Reviews – Page 378 – Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld

Gallant Estates: a Second Life showcase

Posted on November 3, 2017April 9, 2021 by Inara Pey

Gallant Estates – click any image for full size

Gallant Estates opened its doors to the public at the end of October 26th, 2017. It is a venture by Gallant Magazine, a publication dedicated to Men’s Fashion and Home & Garden which launched in March, 2017. The region, a Homestead, is intended to be a companion location for the magazine, as is explained on the Gallant website:

Gallant wants to provide readers with the interactive opportunity to see many of the scenes showcased in the magazine as they appear in Second Life. Until November 5th, readers can visit this newly decorated sim for decor ideas or take pictures with the sim as a backdrop. Feel free to drop us a note with any feedback or ideas for future home & garden scenes.

Gallant Estates

Given the November 5th deadline, I’m leaving it very short time frame for people to visit, but having spend time exploring with Caitlyn, we can certainly recommend dropping in.

Primarily designed by the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Divos Titanium and Pahkah (Parker Droverson) with support of their partners, Apple Fall, the region had an autumnal look at the time of our visit with hints of Halloween, the region presents three furnished homes to be explored along the C-shaped main island, with a barn conversion towards the east end of the region, which is very imaginatively done and a genuine showcase of decor and design.

Gallant Estates

The western end of the island, by contrast, offered an upland setting, overlooking the bay, where a house sits on a rocky outcrop, perfectly decorated for Halloween. Between the two sits a small farm, the farmhouse facing the landing point and offering another setting for internal decor suggestions.

Enormous care has been taken to provide a natural landscape to explore and for photography, with tall hills and mountains surrounding the setting, all of which is sitting under an atmospheric windlight – particularly if you’re using something like Firestorm and can easily tweak your cloud maps.

Gallant Estates

I understand from Divos that the region will close for a time to the public after November 5th in order to be redressed ready for the next issue of Gallant Magazine. I hope to keep track of at least some of the region designs as they are made public, Gallant Estates offering a unique way to see design concepts for house and home.

In the meantime, I recommend that if you have the time before the end of November 5th, you drop into Gallant Estates and explore the current design.

Gallant Estates

SLurl and Web Details

Gallant Estates (rated: Moderate)
Gallant Magazine website

Giovanna’s Allegories in Second Life

Posted on November 3, 2017January 1, 2022 by Inara Pey

Opening on Friday, November 3rd, 2017, is an exhibition of Giovanna’s art entitled Allegories, at Solo Arte, which runs through until November 24th.

Renowned for her immersive installations, Giovanna uses the open-air and gallery spaces at Solo Arte to present a range of her pieces, large and small. Some are standalone pieces, such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which sit in the small park adjacent to the landing point. Others are elements from larger installations, such as Circe from Il Folle Volo and also seen in Line, found in the piazza next to the bar, The Desire and The Bird from Flash Back / Flash Forward, which can be found in the small courtyard to the rear of the art space and Sirens from Il Folle Volo, as they float over the central canal.

The two largest pieces on display sit at either end of the canal, but the best way to appreciate the art on display is to follow the paths around the gallery space, starting at the park and then walking down to the main gallery building, then cross the canal to explore the other gallery building and the outdoor spaces.

Unlike the majority of Giovanna’s installation, there doesn’t appear to be a central theme to the exhibit – other than the name – but what is on display offers an intriguing glimpse of Giovanna’s significant talent in constructing thought-provoking and visually stunning pieces of 3D art.

The exhibition officially opens at 15:00 SLT, with music by DJ Faby.

SLurl Details

Solo Arte (Casvian Caye, rated: Moderate)

The Garden of Absentia on Second Life

Posted on November 1, 2017April 9, 2021 by Inara Pey

Garden of Absentia – click any image for full size

Established on November 7th, 2016, Garden of Absentia this month celebrates its anniversary, marking the time as an ideal opportunity for a visit to this Homestead region managed and designed by Filo Tani and Sage (Sage Allegiere) which serves a very special purpose in Second Life.

“We take pride in raising awareness for autism, bullying, domestic violence, depression and cancer,” Sage and Filo state in the information note card available from the landing point. “The cancer memorial offers candles to light for loved ones as a remembrance, for those fighting and survivors.”

Garden of Absentia

However, far from being preachy or specially designed as a memorial, Garden of Absentia presents visitors with a park-like environment, surrounded by tall green peaks, and seemingly caught at that time when summer is fading and autumn is on the rise. It is a place to be explored and shared, with trails and paths meandering through the shade of tall trees or climbing the slopes of rugged hills to where cabins and camp fires and lookout points await. And for those who do wish to remember, the opportunity to enjoy quiet solitude at one of the many locations ideal for sitting and resting, or to visit the memorials and perhaps light a candle to a loved one or friend.

The landing point sits towards the north-east side of the island. Given this lie of the land, it is fairly centrally placed for reaching the major points of interest – and where you wander from it is entirely up to you. Just a short walk to the north-eat sits a beautiful green house sitting before a walled garden, lit by lanterns strung from the boughs of trees, the grassy open space below – when open to the public – suitable for dancing as birds chirp from the branches. Follow the walls around the outside of this garden, and you might happen across a picnic spot or pass under fairy lights among the trees, before spying a red-roofed lighthouse sitting on a small islet and offering a place for quite cuddles.

Garden of Absentia

Walk north and west from the landing point, and you’ll pass long the base of the broad ridge forming the island’s spine to where a camp site overlooks the water, a tree platform close by. Or, if you prefer, you can turn away before reaching the camp site, and follow the hiking trail offering a way up onto the ridge itself.

