Category: Reviews

Starting the year with a visit to an old friend

Posted on by Inara Pey

Collins Land, January 2014
Collins Land – click for full size

Collins Land has appeared several times within this blog – and with good reason. Cerys Collins always offers an interesting and highly photogenic environment for visitors to enjoy whenever she reworks her place. So when I received an invite to go see the region in its latest iteration, which re-opened on January 1st, 2014  it really should come as no surprise that I hopped right over to take a look.

The new design is liable to please both those new to Collins Land and those who are familiar with Cery’s designs. For the former, there is a lot to see and explore and which will please the eye. For the latter, the exploration is the same, but punctuated with some familiar motifs from earlier builds. The greenhouse arrival point, long a hallmark of visiting the region, is still there, for example, as is a rope slide and a dramatic landscape of towering rock faces.

Collins Land, January 2014
Collins Land – click for full size

The greenhouse sits towards the middle of the region, next to a winding road, which in one direction leads up into the hills and in the other, down towards the waterfront. Which way you go is up to you. Follow the road up, and you’ll come to a large house perched on the edge of a high cliff with a stunning view over the sea. Follow the road down, and you’ll be lead to a lovely little boathouse with a quaint apartment over it.

In between these two sits a rugged terrain, the road winding its way around a deep gorge which cuts into the land from the sea and which is also fed by tumbling waterfalls. Away from the road there is more to explore – copses, walks, tree platforms, ponds, and more.

Collins Land, January 2014
Collins Land – click for full size

And the rope slide? That now connects a roadside platform with a smaller island which offers a cosy cave (which is also handy, given it is raining over there), and one or two other little nooks to explore.

Aside from the rainy little island, there is a distinct feel of spring about the place; all the trees are in leaf, sunlight slanting through the boughs – so if you’re looking for some relief from the snowy looks of winter which can be found across many regions right now, Collins Land may well be just the right tonic for you!

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2013: a year in review (3): September – December

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s once again that annual time of reflection. The winter is with us, the old year is slowing dying, the new year awaits, and it is time to look back across the highs and lows of the virtual year as seen through the pages of this blog. This year has been even busier for me than previous years, so rather than give you a sea of text to wade through, I’ve opted to break things down into three more manageable offerings, starting with January through to April, and have tried to limit myself to bullet-points to the various links. I’ve not attempted to dot every “I” and cross every “T”; rather my aim is to highlight the main items of news for each month (or those which raised a smile), and those aspects of other VWs I had time to cover and well as a look back on some personal elements of my SL times over the year. For those into art and SL exploration, I’ve also summarised installations and regions visited by month in the hope that doing so will stir your own memories of those events / places.

September

69 posts

Second Life and the Lab

Platform News

Art Reviews

Events

Pey’s Travelogue

Palomar Observatory, Honah Lee islands
Palomar Observatory, Honah Lee islands

Personal Notes

October

60 posts

Second Life and the Lab

Platform News

Art Reviews

Events

Pey’s Travelogue

Alki
Alki

Other Worlds

Continue reading “2013: a year in review (3): September – December” →

I’m in Prim Perfect!

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sorry, but I’m a-tooting my little horn here.

Back in June, Saffia Widdershins tackled me to the ground and persuaded me to attempt an interview with Rod Humble.

While I dithered a bit with the result that the interview didn’t entirely go as planned (although it did eventually appear in issue #49, the delay no fault of Saffia’s or mine), Saffia was nevertheless undeterred by my fiddle-farting, and asked me if I’d consider helping-out with the Christmas issue of the magazine, and provide a piece about Calas Galadhon, selected as Prim Perfect’s Region of the month. Given she did ask so nicely, and the subject-matter of the article is so close to my heart, how could I refuse? 🙂

Prim Perfect #50 - December 2013
Prim Perfect #50 – December 2013

Issue #50 of Prim Perfect is now out, so if you’re so minded, you can read my thoughts on Calas for yourself there. More to the point, you can find out lots more as well, particularly if you’re in a post-Christmas / pre-New Year mood for Doing Things. So why not grab a copy on-line or from an in-world vendor and:

  • Join Honour McMillan in discovering 11 amazing regions to visit
  • Read about Eliza Wierwight’s moving campaign to help 35 elephants
  • Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Jenne Dibou (just like Honour has!)
  • Catch-up with Designing World’s year
  • and more!

