In April 2013, I visited the Isle of Myrth, a full region which is both home to the Noble Family and which is also generously open to the public for visits and photography.
At the time of my first visit, the Noble Family were celebrating the works of Beatrix Potter, and the isle contained many touches that reflected her writings. Now the seasons have moved on, winter is sitting on our shoulders in the northern hemisphere, and the Isle of Myrth has been reworked to represent scenes from New England in the autumn (or should I say fall?).
The change in look and feel couldn’t be more apparent, although there are familiar touches for anyone who visited the region back in April. The lighthouse is still there, for example, acting as both the arrival point and (I think) the gallery for a photo contest, of which more shortly.
Step outside of the lighthouse, and you’ll find yourself on a small promontory, the island before you, covered in what might best be described as coastal mist which tends to hide more than it reveals, and which – to me at least – undersells the beauty of the island to the newly arrived.
In this, I admit to being biased. Autumn in New England has for me always conjured-up images of crisp autumn days where trees are burdened with leaves Irish Setter red, ready to flutter down and blanket the ground under crystal blue skies, or where the lowering clouds tint the horizon and a soft rain makes us think of the colder days to come, and recall the warmer days that have passed.
However, windlight issues can be quickly rectified to suit one’s taste, and certainly aren’t an impediment to the willing explorer. And once taken care of, the island offers more than enough to compensate for spending a few minutes fiddling with your viewer while switching between windlight options. As with all of the Noble Family’s work, there is mush here that is worth taking the time to explore and more than enough to keep happy snappers snapping.
From the lighthouse, you can stroll across a golden beach, then follow a stream inland to a small land-locked lake, complete with boathouse, an old parish church sitting across the water, long converted into a place to shelter from the fall rain and sit and chat with friends.
Paths and wooden walkways wind through, over and around the isle, offering the visitor many different routes by which it can be explored. Whether you opt to follow the paths up and around the old church and over assorted bridges and crossing to reach the hilltop playground, or take the steeper climb up to the old barn, or decide follow another meandering stream back to the coast and from there up to the old race track, is entirely up to you. Whichever way you roam, you’re likely going to want to keep your eyes peeled and camera ready.
While exploring, do please be aware that as mentioned above, although the region is open to the public, it is also home to the members of the Noble Family, with their house and gardens located towards the north-west corner. So do please respect their privacy when wandering close to the house.
The photo contest kicks-off on November 15th and runs through until 12:00 noon SLT on November 30th. Details are actually scant, but I assume entries are to be made via the Noble Flickr Group, and winning entries will be displayed in-world at the Noble lighthouse.
All told, this is another delightful re-working of a region which has rightly had a long line of fans and visitors. If you’ve not visited Isle of Myrth in a while – or never at all – I can only urge you to don your coat and grab a hat and go enjoy New England scenes in the fall. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. And having managed to include a line for a song I like in the body of this article, I’ll leave you to enjoy the song in full.
It’s no secret that I love water-themed regions, so when I was nudged about Imagination, it immediately went on my list of places to see. As it happened, I delayed my original plans to blog about it as I saw Ziki had done so; truth be told, I had intended to leave it a little while longer before spending time there, but temptation got the better of me.
The region has been designed by ARNICAR India, and it is a perfect haven for those wanting to escape the trials of the world or who are looking for a place to soothe their tired minds. Predominantly water, the region has a number of small islands scattered across it and, in one case, floating over it.
Each presents its own vignette or tableau; a story begun, but awaiting the presence of others to continue it. Wandering between them, you’re invited to participate, whether be sitting down in one of the many chairs scattered across the islands, or by creating your own story for the scenes you pass through.
That you are welcome to imagine and create is clear from the description of the region, which comes in the form of a quote by George Bernard Shaw:
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.
This is a truly lovely place, one that wraps itself around you, comforting you, offering you warmth and peace; a place to rest and to listen to the sounds of the sea breaking against distant rocks, and soft chirping of crickets, the gentle croaking of frogs and the splash and murmur of water under wooden piers and against stone causeways.
There are some lovely touches that further enhance the region’s look and allure, and as such, it is worthwhile taking your time while exploring, as some will doubtless raise a smile once discovered.
For those who tire of walking there is a rowing boat which can be used to navigate between the islands or, for the really adventurous, a pair of flying, pedal-powered chairs. And when you’re done exploring, there are plenty of places to relax and let the rest of the world hurry on with its business without you, and simply let the peaceful waters flow.
