Category: Reviews

Niamh’s Journey of Dreams in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Niamh’s Journey of Dreams

Whilst it formally opens at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, April 19th, Niamh’s Journey of Dreams is already welcoming visitors and inviting them to explore and enjoy. The third in a series of watercolour like installations by Ceakay Ballyhoo, Niamh’s Journey of Dreams draws inspiration from further afield than her own writing, as was the case with A Watercolour Wander (reviewed here) and The Forest Beyond (reviewed here), calling upon Cybele Moon’s Tales of the Tuatha as its inspiration.

Cybele is better known in-world at Hana Hoobinoo. She is an extraordinarily gifted artist in the written word, spoken word, photography and art. Under her pen names of Cybele Moon and The Dune Mouse, she weaves marvellous stories, beautifully illustrated, while her art has been deservedly exhibited across Second Life.

Niamh’s Journey of Dreams

As such, a collaboration between Cybele and Ceakay was perhaps inevitable; both are joined by a love of art and storytelling, and Ceakay’s series of region-wide paintings-as-a-story approach to immersive art is an ideal vehicle by which Cybele’s stories and tales can be re-interpreted, presented and enjoyed.

Like her earlier installations in the series, Niamh’s Journey (if I might shorten it so), take the visitor on a journey through a landscape as a painting, the tale of Niamh’s attempts to retrieve her lost dreams gradually unfolding through the use of in-world story chapters, featuring Cybele’s own art as a background to the text (the chapters also present visitors with a note card of the text for easier reading, if required).

Niamh’s Journey of Dreams

Niamh’s Journey marks a more sophisticated approach to presenting a story than perhaps evidence previously; parcel windlights are used to change the environment (if you don’t have viewer support for parcel windlights but do have an extensive selection of windlight skies, you can use your viewer’s About Land floater to manuals change the environment with altitude), together with teleport portals to move through parts of the story, while Elwyn Lorefield provided assistance with scripting.

To say too much about the installation would be to spoil it – as with Ceakay’s earlier Wonder and Forest, this is an installation which should be experienced, rather than read about. Suffice it to say, an incredible amount of work has gone into it, and the creative spark between Cybele and Ceakay is clear throughout. At the end of the story you also have the opportunity to purchase art by Cybele and visit Ceakay’s store as well (a visit against recommended).

Niamh’s Journey of Dreams

The official opening on Wednesday, April 19th, will feature a tour of the installation, with Caledonia Skytower reading from Niamh’s tales.

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Of lepidopterans, owls, bugs and honey in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Butterfly Conservatory – click any image for full size

A little while ago now, I dropped in on the Butterfly Conservatory to grab a landmark with a view to a possible future blog post – and then promptly let it slip from my mind after filing it. Fortunately for me, there’s the weekly Destination Highlights, and the April 14th edition served as an aide-memoire, prompting me to suggested to Caitlyn we hop over and have a look around.

The work of Ry Heslop and Kacey Heslop (Kacey Delicioso), the Butterfly Conservatory occupies one half of a sky platform above their full region home, where it is located within a delightful garden suited to a range of viewer-side windlights.

Butterfly Conservatory

From the landing point visitors can follow the footpaths around the garden, either going directly to the conservatory, or taking a more extended walk among the trees and flowers. Along the way they can learn about owls, discover some of Ry Heslop’s photography (offered for sale), find places to sit and enjoy the setting, visit a behind glass collections of bugs and delve into the world of bees and honey.

The gardens are nicely laid out, the meandering path giving a feeling of size beyond that of the space it occupies, with the various points of interest well spaced out along it. The latter helps prevent any feeling of having a wall of information thrown at you every few metres.The display of creepy-crawlies is nicely presented, each of the bugs in its own case; the models are understandably oversized so thy can be studied more easily. The bee display is also nicely laid out, with hives and flowers and bees industriously buzzing around.

