I’ve been paying an annual visit to Lindini2 Lane’s home region and location for her store, L2 Studio, since 2012. She has always presented the region as a landscaped setting which changes with the seasons, open for people to explore and enjoy whether or not they are seeking one of her house designs.
Previously located on a homestead region, Lindini2 has now expanded to a Full region, L2 Studio & LHOOQ Gallery, and for those seeking a break from the snowy scenes of winter now appearing across the grid, it could be just the ticket. The move has given Lindini the chance to really flex her creative muscle, displaying her designs in a coastal setting, beautifully landscaped, with a demo rezzing area for her buildings high overhead.
Visitors using the main landmark arrive in the L2 Studio store in the south-east corner of the region. Just across the water from this, a set of steps lead up to a major new feature for Lindini’s land: the LHOO art gallery, currently displaying work by Jessica Belmer. To the north and west of this, the landscape becomes more rugged. Pine trees occupy rocky land cut by deep inlets, stone steps offering a way up onto their fingers, before the land falls away to a curving beach and narrow channel separating a sandy island from the rest of the landscape.
Within this setting can be found several of Lindini’s designs, set out in a manner suggestive of a small coastal community. Additional designs by Van Auster and others add to the natural feel to the setting, assisted by sheep grazing up on the craggy hills and horses wandering narrow trails, Cats can also be found here, keeping their eye on things, while a gentle, ambient soundscape completes the sense of immersion.
The landscape is designed to encourage exploration – getting from A to B sometimes isn’t as straightforward as might first appear; diversions around inlets and across beaches are required. This further adds to the feeling of this is a place, rather than a showroom, as does the way all of the houses have been carefully furnished.
Throughout the region there are places to sit – indoor and out , on the ground and in the trees – little places to discover and a lot to photograph and enjoy. If I have a quibble at all, it might be that there’s perhaps a little too much; at times my system struggled mightily with rendering.
Nevertheless, L2 Studio and LHOOQ Gallery offers a pleasing and eye-catching break from the wintry destinations we might otherwise drop into; the only wintertime concession can be found on the beach to the north-east – and even that is made of sand rather than snow 🙂 .
In 2014 I, like many other Second Life users, paid my first visit to Frisland, the region designed by Charlie Namiboo, Anna Barzane and Frislanda “Fris” Ferraris which was based on the phantom island that appeared on virtually all of the maps of the North Atlantic from the 1560s through the 1660s.
The region became an instant hit with visitors, changing its face to match the seasons, and drawing people back time and time again. So much so, that when it did finally come time to say goodbye, it was obvious many would miss it.
It seems that Charlie and Fris also found it hard to leave their beloved creation behind, because they’ve just opened up Fris’ Land. While in no any way intended to be a replica of their original vision, it nevertheless offers those of us who miss Frisland with the opportunity to recapture memories of its wintertime look.
Occupying the eastern half of a Homestead region, Fris’ Land presents a snowbound landscape in which familiar pieces from Frisland – the little church, the horses and their little barn, the deck sitting over frigid water – sit alongside barns and houses not seen with the original, offering as new setting to explore and enjoy.
From the landing point, located near a large barn offering indoor seating, complete with pot-bellied stove and fireplace to ward off the cold, visitors can wander north or south across the snow, to where either the little red church sits at the north end of the region, or to where a large timber-frame house occupies a study wooden deck on the southern side.
Along the walk to the church, visitors will pass a small deck extending out over the waters between the islands, chairs arranged alongside another pot-bellied stove, just as they did in Frisland (do, as well, keep an eye out for the little black kitten on the deck – he’ll certainly be keeping both eyes on you!). When heading south, be sure follow the stone-line track which meanders past the horses and their hay shed.
Throughout the region, there are plenty of places to sit, indoors and out, including an old greenhouse frame sitting on a small dock behind the main barn. However, when exploring, and while there are bridges leading to them, do please keep in mind the island to the west are private residences, and not open to the public.
It’s a delight to see Fris and Charlie sharing their creativity again – and my thanks to Charlie for sending the invite for us to visit. Firs’ Land will remain open for “a couple of months” – so enjoy it while you have the chance!