Or, if you prefer, and as a special treat for the cold winter nights, grab a mug of hot chocolate and huddle down somewhere cosy to read a series of special seasonal stories penned by some of SL’s top writers.

All-in-all a great read!

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The Drax Files 15: This otter be good – it’s Scottius Polke!

Posted on by Inara Pey

The latest episode of The Drax Files turns to the prolific and ingenious Scottius Polke, aka artist Scott Rolfe.

Tall and blond in real life, Scott presents himself as a two-foot-tall gregarious, sunglass wearing, fedora-hatted otter in Second Life, where he is known – as in real life – for producing incredible works of art.

Joining SL in early 2008, he was also quick to release the potential of the platform not only as a means of artistic expression, collaboration and social engagement, but also as a means of counterpointing elements of his own real life personality and giving creative freedom to aspects of himself which might otherwise not always be so obvious to those meeting him.

A man and his inner otter: Scott Rofle (courtesy of sofle.com) and Scottius Polke (courtesy of Cat Broccacio)
A man and his inner otter: Scott Rofle (courtesy of srofle.com) and Scottius Polke (courtesy of Cat Boccaccio)

“I am a Tiny otter,” he says of his SL persona. “Well, otters have kind of carefree spirit, they enjoy fun and I was hoping it would balance-off some of my more rigid personality; I’m more introverted in person and the otter is bombastic and out of control!”

He also notes that while a digital creation, Scottius nevertheless has an energy of his own, one which Scott likes to associate with, and which appears to feed into and connect with his more conscious creativity, allowing his real and virtual lives to complement one another, adding depth to his work in both.

The fisherman's hut from The Docks, referred to in episode 15 of the Drax Files (image courtesy of Dividni Shostakovich )
The fisherman’s hut from The Docks, referred to in episode 15 of the Drax Files (image courtesy of Dividni Shostakovich)

He’s also a first-rate ambassador, as the film reveals, quick to engage others on the subject of Second Life, demonstrate it, and draw them into the world which has captivated him and show them that it is a place of enormous potential  – and fun. In this, he’s very quick to turn the widespread perception many people have about Second Life being a place for those “without a life” completely on its head.

“It seems that … there is very much a detachment from everyone else in the public sphere,” he says in reference to real life while discussing things for the episode, “[In] coffee shops here, you don’t go and suddenly there’s a big gathering of people. No. You go to your table and you might be with one other person, or with your laptop, and it’s almost completely quiet. Second Life is the opposite of the perceptions that a lot of the public hold. It’s not a place where lonely people ignore each other; it’s a place where minds connect!”

Real life can be isolating in other ways as well, and often and not Second Life really can counter it and open the doors to many rich and diverse means of genuine and positive interaction, as Scott again points out during the pre-production conversation.

“There are issues [as an artist] of putting your work out there and not getting any feedback or knowing what people are thinking about it,” he says of real life. “And you know, we don’t live in a vacuum. and an essential part of art is sharing it with other people; and for the longest time, all it seemed I was doing was storing my art in my house and in my closet, and that’s killing the purpose of art.”

With Second Life, the interaction and feedback is there and it is immediate, from peers and friends alike, and it fuels the creative and collaborative processes, something with Scott likens it directly to the vibrant and positive atmosphere he was immersed in when studying art in college which served to further fuel his creative desires; something that he admits he’d never really felt in the time between leaving college and discovering SL.

Carival Discarida funhouse, recreated in SL for the collaborative LEA installation "Rafts"
Carnival Discardia fun house, recreated in SL for the collaborative LEA installation “Rafts“

This is another fascinating insight into the way in which Second Life have captivated someone and enabled them to find further means of expression and creativity and release. Scott’s experiences and his sheer enthusiasm for the platform offer another visual and positive means of presenting Second Life to those who have not experienced it for themselves.  The breadth and depth of topics covered here once again raise the bar in terms of the reach of this series. This is not an episode to miss.

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I regret, no conversation with Drax this time; real life and family matters didn’t offer sufficient time.

