I was alerted to the re-opening of the University of Texas, San Antonio ArtSpace gallery by Bryn Oh. This marks the first new exhibition within the gallery in a new of years. It marks a reconnection of the university’s virtual presence with Second Life arts, which has been spearheaded by curator Constructivist Solo, with the very able support of Igor Ballyhoo and Rebecca Bashly.
Together with Bryn, Rebecca and Igor are three out of the five artists who will be exhibiting at the facility through until the end of July, the remaining two artists being Eupalinos Ugajin and Ini Inaka. In addition, works by Artée (Artistide Despres), Sasun Steinbeck and Afrika Burton can be found with additional piece by Igor and Rebecca within the broader region.
UTSA ArtSpace – Bryn Oh under preferred lighting (see the notes alongside the exhibit in the ArtSpace
The new ArtSpace gallery complex is designed by Igor, towering over the tropical reaches of the region and supplies an appreciable amount of exhibition space. Just outside of it, and dominating the region, is a massive (and still under construction) DNA model, part of a long-term project for the region. Linked to this are a number of platforms bearing further art exhibits and facilities, most of which can be reached via a map-based teleport system.
The region is described by Constructivist Solo as a “virtual exploration of interdisciplinary and culturally situated STEM education.” However, with the integration of visual and physical art into the region, it is fair to say it embraces STEAM, a movement to place equal emphasis on the Arts as on the traditional STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, correctly seeing all of the arts as a vital element within education, learning, development and innovation.
Newly opened as of Saturday, June 4th, is Gates of Melancholy, the latest regions design by photographer shelly70, and a further piece in her Gates series (see my article on Gates of Memories for a sample of her work cloaked in winter). And like her previous designs, Gates of Melancholy is a visual feast.
“This sim which is based on and inspired from the life and work of the famous American painter Andrew Wyeth,” Shelly says of the design, “is created to emulate and elicit the feel in [his] watercolour paintings.”
A realist painter, Wyeth (July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) predominantly focused on his local landscape and the people within it, presenting America and the world with a grim, flinty, and often starchily sentimental view of New England. His was a world of empty beaches, windswept, desiccated fields, wooden buildings grey with age, their frames like brittle parchment, and locals with faces as craggy as many a coastal cliff, couple with evocative studies of families and friends. There is, as Shelly states in her introductory notes, a stark nostalgia and melancholy evident in his work, and she has striven to recreate that feeling with the look and feel of the region.
This is a rugged, coastal landscape from which wood-framed outbuildings and chapels rise, wood parched and faded under the unrelenting influence of coastal weather, and where the farmhouses carry a careworn look. The lands around them is a mix of open fields, craggy scarps and rises, where the trees are often bent and crooked as with great age, shapes borne of long years resisting the prevailing winds. The grass is mostly short and tufted, often with the bald, rocky land beneath it showing through here and there before the land abrupt falls way by scarp or cliff. Over all of this, an ochre sun hands in an ochre sky, casting the landscape into a sombre twilight.
It is, quite simply, breath-taking – although I admittedly opted for an alternative Windlight when capturing the images shown here; there is so much that is evocative of Wyeth’s work. Two examples of this came to me in the form of a view up a grassy slope towards distance farm buildings which immediately suggested Christina’s World, albeit without the central character, whilst a rowing boat draw up onto the grass immediately put me in mind of Teel’s Island, Maine.
Nor is this any empty landscape – there are signs of life everywhere, within the barns, in the houses, and outside under the awnings of little market-like stalls, all offering views and scenes ready to capture the eye and camera. Many of the the building offer the opportunity to sit and snuggle or chat, adding to the desire to visit and tarry.
Complemented by an audio stream Shelly has taken pains to put together, as well as ambient local sounds, Gates of Melancholy, like Wyeth’s paintings, is not something simply to be seen; it is a place to be experienced and savoured for all of its stark beauty and realism. It is a place, I’ve little doubt, that were his spirit ever to visit, it would recognise and approve.
Just over the water from her Snuggles brand stores in Second Life, Teagan Parnas has created a little park open to the public to enjoy. Snuggles Forest, occupying a Homestead region, offers the chance for visitors to roam an undulating landscape and dance, sit, share time on the beaches, explore and – as them name might suggest – snuggle.
