Category: Reviews

A summer in The Shambles in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Shambles, July 2023 – click any image for full size

I last visited The Shambles when it occupied a Homestead region and presented a steampunk-come-sci-fi theme (see: In The Shambles in Second Life). But that was a year ago (or, when put in purely Second Life terms – a decade ago!). A lot has happened in that time. For one thing, Tolia Crisp has relocated The Shambles to a Full private region; for another she has once again teamed with Dandy Warhlol (Terry Fotherington) to offer another engaging and photogenic region under the Frogmore banner.

At the time of my visit, The Shambles was open to members of the Frogmore group, who are also invited to participate in a landscape photo competition with a L$8,500 prize pool, including L$5,000 to the outright winner (+a 4-week free stay at Frogmore Cottage). Details on this competition are available through the Frogmore group, and it will remain available for entry by group members until August 4th, 2023. However, The Shambles itself will open to full public access on Saturday, July 15th, 2023, and will remain so through until Tolia closes it for a Halloween redressing – so this might be considered a little advanced promotion for the region.

The Shambles, July 2023

Those who have visited the core Frogmore regions will find much that is familiar within this iteration of The Shambles. It offers something of a continuation of the rugged coastal environment that mixes touches of England’s Cornwall and Devon with a stirring of European coastal areas, bound together with a touch of summer days perhaps made more bearable by the cooling influence of an light breeze drifting in from over the sea.

This is not to say that The Shambles doesn’t have its own personality or independent looks – it most certainly does. In fact, the overall styling contains more of a lean towards parts of Europe’s multi-faceted coastlines than it does the UK’s, and there is, as ever, plenty to see and discover whilst exploring.

To the west, the land is low-lying and formed by a deep inlet / bay complete with a broad sandy beach to one side, facing an headland which rises as a broad shoulder of rock protecting the inlet from the wilder elements, capped by a small fishing wharf suitable for trawlers at the head of the bay. This sits as one of two guardians watching over the entrance to the bay, the other being the (inevitable? – We SLers do so love them…) lighthouse.

A broad cobbled street parallels the beach, offering multiple points of interest whilst aged steps climb the eastern uplands as they rise to a roughly flat top before falling away sharply to the seas below again.

This highland area is home of a variety of locations, each one with its own charm and beauty. There’s the dirt track running past stables, the horses from which graze both in the field alongside it and the meadow above from which rises the head of a tumbling stream which steps its way down along the east side of the setting before using a waterfall to jump down to the sea on the north side.

The Shambles, July 2023

Or – and keeping to the north side of the region – there’s the campsite with its mix of caravans and tents. It’s a cramped but clearly popular location, although how the caravans got up there is a nice little enigma. Certainly, the same track as runs past the stables was used for the final leg of their journey, but its southern end ends in a rocky drop descended only by more aged stone steps and by more water tumbling from a small pair of pools.

Watched over by a tall bell tower, the southern end of the island seems to exude a sense of age, a careworn spit of land splitting the waters between open sea and narrow channel. Another fishing wharf sits on the narrow spit, itself crossed at several points by a variety of bridges, whilst its eastern end is guarded by two lighthouses, one of considerable age, the other perhaps one of the more recent structures on the island.

The Shambles, July 2023

All of which is just the start of a description for what is a genuinely captivating setting, rich in content, with many places to sit and pass the time or enjoy a drink or two. There’s also a bungee jump for the more adventurous, although this may be absent whilst the photo competition is running. As one would expect from the pairing or Tolia and Terry, there is a deep since of natural beauty throughout; a feeling that – as is the case in the physical world – the land was present long before people arrived, the wind, fresh water, sea and rain forming it into folds and turns, high points and lowlands, slopes and drops, humans have in turn used to their advanced in establishing a lasting presence here.

Needless to say, the entire setting is highly photogenic and those of the Frogmore group wishing to enter the competition should find lots here by which to create an entry, whilst those wishing to take avatar-centric photos which are not for the competition but purely for pleasure, can also join the Frogmore group for rezzing rights with props.

The Shambles, July 2023

Again, the region will be open to the general public from Saturday, July 15th, 2023, but those wishing earlier access can – again – join the Frogmore group. Enjoy.