Walking down the
Cobbled street
Jeans & T-shirt
And silk black flats
Upon my feet
With the sunshine
On my shoulders
And the smell of pastries
In the air
Watching people
Passing by
Til the day
Has turned to night
The cobbled street
Now paved in
Silver light
With the light from lamp posts
Tall as trees
Reflecting on the surface
Of the river Seine
Walking neath
Blue velvet skies
On my way to
Buy some pink champagne
I’ll return then
To my balcony
In the hotel
Named after George the fifth
And there I’ll sit and watch the stars
I’ll dream my life away
And send a wish into the void
To a far off shooting star
That one day
Life will bring me back
To this heaven
To the city that stole my heart
“Paris” by Natasha Wright. Images from Cupcake (Rated: Moderate)
“The number 3 is in nature, in our culture and in ourselves. Is the Trinity exposed in its multiple meanings present in religion, science and philosophy, in the division of time into Past, Present and Future, in the Three Powers, in You, Me and that which unites us or disjoint us and in the Id, Ego and Superego of Freud? – Noke Yuitza
A new installation by Giovanna Cerise and featuring pieces by Alpha Auer, Ataro Asbrink, Betty Tureaud, Daco Monday, La Baroque, Noke Yuitza, Paola Milla, Pol Jarvinen and Taralyn Gravois opens on Sunday November 3rd at LEA17.
Give the numbers! is a collaborative exploration of numbers and their meaning, be it practical, philosophical, mystical, factual or fantastical, and their influences on us.
Paola Mills
Given that numbers are central to our lives in so many different ways, the idea of representing them, their many and varied meanings, influences and uses is a fascinating concept, and in Give the numbers! it is one which is intriguingly presented. The main part of the installation is floating in the air as series of platforms interlinked by a teleport system, and presented in a series of two-dimensional frames above which they sit.
The way the various numbers from 0 through 8 are presented and interpreted is highly individual, leading to an absorbing piece which deserved a reasonable amount of time and effort in exploring. Some of the pieces offer interactive elements as well, so keep an eye out for these. When I made my preview visit, elements were still under construction, so there are probably newer aspects to be explored and enjoyed and which I missed when looking around.
5555555 55555 555 – Alpha Auer
When you have finished exploring the sky platforms, do take a trip down to ground level, where you’ll find Giovanna’s Arthimos, a fascinating geometric build which, in the words of the artist, offers, “Fascination and illusion in balance between rationality and irrationality.”
Here the numerical influences are again clear through the use of the various shapes and lines, but there is something else at work here; pan around the build and elements which might initially appear to work together seem to come into conflict; the rational becomes irrational. Even the nature of numbers changes, thanks to the placing of a series of dice around the build, reminding us of how numbers are often linked with chance, and chance, while irrational, often forms the basis of our supposedly rational ability to make decisions.
Arthimos – Giovanna Cerise
There is little guidance on preferred lighting settings, but I do recommend something around Midnight is perhaps the best way to appreciate the pieces, together with a relatively low draw distance to bring each element individually to the fore (with the exception of Arithmos, where a draw distance sufficient to let you see the entire region is recommended). The images here were captured using JAXBlackContrast from Jackson Redstar, with cloud cover set to zero and S/M and Ambient Sun / Moon settings tweaked a little via the colour picker sliders.
Give the numbers! will run through until the end of December 2013.
In September, I covered the story of Fran Swenson, an 86-year-old suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, her daughter Barbara, and their experiences and times within Second Life.
I wasn’t the first to come to Fran’s story, which is remarkable in the way Second Life has had a positive and uplifting impact on her life; Hamlet Au did that way back in February. But such is her story, it does deserve to be heard and re-told, be it through blogs like Hamlet’s or this one, or through media coverage such as in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Barbara and Fran
Now, both Fran and Barbara – Fran Seranade and Barbi Alchemi respectively in Second Life – get to share their story and their insight and wisdom in the latest edition of The Drax Files. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that, in what has already been a truly outstanding series, this is the most powerful segment to yet come to our screens.
Having lost her husband to Parkinson’s in 2003, Fran found herself diagnosed with the illness the following year. Over time, she relocated from the east coast of the United States to the west, and as a result, her son Ken, still living on the other side of the country in Florida, proposed the idea of using Second Life as a means of bringing the family together more easily, offering to build a home for them in-world.