Butterfly Conservatory

Throughout all of this, little groups of butterflies can be found, circling plants and reminding us of the central theme of the gardens. The conservatory itself challenges visitors to find various families of butterfly among the plants within its walls. There are also information boards detailing the life cycle, anatomy and diet of the butterfly – although it would be nice to perhaps see a little more information on the individual families of butterfly represented.

A couple of other minor niggles also occurred. While having in-world display boards maintains a feeling of immersion, some might find them difficult to read. So providing an option for people to gain the info via note card might not go amiss. Also, while we’re warned that bees are endangered / critical to human life and challenged to help save them, we’re not told why (they are responsible for pollinating 70 of the 100 top crop species that feed 90% of the world) or how, thus the warning and challenge are diminished somewhat.

Butterfly Conservatory

Even so, the Butterfly Conservatory makes for an enjoyable and informative visit. It presents a nicely relaxed environment  with plenty to see and appreciate. So, if you’re looking for something just that little bit different to visit and explore, we can recommend a visit.

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Switch on the Lights at DixMix in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
DixMix Gallery: Switch on the Lights

Now open at DixMix Gallery is an ensemble presentation of art entitled Switch on the Lights, which appears to be wither sponsored by, or a co-presentation with, LUMIPro, the commercial photography  lighting system, and the first to use projection prim capabilities.

So far as I can tell, the participating artists are  Jr Feiri, Reneesme Portland, xxstanislasxx resident, Kimma, Cyrece Delicioso, Angi Manners, DixMix Source,  Trixie Pinelli, Toxic Valentine, Sedona Silverpath, Peep Sideshow Darkward, Tazara Bailey, Kira Ragged, Scarlett Rhea, Ornella Batriani, Space Hurricane, Ilke Huygens, Freekency Banx, Wiwi Swot, Marleine Magic, Kevin De’Cypher,  Bettina, Ember Wulluf, Calypso Keng, Fleur Imagines SL, U.Sabra, Sedona Silverpath and Abi Latzo.

DixMix Gallery: Switch on the Lights

As one might expect with LUMIPro’s involvement, the majority of the pieces in the exhibition are avatar studies. However, if I sound a little uncertain about this display, it’s because the information relating to it is less than forthcoming. The invitation I received contained only the Gallery’s landmark and a note card advertising LUMIPro. There is a similar dearth of information actually at the gallery as well. Thus I had to resort to editing each image to grab the artist’s name. Not ideal when reviewing.

There are other minor annoyances as well. The exhibition is referred to as “selected photographies” – but how were they selected and what role did LUMIPro play in it? Given some artists appear to have only one piece submitted, others 2 or 3, what criteria were employed in the selection process? Did some artists only submit the one piece, and other several? Were submissions adjudicated? If so, how? And so on.

DixMix Gallery: Switch on the Lights

These may sound like minor niggles, but having this information to hand can add depth to an exhibit, whether or not you are reviewing it; and it’s not as if providing background notes is a particularly difficult task. As it is, the lack of available information does diminish the exhibition somewhat.

Which is a shame, as this is a striking exhibition. I was particularly drawn to the wall-sized format images, such as Crisis by U Sabra, and Marita Karu pileup by Jr Feiri (above) – which I found utterly mesmerizing. The range of styles and subject presented (colour, monochrome, individual, couples; indoor, outdoor, nude, dressed, etc), is equally eye-catching, drawing one into the exhibition. Given this, it is possible to look past the niggles and appreciate the exhibition as very much worth viewing.

DixMix Gallery: Switch on the Lights

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A different Saint Tropez in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Incredible 4 – click any image for full size

Hear or read the words “Saint-Tropez”, and the chances are your thoughts will turn to the French Riviera, blue Mediterranean waters, yachts and sun-kissed bodies. While there is a beach at Saint Tropez in Second Life, it’s probably not the kind you’re going to want to spend time visiting for a spot of sunbathing; nor is the boat lying next to it the kind of vessel which adds sleek lines and glittering decks to the scene.