SLurl Details

Do You Believe? An artist’s question in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

Recently opened within the main gallery at NovaOwl Community Centre & Gallery operated by ULi Jansma, Ceakay Ballyhoo & Owl Dragonash,  is what might be called a 3-part exhibition of avatar studies by photographer-artist Ninae Trallis. I say three parts, because there are three elements of equal import within Do You Believe? – the images themselves (together with their supporting 3D elements), the selection of music offered with each picture, and how both resonate individually and jointly with our emotions / imaginations.

Unlike most exhibitions I’ve visited within the main gallery at NovaOwl, Do You Believe occupies both the 3-room gallery space and the adjoining space which had, during part visits, been generally given over to a café / lounge space – and rightly so, as these are genuinely captivating images. Ninae is one of the few artists in SL who focuses on avatar studies whilst largely eschewing the use of post-processing to enhance her images. Instead, she uses framing, composition, environment and the viewer – Black Dragon in this case – for her work, relegating tools such as Photoshop to the role of small-scale touching-up.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

This gives her images a crisp richness and depth which is immediately engaging. Her use of lighting ensures most colours are softened to natural pastels, while her use of black and white gives a further sense of authenticity of live and vitality. Each image sits as a single-frame story, expanded upon through the use of the 3D elements placed before and around the images. What that story might be folds another of the three elements into the exhibition: our imagination.

Through the title we are offered a challenge – to believe in … something. Through the images we are offered hints of ideas, some obvious, some more subtle: to believe in love, fantasy, the existence of fae and / or faerie tales, our own ability to create, to trust in another – be it with secrets, or hearts or even our submission to them – and not to fear rejection; to believe in the power of nature and in things unseen.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

How we might opt to interpret individual images is given a further little tilt in that each image is accompanied by a piece of music (click the music notes found to the lower left or right of each picture – under under the middle of a couple! – to be offered a You Tube URL to the music in question. As Ninae notes, these pieces, which range from classical pieces through soundtracks through to rock and pop ballads, might be completely unrelated to the image in question – like many of us (myself included), Ninae listens to music whilst the creative juices flow – but then again, they might not (as hinted by her use of “sometimes” in the notes accompanying the exhibition).

Which of these might be the case is left open to personal interpretation – and while some might appear “obvious” in their influence on the production of the image they accompany, the lyrics, when listened to in full, might actually suggest otherwise. But discerning whether or not the choice of music for any given piece is intentional or simply the result of it being a piece Ninae likes independently of the image is actually irrelevant here. Each piece, whether Chopin, Lewis Capaldi, Hans Zimmer, original composition or cover version, echoes that challenge of the exhibit’s title, the music mixing with the images to set our imagination free to reflect, to travel where emotions might lead, to conjure feelings and ideas in which might believe, however transitory their existence in our minds and imaginings.

NovaOwl, July 2023: Ninae Trallis – Do You Believe?

Rich and eye-catching – and potentially containing a little in the way of personal revelation through the selection of music as much as the images themselves (which adds to its beauty and mystique, Do You Believe? is an engaging, gently layered exhibition.

SLurl Details

  • NovaOwl (Novatron, rated General)

A Viper Heaven in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Viper Heaven, July 2023 – click any image to view on Flickr

Cube Republic (of landscaping fame) poked me recently concerning Viper Heaven, a skyborne installation built by Markarius Viper high over one of the regions of Viper Estate, which Markarius runs along with JimSqu Sunbelter. An artist, builder and regions designer, Markarius’s name is not new to me, although I had to go all the way back to 2016 to find the last design I’d blogged about in which he played a role in designing (Osprey Ridge, which he designed with Flo (SweetFloXO), a place now gone from SL and the region repurposed as a marina). Given this and – most importantly – Cube’s recommendation – I stepped on the pad, figuratively speaking and ordered “energise.”

And am I ever glad I did; Viper Heaven is one of the most visually engaging, photogenic, imaginative, potentially romantic and mysterious designs it has been my pleasure to visit. Built high over a Full region utilising the Land Capacity bonus, Viper Heaven seamlessly brings together elements of fantasy, mythology, ancient civilisations, art, lighting, and a light smattering of religious iconography in a genuinely captivating setting which is an utterly Must See destination.

