Category: Reviews

A Taxy! to the Zircus, coming home to Dada

Posted on by Inara Pey
Taxy! to the Zircus
Taxy! to the Zircus

There’s a quote by Peter Greenaway  in Eupalinos Ugajin’s profile. It reads:

The human imagination is surely the most amazing thing in the universe. We do not want virtual reality we want virtual unreality. We cannot replicate reality – why are we wasting our time trying?

It’ a quote that sums-up Eupa’s work perfectly. Whether working individually or collaboratively, there is always something about Eupa’s art that stretches the imagination, often with a sense of fun  and a sprinkling of the wonderfully absurd.

Taxy! to the Zircus
Taxy! to the Zircus

Taxy! to the Zircus, now open at MetaLES demonstrates this in full; it’s a piece that challenges (defies?) description, taking one deep into the realm of Dada, and quite delightfully so, complete with a touch of Terry Gilliam to boot! It is also an installation that really does deserve the label “interactive art” – you are as much a part of the works on display as the works themselves.

Taxy! to the Zircus
Taxy! to the Zircus

Nothing should be ignored during explorations, and almost all the pieces on offer require your involvement via click-to-sit, be it dancing on a horn-spiked platform tethered to a spinning top, floating around in a sphere, bouncing on a trampoline, trying a new form of fencing with a hair dryer and paint brush (something I’d actually like to see taken-up as an Olympic sport!) or – in the greatest of circus traditions – being fired out of a canon (and hopefully through a target framed by a cow), and more besides.

Movement between the main platforms is achieved via teleport  boxes, some of which are indicated by a Gilliam / Pythonesque pointing finger.  Some elements of the work have a walkway connecting them, although speed and accuracy of walking across it is advised! Because there is a risk of falling involved in several of the pieces – and the fact they can only be reached via teleport boxes or flying – a set of wings can be obtained from the landing point; just turn on the tap / faucet (naturally!) to pour yourself a set!

Quite how one defines Taxy! to the Zircus is difficult; there are clear surrealist elements, the aforementioned twist of Dadism and, given the encouragement to experience some of the activities from the very first-person perspective of Mouselook, perhaps even a hint of phenomenology  – or at least, phenomenological reflexion.

Taxy! to the Zircus
Taxy! to the Zircus

But perhaps definition isn’t required here; just your participation, and the sense of liberation through the lighthearted presentation of the absurd. So go, share, enjoy – Be. Taxy! will be open through until the end of December, and knowing Eupa, there may well be additions and tweaks during that time.

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Taxy! to the Zircus
Taxy! to the Zircus

The Trace: a fond adieu

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Trace, The Trace; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Trace, The Trace (Flickr)

I last wrote about The Trace, Kylie Jaxxon’s homestead region, back in April 2014. At that time, it put me in mind of a beautiful watercolour, wonderfully composed and offering visitors a visual delight.

Since then, the clock has turned onwards, the seasons have changed, and now – for a short while longer, at least – The Trace offers a visitors the splendour of autumn and, with pumpkins scattered near the orchard cafe, a herald of a winter to come. I say “for a while longer”, because Kylie recently announced that The Trace will be closing – hopefully only for a while – as she focuses (rightly) on matters of health. The region will be closing its doors on Wednesday, November 5th, so if you have been planning on paying it a visit, now is the time to do so.

The Trace, The Trace; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Trace, The Trace (Flickr)

When I last visited The Trace, it resembled a low-lying coastal region which put me in mind of New England or England’s Norfolk (offshore islands not withstanding!). The region still has something of a coastal feel to it, but this one perhaps in more northern latitudes, sitting as it does within a ring of rugged hills and snow-capped peaks, open to a distant sea on one side, where it’s easy to imagine the occasional fishing boat sailing into the bay, seeking shelter when the weather turns grim.

The arrival point sits atop a rocky bluff in the north-east of the region, overlooking the bay on one side with the region spread below it on the other. Here sit a couple of railway carriages, sans their bogies (but still sitting on lengths of railway line), but joined together to form a cosy little waiting room, where we’re informed that trains to The Trace are on time, even if those going anywhere else are delayed – which is very fortunate, as this is a place you’ll definitely want to tarry over. For those (like me) from England, road signs on the walls give the place a familiar (and in the case of Baker Street, Old Kent Road and Lambeth Walk, a musical) feel.

The Trace, The Trace; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Trace, The Trace (Flickr)

Below the bluff as a wonderful autumn pastoral scene, mixing open fields with cart tracks lined by dry-stone walls, a little cafe and apple stand at the Oakville Orchards, an old barn, a little summer-house built over the water, a church off in the distance, and more besides, also wrapped in the colours of autumn as meteorites blaze across the evening sky. As always with Kylie’s designs, places to sit can be found scattered through the region, and I’ve little doubt they are appreciated by visitors; the tranquility experienced here really des encourage one to stay.