“Forest” is perhaps too broad a term for the region – there are trees for sure, but these are more woodland in nature and placement, rather than “forest”. So there is no need to fear you’ll be fighting through undergrowth and struggling to see things; the paths are all well-marked, and the sunshine falls as much on open spaces as it does on leafy canopies.
For those wishing to get to places quickly, the landing point offers a TP board – but setting out on shank’s pony is by far the best option. From the landing point on the north side of the region, visitors can head east or west to the Sunrise or Sunset Beach, or head inland and up the central hills, where there are places to sit or enjoy yoga.
The paths themselves lead right around the island, so whether you head east or west, you’ll find your way to most points, and there are plenty of diversions along the way, including the odd curio or two – such as the rock house nestled between the hunched shoulders of the humpbacked hills. There’s even a Norman church sitting in one corner of the region which, in a bit of a Las Vegas twist, offers automated weddings, complete with personalised certificates, for those who want the efficiency of a DIY ceremony!
For those seeking a place to wander for a while, with lots of little open and secluded places to sit, snuggle and / or dance, Snuggles Forest offers a pleasing location for exploration and relaxation, and a fair few points for photography.
Mourningstaris described as “An exploration of the ideas of the fallen angel, the vengeful god, and the diverse perceptions of Lucifer in various religious and social traditions. A virtual pilgrimage, proposing an alternate mythology…”
An immersive installation by Anahera (Fox Nacht), Mourningstar is in three parts – theological, Romantic and (for want of a better term) “present day”. Literary, theological and practical references are to be found throughout, making for an interactive piece. On arrival, do take a moment to read the notes on how best to full appreciate the installation.
The pilgrimage starts in the theological: a heavenly walk towards the upraised hand of God, culminating with a quote of Isaiah 14:12: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! And thus we, too are cast down to the ground, landing amidst a litter of broken angel wings within a ruined landscape – a reminder that around a third of the heavenly hosts fell with Satan – within a landscape.
Through this grey engraving of a landscape lie a series of paths marked by arches. One continues the theological theme, taking us to the Tree of Knowledge. But here, as with the celestial hand above, a question mark is thrown over God’s role in things. In the heavens, the hand of God has strings attached to fingers and thumb, suggestive of a puppet master, while at the Tree of Knowledge, we are asked to ponder What sort of father would deny his children knowledge?
The remaining paths through the landscape encompass the great 19th Century Romantic era of poetry, encompassing an extract from Alfred de Vigny’s 1824 tripartite poem, Éloa, ou La sœur des anges (Éloa, or the Sister of the Angels), which offers Satan as capable of love, but unable to deny his own twisted nature, thus drawing the one who loves him – an innocent young angel – Éloa, down into hell.
Also to be found here are images of the great English Language Romantics – Blake, Bryon, Coleridge, and Mary and Percy Shelley. According to Ruben Van Luijk, writing in Children of Lucifer: Origins of Modern Religious Satanism, these Romantics were spurred on by Milton’sParadise Lost to see Satan as the ultimate rebellious hero, a champion of individual freedoms in an age of increasing political and social constraint.
One final path remains, one perhaps not so easily seen. It lies to one side of the reading area where visitors can delve into the writings of Blake, Byron and Milton. It leads to a pair of ram’s horns planted in the ground – their meaning clear enough – together with the definitions of “Belief” and “Faith”. A teleport disk before these provides the way to an examination of modern Satanism, with an introduction by Professor Darren Oldridge, and which sharply contrasts with the view of the Romantics.
I’m not so sure Mourningstar is an “alternate mythology” so much as a visual immersion into the theological, philosophical, Romantic and modern interpretations of Satan’s influence on people’s thinking and actions; one which also takes a short, sharp poke at the Christian view of a benevolent God in the process. Wisely, no attempt is made by the artist to direct or lead our thinking. Instead, we are encouraged to explore, examine, consider, and determine for ourselves.
Mourningstar will remain open through until the end of June.
In November 2014 I wrote about a Mainland location called The Back 40, designed by Dicky (Dick Spad). At the time, I was enchanted by that discovery; so you can imagine my absolute delight in discovering Dicky has a full region as well, also open to the public (aside from the corner where he has his private residence).
