Category: Reviews

A Syntax of Absence at Nitroglobus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Debora Kaz – Syntax of Absence
Creating and inhabiting an avatar is, for me, an act of translation. It does not replace the body; it extends it. The gestures, the gaze, and the silence of this digital body are attempts at language — ways of existing within a space where everything is image and nothing is tangible.
By using my own avatar-character, I transfer fragments of myself into a body that must learn to feel without skin, to speak without a voice, to occupy space knowing that every presence there is also an absence. It is in this tension — between being, existing, and trying to communicate — that the true pulse of my work emerges.

These are the words Debora Kaz uses to introduce the latest chapter in her Invisible Cities art series, entitled Syntax of Absence, which is being hosted by Dido Haas at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery in Second Life.

Collectively, Invisible Cities thus far comprises Fighting Women, hosted at Nitroglobus in August 2022, The Future in the Present Overflows, presented at Artsville galleries in May 2023 and Essay on Desire, again presented at Nitroglobus in September 2023, and now Syntax of Absence. Together, these installations offer(ed) personal reflections of what it is to be a woman, with Fighting Women focusing on showing the pain and difficulty of being a woman in a world where women have historically been portrayed as objects of desire, exposed to consumption – and how they are encouraged into harmful (and often shallow) rivalry with one another in order to be seen as such.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Debora Kaz – Syntax of Absence

The Future in the Present Overflows, meanwhile expanded upon these themes, encompassing them in a boarder historical context before Essays in Desire took on a more directly personal (to the artist and the observer) exploration of the precepts of desire – notably those of sensuality, sexuality, and eroticism – and how they play a vital role within the process of self-discovery and understanding of oneself.

All three of these past exhibitions were offered in the abstract of “invisible cities”, places which are not physical or tangible, but rather symbolic; shades of light and dark, suggestions of spaces and places sketched from the void and intended to present architecture of emotion intended to backlight, if you will, the core themes and discourse Debora presented in each exhibition, rather than forming a structured part of them.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Debora Kaz – Syntax of Absence

Within Syntax of Absence, Debora more brings together the literal – as in the emotions and perceptions present within the earlier chapters of this series – more directly with the artificiality of the “digital backlighting” of those earlier installations. In doing so, she further explores concepts of self, strength, vulnerability, femininity and erasure. However, she does so through the idea of the self becoming subsumed within the digital.

The women I create live in an in-between state — they want to exist, yet they also want to disappear. They are fragments of myself, of others, and of what society insists on projecting and consuming: the female body as both victim and language, erased as person, highlighted as product.
These investigations unfold into Syntax of Absence, where the body no longer inhabits the city but becomes the code itself. The feminine turns into syntax, command, and conscious noise. Absence becomes language; presence becomes data.

– Debora Kaz, Syntax of Absence

In this idea of the subsumption of the body by the digital, Syntax of Absence in some ways completes a circle that started with Fighting Women: the study of the feminine rising out of a digital landscape to provoke and evoke our thinking, now sublimating back into and becoming lost within the digital.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Debora Kaz – Syntax of Absence

At the same time, it perhaps might also be seen as a wider observation of our current state of our digital engagement today; one in which we gain both a far greater freedom of expression and ability to escape constraints we might otherwise feel, whilst at the same time our ever-deepening involvement (reliance?) on digital means for projecting ourselves and digital (AI) tools for interactions / expression), we also risk further reducing ourselves, became more of the digital noise, our presence reduced to mere data bytes.

In all, another thought-provoking exhibition with layered meaning  / interpretation. When visiting, do please note that Syntax of Absence extends through the main gallery and The Annex at Nitroglobus.

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Nathhimmel’s Maunsel Sea Forts in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025 – click any image for full size

One of the places I always enjoy visiting in Second Life is the homestead region of Natthimmel, held and curated by Konrad (Kaiju Kohime) and Saskia Rieko as a public space, and which is regularly updated to (in general) reflect re-world locations. Sadly, I was unable to cover the September / October iteration of the reason, as for some reason – and despite my best efforts – the setting repeatedly refused to fully render on my PC.

Given this, and aware that Rieko and Konrad had opened their latest build at Natthimmel towards the end of October, I was determined to hop over to take a look as soon as I was able to spend a sufficient amount of time sitting at my computer in order to appreciate it. In this, I was doubly curious / keen to do so, not only for having been unable to write about the previous build, but also because of the subject Konrad and Saskia had selected: the British Maunsell Sea Forts of World War Two.

