Category: Reviews

Winter at The Trace Too in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Trace too; Inara Pey, December 2015, on Flickr The Trace Too (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Seasons change at The Trace Too – it’s one of the elements which keep Kylie Jaxxon’s homestead region so fresh and appealing, causing many of us to return there again and again through the year. This Christmas / New Year season is no different, and visitors dropping into the homestead region will find it snuggled under a blanket of snow, the surrounding mountains a salt and pepper mix of snowy folds and exposed rock.

While the rural look and feel to the region which came with the autumn season remains, the landscape and buildings scattered across it have changed somewhat. The landing point offers a choice of snowy paths to follow; which you take is entirely up to you. Closest to the landing point sits a row of cottages and houses, a short distance from the local church.

The Trace too; Inara Pey, December 2015, on Flickr The Trace Too (Flickr)

The houses lead the way to a stone bridge, deer foraging in the woods nearby as the path arches over the stonework of the bridge, crossing a frozen stream to turn back eastwards, taking the visitor to a beautiful appointed wood framed house. Further to the north sits a frozen lake with a little chalet on the shore, while to the north-east sits a cosy little group of shops offering more shelter from the cold.

Everywhere the show lies crisp and deep – if not necessarily even, having drifted into mounds here and there as more falls from a sky tinged with grey cloud. The snow has piled high on rooftops as well, and hugs an A-frame house in its grasp, making a particularly picturesque setting among the fir trees to the east of the region.

The Trace too; Inara Pey, December 2015, on Flickr The Trace Too (Flickr)

Kylie always makes great use of space within her region designs, and this winter offering is no exception. Houses, shops and cabins are positioned so that one can enjoy a good walk whilst exploring and gain the impression the region is bigger than expected. Options to simply sit and enjoy the landscape can also be found scattered around.

For those looking for a wintry location to enjoy that’s not crowded-out with bits and bobs, or who want to grab some more scenic and seasonal photographs, The Trace Too is a perfect destination.

The Trace too; Inara Pey, December 2015, on Flickr The Trace Too (Flickr)

SLurl Details

Cica’s Roots in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Roots - Cica Ghost
Roots – Cica Ghost

Sunday, December 27th saw the opening of Cica Ghost’s latest installation Roots. Like all of her installations, it is a beautifully fascinating piece; one which clearly draws on some of her earlier pieces, offering a new interpretation of them while at the same time presenting something that is both captivating and tinged with a soulfulness that is quite moving.

The clearest inspiration for the installation is Cica’s marvellous Little Village from March 2014. The little houses, clinging to their little hills, paths running around and between them, are all here; but something is very different. The gay colours have faded, the paths are in places broken, frameless windows stare sightless across a darkening landscape, while doorways sit slack-jawed  without doors,

Roots - Cica Ghost
Roots – Cica Ghost

Cica tells us, “The people have gone… the village remains, and time and nature now live here …” and so it is. Roots rise up from the ground and spring from gaunt trees, passing through empty windows to rise through roofs, while trees sprout new growth where once chimneys puffs the comforting smoke from fireplaces, and the fences alongside the paths broken and bent.

Sitting under s sombre sky, the little village slowly surrenders itself to nature, quietly decaying and fading. Even the bright flowers have been mostly replaced by poppies, the flower so often associated with sacrifice and death. However, this shouldn’t be taken to mean all is dark and foreboding here.

Roots - Cica Ghost
Roots – Cica Ghost

There is a melancholy beauty within Roots which has to be seen to be appreciated. There is something also Burton-esque in its construction that tugs at the heart; walking through the village, it is hard not to be captivated and enthralled. And when you do, you’ll come across other touches echoing Cica’s earlier works. A face peeking around the window of one house hints at Strings, while a strong echo of Dreamers can be found in the form of sculpted heads; a suggestion that what we are seeing is but a dream, or simply decorative pieces left with the rest of the village?

Should you wish, you can also take the air, balloons float, hover, drift and bob their way around the village, and you can hop a ride on them. Whether you float via balloon, walk (or do both), do be sure to have the audio stream on as well; the music does much to complement the installation, helping to enhance one’s feelings and response to the build.

Roots - Cica Ghost
Roots – Cica Ghost

I make no secret of my admiration for Cica’s work; her imagery, her use of motifs, her presentation and the joy she brings to her art always captivates me. At the same time, she can often challenge our thinking or our perceptions as she tells a story through her work.

Roots is another wonderful piece, and one not to be missed. It’s also one I made sure I made time to film, having missed the opportunity with Prison and Strings.