With the assistance of Lemonodo Oh, artists Douglas Story and Desdemona Enfield have resurrected StormEye, subtitled A Meditation on Waves for the month of December. For those unfamiliar with the piece, it first appeared in Second Life back in 2009 – the time before mesh – above the New Media Consortium campus where it proved to be a popular attraction.
An immersive, visual and aural installation, StormEye invites visitors to pretty much do just that – enter the eye of the storm, literally and metaphorically. It has been brought back to Second Life in pretty much the same condition as when first exhibited at the NMC campus seven years ago.
In order to fully experience StormEye, it is essential you enable full streaming media (not just audio – use the film camera icon). The instructions provided with the installation refer to using the latest version of QuickTime. However, as I’ve reported in these pages, QuickTime for Windows is no longer a viable option for people on that operating system – but any up-to-date Windows viewer utilising VLC (as provided by Linden Lab) or GStreamer should manage the audio and video in the installation.
StormEye release comprises two parts: an undulating red landscape built from sculpties using manufactured using mathematical data derived from Desdemona’s work using real-world data from the US Geological Survey and NASA. These have been overlaid with macro flower photographs by Douglas. Over this ruddy, almost Mars-like landscape floats a gigantic eye, optic nerve trailing behind it. constructed of around 1,000 prims with their surfaces used to display video, sits the Eye – and it is into this visitors are invited to climb.
On entering the tube of the “optic nerve”, which undulates gently in a waveform, you are surrounded by a gently changing cloudscape (if the video surfaces aren’t in motion, toggle the media (film camera) button a few times) together with the sound of brds carried on a gentle breeze. But wait a few seconds and the collective scene will change: the wind rises as the rumble of thunder can be heard and the birds fall silent. Around you the clouds move faster and darken to swirl around you as lightning catches up with the roll of thunder, accompanied by a torrential downpour across the surfaces around you. Then, almost without warning, everything changes: the storm vanishes and white clouds move across a blue sky; you are in the eye of the storm. Wait long enough, and the cycle will repeat as you pass once more through nature’s fury.
The shifting scene can be witnessed from within the tunnel of the “optic nerve” or from within the eyeball itself (both are recommended, as is watching the changing scene in Mouselook). When you wish to return to ground level, touch the semi-transparent tornado in the eyeball – and take a close look at the window pane where you’ll land. A nearby teleport spike will return you directly to the Eye if you wish to experience it again.
I first visited Luane’s World in April 2016 thanks to Owl Dragonash. A beautiful, mystical realm, home to Luane Meo’s store, it offered a serene and romantic setting for visitors.
A lot has changed since then. Winter now grips the region (although summer retains a hold over the store), and the landscape has changed with the arrival of snow – but none of the romance, beauty or mystery of the region has been lost. Rather the opposite, in fact: it has grown, spreading itself across the adjoining region of Luane’s Magical World, presenting visitors with a genuine winter wonderland to explore.
This is a landscape that is so expansive, it’s hard to know where to begin. The two regions are both linked physically and by winter’s touch (with a little exception in the case of each one: Luane’s store, and a sandy, cliff-hugging beach), but each is entirely unique, representing shared work by Luane and Kaelyn McMahon (Kaelyn Alecto). As such, they genuinely need to be experienced rather than written about.
Just across the covered bridge from the store landing point, Luane’s World offers a setting that is largely rural: a cottage overlooks a frozen pond and fenced grazing for horses, a windmill turning slowly in the breeze, a small cabin close by sitting amidst frosted beech and oak trees. Stone slabs lift their white-dusted, flat heads above the deeper snow covering the ground, inviting visitors to wander further into the region.
Those who do will find there is much to see and do, be it wandering the Gothic ruins, climbing the hill to Santa’s playground, skating on a second, larger pond or watching the world go by from the railings of the bridges that cross frozen streams. Indoors, the cottages and cabin offer warmth and respite from the cold for those who need it.
Across a shallow channel of water spanned by more of the stone slabs, and around a curve of beach, sits Luane’s Magical World. This is a more mysterious realm, where a ruined castle sits top the beach cliffs and glittering, frozen water separates the land into islands and flooded scenes. Frost clings to trees, and light flickers and twists between branches and trunks. The Polar Express sits at the water’s edge, perhaps waiting to whisk passengers off on an adventure to the North Pole, while out on the ice, unicorns frolic and now-white deer leap.