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

Maunsell Forts were offshore defence structures built in the estuaries of the rivers Mersey (to defend the port of Liverpool and the western industrial regions of England against bombers using the Mersey as a navigational aid) and Thames, where they performed the dual roles of trying to shoot down bombers attempting to reach London or east coast ports such as Felixstowe and Harwich or which would try to mine the coastal sea lanes, and offering a line of defence against any fast German seaborne raiders attempting to strike ports in East Anglia.

Of the two groups of forts, those within and offshore to the Thames estuary are perhaps the most famous, primarily because some survive through to this day, whereas those on the west coast were all demolished following the end of World War Two. It is the east coast forts which form the basis for the Natthimmel build.

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

These forts were of two types: four Navy forts grounded on sand bars between 10 and 18 kilometres off the coast, and three metal Army forts of a more complex design located closer to the Thames estuary shoreline. The Navy forts were of a simpler design, comprising two large concrete towers containing 7 levels each of accommodation and storage spaces, topped by large metal gun decks mounting their main armament of guns, together with the main control building, radar and officer’s accommodation. They were were the forts charged with both anti-aircraft and anti surface vessel operations and protecting the approaches to the ports of East Anglia as well as the Thames estuary.

The Army forts were more complicated in design, comprising seven metal towers atop metal legs. Five of these were built around a central “control tower” and mounted anti-aircraft guns, with the remaining tower slightly offset and housing searchlights for illuminating enemy bombers to the guns. Connected by elevated walkways, the towers of the Army forts saw extensive action throughout the war, claiming over 20 Luftwaffe bombers shot down and, later in the war, around 20 V1 flying bombs.

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

For their build at Natthimmel, Konrad and Saskia present interpretations of both styles of Maunsell fort, with six Army-style towers linked (or partially linked) by their raised catwalks, some of which sport both single quick-firing guns and what might be taken as rapid-fire Bofors guns, whilst another appears to be the main command tower. They are joined by a structure resembling the more off-shore Navy style fort, this one acting as the searchlight tower.

Whilst not strictly historically accurate, the combining of the two styles of fort in this way allows visitors to explore them both with relative ease (allowing for the partially collapsed catwalks between some of the “army” towers!) from the Landing Point. The latter takes the form of one of the resupply moorings located at the base of some of the Army towers, and offers a link between the accessible Army fort elements and the slightly more distant Navy element.

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

Caught under a night-time sky which helps evoke their wartime operation, the forts at Nathhimmel are presented in a way that both also evokes the original purpose through the inclusion of their anti-aircraft guns and the beam of a searchlight splitting the sky, whilst also referencing their abandonment and decay following the end of the war, with the Army towers rusting away, their catwalks looking none too safe (or completely collapsed!), the Navy tower also looking strangely industrial in its deserted state, whilst the machinery and systems within their aging walls is clearly well past any practical use. It’s a haunting and captivating presentation.

I also like the fact that, as with so many of Saskia and Konrad’s builds, Nathhimmel: Maunsell opens the door on a period of history that might not be widely known, encouraging people to take a peep inside and perhaps find out more about the location being presented through their own research.

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

In the case of the Maunsell forts, doing the latter is particularly worthwhile, as one of the Navy forts – Roughs Tower (formerly HM Fort Roughs) – has a very colourful post-war history commencing in the 1960s and extending right up pretty much to modern times. It encapsulates the so-called “Principality of Sealand”, armed assaults by both civilians and a band of Dutch mercenaries, hostage-taking, a ransom demand, a so-called “government in exile” (itself allegedly mixed up in laundering drug money!), and much, much more. All of this you can lean about by looking up the “Principality of Sealand”, Major Patrick Bates and Alexander Achenbach, alongside the broader history of Guy Maunsell and his sea forts.

Just be sure to do so after you’ve visited Nathhimmel: Maunsell!

Nathhimmel: Maunsell, November 2025

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The Outer Garden’s Lumen Tide in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025 – click any image for full size

Just before I took my break from blogging at the start of October 2025, I received a suggestion that I visit the latest chapter of Bisou Dexler’s Outer Garden region builds. While I was able to hop over and grab some photos, I wasn’t at the time able to get an actual blog post written up prior to taking that break.

