Le Avaline Village is a full sim residential / photographic region designed by Shyne Autumn Meadow (Shyne Button) which seems to blend together a number of influences to produce and interesting rural / coastal environment with just a tiny hint of an urban centre.
Cam out over the water a little from the landing point, looking towards the group of brick shops and their terraced courtyard, and you might catch a hint of Amsterdam or Rotterdam, the buildings and water suggesting a canal front scene. But walk a short distance way and you’re in altogether more rural and more rugged terrain, the landscape broken up by water which doesn’t quite do enough to create any individual islands, and which is easily crossed by bridges here and there.
Much of this landscape is elevated – although not too greatly – by rocky uplands and plateaus upon which houses sit, each within their own grounds. When exploring, do keep in mind that some of these are rented out as private homes, so please be mindful not to invade anyone’s privacy.
A small farm occupies a part of the land, the house atop one of the plateaus to hold a commanding view over the partially fenced lands below. Fencing there may be, but it hasn’t stopped some sheep and horses from wandering away in search of alternate grazing!
Follow the paths away from the landing point and over bridges and under rocky arches, and a cosy beach can be found, complete with pier and moorings for boats, together with a little cafeteria offering refreshments and a chance to sit and gaze out over the sea. Further around the coast is an open-air movie theatre; I won’t call it a drive-in unless you have a 4×4 🙂 , but the supplied pick-ups and couches offer places to relax.
This is a place where the seasons mix easily with one another as you explore; the greens of summer stirred gently with the yellows and golds of autumn, while under spreading boughs parasol-shaded chairs and tables offer further places to sit and enjoy the surroundings.
There are plenty of opportunities for photographs within the region, and should you choose, after taking them, you can share them on the Le Avaline Flickr pool.
I enjoyed my meanderings around Le Avaline Village; after my recent self-imposed hiatus from exploring Second Life, it was good to end my walking shoes on one more and find somewhere new to get me back into the habit of wandering and nosing.
You might even say that normal service is being resumed in these pages!
With the prize pool now standing at over L$560,000, the first entries in the University of Western Australia’s Pursue Impossible Art & Film Challenge have gone on display / are available for viewing.
As I’ve again had the honour to be a part of the jury this year, covering the event is something of a balancing act: as entries continue to be made, I may not be able to cover all of them; at the same time, as a blogger, I hope to be able to help promote the event and encourage people to both take part and see the art and machinima. So with this in mind, entries, etc which may be highlighted in this pages in the coming weeks should not be taken as any indication or personal preference on my part insofar as judging the challenges is concerned; but rather to illustrate any updates that appear.
Delain Canucci: “Connecting with the world and unite” – Pursue Impossible
Entrants to the Pursue Impossible are free to submit to either the art category (1 item per entrant) or the machinima category (multiple entries if they wish) – or both. They are invited to consider what their “impossible” might be.
Is it, for example, the goal they have achieved or which they’ve seen achieved by their loved ones, friends, family or heroes achieved and which has sought to inspire them? What have they overcome which they once thought to be impossible? How do virtual environments empower people to visualise, create and push the boundaries of the possible? What are those things we deem to be impossible, but which we may still pursue and conquer as individuals or collectively? What are the impossibilities of the mind or heart or soul? Do we see the seemingly impossible and try to overcome it, or do we allow it to overpower us?
Art submissions must have COPY permissions, and must not exceed 150 LI, and must be free from any copyright issues – if third-party content is used in an entry, permission must and been sought and granted from the creator for its inclusion in the Challenge. Machinima entries should preferably no longer than 4 minutes and 30 seconds, must be specifically made for this challenge. All submissions should allow casual viewers to interpret how the theme is represented, or provide a means by which the piece can be understood in the context of the challenge theme.
For full details on the challenge, including submission guidelines and rules, please refer to the UWA’s Pursue Impossible announcement.
The closing date for all submissions is midnight SLT, on October 31st, 2015, and winners will be announced in December 2015.
As well as the art and machinima category prizes, there will also be special cash prizes for audience participation. The prize pool for this currently stands at L$15,000 apiece for the two categories (art and machinima). So even if you’re not submitting an entry yourself, it’s worth visiting the UWA’s gallery space to view the art entries and keeping an eye on the UWA blog and the SL Artist UMA MachinimUWA VIII pages for machinima entries.
I’ll have news on the audience participation requirements once they have been officially announced by the UWA directly.
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, August 23rd 18:00: Magicland Storytime
With Holmes apparently lost in a fall from a path above the Reichenbach Falls, Caledonia, Corwyn and Kayden take a break from Baker Street, and Sunday’s events move to Magicland’s 100-acre wood, where Caledonia is hosting a very special Pooh Bear pyjama party! So get your jammies on, grab your nightcap and a jar of honey and head on over!