This path also offers a choice of routes for the willing explorer. There’s a log-stepped climb up to the top of the ridge, where a cabin and look-out point sit, and a stone arch spans the gorge separating the ridge from another upland region to the south-west. Or, for those who prefer, a narrow ledge-like paths curls around the north-west side of the ridge to run southwards, passing over a wooden bridge spanning the gorge to reach the same, more southerly upland area. Here sits another cabin overlooking the waters below, a path nearby leading back up to the rocky arch across the gorge to complete the circular hiking route.

Garden of Absentia

This second upland area forms a ring around a shallow canyon which hides a little secret. Simply cross the covered wooden bridge westward of the landing point just beyond where another rugged path leads up to the tops of the ridge, to find out what this might be.

Travelling directly south from the landing point will bring you, by way of a pleasant little open-air café, to a lovely tiered wall garden, complete with an old cup-and-saucer merry-go-round. Alongside of this garden sits a little headland where a table is set for a tea party and a little nod towards a certain children’s tale.

It is just beyond this tiered wall garden, snuggled into the south-east corner of the region that you can find the memorial area and take the opportunity to light a candle to a loved one or friend lost to cancer, heart disease or diabetes. There is no charge for doing so, and instructions on how to have a candle placed out on the water are provided on the signs at the bridge leading to and from the memorial island.

Garden of Absentia

With the opportunity to explore two more small islands on the south side of the region from the memorial island, the chance to commemorate those we’ve loved, the freedom to explore, dance, sit, take photos and simply enjoy the time spent visiting, Garden of Absentia makes for a fulfilling visit. Should you go, do consider sharing your photos via the region’s Facebook group if you can (an odd choice, given the overwhelming popularity of Flickr), and do please consider a donation towards the continuance of the region.

SLurl Details

Garden of Absentia (Garden of Absentia, rated: moderate)

Out of the Looking Glass in Second Life

Posted on October 31, 2017January 1, 2022 by Inara Pey

*Out of the Looking Glass into the Madness*

Featuring six levels to descend through, and presenting a community take on Lewis Carroll’s classic tales, Out of the Looking into the Madness offers visitors to The Dirty Grind Independent Artist Community the opportunity to join Alice on her adventures, which comes with a twist of Halloween about it.

The journey starts up in the sky on an autumnal platform. A path indicated by a hand-written sign points the way towards a sloped bridge formed by a book open at the illustration of a certain tea party. The bridge leads to a neighbouring platform. Here the adventure proper starts, with and invitation to jump down the proverbial rabbit hole.

Doing so will take you into the adventure proper – but don’t expect a traditional journey through scenes from Carroll’s tales as seen through the artists participating in the build. What you will find is a more imaginative ride featuring compositions which present the spirit of the tales in a unique format.

The first destination is inside a vast vessel with chalk illustrations of Alice and more on the walls, floating chess sets, time pieces, chairs and more, presided over by the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar. A translucent path spirals downwards to a funnelled point, a sign daring you to carry on down. And this is how you progress through the various settings – by dropping down holes, or following airborne walkways, passing through various settings, most – but not all – of which offer a particular take on Carroll’s tales.

I offer the caveat because one of the levels is distinctly non-Alice in tone: a row of spooky shops sitting close to a giant tree of skulls and a horse-drawn hearse. Other twists can be found a well – such as in the Queen of Heart’s hall.

Elsewhere, you can find your way to the tea party, rich in symbolism, and eventually to a garden again celebrating the Queen of Hearts, but with another twist on the Halloween theme. Alongside of this is a separate walled garden; this offers both an imaginative route down to ground level (just follow the instructions on where to stand), and the chance to ride a hot air balloon. Should you take the former, do take the opportunity to explore The Dirty Grind if you haven’t previously done so. If you take a ride on the balloon, I do recommend your heed its warning, I’d wear this, if I were you, when it offers you a package to wear…

With art displays, live music on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, The Dirty Grind always makes for an enjoyable tarriance, and Out of the Looking Glass into the Madness offers a cleverly seasonal twist to a childhood tale, making it a more than worthwhile visit.

SLurl Details

Out of the Looking Glass into the Madness (Fender, rated; Moderate)

Cica’s Land of Owls in Second Life

Posted on October 31, 2017October 15, 2024 by Inara Pey

“Take a cart through the land of owls,” is the invitation to those arriving at Land of Owls, Cica Ghost’s installation which opened on Monday, October 30th, 2017.

The carts in question seat two, and quaintly resemble little wooden boats on cart wheels, with a parasol raised in imitation of a sail, perhaps offering a little shade for those riding them. Stationary when empty, they will start rolling over the landscape when someone sits in the “a” seat – so if you’re going to ride one with a friend, make sure you both jump into the seats together!

Cast beneath a twilight sky, this landscape is typically Cica; a mysterious mix of gently undulating, and broken up by needle like hills and copses of bamboo. Also to be found here are trees denuded for leaf and branch and little tower blocks, standing alone or in little clusters. Among the needle hills, bamboo copses and little groups of tower blocks are small expanses of tufted grass and bright, happy daisies.

It’s a whimsical setting with perhaps a hint of seasonal mystery created by the windlight. And the owls? They are to be found scattered around the setting, keeping an eye on things as they sit in the branches of the old trees, or perch atop an old wardrobe, one of a number to be found sitting out in the open. They are not the only avian locals to be found here; patrolling the south side of the island are a group of crane-like birds, also being watched from a distance by the owls.

Is there a story to be told here? Perhaps, but not all of Cica’s installations are necessarily heavy on message or meaning; they can also be as much about fun and whimsy as anything else, and that certainly seems to be the case here.

Do keep in mind that while the carts can save your feet from doing all the work, they may not carry you everywhere – so it is worth having a wander on foot as well. There are also plenty of places to sit as well – another Cica hallmark – so its worth mousing over things while exploring. All told, another enjoyable exhibition by one of may favourite SL artists.