The Outer Garden is a place I’ve been visiting on a semi-regular basis for over a decade, my first visit being way back in February 2015. As such, I was keen to cover this latest chapter – called The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide** – so here, a little belatedly, is my piece.

The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025

Occupying a Homestead region, The Outer Garden annex – as the name suggests – is a separate setting to The Outer Garden. It sits as a dreamlike night setting, offered as a love sonnet from Bisou to Aki69. Overhead, a starry sky split by the arc of a Milky Way-like band brings night to the setting, whilst beneath it, an infinite sea sparkles from horizon to horizon, shallow waves washing over the region itself and tickling the feet of visitors as they arrive.

Across this expanse of water lie star-like lanterns, each one glowing with colour and giving the impression it has fallen from the sky overhead. In support of this, smaller versions of these lanterns either hover just above the water, or slowly drop towards it, their gentle descent here and there contrasting with the rapid, bright lines of falling meteors or mixing with the yellow phosphoresce of swirling fireflies (been sure to have particles enabled in your viewer!).

The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025

However, the most startling and engaging elements of the setting are perhaps the drifting celestial jellyfish as they swim and float through the air, sometimes vanishing into the water, sometimes rising from it; together with the golden crescent lying just below the surface of the water towards the middle of the region.

At first resembling an underwater sandbar, it is only when one swings the viewer camera up over the setting that the “sandbar” reveals itself to be a crescent Moon, casting its own light up into the setting, adding a further layer of fantastical beauty to the design.

The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025

Throughout all of this can be found multiple places to sit and / or dance. The former take the form of little fishing stools sitting over the submerged Moon, through various boats and gondolas scattered over the water, to a bed suspended overhead (and perhaps easily missed if not actively looked for).

Music for the setting appears to be provided via You Tube, but whether it was an issue with my connection or something else, the music refused to play via the Media button. This being the case, I’m including this link to the list in case you visit hand have the same issue, so you can play the tracks in the background when exploring.

The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025

As a sonnet to Aki69, further depth is given to The Outer Garden annex by way of most of the elements within the region being creations from Aki69’s store, together with a short poem dedicated to aki69 by Bisou. The latter is offered both through the region’s About Land setting and Bisou’s profile picks:

When stars reach the twilight sky
Life’s wings rise from the water
Wearing fragile phosphorescence, spilling into the air

I forget even my casting
And listen to the wind pause

The moon emerges, night exhales
In that instant, life’s magic ignites
And the world holds its breath

Now, it feels
As if it’s just the two of us in this world.

The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide**, October 2025

Peaceful, beautifully created, and with a richness of love and tranquillity, The Outer Garden annex **Lumen Tide** is an ideal place for all romantics to visit.

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Carelyna’s Nefelibata in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Akimitsu, October 2025: Carelyna – Nefelibata

Currently open at Akimitsu, a member of the Akipelago regions held and operated by Akiko Kinoshi (A Kiko), is an exhibition of art by ArtCare gallery curator, DJ and artist Carelyna. Entitled Nefelibata, it comprises a dozen images captured in Second Life and then beautifully post-processed to present scenes with a dream-like quality entirely in keeping with the exhibition’s title, which Carelyna defines thus:

Nefelibata is a Portuguese word that translates to “cloud walker”. It describes a dreamer or someone who lives in their imagination, detached from societal norms, literature, or art conventions. Originating from the Ancient Greek words nephele (cloud) and batha (walker), the term is used to describe an unconventional, imaginative, and dreamy individual who thinks and lives outside the box.

– Carelyna

Akimitsu, October 2025: Carelyna – Nefelibata

Among their many character traits, nefelibata embrace solitude and nature. For them, solitude is never lonely; it is a cherished companion. The natural world, meanwhile, is looked upon as a sanctuary offering both peace and contentment in which reflection and, notably, inspiration might be found, the latter thus becoming a muse for creativity and expression.

To the nefelibata, life is art and art is life. The medium – painting, writing, poetry, dance –  are not merely endeavours or performances; they are an expression of existence, both revealing and shaping their identity and worldview. With every word or piece of work they create, they reveal what lies within themselves and exposes an ability to see the world not for what it is so much as for what it might be.