Monday August 24th, 19:00: Roadless Areas
Gyro Muggins follows the adventures of some brave souls canoeing in Minnesota circa 1942.
Tuesday August 25th, Not That It Matters
AA Milne by Howard Coster, 1926
Corwyn Allen continues to read AA Milne’s 1919 collection of humorous essays. Best known for his tales of Wnnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and the 100 acre Wood, Milne in fact wrote widely in bother fiction and non-fiction.
Here he passes observation on wide range of topics, starting with a reflection upon his own writing, “Sometimes when the printer is waiting for an article which really should have been sent to him the day before, I sit at my desk and wonder if there is any possible subject in the whole world upon which I can possibly find anything to say.”
With considerations ranging from why a gentleman’s collar might squeak, or the fact that Isaiah most certainly didn’t carry a notebook, with assorted thoughts on goldfish and daffodils along the way, this is a book of essays wide-range in topic and content. Some of it may, nigh-on a century since the essays first appeared in this book, appear dated and as solidly dated and trapped forever in the opening decades of the 20th century. Other are perhaps as relevant today in their insights and commentary as they were when freshly written. All of them come with Milne’s familiar humour and jovial observations.
Wednesday August 26th, 19:00: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Caledonia Skytower opens the pages of Jeanne Birdsall’s 2014 volume about the Penderwick family, the second in the series.
When the four Penderwick sisters learn that, encouraged by his sister-in-law and the wishes of their late mother, their father is going to start meeting other women, they fear the worst, and so enact the Save Daddy Plan. They set their Dad up with dates he won’t get on with, while he, also not overly convinced of things, goes out on pretend dates.
However, things start to change as the sisters meet and get to know Ben from next door, and his mum, Iantha. Added to the mix the adventures and challenges each of the four sisters face, and it turns out to be quite a series of events and changes for the Penderwicks – one of them very much turning out for the best.
Thursday August 27th: Skin Folks
Shandon Loring reads from Nalo Hopkinson’s 2001 collection of 15 short stories connected by a central theme of skin-shedding.with a distinctly Caribbean flavour, these are stories where nothing is quite as a it seems and illusion rules the perception.
Starting with a delightful twist on the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, these stories carry the reader and listener through this world of illusion and magical change, with often surprising conclusions being reach in a hot and spicy style in what can only be described as a meeting of science-fiction and folklore.
Saturday, August 29th: Adventures from the Twlight Zone – Seanchai InWorldz
Join Shandon and Caledonia in the story of a man sentenced to solitary confinement on a distant asteroid for 50 years, his only visitors the crew of his resupply ship, who visit four times a year – but only for 20 minutes. To try to make the man’s life a little easier, the captain of the ship delivers a feminine robot to help keep him company. Then the news comes that the man has been pardoned and he can return to Earth – but only at a price.
Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for August / September is Water for People, “When one person or one family has clean, accessible water, their lives are changed. But when entire regions and countries have water, the world is changed.”
When Secret Rage approached me in mid-July and asked me to consider producing a full region installation in which to display my images from around Second Life, my first reaction was to refuse. Not out of stuffiness or false modesty, but because I genuinely don’t regard myself as an SL photographer, and am far from convinced the images I produce for blogging purposes are of interest as an exhibit.
However, Secret is a very persistent (and persuasive!) person; so I’m now pleased – and more than a little nervous – to say that my first ever art-focused installation in Second Life is now open, and I’m calling it Impressions. It can be found at LEA 6.
So what is this all about? Well, three things, all summed up in the word “Impressions”.
The first is a display of my more recent images and videos of places I’ve visited around Second Life – the impressions they’ve given me, if you will.
The second is the 2D and (particularly) 3D work of a talented Italian student, CioTToLiNa Xue – work that made quiet an impression on me when I happened across it.
The third is the setting itself, an interpretation of and iconic American house of the 20th century, which has long made an impression upon me.
I’m particularly pleased about the second of these bullet points. CioTToLiNa is an extremely modest woman who only started teaching herself 2D and 3D design six months ago, and I think what she is already producing speaks volumes about her developing talent. I came across her sculptures by chance whilst visiting Art on Roofs in July, and was really delighted when she agreed to display her work as a part of Impressions: they add a further depth to the house, the original of which features a range of sculptures and art pieces scattered around the buildings.
The house is a personal interpretation of a place I have yet to visit in the physical world, but have grown to love. I have attempted to be reasonably accurate in my interpretation ot the house and river over which it sits, but the rest of the region is purely made from my imagination, and offers places to sit in the sun or under moon, listing to the music, have a picnic, laze in a hammock, and so on.