Hopefully, if all goes well, The Trace may return to Second Life in the future; but in the meantime, I commended those who haven’t already visited it to use the short time that’s left to do so. to Kylie, I can only say this (in addition to all the very best wishes and hopes in her fight back against illness): thank you so much for sharing you creations with us, and for the joy you’ve given to so many through your work, your photography and writing – and for your support.

The Trace, The Trace; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Trace, The Trace (Flickr)

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Enjoying the tranquility of the Back 40

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Back 40, Richfield; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Back 40, Richfield (Flickr)

The Back 40 has closed, SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

I’ve often remarked that you don’t require an entire region – full or homestead – to create something very special, and I’ve blogged about a number of places in Second Life that prove that very point, such as Melinda Palianta’s beautiful Crystal Oak Falls, where she presents the wonderful gardens around her house for visitors to enjoy. Or perhaps the Moonlight Teahouse, the work of SL entertainer Myron Byron, or Kusanagi by Framboise Werribee.

I recently came across another such treasure which, like the Moonlight Teahouse and Kusanagi, sits in a mainland region. Called The Back 40, it is the work of “Dicky” Dick Spad, and it’s an absolute must for anyone with a love of nature.

The Back 40, Richfield; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Back 40, Richfield (Flickr)

Sitting just off Route 8A on the continent of Satori, and so reachable by road for those who fancy a drive, The Back 40 covers a mere 3568 square metres. But within that space, it presents visitors with a delightful woodland setting, complete with local wildlife, opportunities for wandering, places to sit, and of course the chance to take pictures – something Dick welcomes in the About Land description for the land, where he also invites people to come and relax.

The parcel really doesn’t require that much of a description, as it speaks well enough for itself. Extensive use is made of Alex Bader’s terrain scenery, which presumably allows the woodlands to change colour with the seasons, if desired. Right now they are rich with the golds, reds, oranges and greens of autumn. Mist rolls between tree trunks and over the long grass, offering a photogenic opportunity for those who love misty morning  / evening scenes. Care has also been taken to blend the woodlands into the surrounding area, so they appear quite natural, with a couple of screens have been used to good effect on two sides of the land to add a further sense of depth.

The Back 40, Richfield; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Back 40, Richfield (Flickr)

There’s a considerable amount of detail packed into the scene, some of it obvious, some of it perhaps easily missed if time isn’t taken in exploring, and there is plenty of wildlife to be found. It’s also worth having local sounds enabled, as Dick has taken care in blending bird song and deer calls into the scene, again adding to the immersive feel.

All told, a lovely corner of Second Life, well worth a visit.

The Back 40, Richfield; Inara Pey, November 2014, on FlickrThe Back 40, Richfield (Flickr)

A visit to a Sister Planet

Posted on by Inara Pey
Sister Planet
Sister Planet LEA27

Sister Planet is Kimika Ying’s latest installation at the LEA, and given I enjoy science-fiction and have a bit of an interest in space exploration and astronomy, it’s one that should be right up my street. It takes as its theme what is often referred to as Earth’s “sister planet”, Venus (so-called because it has a similar size, gravity, and bulk composition to that of Earth). But what is presented here is not the Venus known to science today, but rather the Venus science-fiction once presented to us, even as late as the 1940s: a warm, wet planet with verdant rainforests existing under its heavy clouds.

Here, then, is a world from an alternative universe, where human beings have started to explore, establishing a small base on the edge of a verdant rainforest surrounded by hills and strange rocky outcrops, and above which the odd volcano or two pokes its snout.

Sister Planet
Sister Planet LEA27

The forest itself is both strangely terrestrial in nature, and also very alien, while the base camp mixes parts of old rockets with pot-bellied units sitting on spindly legs. Above the trees and beneath the clouds, strange green creatures fly, often chasing large seed pods which periodically drift up into the sky. The creatures have no wings as such, but propel themselves by a sudden spinning motion, which also gives them their name; while under the canopy of trees, other strange flora and fauna reside.

Of course, we now know that all the early hopes of Venus really being a sister planet to Earth have been well and truly dashed; the planet is in fact one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system; yet the old science-fiction stories might, under other circumstances have been right. The orbit of Venus sits just beyond the inner edge of what is called the “circumstellar habitable zone”, or “Goldilocks zone”, the region around a star within which planetary-mass objects with sufficient atmospheric pressure can support liquid water at their surfaces, and thus possibly offer conditions suitable for the advent of life. As such, an exploration of what / if with regards to Venus perhaps isn’t in appropriate.

Sister Planet
Sister Planet LEA27

Sadly, however, I’m not sure that this installation succeeds in doing that; while the blog that  accompanies the installation makes for good reading, chart as it does both the development of the idea and Kimika’s leap into mesh content creation, I’m not sure it achieves anything else. Certainly, as one who very much enjoyed at appreciated Kimika’s Oceania Planetary Park, which formed a part of the fifth round of LEA AIR grants, I came away from Sister Planet somewhat disappointed.