Akimitsu, October 2025: Carelyna – Nefelibata

In this, nefelibatas might be defined as nonconformists. they reside outside of established rules governing their chosen form of expression; as Carelyna notes, “A nefelibata chooses their own path and lives by their own inner truths rather than societal norms”.

All of this is softly, beautifully captured in the twelve pieces presented by Carelyna. In nine of them, individual figures – male and female – are presented.  They are the nefelibatas, the settings in which they are featured presenting clear expressions of the individuality of their dreams, their thoughts, the world as they see it within their imaginations. For all but one of these nine pieces, the faces of the individuals are either unseen or at best partially seen, adding to the idea of them being dreamers; their presence within the pieces as dream-like as the setting itself.

Akimitsu, October 2025: Carelyna – Nefelibata

All of them present the world in terms of its natural beauty, each expressing a dream-like quality  Taken as a whole, the images marvellously present the theme of the nefelibata and underscore Carelyna’s own position as on of these upward-looking artistic nonconformists.

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A journey through Shadowfell IV in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025 – click any image for full size
Shadowfell, the special three-region setting presented annually by Tymus Tenk, Truck Meredith and the Calas Galadhon team for the Halloween season, has opened its doors for 2025, and I received an personal invitation from Ty to hop over and take a look – which given the annual treat always presented by the setting, I was only too happy to do.

Now it is fourth year – and thus appropriately titled Shadowfell IV – the setting has also been expanded with a fourth region, with all four being Full regions utilising the Land Capacity bonus available to such.

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is very important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding a visit, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

  • Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
  • Enable local sounds and make sure you have particles visible.
  • If you are on a PBR viewer,
  • If you are running a non-PBR viewer, make sure Advanced Lighting Model is active, and if your system can manage it, do make sure Shadows → Sun/Moon + Projectors is enabled.
Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

For those familiar with past iterations of Shadowfell, much of the first three regions (Mist, Mist II and Mist III) present a familiar setting and walks. These include the boat tour close to the main Landing Point, the caverns with their experience-based teleport up to the Darkfell setting in the sky, the gardens of Shadowfell, the swamp and ruins, the floating platforms, the creatures and touches of Tolkien I’ve covered in both my 2023 reporting on Shadowfell and my 2024 short video, which I’m taking the liberty of embedding again below.

However, none of the above means these regions should be skipped be returning visitors, there are plenty of new touches and twists worth discovering as one follows the trail(s) northwards through the regions.  As such, making your way through all of the regions remains the recommendation.

But it is the newest region in the setting, Mist IV, which is the focus for me in the rest of this piece. It is here that the City Ruins of Shadowfell can be found, together with the Elven Flyer and the magnificent Temple of the Moons.

The Elven Flyer offers another touch of Tolkien, the flyer in question being called Star of Eärendil II – a reference to Eärendil half-elven, forbear of Aragon, who carried the Silmaril Morning Star on his brow as he sailed across the sky (The Silmarillion). Like Eärendil’s voyages across the skies of Middle Earth, Elven Flyer also takes to the air, providing an airborne tour of the newest region within Shadowfell, with occasional dips into the Mist III region. Flights take roughly 17 minutes, and have the novelty of having people ride the winged boats whilst floating (both singles and couples).

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

The Temple of the Moons and city ruins also offer an interpretation of Tolkien’s legendarium. In Middle Earth, the elves departed “into the west” from Mithlond, the Grey Havens. Here, the Temple of the Moons is described as serving a similar purpose: From which the elves sailed to distant lands, although the reasons for the sailings are different: in Tolkien’s tales, the elves departed because their time in Middle Earth had drawn to a close; within Shadowfell we are informed they departed “before the darkness came”, thus giving Shadowfell a touch of its own mythology.

The temple itself rises from close to the centre of Mist IV, sitting on an island which appears to be of artificial construction more than a natural formation. A single channel of water points north and west to the open sea, presumably the route by which departing elves started their journey to those distant lands. Multiple bridges connect the temple’s island with the surrounding land and gardens.

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

The towers of the temple rise almost to match the surrounding trees, steps rising to meet the ground level of the structure, the stapes guarding two tall amphora which suggest they might once have been for illumination rather than being filled with liquid, although if so then their fires have long since been extinguished.