Here, however, is something entirely different. A region with a very coastal feel to it as well it is a life style away from its physical world namesake. While it may have a little beach of its own, this is no Mediterranean playground with gleaming yachts and golden sands promising sun-bronzed looks. Which is not to say it is any the less interesting to visit. Rather the reverse: Siant Tropez has a defined look and feel of its own which make it an interesting curio to visit.

The Incredible 4

The work of Sugar (Sugar Planer) and Lea (Lea Pienaar), together with Lindus Lyne, the region operates under the name of The Incredible 4, presumably on account of it being divided into four quarters, all of which flow together to give a feeling they are all part of the same stretch of coastline somewhere in the world. There is no set landing point; any visit via map or search will drop you pretty centrally in the region, so where you wander is pretty much up to you.

To the south-east sits Crossroads Bar, operated by Lindus Lynes. It’s the only part of the region sitting under its own parcel-based windlight setting, which casts in under a darkening twilight sky. A home for blues, blue rock, southern rock and rock, the bar offers both indoor and outdoor music venues. One of the latter sits just across the road, while the other is located a little further away, in the south-east corner of the region, which it shares with outdoor cuddle spots reached via an old wooden bridge.

The Incredible 4

Running across the northern side of the region, and reached via either a winding paved road or a dirt track (I recommend the latter when exploring the region for the first time), is a more urbanised area, albeit own of distinctly two halves. The the east is little town centre well past its prime, but attempting to put a brave face on things. Two gay little shops smile brightly at visitors along one of the streets, while along another houses with a distinctly Mediterranean look offer splashes of colour with their tiled roofs and blooming windows boxes. Even so, it’s hard not escape the feeling this is a place well past its prime – as testified by the row of empty houses to the north, and the uninspired bulk of old apartment houses to the south.

West of this thing become more open, the buildings seemingly fresher.  Two large town houses stand here, together with a little row of apparently thriving businesses. A great steam loco sits in a siding, looking like a local attraction designed to entice those passing through to stop and explore, rather than being a working engine. But even here, the signs of time passing cannot be entire ignored. Roads are closed, the beach is looking grubby – something not helped by the carcass of an old fishing boat lying half-sunken nearby.

The Incredible 4

Through all of this, the main road of the region winds, drawing everything together into a continuous whole. And you follow it around and through the region, the feeling is not so much of simply going in a circle around a square region, but you’re travelling along a stretch of coastline.

And just like a journey through and unknown land, The Incredible 4 offers a slice of the surprising. Follow the road back towards the Crossroads Bar and then turn right onto a woodland path before you get to the bar itself, and you be led to a little slice of Scandinavia. Here, on a rugged corner of coastline sit two houses, screened from the rest of the region by trees and rocky outcrops, the area comes as a rural retreat from the more urban feel of the rest, and coming across it is like arriving at the unexpected while on a long road-trip.

The Incredible 4

And this is the defining beauty of The Incredible 4 / Saint Tropez. Yes, a large part of the region might sound run-down and a little dreary, but it actually has a genuine beauty of its own. The meandering road, the footpaths and trails all serve to bring the various aspects of the region together as a living whole. It makes for an intriguing exploration, particularly given the various opportunities for back-story narrative which present themselves (just what is the town house in the north-west corner of the region all about?). As such, you might well be pleasantly surprised by a visit, as Caitlyn and I were.

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The Endless in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Endless

The Endless is the title of an ensemble exhibition of art curated by Angelika Corral and Sheldon B as a part of their DaphneArt presentations. It features works by Ariel Brearley, Awesome Fallen, Kiki, Maloe Vansant, Nevereux, Paola Mills and Whiskey Monday, and it is a display where the art space itself might be considered as much a part of the exhibition as the images and pieces themselves.