Barbara, also residing on the west coast, admits that, initially, she wasn’t that keen on the idea. Like many people, she considered SL as little more that a sexual playground, coupled with a steep learning-curve for those not particularly well-versed in the nuances of virtual worlds and / or computer games and environments. It was easier to point a derisive finger at Second Life users than to become one. But once encouraged to give it a go, Barbara soon found herself converted. What’s more, she was amazed when she started witnessing Fran’s response to the platform, both physically and mentally.
Fran’s experiences with Second Life have resulted in Barbara establishing Creations for Parkinson’s, and Creations Park in SL – both of which are designed to bring sufferers of the disease and their friends together in an environment where they can meet and share and enjoy themselves pursuing a wide range of activities.
Fran’s story is also one which has come to the attention of academic researchers such as Tom Boellstorff, an anthropology professor at UC Irvine, and Donna Davis, a strategic communications professor at the University of Oregon and who now leads the Thursday group sessions at Creations.
Fran’s experiences have been a focus of study for Tom Boellstorff
It was Boellstorff who pointed to the possibility of Second Life triggering “mirror neurons” in Fran’s mind. These are, as Barbara explains in the video, the neurons which allow us to pattern and mirror what we see in others. While there is some controversy as to their classification and origin, their effect on assisting the learning capabilities of young children is fairly widely recognised, and the theory is that in Fran’s case, her mirror neurons are reacting to her time in Second Life and are forging new pathways to connect her mind and body, offsetting some of the impact Parkinson’s is having on her.
While Fran’s own case is still the subject of study and so precludes definitive conclusions being drawn from a medical standpoint, the fact remains that the therapeutic value of Second Life on her own real life – allowing for the fact she is active in other areas of her life as well – is very genuine. In this, she is not alone; several research studies have shown that while our avatars can be highly stylised and all tend to be youthful in appearance, our identification with them can have lasting and positive benefits on our lives in so many ways.
“The avatar represents who I really feel inside,” Fran tells us, “When I look at my avatar, I feel like I’m looking at myself.” This reaction is not unusal; and it does act as a kind of positive affirmation that may well – perhaps thanks to mirror neurons again – offer something of a fountain of youth for the mind which can manifest itself as real physical improvements in health, vitality and happiness and in our self-identification.
Creations Park, founded by Barbara and a centre where people with Parkinson’s Disease from around the world and their friends can share, relax, and enjoy themselves in a stress-free environment offering a broad range of activities
However, to think this is a story about the potential impact Second Life may have on health issues is to only pick-up on half the story. This segment of The Drax Files is much deeper than previous episodes because it very much expresses the reality that far from being something that sets us apart from “real life”, Second Life is something which both enriches our real world experiences, and allows us the freedom to be who we really are in ways that are all too frequently denied us elsewhere in life.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” But was he necessarily right? Modern life requires we wear so many masks: the mask we wear to work, the mask we wear to church, the mask we wear when among strangers, the social mask, the stern-mum-and-dad mask we sometimes have to present to the kids, the mask we wear when joining-in with “the crowd”, or “the lads”, or “the girls” when on a night on the tiles, and so on. All of them allow us to express aspects of ourselves, but those aspects are always constrained to what we believe we should be projecting to those around us, rather than necessarily actually being who we are as a whole person.
Of course, Second Life also allows us to wear a huge range of masks in-world, and allows us to do so free of the constraints society would otherwise demand of us. We can be truer to different facets of our personality, to our hopes, our wants, and our desires. But the greatest gift Second Life perhaps gives us is that it actually allows us, if we’re willing to do so, to create and foster environments where we can all safely lay all our masks aside and simply be ourselves without fear of recrimination or judgement.
This is something not lost on Barbara, “We’re free to be who we really are,” she points out. “Sometimes people can be terribly shy, but in here, they open up for some reason. Meeting here with our avatar is a totally freeing experience, there is a deeper level of connection. We really let down our mask, and we are authentically ourselves; who we are will get expressed in our avatar. We’re out of the box.”
Fran and Fran and friends
We often talk about overcoming the perceptions of all those who would see Second life as a den of digital iniquity and a haven for basement dwellers unable to “get a life.” Perhaps this is the way to do so. Not by attempting to challenge such ideas head-on or argue against them, but to show that Second Life and environments like it are not only capable of allowing completely free rein to our imaginations and creative abilities, but that they are a very valid social extension to people’s lives; that rather than being a means to escape the world, they offer a means to more fully engage with the world at large, and can actively expand our understanding and appreciation of the world through our interactions with the people behind the avatars.