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From a Little Village a Little Town does grow…

Posted on by Inara Pey
Little Town
Little Town

In March through April 2014, Cica Ghost has a charming installation on the region of Caramel. Called Little Village, it was a marvellous collection of whimsical little houses with wobbly chimneys, huddled together in groups or standing alone, some on level ground, others precariously straddling little hills, and about which I blogged at the time it was open.

Little Village may have gone from the virtual world at large, but on Thursday, October 30th, Cica opened Little Town, which might be regarded as Little Village all grown-up. And it is another absolute delight of the quirky and the fun.

Little Town
Little Town

The buildings here are “life-sized” (in avatar terms) when compared to Little Village, but they all display the same higgledy-piggledy charm. Most are gathered around a town square atop a large flat hill in the centre of the region, although several are scattered more widely afield.

Here you will find tall finger-like houses, their once-bright paint a little faded and warn, sharing space with other structures of unknown intent. Pipes and tubes and horns twist and run between buildings or point skywards while trees and bright patches of flowers add further colour to the scene, as bright balloons drift about the place. There’s even a building that looks peculiarly like a gigantic coffee pot, a pipe-like handle on one side, and the spout formed by a another pipe as it twists it way to connecting with conical neighbouring structure.

Little Town
Little Town

While the inhabitants may be conspicuous by their absence, this is a town that is very much alive in its own way; there is motion everywhere as windmills turn in the breeze, cogs and wheels rotate, horns stretch and contract from rooftops, strange spherical objects push their way through pipes; even the odd rooftop rises and falls as if breathing slowly, all of it serving to add a depth and further charm to the whimsy on display.

Getting around is easy: wide steel roads, heavy with rivets, offer various routes around the town and its outlying areas, while steps down from the hill provide access to those places off the main roads, and of course, visitors are free to wander where they like. For those not into walking, there are cars available from a rezzer near the cinema cafe, while a gift giver near the landing point will present you with Cica’s Flying Ventilator, if you fancy getting a bird’s-eye view of the town. And speaking of the cinema – do be aware that some of the buildings can be entered as well – there’s even a cage where you can do Airkix-style “skydiving / flying” :).

Little Town
Little Town

Should all the exploring tire you out, Cica has provide a trio of floating beds in the south-west corner of the region, where the weary can rest a while. The field over which the beds floats is also home to Cica’s little flower shop, where you can purchase sets of the flowers which can be seen around the town and region, as can copies of the two mechanical birds sitting under a nearby parasol – proceeds from sales doubtless help towards keeping the sim open.

Given Little Town involves so much motion, something no always captured in a simply snapshot, I’ll leave you with a video of the town in the hope it’ll encourage you to pay a visit and share in Cica’s whimsy!

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Kite flying in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Black Kite
Black Kite

Nigh on two years ago I blogged about Black Kite, the home of Black Cloud (Theblackcloud Oh), and a region open to visitors to enjoy. In the intervening time I’ve been back there on a number of occasions, drawn in part by the fact that it is a water-themed region. As regular reader know, I have something of a soft spot for such places.

Truth be told, not a lot has changed with the region in that time – and that shouldn’t be taken as a critique in any way, because that’s certainly not how it is intended. That Black Kite continues in look and feel as the months go by, so does the feeling of comfort and familiarity one gains with each subsequent visit. When so much can be subject to chop and change within Second Life, it is sometimes nice to have anchor points which can be returned to and enjoyed without the uncertain surprise of change; hence another reason for my visits.

Black Kite
Black Kite

For my part, I love how Black Kite mixes the natural and surreal, presenting an environment which is at once familiar and yet faintly alien. A place where wooden board walks and telegraph poles sit alongside the twisted, ball-topped forms of snake trees, and water droplets rise by the dozen from around armchairs sitting in the water while fish swim through the air indoors.

In my original post about Black Kite, I commented that it is very a much a place where one can get away and simply *be”. It still is; here are places – such as the aforementioned chairs – where one can sit and / or share with a friend or two. Nor are you restricted to ground (or water!) level: ladders provide access to the rooftops of several of the wooden buildings scattered across the region,  where additional chairs and benches might be found.

One of the delights of the region is that almost everything is carefully spaced across the region that conversations and the scenery can be enjoyed without the feeling of being overheard or sitting within earshot  / view of someone else’s privacy.

Black Kite
Black Kite

For those of a photographic bent, the default windlight presents Black Kite beautifully – but it is also a place where twiddling with settings can yield some quite unexpected and delightful results. A Flickr group is available for those you like to share their shots.

Visitors are free to wander where they will when visiting Black Kite, but if you’ve never dropped-in before, do be aware that Black Cloud has her private house in the north-east corner of the region, so do please respect her privacy.

I couldn’t resist a further attempt at doing a little video recording while visiting the region, so I’ll leave you with that – and a reminder of the Black Kite SLurl.

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