However, before getting into specifics – no easy task in itself, given the visual richness of the setting – there are a number of points worth keeping in mind ahead of any visit. The first is that everything within the setting has been carefully orchestrated – including the environment settings. It’s therefore vital it ensure your viewer is set to Use Shared Environment (World → Environment menu) prior to visiting. Alongside of this is the fact that Viper Heaven uses a localised Experience to handle seamless transitioning between the different environment settings as visitors move between locations and levels. This Experience also allows for automated teleports when the setting’s various portals are encountered, therefore, it is essential you join the Experience when the pop-up dialogue is displayed by your viewer.

Finally, and while Shadows do not need to be enabled during a visit (in fact, because of the surrounding shell of the “sky”, I would suggest leaving shadows off, even if you do normally explore with them enabled), due to the use of projectors, it is vital you make sure Advanced Lighting Model is enabled in your viewer (Preferences → Graphics → check Advanced Lighting Model if not already checked – and am I ever glad the occasions when I’ll have to give that reminder will start to draw to a close in the future!).

Viper Heaven, July 2023

To describe Viper Heaven is something of an exercise in futility; the simple truth is that this is a genuinely rich and immersive setting folding so much into it, and to appreciate it properly, it has to be seen first-hand. That said, and just to whet appetites, visitors will, within the three primary levels of of installation, find touches of ancient Egyptian and Grecian religion and mythology. For example Isis, Anubis, Bastet and Sobek occupy a setting that might easily suggest a location on the banks of the Nile at Thebes or perhaps Memphis; elsewhere, there is a ruined temple of an Oracle – still visited, it would seem, given the fresh fruits laid out before her statue in the hope of receiving divination by those leaving the gifts. Then, perhaps most noticeable of all – there are the three mighty Titans holding aloft the upper level, as if in honour of Atlas as he held aloft the celestial spheres, whilst  Ganesha / Ganesh sits on a stone plaza, offering another touch of religious mythology.

And that’s just to start; also awaiting discovery are touches of Elven and Fae fantasy – particularly in the form of plants and structure by the Master Elf himself, Elicio Ember, whilst one corner of the setting carries a strong hint of Fritz Lang, another carries a Lovecraftian air, and still another a suggestion that dwarfish tools have been at work in hidden caverns. As all this is just for openers. From the landing point on the uppermost level paths wind around the main island as it is held aloft by the Titans, bridges reaching out to islands floating close to hand, stairs rising to different levels and exotic plants floating among the trees to cast a further air of alien fantasy into the mix.

Viper Heaven, July 2023

As mentioned, portals link the various levels, and these take various forms. Some are animated and rather indicative of their purpose. Others many appear as doors partially opened or tight shut. Still others might appear to be just a blank face of rock or wood into which the path seems to collide. No clue is given as to where they might lie or where they might lead – so if you want to discover all of Viper Heaven’s myriad secrets and appreciate its beauty and design to the fullest – walk is the order of the day!

Nor is Viper Heaven alone within the estate; also awaiting discovery is Viper Hell, as well are several other public locations. These are separate to Viper Heaven – giving me an excuse for return visits in the future! – but Markarius has developed a HUD to help people get around, which will hopefully soon be generally available at landing points, etc. But in the meantime, if you do pay a visit and catch Markarius on radar or in person, he’ll be happy to provide you with a copy of the HUD on request.

And all that said, I’ll leave you with my impressions of the setting on video – the first I’ve been able to produce of any reasonable length in a good few years thanks to ne hardware. I’m not sure how many videos I’ll produce going forward (I have some outstanding obligations to fulfil now I have everything sorted once more!), but frankly, Viper Heaven was simply too beautiful not to attempt to film it.

My thanks to Cube for the pointer, and to Markarius for taking the time to chat with me.

SLurl Details

A touch of Iceland in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Grauvik, July 2023 – click any image for full size

It was off to JimGarand’s Homestead region for me recently, after several people poked me about Jim having both joined Emm Evergarden’s The Nature Collective and opened a new setting within his region, temporarily abandoning his normal name for his settings – Grauland – in favour of Grauvik, a name suggestive of  Scandinavian / Norse roots. There’s no accident in this as Grauvik offers a fictional island apparently sitting off the coast of Iceland.

As a fan of Jim’s work, I always enjoy seeing what he has produced, but learning he’d settled on an Icelandic theme I was almost immediately off to take a look: Iceland is one of the many places around the world I’ve been fortunate enough to visit, spending time in the south-west and travelling extensively around the north of Iceland (it’s no accident my primary home in Second Life is dubbed Isla Myvatn – I spent part of a very happy vacation close to the lake and the impressive lava fields of  Krafla  🙂 .