Climb up to the castle ruins and you’ll find one gate guarded by a portal and the other by a dragon. Travel far enough along the stone footpaths below the hill and you’ll either find your way back to Luane’s store or perhaps you’ll find a hidden cavern. One thing is sure: whichever route you take through Luane’s Magical World, you will find yourself enchanted by all that you find. You’ll also find plenty of places for sitting and cuddling while Romany caravans offer shelter from the cold.
This time of year always bring forth may winter-themed places to visit in Second Life, and all of them have a certain attraction. However, Luane’s worlds offer something very special with their joint seasonal setting. Be sure to add them to your list of places to see this Christmas!
“The warehouse at the back is fun,” Cube Republic told me, when passing me the landmark to La Digue du Braek last week – and it is. Sitting at the “back” of the region (in terms of how you reach it if you follow the road), it’s a veritable curiosity shop, stacked with bric-a-brac and topped by a chandeliered club house.
La Digue du Braek is the work of Serene Footman, responsible for the stark beauty of Furillen (which you can read about here and here), and his SL partner, Jade Koltai. Like that design, it is based on a physical world location, in this case the 7 kilometre long headland sitting between the English Channel and the working port area of the Dunkerque grand littoral intercommunity in Hauts-de-France.
It is on the seaward side this headland, known for the long road running along it, that visitors arrive in the region. The air is heavy with haze, and a short walk up and over the dunes is required to find the road. This brings into view the Canal de Bourbourg, which runs between the headland and the busy port, the shadowy bulk of which can be seen through the haze. The road itself sits at the foot of the dunes, running east from the maw of a tunnel before turning south to enter the port via a metal bridge. A ruined house and ageing pillbox, reminders of Dunkerque’s physical history, watch over the road.
Like the sky under which it sits, the port is grey and tired looking, colours muted by years of work, the drabness seems only relieved by the bright colours of the containers stacked in their three wall-like rows. Ships are berthed alongside the wharf, their tired engines belching oily smoke up through their funnels to add to the haze of the sky. Tall cranes stand against the skyline like giant one-legged stick figures with oddly disproportionate arms, while the rounded bulk of oil storage tanks squat around their feet.
This is a busy place – but it is also one with certain incongruities which offer interest spiked with a little intrigue. It may be a working port, but the local power substation appears to be in a state of disrepair and no longer connected to the main power grid. Further along the wharf, near the bulk of the warehouse, sit the wrecks of crashed trucks and vans, their broken and damaged remains apparently ignored; then there is the curiosity shop of the warehouse itself, complete with television eyes watching all who come and go.
But perhaps the most unusual part of the region lies close to port entrance. It is a great iron frame which rises into the sky to rival the tallest of the cranes. Metal stairways connect its multiple levels, within each of which sits at least one old mobile home or prefab. It forms a vertical trailer park, a place anyone who has read Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One will doubtless recognise.
La Digue du Braek is another atmospheric build; one rooted in the physical world but with interesting twists of the unexpected. It stands both on its own and as a companion to Furillen, and I’ve little doubt those who have enjoyed the latter will enjoy a visit here – and if you’ve not visited either La Digue du Braek or Furillen, now is the time to drop into both!
Opening at 12:00 noon SLT on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, is the last Art at the Park exhibition at Holly Kai Park.
Joining us to see out the year are Owl Dragonash, Kayly Iali, Frankx Lefavre, Kody Meyers, Bluesrocker Resident, and Caitlin Tobias, and I’m delighted to have all of them appearing at the park through until the end of December 2016. And here’s a little more about each of them.
I’m particularly delighted to see Owl Dragonash at the Park. I imply no favouritism here, but I’ve been wanting to have Owl join us ever since I took on curating the exhibition spaces at Holly Kai. But circumstances have meant it’s not worked out – until now.
Owl’s art – and her writing – are always thought-provoking, evocative, and beautifully conceived and presented. I’ve been in awe of her work for a long time, and through it, she has taught me a few things which I hope have improved my own attempts at SL photography.
For her time at Holly Kai, Owl presents a series of images which reflect both her love of places in Second Life, and her exploration of personal expression through her avatar. When not photographing, exploring or writing, Owl host art exhibitions and handles booking live music artists for Commune Utopia. More of her work can be seen on her Flickr stream.