Located high above ground, the exhibition space a place of geometries and reflections. A large grid forms the main platform crossed – literally – by two footpaths. At one end of this grid is a tiered seating area, split along one axis to presented a mirrored arrangement. Facing this, at the far end of the grid, sits a black hemisphere. set between the two are four cubes and two pyramids, neatly arrayed in two sets of three – again as if reflecting one another – either side of the path running from the seating area to the hemisphere. All of these elements  – seating, cubes, pyramids and hemisphere are additionally “reflected” by copies beneath the grid, mirroring their placement.

The Endless: Paola Mills

I’m not entirely clear on the significance of this arrangement beyond the idea that when placed correctly, two mirrors can give a sense of infinity through their endless reflections of one another, which might appear to echo the title of the exhibit. However, what I can say is, the design – by Sheldon B – is highly effective and eye-catching.

The work of the seven invited artists can be found within the various cubes, pyramids and hemisphere, which alternate in exterior finish between whites and black. Each artist presents at least one work, with not offering more than three. These again continue to mirrored them – each piece seemingly “reflected” in the floor of its display space.

The Endless: Awesome Fallen

The themes for the pieces are varied in style and tone. Again, I’m unclear as to the central theme (if there is one) – the DaphneArts website was down at the times of my visits, and the invitation I received to visit the exhibition was sans curator’s notes. Suffice it to say, there is a certain edge to all the pieces, be it sensuous, thought-provoking, nudity or a discomfiting reminder or two of out own mortality.

Certainly, each display is eye-catching, evocative (or provocative), emotive and variously attractive.  However – and for once – I’ll leave it to you to visit The Endless for yourself and discern your own understanding of the pieces and the exhibition as a whole. Which should not be taken to mean I’m being dismissive of it in any way. Rather, this is an ensemble of work and setting which deserves direct viewing and interpretation, rather than being filtered by my thoughts.

The Endless: Nevereux

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The Endless (Isle of Seduction, rated: Adult)

Dathúil: Lulu Jameson’s magic in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Lulu Jameson – Dathúil Gallery

Sunday, April 9th saw the opening of an exhibition of Lulu Jameson’s photography at Dathúil Gallery, curated and operated by Max Butoh and Lυcy (LucyDiam0nd). Apparently untitled, it offers just under 30 pieces of Lulu’s work bound together with a quote from Roald Dahl:

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.

Lulu Jameson – Dathúil Gallery

The quote very much sets the tone for the pieces on offer. While the majority might appear to be avatar studies (one or two of which touch upon the NSFW boundary), the majority of them actually offer much more than this – although a careful eye – and a willing ear – is required to fully appreciate all that each image might have to say.

These are pieces which each tell a story – that’s guaranteed to get my attention, given my love of narrative. However, each story is in two distinct parts. The first comes when looking at it on your own. Each piece demonstrates an extraordinary use of tone, colour, depth of field, perspective, angle, and so on, in various combinations to make each piece harness our attention. Then within each of them is the story itself, conveyed through the emotions we see and sense:  love or loneliness; wonder, joy or sharing; regret, loss, contemplation or reflection; desire or passion.

Lulu Jameson – Dathúil Gallery

It’s an evolving narrative; one which grows as we take in more of the detail, focusing down while at the same time considering the whole. These are pictures that feel alive, as if responding to our appreciation.

The second part of the narrative comes from the artist as he directs our thoughts in examining his work. It is achieved in on or two ways, depending on the picture. The first and most obvious, common to all the pieces, is the name. Carefully chosen, the title of each paces draws our response in a certain direction. The second – and only present with some of the pieces – is through an audio link in the form of a volume button, which takes us to a song or poem on YouTube. Some of these reinforce initial impressions gained directly or through considering the title of an image, other carry our response and thoughts in an entirely new direction, encouraging a reconsideration of the picture and the story it may want to tell.

Lulu Jameson – Dathúil Gallery

This is a truly fascinating and magical exhibition. Lucy and Max have never really missed a beat with the exhibitions at Dathúil.  However, Lulu has provided something very special with this one; the mix of visual and aural art is perfect. And if you have an eye for detail – keep a look out for Lulu’s cat in the gallery 🙂 .

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