Grauvik, July 2023

I’ve no idea if Jim has based his build on a specific location in Iceland; “Grauvik” appears to be a concatenation of “Grauland” and “Viking”, rather than the name of an actual place (although “vik” itself is a common place ending in Icelandic – e.g. Keflavik, Reykjavik -, which is said to mean “bay” or “inlet” or a derivative of the old Norse for “harbour”. However, I have seen mention that the little fishing village of Grenivik, nestled on the eastern side of the fjord Eyjafjordur may have served as inspiration.

I’ve no idea if this is correct, not having been able to talk to Jim directly. However, Grenivik does sit on the east side of the impressive fjord (which offers a spectacular descent down into the local airport at Akureyri, the airliner flying down and below the mountain peaks on either side of the fjord, including the 1,100 metre tall Kaldbakur beneath which Grenivik nestles), and with the island of Hrísey sitting within the fjord’s waters, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it did play a role in helping for some of the ideas for Grauvik in Jim’s imagination.

Grauvik, July 2023

The setting certainly contains elements which are not uncommon to Iceland as a whole: the volcanic “sand” of the beach areas, the brightly-painted, wood-built houses, its rugged, flat nature (several of Iceland’s islands tend to be relatively flat, or flat-topped – with Flatey (literally “flat island”) being the obvious example); while the wooden boardwalks are mindful of those which can be found extending over various hot springs and also located in places like Thingvellir National Park – of which some parts of the walkways in Grauvik reminded me). Also like Iceland are standing stones and outbursts of modern art, short, hardy grass and heathers growing from the soil, etc.

Having mentioned Flatey Island, I’ll admit that from some angles when camming, Grauvik put me in mind of photos of various parts of that island I’ve seen (I confess I’ve not as yet visited it, although it is one of the places I would like to see whenever I make a further trip to Iceland, partly because friends have told me it’s a lovely place to visit and partly because of its connection with the Flateyjarbók, the largest medieval Icelandic manuscript and noted for bringing together the histories of notable Norse settlements.

Grauvik, July 2023

Jim’s work often includes interior designs – he’s as skilled in this area as much as he is in creating landscapes – and this is again on display within Grauvik, the little cabins carrying the look and feel of having been fitted-out as a holiday retreats, utilising the clean lines of décor and furnishing frequently found in such houses and in hotel rooms in Iceland.

This is an easygoing place to explore, again mindful of some of the nature walks common to some of the islands of Iceland as well as within the inland parks. In fact, rather than “explore” I’d suggest Grauvik is a place to meander through, perhaps reflective of the easy-going nature of many Icelanders. Touches of Norse history are awaiting discovery along the modern art, notable outside the large café / landing point building, and again over at the operating boat builder’s shed sitting on the top of what appears to be a very modern quayside which itself extends down to what might be the remnants of an older set of wooden wharves.

Grauvik, July 2023

All told, another engaging build from Jim, and a fitting addition to The Nature Collective.

SLurl Details

  • Grauvik (Liberia Isle, rated Adult)

Through the fourth wall at Nitroglobus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, July 2023: Kitten – Fourth Wall

July 2023’s exhibition at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, operated and curated by Dido Haas, sees the return of Kitten (Joaannna), who this time brings her engaging monochrome photography, complete with a considered touch of depth of field to the gallery’s main hall, having previously appeared within the Annex (see: A Kitten’s Noir world in Second Life)

Fourth Wall is a considered study on the nuances of this artificial construct of the stage (and which might be seen to extend into the world of photography in a considered manner), and how that wall might be broken.

Within stagecraft, the term fourth wall refers to the convention by which actors focus their attention primarily on the dramatic world they inhabit, regardless of the presence of the audience (in what  Konstantin Stanislavski called “public solitude”), as if an imaginary wall lies between the, preventing the audience from being seen. At the same time, that wall can be breached in both a subtle manner and also very directly.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, July 2023: Kitten – Fourth Wall

In modern times, the latter is most obviously seen where a performer clearly and directly addresses their audience. however, the more subtle breaching has always been present on within stage performances: whilst the physical presence of the audience might well be ignored, their energy and reaction to what they are seeing is not; instead, that energy and response is used by those on stage to inform and modulate their performance, even though they might never directly break the fourth wall.