Physical world artist Kayly Iali both presents her work in Second Life and promotes the art of other artists through her galleries. I’m particularly in her debt for introducing me to Silas Merlin and Sheba Blitz, so her appearance at Holly Kai Park is a genuine delight.
Kayly entered art in 2009, and started exhibiting in Second Life in 2010. Her pieces are expressive oil paintings which she produces in one or two sittings, allowing them to appear as fresh as her subjects. She was recently selected for entry into a major regional art competition, the Crocker/Kingsley Art Competition – and was just one of 75 selected to participate out of 1200 applicants.
I’ve admired Frankx Lefarve’s immersive 3D art environments ever since his debut appearance at the Linden Endowment for the Arts in January 2014 with Glass and Light. There is a spectacular beauty in his use of light, colour and form which is exquisite; his installations often incorporate elements which look as if they have been spun from glass and transported in-world.
Whether full region installations, such as those presented at the LEA, or smaller pieces such as those produced for the UWA or SL Birthday celebrations, Frankx never fails to stun and delight the eye. His art can also be deeply personal. With Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor for example, he explores his experiences in dealing with anxiety and depression; it’s an evocative piece, one I sought to try to capture in both words and film.
For Holly Kai Park, Frankx presents his interactive Reflections at Midnight – please follow the instructions on the board leading up to it in order to enjoy it to the fullest – and Oracle.
“Capturing the wonderful ambiance and environments created by so many talented landscapers in Second Life is my way to relax and explore my imagination,” Kody Meyers says of his photography. “Each picture depicts a story or is a reminder of an experience one can reflect upon when admiring it. As a perfectionist, I take the time necessary to capture the picture, experimenting with different angles, framing and windlights, until the perfect shot is created — the one that comes alive.”
The result is work which, whether focused on an avatar or a landscape or piece of art, never fails to captivate the eye and hold the attention – as can be seen from his Flickr stream. I’ve long admired Kody’s work at exhibitions in Second Life, and am very pleased to welcome him to Holly Kai Park.
“I’ve been involved in the arts most of my life,” Bluesrocker Resident says of himself. “Coming from a musical background, I have had a very keen appreciation of the creative process, whether it be in music, the performing arts, painting, writing or photography. Having that interest sparked my involvement in the artistic possibilities of Second Life.
“I much prefer shooting out on location in the multitude of amazing sims which populate SL than in a studio, as I feel I get much better results that way,” he continues. “Since starting seriously taking photographs in SL about two years ago, I have broadened my horizons in what wonders this virtual world has to offer. Really, the only limits are those of the imagination.”
I’ve shared a number of exhibitions with Bluesrocker, and have always been intrigued by his work. His involvement and fascination with the creative process is readily apparent in his work, which is richly diverse in content and approach. This latter point is illustrated by the selection of images he has brought to Art at the Park, and can further be seen throughout his Flickr stream.
Caitlin Tobias has always lived her Second Life to the full. A former C:si combat player, specialising in the katana, she has been and active blogger and photographer since 2012, and has gained a rightful reputation for emotive, evocative, richly layered images which not only illustrate her blog and Flickr stream, but have also graced the pages of the RFL Fantasy Faire website.
“Taking pictures in Second Life is a hobby and I do not consider myself an SL Artist,” Caitlin says modestly. I’m not sure I agree; the artistry in her work is readily apparent, and amply demonstrated in her exhibit, Come As You Are.
“I asked six good friends one simple question, would you pose with me? And the answer to their question on what to wear was: ‘Come as you are’. It is not just posing, it is about accepting friends – as they are. I have used the same pose (by Del May) for all six and the men in them are: Almost Finished (nearly.doune), Temperance Haalan (tem.haalan), Huckleberry Hax, Grabriel (gabriel4botto.resident), JC Underwood and Brad Zeurra, and I want to thank them so much for their time and patience!”
You can also try your hand at photographing yourself and a friend using the provided poses and backdrop.
My thanks to all of the above artists for participating in Art at the Park, and I hope you’ll pay them a via at Holly Kai Park between now and December 31st.
L2 Studio & LHOOQ Gallery, LHOOQ – click any image for full size
L2 Studio & LHOOQ Gallery, LHOOQ
L2 Studio & LHOOQ Gallery, LHOOQ
L2 Studio & LHOOQ Gallery, LHOOQ
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 