SLurl Details

  • Roots (Rated: Moderate)

Words, images, music: a story speaks in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Coma: I Can't Speak!
Coma: I Can’t Speak!

Coma: I Can’t Speak!, is a collaborative installation now open at the Black Label Exhibitions Corner. Conceived and produced by Storie’S Helendale (GlitterPrincess Destiny) with the support of Kristine Blackladder, AnnaFrancesca, Monique Helendale and models  Fritz Citron, Aleks Piers and  Terrygold, coma: I Can’t Speak! uses images and a poem, read out over the audio stream, to convey a story.

The arrival point offers instructions on how to enjoy the exhibition to the fullest. first among these is the suggestion you run the viewer with the graphics quality slider set to Ultra; however, I’d respectfully suggest that it’s more important that you are able to have ALM enabled, and Shadows set to Sun/Moon + Projectors, so I’d suggest adjusting your viewer to whatever settings work best for you to achieve the latter (including cutting back on the draw distance, if this further helps with frame rates). Do make sure you enable the audio stream as well, this is an essential part of the piece.

Coma: I Can't Speak!
Coma: I Can’t Speak!

Once you’re set, step through the scrolling image to enter the installation proper – preferably during the break between playbacks of the music. This will allow you time to collect a copy of the poem from jut inside the entrance.

The poem is read by Storie’S Helendale over a soulful, piano / cello piece, the story unfolding in images around the walls, running from the left as you enter. The images are beautifully presented; muted tones set against a black background, projected lighting framing them perfectly.

Coma: I Can't Speak!
Coma: I Can’t Speak!

To fully appreciate both poem and images, they must be taken together; their relationship entirely symbiotic, flowing and intertwined, emotional resonance ebbing and flowing between them and, ultimately, surrounding the observer.

And what is the story being told? That is something I’m not about to reveal; spoilers never sit well. All I will say is that the story here – to me at least – is layered, and you might find your interpretation flexing and changing as the poem unfolds and you move from image to image, or as you examine the images sans words while the music plays on, or again while the poem is again read. Love, loss, hope, regret, fear, longing, all seem to be threads of narrative waiting for the listener / observer to catch.

Coma-3_001
Coma: I Can’t Speak!

And I do recommend remaining to hear the poem at least twice, and taking the time to appreciate the images whilst just the music is playing. You might be surprised at how your interpretation might reshape itself as you follow the various threads of narrative.

I’m not sure how long Coma: I Can’t Speak! will run, although it only opened on December 23rd, 2015, so I would anticipate it being available for a while. And I most certainly do recommend it for viewing.

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Winter at Asalia House in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Asalia House; Inara Pey, December 2015, on FlickrAsalia House (Flickr) – click any image for full size

It’s been two years since my first visit to Asalia House, the homestead region primarily designed by Ryu  and Kyo Asalia. As two years is a very long time in Second Life, I was intrigued to see the region to still be in place, and headed over to take a look at what may have changed in the intervening time.

Back in 2013, the region was split into three islands, all of which offered something of a tropical look and feel. This island theme remains, but it is now very different – which is not to say any of the photogenic quality of the region has been lost. Not  at all.

Asalia House; Inara Pey, December 2015, on FlickrAsalia House (Flickr)

The largest of the three island is a rocky affair, caught in the midst of winter; snow falls from above, covering the landscape in a growing white blanket. A road snakes along the north side of the island, although it doesn’t really go anywhere; at one end it faces the frigid waters of the sea, at the other, a set of steps bar further comfortable progress were you to be driving. It does, however provide a dramatic view out over the misty waters to the single finger of a lighthouse rising to the north-east.

Above the road, sitting on a flat plateau of rock into which a stepped path has been lain to provide access, sit two wood-panelled cabins, their tin roofs rusting slowly. A sign outside suggests these might be a motel – but it is deceptive, and merely part of the bric-a-brac to be found without and within the cabins.

Asalia House; Inara Pey, December 2015, on FlickrAsalia House (Flickr)

There are not the only buildings on the island, further along the road sits a small studio cabin, whilst set over the cold sea, and reached by passing under a natural arch of rock from the road, sits a studio converted from an old shipping container.

Don’t let the apparent simplicity of the island fool you, however. There is much to be found, including motifs which help give it the feeling of being a place – such as the stone arches standing guard on either side of a small stone bridge, and at the edge of the snow-covered field standing beyond the bridge. These suggest this island was once the location for a much older building or buildings; a feeling increased by the ruin sitting just off the coats, and the old stone walls to be found alongside the road, and which form the outline of a structure next to one of the arches.