When you combine this aspect of outreach and connection with the free-ranging creative opportunities within Second Life, you have a medium which, as we have all recognised in our time in-world, exceptionally powerful on so many levels for each and every one of us, regardless of age, social standing, background and so on. It’s not about hiding away or needing to escape from the tribulations of life or being unable to express ourselves in real life. It’s about extending and expanding and enriching our lives.
“This is about all people,” Barbara says towards the end of the piece, “Using their creativity in a positive way to make a new world.”
I’ve been a little behind things of late due to a project elsewhere taking up a large portion of my time and RL in general being somewhat awkward in its scheduling of things. So there are a few SL Destinations pending a write-up, including another Halloween theme or two which may or may or now seen the light of day. If they don’t my apologies to the creators concerned, both for my failure to get them blogged and because when I do make it in-world, I get totally distracted.
For the latter, you can blame Honour :). You see, I love castles; a good deal of my time has been spent travelling around England and Scotland visiting castles and the ruins of castles, so when Honour blogs about a castle I’ve not seen in SL, then that was it as far as the day’s plans were concerned; I was off to see for myself.
And Tudor Rose, with its castle, cathedral and waterfront, is certainly worth seeing. It has been developed by Amas Veritas (ppeapod) on behalf of region owner Elizabeth I (Elizabetth Chester), and the Whiteraven group. About Land provides the background to the region:
The setting is north of London along the Thames River to a castle that has been occupied by King and Queens alike for over 900 years, the Elizabeth castle.
This beautiful kingdom is a stage for councils, state ceremonies, summit politics, important feasts and Renaissance dances rich in culture. A place where Queen Elizabeth I takes respite from the hectic life of court in London in this country retreat.
I admit that I wasn’t aware that the Thames ran north from London, nor did I realise the lands north of that great city were quite so hilly (the region has a near-mountainous surround on all sides); but this really is nit-picking on my part. What we’re presented with here is plenty to appreciate, enjoy and photograph.
Tudor Rose can be split into a number of distinct areas. The castle itself sits on an island on the north-east side of the region. To the west and south of it lies a small waterfront town, dominated by the huge bulk of a cathedral . Here can be found an inn, a quayside with two ships alongside and a slipway where a third vessel is under construction, its hull looking ready to be tar-sealed. Together the castle the cathedral with its entourage of houses and places of business make up the focal points to the region.
The cathedral is imposing. While built on lower ground to the castle, the spires atop its towers almost match the highest spire on the castle itself. Both the castle and cathedral are open to exploration, although in the case of the former, you may well want to take care if Her Majesty is in residence. Period costume does not appear to be a requirement for visitors, but I’m sure it would be appreciated.
Beyond the cathedral, moving southwards between it and the woodland separating it from a river, one can find the remaining features in the region. First are the jousting butts, heralding the days of chivalry, and which appear to be in frequent use. Make your way through the trees south-east from here and you’ll find a small church. From her, a path leads the way to a bridge crossing a stream, and which in turn brings you to a mystical dance circle, shrouded in mist and overlooked by a tall, round tower.
I’m not sure how much role-play goes on here; during my visit there were a good few people in period costume, but no-one accosted me for wearing modern clothing, and I didn’t come across any note card / rules giver either on my arrival or in my travels around the region. Certainly, the opportunities for role-play would appear to be many; be it of a courtly persuasion within the castle itself, possibly involving Queen Elizabeth and her courtiers, or out jousting or perhaps (and possibly more mysteriously) at the open-air dance circle, where the rolling mist and surrounding gnarled trees suggest something of a dark nature may well be acted-out here at certain times of the year. There’s even a hint of the Arthurian within the castle.
There are a couple of slight incongruities with the architecture within the region in that both the castle and the cathedral have elements which are suggestive of them belonging more in a European landscape than perhaps having once sat close to London. However, as with my earlier quibble, this is a little bit of nit-picking; as a fantasy / role-play region, Tudor Rose has much which is welcoming, and the design lends itself to allowing several different activities or scenarios to be acted-out simultaneously.
For those looking for a period region offering opportunities to meet others interested in the Tudor history of England or similarly role-play, or if you’re simply looking for somewhere new to visit and photograph, Tudor Rose may well be worth adding to your list of places to visit.