Information givers at the landing point and in the great room of the house provide information on the art and images on display. So, I hope you’ll visit and enjoy! Impressions will be open through until the end of September – you’ll probably find me pottering around tweaking things here and there!
There is no preferred windlight for the region – the sounds and lighting are designed to change with the SL day. However, if you wish to use a windlight yourself, I recommend the following for daytime lighting:
[NB]-MistyDay-5pm – set the Sun to around 11:00am-3:00 pm.
[TOR] MIDDAY – Baskaholic.
In closing, I would like to extend sincere and warm thanks to the following people, without their support, this installation would never have seen the light of day: Secret Rage, CioTToLiNa Xue, Jodi Serenity, Whirly Fizzle, Frankx LeFarve, and John.
With a very special and deep thank you to Cube Republic, whose generosity and support has been truly inspiring.
You may notice that my coverage of the arts in Second Life often circles back to the work of Cica Ghost. The reason for this is simple: there is always something beautifully attractive about her work that draws me to it like a magnet.
Open now at Luna Isle, Strings is perhaps the most marvellous installation she has yet produced in a very long line of outstanding works created within Second Life; it’s a magnificent example of why I am so attracted to her art. And believe me when I say, this is not one you’re going to want to simply read about; – it is an absolute must see.
The initial tableau appears simple enough. On what might be the edge of a town, overlooking open country, or perhaps in the courtyard of an old villa now converted into little houses and apartments, a string quartet with piano accompaniment plays as others look on and listen with what seems to be varying degrees of interest – or even attempt to ignore.
Or is it really that simple? Look closer; this isn’t a single tableau; this is a collage of stories brought together in a single quilt of moments caught in time, framed by the music from the little quintet. As you look at the people gathered in the courtyard, on the balconies or sitting in their rooms, you can gain glimpses into their lives.
I use the plural there not just because there are multiple watchers / listeners. but because the glimpses you catch of any individual or group of lives will change depending on where and how you observe them. Thus, each scene within the overall story is itself made up of multiple threads – strings, if you will – which combine in different ways to tell more than one story.
Take, for example, the woman on the middle balcony; is she actually listening to the musicians, or is she a harried mother seeking a moment’s respite and relative calm from the constant demands of a young daughter as the latter guzzles a glass of milk. Or is the little girl taking advantage of her mother’s distraction to help herself, and if so, what is it that is so occupying he mum’s mind? The music or something else?
The answer may lie on the balcony to the woman’s left, part of the same apartment and occupied by a lone man. Watch him closely; he also is not really listening to those below. Together his actions and the apparent air of pensiveness around her tell a story of their own.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring apartment, a man sits over a chess board, the game frozen, his companion absent. Is she perhaps the motherly figure looking out of the window of the next room, or the daughter-like figure standing out on the stairway, both now looking out over the musicians.
But if the music was the cause for either of them to leave the game, why did they not simply go out onto the balcony of the room itself? why go elsewhere just to watch and listen? Could the young woman who has placed a distance between herself and the houses, standing alone, a forlorn expression on her face be the cause of their vigil? Or again, has she a story of her own to tell, and there’s yet another story to be found within the chess-playing family?
And thus it is with almost everyone we encounter here; what may at first seem a simple act – a glance, a hand upon another or a face at a window or even a book open on a person’s lap may seem to suggest one thing – but is that really the entire story? There are many threads – or perhaps I might say strings – here, which can be woven into many patterns by the eye and mind; thus we become more than visitors: we become passive participants in all we see; and quite wonderfully so.
Which shouldn’t be taken to mean the scene isn’t remarkable in and of itself without seeking deeper meanings. Strings is a wonderful piece of art whether taken as a whole, or studied at length. The characters inhabiting this little corner of the world all have their own personalities, whatever story you chose to tell, and they are beautifully designed – as is the region as a whole, filled as it is with Cica’s familiar touches and motifs. And if you fancy a dance, do be sure to touch one of the many stone cellos scattered around.
Finally, there is the audio stream, beautifully crafted by Cica to perfectly compliment and complete the central scene with the musicians, showing them to be a really talented group! I mean where else will you get to hear a string quartet offer a repertoire with everything from Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust and Bohemian Rhapsody through the likes of the Rolling Stones, Ziggy Stardust / David Bowie, Level 42, film soundtracks and The Phantom of the Opera, plus more, to arrive at O Come, Emmanuel?
These guys are wonderfully creative in their music – and Strings is a wonderfully created and creative playground for the eye and the imagination. Don’t miss it.
Regulars to this blog will know I’ve been closely following the development of Ape Piaggio’s latest project – the AD25H “Little Bee” – (see here and here). Well, I’m happy to say that the Little Bee is now ready for launch – and what a honey it is! This is a package overfull of surprises, and something every motorboat lover in SL is going to want.