Countryside is every bit as enchanting as The Back 40, offering a fabulous outdoors environment which can be enjoyed through solo exploration or – more ideally – in the company of a friend / someone close to you.
Surrounded by a rolling landscape created by the use of region surrounds, it’s hard to tell where the region ends and “beyond” begins, which helps give this region a feeling of being far bigger than the 256 metres on a side we’re allowed. Largely flat, the land is naturally divided into a series of areas by the river flowing through the region and the use of broad greenswards, very strongly suggestive of fire breaks to be found in heavy areas prone to forest fires.
From the landing point in the south-east corner of the region, one can strike out north or west, the greenswards offering a choice of routes through the groupings of trees. Head north, and you’ll pass woods and meadow, a fire watch tower and reach grasslands stretching up to the river, on the other side of which sits Dicky’s private residence.
Head west from the landing point and you’ll again come to the head of the river: a large pool of water fed by a waterfall, where bears fish and beavers are constructing a lodge. Cross the river via with little wooden bridge, and the landscape gradually changes, edging away from the open wilds to a more rural environment with neatly laid crops, fenced fields and meadows, and a small farm fed by a dirt track, the sidings of a railway spur close by.
It is, in a word, quite beautiful. And that’s really just the start; it’s possible to wander for what seems miles around the region and still come across something new – be it more wildlife, another little snuggle place or a further vantage point ideal for photographs. Do keep an eye out for Morgan Garret’s marvellous little birds, which I also blogged about far back in the mists of time – or December 2013, to be exact. We have a number of them scattered around the island home, and they really are quite fantastic and life-like.
Back in November 2014 I noted how Dicky’s work at The Back 40 demonstrates you don’t necessarily need a full-sized regions to create something memorable. With Countryside, it is fair to say that Dicky shows us just what can be done when you do have a full-sized region at your disposal, and are prepared to put the time into developing it and its surroundings.
I’ve visited many regions over the years I’ve been exploring Second Life, and all of them have been fabulous in their own unique ways; but I don’t think I’ve been to a region that is quite so natural-looking and well-blended as Countryside.
Very highly recommended – and you can still visit The Back 40 as well!
Officially opening at noon SLT on Sunday May 29th is a new ensemble exhibition at DaphneArts, curated by Angelika Corral and SheldonBR – a gallery which is fast becoming the venue for ensemble themed exhibitions by leading artists from across Second Life.
The title for the exhibit is Surrealism, and it features pieces by Awesome Fallen, Catarina Carneiro de Sousa (CapCat Ragu), Kato Salyut, Kimeu Kamolla, Loé, Meiló Minotaur, Miles Cantelou, Owen Landar, Sina Souza, Skye Nefekalum (Azram Belwraith), Thea Maiman, and Yoon, with Theda Tammas providing a sculpture.
As with Imagine, which I reviewed earlier in May, each of the artists has been asked to submit a piece on the theme selected by Angelika and Sheldon, and the result is once again a series of images which are as rich in diversity as they are in content.
As the name of the exhibit suggests, the theme is that of Surrealism, an art and philosophical / metaphysical movement which started in the first decades of the 20th Century with the aim of resolving “the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality”. Embracing many branches of the arts – painting, sculpture, music, theatre, film, literature – it is most often marked by the use of juxtaposition and non-sequitur elements and ideas. Within the visual medium, this can result in the most startling, attractive and thought-provoking pieces of art, and this is very much the case with the pieces presented at DaphneArts, making it a fertile ground for an introduction to, or appreciation of, surrealist art.
“Sheldon and I have always admired the imaginative works of these photographers,” she told me as she and Sheldon gracious allowed me to preview the exhibition ahead of the opening. “They create new worlds using only their imagination and they make us dream with them. This is what we liked and thought that it would be wonderful to invite people here to share this dream together.”
Viewing the pieces on display, I was struck by the notion that given the aim of surrealism is to “resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality”, this exhibition is perhaps a reflective microcosm of Second Life’s macrocosm. After all, Second Life is a place which can very much act as a unifying influence between our dreams and reality.
This is another outstanding exhibition brought together by Angelika and Sheldon, one that definitely should not be missed. As noted above, the formal opening will take place at noon SLT on Sunday, May 29th. However, the gallery is already open for visitors, and the exhibition will run through to late June.
