verse, rising from the waters close to the landing point.

Your arrival makes us certain
our spirits will remain
preserved
as we breath in your colours.

we … have become so
fashionable
as we sleepwalk past our lives.

In echoed depths
Blended well.

Spirits of the Sea – Serena Imagine Arts Centre

An intriguing, captivating exhibition.

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The Hamptons in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

The HAmptons; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrThe Hamptons – click any image for full size

A homestead region designed by Haye Von Ayenhaha (Haye Aya), The Hamptons offers a taste of the great outdoors, inspired by Northern East Coast or Western European landscapes. It’s a photogenic location, with a rich mix of landscape, walks, hints of human presence and places for couples to enjoy.

The land is split into three long-fingered rocky islands, linked by high wooden bridges. The western most of these island is where the landing point is located, on the broken courtyard of a former piano factory. It shares the courtyard with the detritus of the factory, a little café-style space, and assorted vehicles. South of this is a private area of the island, with ban lines warning people to keep out – a sign and security orb might be more preferable, but that’s a minor point; the rest of the region is nicely open to exploration.

The HAmptons; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrThe Hamptons

North of the old factory are board walks overlooking the ocean, places to sit and cuddle, and a bridge linking the western island with the middle one of the trio. A second board walk angles away from the bridge, offering a way down into the gorge separating the two islands, where a rowing boat offers another cuddle spot. It’s possible to walk along the edge of the water here – just mind the bushes! – but remember, the south end of the island is off-limits.

The middle island flows around a large rocky spine into which an old mine shift drills its way back to a large cavern. Paths snake around either side of this backbone, the one to the west leading to a little terrace garden connected by wooden steps and low bridge to the private house. The terrace with its green house and potted plants can be visited, but the bridge to the house is again off-limits.  The path on the east side of the island offers views towards the final island in the group, and a board walk build out from the cliffs courtesy of a sturdy scaffold. An old barn sits part-way around the path, and another cuddle spot sits at the end of it.

The HAmptons; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrThe Hamptons

Reached via another bridge, the final island of the three offers a more open-topped plateau than the others, the trees here fewer, allowing for open rugged grass to carpet it under the sky. Again, an arc of board walks offers a view out over the sea to the east, a single wooden stairway leading down to a shoreline platform – note this is signposted as being reserved for women only! There’s a little bit of an oriental theme here – a little Japanese-style structure sits on the plateau while down on the shore of the channel between this and the middle island a larger house is under construction.

An interesting aspect of the region is that Haye has used a number of her own custom mesh builds to fit the design – notably the board walks and steps; this greatly add to the feeling that a good deal of care and attention has gone into the design.

The HAmptons; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrThe Hamptons

The Hamptons is a delightfully uncomplicated region design, very photogenic under a range of windlights, and presenting visitors with a quiet place in which to pass the time. The construction work I spotted suggests the region is still evolving, so don’t be surprised if you find more than I’ve described here.

All told, a very pleasing and relaxing visit.

The HAmptons; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrThe Hamptons

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Kultivate 2018 Spring Art Show in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kultivate Spring Art Show 2018

The Kultivate Magazine 2018 Spring Art Show officially opens on Friday, April 6th, and runs through until Saturday, April 14th. This celebration of 3D and 2D art features more than 40 participating artists, with both juried and non-juried art competitions, with those participating in the juried event competing to win a shared prize pot, gift cards, and more.

The event – which is taking place on a specially constructed show area at Kultivate Magazine’s home region of Water Haven – will also feature live performers, two hunts, a photo contest and learning opportunities.

The juried 2D and 3D artists are: AJ, CalystiaMoonShadow, Maaddi, Carly Afterthought, Wintergeist, Wild Alchemi, Sheba Blitz, Chanasitsayo, Eucalyptus Carroll, Avalon Chrome, Erkek DeCuir, Bellissa Dion, Slatan Dryke, Gwen Enchanted, Bri Graycloud, Syphera Inaka, Lala Lightfoot, Aquarius Lowtide,  Dakota Lavarock, Sabine Mortenwold, Pipit Peacedream, FiordiligiDaPonte Resident, KodyMeyers Resident, M8ty Resident, SecondHandTutti Resident, Jamee Sandalwood, Elle Thorkveld, Lucia Tophat,  Silverwind Tzedek, FreeDom Voix,  and Myra Wildmist.

Kultivate Spring Art Show 2018

The non-juried artists are: Eleseren Brianna, Jasmin Currier, Bellissa Dion, GlitterPrincess Destiny, Slatan Dryke, Hana Hoobinoo, aht1981 resident, Johannes1977 Resident, Kimblecoles Resident, M8ty Resident, Mangrovejane Resident, Eviana Robbiani (La Robbiani), Catalina Staheli, iSkye Silverweb, and Veruca Tammas.

Event Schedule

All times SLT.

  • Friday, April 6th, 2018:
    • 08:00: Art Show opens and hunt, quest and photo contest begin.
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Parker Static
  • Saturday, April 7th, 2018:
    • 13:00-14:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Beginners or Refresher’s SL Photography with Kaijah Chrome.
    • 16:00-17:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Marketing Yourself as an Artist with John Brianna.
  • Sunday, April 8th, 2018:
    • 13:00-14:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Using Flickr to the Max with John Brianna.
    • 16:00-17:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Basic Photo Editing with John Brianna.
  • Monday, April 9th, 2018:
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Nina Bing.
  • Tuesday, April 10th, 2018:
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Wolfie Starfire.
  • Wednesday, April 11th:
    • 12:00-13:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Useful Stuff For Making Art with Eleseren Brianna.
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Lark Bowen.
  • Thursday, April 12th, 2018:
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Melenda Mikael.
  • Friday, April 13th, 2018:
    • 16:00-17:00: Live Performer Dimivan Ludwig.
    • 20:00: Photo contests ends.
  • Saturday, April 14th, 2018:
  • 13:00-14:00: Coffee-house Learning Hour – Copyright & Creative Commons in Photography with Veruca Tammas.
  • 15:00-16:00: Seanchai Library.
  • 16:00-17:00: Awards Event & Closing Party.
  • 20:00: hunt and quest end, photo contest winners announced.

For details on the hunt, quest and photo contest, please refer to the information boards at the event.

Kultivate Spring Art Show 2018

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