The AD25H is a boat which has from the start been a winner in my eyes. Built on the lines of a classic tender speedboat, it evokes an immediate feeling of summertime on the Italian Riviera, cruising along a sun-drenched coast or speeding by golden beaches, the music of Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Morgana King or The Chairman himself – take your pick – playing on the boat’s radio.
My Little Bee moored against my Foilborne Kv23H to compare relative sizes
Marketed under Ape’s FoilBorne Industries brand, the Little Bee builds on the stunning work put into her Kv23H FoilStream (which I reviewed in January 2015), and while a lot smaller, the Little Bee actually packs a lot more into it. With passengers aboard, it can be a gentle, caring ride with Ape’s Anti-Crash Security System (ACSS) doing much to assist with region crossings. But should you feel a need for speed when out on your own ,this boat can deliver – up to and including converting to a hydrofoil for that extra kick of driving fun.
One of the many things about Ape’s designs I love is the sheer attention to detail. With the Little Bee, this starts with the packaging, which is delightful in its presentation, and a promise of goodies to come.
Like a kid at Christmas: kneeling behind my newly arrived AD25H, admiring the packaging
On unpacking, the box delivers a number of items to inventory: the boat, a HUD for the boat, a trailer and “TugBee” – a little VW Beetle specifically designed for towing the Little Bee on its trailer. A paint system brings up the rear, while the boat itself hides a stand it is automatically mounted upon if rezzed away from Linden water.
This is a friendly boat. Get in as the driver, and it will welcome you aboard in both text and via an audio message (unless turned off).
The controls are the usual, UP / DOWN or W & S for the throttle, LEFT / RIGHT or A & D for turning, with PAGE DOWN and PAGE UP operating the hydrofoils (only at low speeds / when stopped). Touching the boat as owner accesses the full menu, passengers the seating menu. I’m not going to run through all the options – suffice it so say, everything you need is there to operate the boat, and owners of the Kv23H will see the Little Bee has matches it in options – and offers more besides. The expected options such as multiple camera options, auto-mooring, engine / race options, and so on, are all here together with the AD25H’s wakeboard and parasail deployment options and a few surprises.
The boat includes a HUD for those who prefer not to see hover text floating over their vehicles, with essential controls for deploying / retarding the foils, rezzing the wakeboard / parasail, etc.
Talking of the parasail and wakboard, both of the latter can be rezzed from the boat’s Accessories menu. Note that you will have to be on water that allows object entry, and should leave a degree of space behind the boat (don’t rez them when moored with a pier right behind you, for example). Once rezzed, riders simply sit on the wakeboard / parasail (and will receive a wearable handle for the former), and away you go. You can even rez multiple wakeboards and also have the parasail rezzed and used with the wakeboard(s).
Those riding either the wakeboard or the parasail have a degree of control on their motions. The former can be turned left or right via the usual A/S / arrow key options, with stunts accessed via the PAGE DOWN and the UP / DOWN keys. The parasail’s rider can adjust their height with the UP / DOWN keys. When driving the boat with the wakeboard / parasail in use, I’d recommend keeping your speed down to no more than about 50% of throttle to avoid region crossing complications.
When deploying the foils and / or using the wakeboard / parasail, you’ll get to see two additional features on the Little Bee: the Event Cam and the CineCApe system. These allow for some dramatic shots of the boat in action, with CineCApe notably allowing the wakeboard and parasail riders to adjust their camera position using PAGE UP to gain some impressive views of their ride. I’ve used clips from both in the accompanying video.
Wakeboarding on the AD25H “Little Bee” – you can rez multiple boards for friends – and even take someone parasailing at the same time!
The car and trailer offer a sophisticated system for taking the Little Bee overland. The “TugBee” VW Beetle is nicely designed and comes with a range of features: opening doors, working lights and brake lights. The usual WASD / arrow keys are used for driving, and the Page keys for stepping up / down through the gears.
Hitching the trailer to the car is a matter of rezzing both, preferably in the same orientation and close to one another, then clicking the car for its menu and selecting Attach. To get the boat on the trailer, carefully reverse the car down a suitable slip or gentle bank so the trailer is about up to its axle in the water. Drive the boat up close to the trailer, click on it and select Trailer from the menu. The trailer’s hand brake should unwind and the boat haul itself out of the water and safely onto the trailer. Raise the hand brake by touching the trailer and you’re ready to drive away.
Le Avaline Village August 2015 (Flickr)
Le Avaline Village August 2015 (Flickr)
Le Avaline Village August 2015 (Flickr)
Le Avaline Village August 2015 (Flickr)