Of the Sun, Moon and songs of love in SL

Posted on by Inara Pey

SM-7I was led to Myhns Mayo’s Myhn’s Land by Ziki Questi, who blogged about Nexuno Thespian’s Sun to Moon:  Transmigration Between Day and Night, currently on display high over the region, back in November. However, real life around here has been such that it took me until mid-December to actually go see it for myself, and I’ve been unable to find the time to blog until now.

The inspiration for the piece, according to Nexuno, is Sun and Moon, a song from Miss Saigon, although he also reveals he has long been fascinated by folktales of the Sun and Moon and star-crossed lovers, and this has played a part in the installation.

The piece comprises three interconnected areas, the first being the arrival point. This provides the visitor with information on both the work and the artist, together with some gifts. Also to be found here are several interactive spots for dancing and posing. The dances, perhaps best suited to groups, seem to reflect the various cultural influences on Nexuno’s interest in the subject of the Sun and Moon in folklore and mythology.

SM-1_001
Sun to Moon: Transmigration Between Day and Night

A large three-dimensional mural  represents the two central figures of Miss Saigon, where she is literally the Moon and he the Sun. The song Sun and Moon plays around and over the piece (so make sure you have sounds enabled), and a series of stars on the floor offer visitors a range of poses they can adopt around the piece to complement it.

Follow the lightning from the arrival area, and you reach the heat of the Sun; a world tinted in red and orange and yellow; where the heads of great birdlike creatures look down upon you, and fiery figures dance and perform acrobatics like wisps of flame caught in the wind while interactive pieces float by, enticing you to touch them and ride them. A path leads through the various scenes, rising gently toward the Sun itself.

SM-3_001
Sun to Moon: Transmigration Between Day and Night

At the heart of the Sun lies a passageway which takes you to the third element on the piece: the world of the Moon.

Here everything is cooler, with blue being the predominant colour, although infused with red. Figures and trees seen in the world of the Sun are found here as well, as are other figures, suggesting a continuity of being and connection between the two sections – just as the characters from the musical are as much connected by all that surrounds them in their world as they are by their love. Figures glide through the landscape and birds circle overhead, while at the far end of the piece is a crescent Moon, complete with ruby lips, symbolising Kim.

SM-6_001
Sun to Moon: Transmigration Between Day and Night

The is a strongly symbolic build; while the central theme may well be drawn from Miss Saigon, many of the elements within it clearly have their roots in other folktales and mythologies. As such, this is an installation worth exploring carefully; not all may become apparent at first look.

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Snowy scenes in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
It All Starts With a Smile, December 2013
It All Starts With a Smile,click any image to enlarge

Back at the beginning of the month, I managed to drop-in to Kaelyn Alecto’s and Maxxster’s It All Starts with a Smile, which I last visited in May, when things didn’t appear to bode well for the region’s future. Fortunes rapidly improved, however, and right now It All Starts with a Smile offers a winter scene of composite parts, with a small village / town element on one side of the region, and more rural scenes across the rest of the island.

It All Starts With a Smile, December 2013
It All Starts With a Smile,

It’s an interesting mix of scenes, with the little town area offering small shops, a coffee-house and a light-hearted touch to car registration (license) plates – this place is clearly popular with those of an IT persuasion :-). If you’re tired of all the snow and cold of the northern hemisphere, you can pop into the IASWAS travel agency and book a vacation in warmer climes …

While the snow has been cleared from the town area, elsewhere in the region it lies deep and blankets the landscape, offering-up many opportunities for the SL photographer. Fortunately, the roads have been cleared, so you needn’t worry too much about deep snow – although the tree-lined paths make for a relaxing walk.

It All Starts with a Smile
It All Starts with a Smile

The landscape naturally lends itself to a lot of tweaking with windlight, as some interesting effects can be obtained. I settled for trying out some monochromatic efforts, or – as with the top image – what are more unusual colours for me to settle upon.

If you like your Second Life uncluttered, but with a rich feel of winter and plenty of snow to enjoy, you may well find it very worthwhile hopping over to It All Starts with a Smile and having a look around. And if it gets too cold outside, don’t forget there are at least a couple of places where you can get a hot drink and warm-up again!

It All Starts with a Smile
It All Starts with a Smile

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