Asalia House; Inara Pey, December 2015, on FlickrAsalia House (Flickr) – click any image for full size

After exploring the main island, should you find yourself feeling a little cold, look to the north-west and you might see a faint glow. This marks the location of a smaller, marshy isle, free from snow and the cold, where you can sit on a crescent moon and watch the world turn around you.

In introducing me to Asalia House in 2013, Eddie Haskill described it as “magical”. He wasn’t wrong then, and that description still applies today. It’s most certainly not a place to be missed by the discerning SL traveller.

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Lab offers a review of their Second Life year

Posted on by Inara Pey

The end of the year always brings with it reviews of what’s happened during the unfolding 12 months. Some can be lengthy (*coughs at her own 3-part series of late), others brief.

The Lab is no exception to the rule, and in Second Life 2015 Mix – A Greatest Hits Compilation, they offer a thumbnail sketch of some of the more positive developments and events within SL which have marked the year.

Starting with the Project Bento announcement (a project I’ve been able to observe and will be bringing more background on in the future as well as tracking developments through regular project updates), the post provides a grab bag of technical changes to the platform.

These include the arrival of the Viewer-Managed Marketplace, which had its initial main grid beta launch back in April, following a long lead-in over 2014 / early 2015,  with full migration starting in July, in one of the more successful Marketplace updates Second Life has seen. Also getting a mention are the arrival of Chromium Embedded Framework, through the CEF viewer, the notifications updates, and Hover Height, both of which were viewer updates suggested by users. Mention is also made of the 28 simulator updates made through the year,

Away from the technical updates, The blog post refers to the new “Classic” starter avatars, which were introduced in November.

PaleoQuest; Inara Pey, July 2015, on FlickrPaleoQuest, the Lab’s dino-ish adventure game gets a mention in the official look back at the year, which i admit to rather enjoying

2015 saw a change in Premium membership perks, as they gradually turned away from the usual (and often basic) gifts and more towards more practical offerings, as the Lab’s blog post mentions. These have included things like the increase in the group membership allowance, and the removal of VAT on membership fees, which gave rise to speculation on what was going on to allow it.

Also getting a mention are the recent changes in land set-up and transfer fees, although how effective this will be is perhaps debatable, as I commented at the time, and also – with regards to grandfathered fees, seemed to have a slight edge of giving with one hand, taking back with the other.

Ending with a look at the Lab’s on-going engagement with the community through in-world meet-ups and other events, and giving a mention to forthcoming capabilities designed to help improve the user experience, such as Avatar Complexity, this may seem a lightweight look back at the year; however, it does constitute a fair round-up of the positives SL has seen internally through 2015.  In the meantime, I’ll be offering my own more extensive review of things – SL, Sansar, VR, et al, as reported through these pages through the year, over the Christmas and New Year period.

Attend the 100th Drax Files Radio Hour in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

radio-hourThe Drax Files Radio Hour is celebrating its 100th (ish!) episode during Christmas week 2015, and to celebrate, they’re holding a special live recording session, and inviting people to attend as part of the audience.

The podcast series first launched back in January 2014, although the initial idea for such a series goes back as far as the latter half of 2013. Hosted by Draxtor Despres and Jo Yardley, the show generally presents an hour long segment each week, focus on news, opinion, interviews and reports on all things virtual – virtual worlds, virtual reality, virtual living.

If I’m totally honest, the show was, early on, far too infatuated with all the hype surrounding the Oculus Rift, which led to a certain slant becoming increasingly (and sometimes painfully) apparent. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that overall, the series has presented some pretty thought-provoking and also very informative podcasts. Virtual harassment, virtual identity, examinations of the Lab and Second Life, digging into the Terms of Service, looking at virtual worlds and education – all these and more have been covered, while interviews with folk from the Lab, from education, the worlds of VR, AR, and interactive fiction,  and (again) more have offered many defining moments for the show.

For the 100th show recording. Drax and Jo will be talking with Oz and Vir Linden, Jessica Lyon and Ed Merryman from Firestorm, and Kiana Writer and Kess Crystal from MadPea Games, in a far-reaching discussion encompassing a look back over 2015, a look ahead to 2016, and embracing the upcoming Gateway trial programme, the recently announced Project Bento, and maybe a little more besides.

Drax tells me that those attending the recording get a free 100th episode celebratory cap
Drax tells me that those attending the recording get a free Drax Files cap

The show will be recorded at the Firestorm Amphitheatre on Wednesday, December 23rd, starting a 12:00 noon SLT. however, those wishing to be a part of the audience as advised to get there a little ahead of time to both secure a seat and help ensure the recording can start relatively promptly.