Behind the amphora, two tall statues of (presumably elven) warriors stand with their backs to the walls of the temple. They appear to be guarding a floating egg sitting within the first level of the temple. Stairways up to this egg lie on the far side of the central tower relative to the guarding statues. Touching the egg either by approaching via the stairs or from below, will teleport visitor to the upper level of the temple, revealing the reason for its name in the sky to the west – a sky where a dragon also flies.

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

The moons also cast their light down onto an open space with a pond, a number of naturally raised seating circles (and a woodland throne!), standing stones and a stage area with is back to the sea. This appears to be a second event space, complete with an Intan dance system, so I presume some of the events planned for Shadowfell will be taking place here, although the schedule of events, available at the Shadowfell Pavilion only mentions the latter as an events venue.

As always, the regions of Shadowfell are packed with details and characters – not all of the latter necessarily monstrous or wicked or born of darkness. The Darkfell does continue its Alien-esque leaning whilst offering a couple of new additions (or maybe I’m simply misremembering from visits in past years).

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

Travel through the setting can be aided through the use of landmarks available through the Shadowfell information notecard, or by keeping an eye out for the Journey Cloths scattered throughout the setting. However, I strongly exploring on foot and working your way around the various paths in order to experience Shadowfell to the fullest, with the boat tour and Elven Flyer helping to ensure you don’t miss anything. Those who enjoy musical accompaniment with their explorations should enable the local music stream, which features a selection of music curated by Ty.

Shadowfell remains one of the highlights of the Second Life Halloween season, and should not be missed by anyone who enjoys Halloween or has a love of fantasy. I gather than further elements might be added whilst the regions remain open, so return visits through October for both the events and additional exploration might be in order!

Calas Galadhon Shadowfell IV, October 2025

As always, my thanks to Ty, Truck and the Calas team for the invitation to explore and for all that they do for Second Life through Calas Galadhon, Shadowfell and their Christmas settings.

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Cica’s Happy Halloween in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost, October 2025: Happy Halloween

It’s October, which means Halloween sits a-waiting at the end of the month. I’ve noted on numerous occasions that I’m not a fan on the modern take on the celebration, but within Second Life I do like to take a look at region settings and installations that offer a take on things that is a little different to the usual. Such is the case with Cica Ghost’s October installation: Happy Halloween, which she invited me to visit as it opened on October 1st, 2025.

Offered largely in monochrome (the pumpkins and stars being the exception here!), Happy Halloween offers much that might be associated with the modern take on Halloween – but also perhaps applies more broadly to generally spookiness and fun. It even carries with it what might be seen as a little nod towards Tim Burton.

Cica Ghost, October 2025: Happy Halloween

The main Landing Point sits in the sky over Cica’s regions of Mysterious Isle, where can be found the usual request about using the local environment settings, a link to Cica’s on-line store and a tombstone teleport down to the installation proper. The latter delivers visitors to a setting caught under the same star-dusted sky as seen from the Landing Point, complete with a crescent Moon low in the sky.

The quote accompanying the build is a popular take on a line made famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his first inaugural address. At the time, America we deep into the Depression, and his words in that address were both solemn and intended to give hope and reassurance. He certainly did not originate the phrase in question – various forms of it have been recorded since the 16th century. The version Cica uses gives it a decidedly humorous little twist:

The only thing we have to fear is FEAR itself – and spiders.
Cica Ghost, October 2025: Happy Halloween

And there are certainly spiders to be found here. They grin and bounce among flowers with equally toothy grins, or sit on stalks as if they are themselves flowers. They share the landscape with bat plants and star plants, all growing out of a dusty ground with tall hills all around, their surfaces pockmarked like the surface of a moon. In places the dust gives way to a checkerboard effect, whilst scattered across the entire setting are bare trees, odd little houses and all the local denizens.

The latter come in many forms: monsters who appear to be out for a lark more than to frighten, ghosts who fade in-and-out of view, black cats, giant pumpkins, crows… the list goes on, and I really don’t want to spoil things by saying too much here – other than the little touch of Tim Burton might be seen in the people also scattered across (over over in one case) the setting as they go about their evening’s business.

Cica Ghost, October 2025: Happy Halloween

As always with most of Cica’s builds, there are various opportunities to be found for interaction within Happy Halloween, and plenty of opportunities for photography and smiles.

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