With Fourth Wall, Kitten takes as her foundation the idea of a photoshoot. This style of photography folds within it a kind of fourth wall of its own; the models and set exist very separately to the viewing audience, yet they are connected by the presence of the camera itself. Thus, that imaginary wall can be breached both through subtleness and by direct engagement: the former by the fact the mere presence of the camera represents a pseudo-audience, one the models can use to imagine the responsive energy of any actual audience to their time and effort, using it to further inform and modulate their performance. At the same time, they can opt to directly breach the divide, simply be looking the camera in the lens and / or adopting a pose suggesting they are directly addressing who might be on the other side of the image.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, July 2023: Kitten – Fourth Wall

By mixing the poses and the “between takes” images, Kitten blends both ways in which the fourth wall is broken – but in doing so, she also leaves us with a conundrum to explore: how much of the breaching is intentional and how much of it is “accidental” (to use Kitten’s term) – the more subtle playing of (and with) the observer’s unseen presence and how it might be influence the model’s behaviour?

However, as Kitten notes herself, there is also a wider context and questioning here, one directed towards Second Life as a whole. As she notes, SL is, when all is said and done, an artificial environment. Yes, it is immersive and allows us to adopt role / personas. But it also allows us to breach the separating wall of the screen if we so wish – but how much more might we reveal more subtly? And what does this say about our relationship / understanding of this environment?

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, July 2023: Kitten – Fourth Wall

Rounded out by a new lighting set by Adwehe, Fourth Wall is rich in visual content and in the expression of ideas and questions.

SLurl Details

Of art and auguries in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kondor Art Centre: Janus Falls – Auguries of Innocence

Having opened on June 29th, 2023 at the main gallery area of the Kondor Art Centre operated and curated by Hermes Kondor, is an evocative and provocative exhibition by UK-based Janus Fall.

Combining classical poetry, digital images, global current affairs, the increasing dichotomies of society, and reflections on human nature, Auguries of Innocence is a visual essay of juxtapositions and contrasts offered as commentary on the current downward spiral of intolerant, insensitive, judgemental otherism (of others) and denial (of others and also of things like our impact on matter of climate change, etc.) which is too quickly becoming the accepted state of being within large portions of modern societies (particularly those known for their previously more liberal lean), when we really should by now know better.

Kondor Art Centre: Janus Falls – Auguries of Innocence

The exhibition takes its title from the 132-line, single stanza poem of the same name by William Blake. Like much of Blake’s work, the poem did not gain recognition until well after his death in 1827; in fact, despite being written in the early 1800s and going to be frequently quoted (particularly the opening four lines), it didn’t actually see the light of publication until the late 1860s.

In content, the poem might be seen as a plea by the poet for humanity to do better, lest we lose all we have been given under the judgement of God. In this it contrasts the cycle of nature, wherein the world is constant reborn and remade, all the time growing in both nurturing innocence and experience / interconnectedness, with the cycle of humanity, in which we are born into that same innocence of nature, only to push it aside as we grow into adulthood, replacing it with self-serving corruption and inhumanity towards others and nature.

However, the poem is not only notable for its content, but also in its structure, which is as intentionally complex as the subject matter it contains. Throughout its length, Blake frequently switches both rhyming schemes (e.g. alternative rhyme to rhyming couplets) whilst mixing different forms of meter (e.g. trochee and anapest) with the predominant iambic meter, whilst also using a range of literally tools such as alliteration, repetition, metaphor and – most notably – juxtaposition and paradox.

Kondor Art Centre: Janus Falls – Auguries of Innocence

Within this structure, the opening four lines act as both an overall introduction to the poem’s concepts and also offer guidance on how the imagery within the rest of the poem should be interpreted. Within Janus’ exhibition, those four lines perform something of the same purpose; working with a diary extract written by a 16-year-old girl seeking to escape the war engulfing her country, they offer both an introduction to the images presented within this exhibition and give context in how they should be viewed both cognitively and physically. In terms of the physical, they – and the extract from the diary – are to be found on the left front wall of the gallery as you enter it, to form a potential starting point for viewing the mages, encouraging visitors to progress from there  and around the lower floor to the stairs and the upper level, thence back down to complete the circuit and finishing at the artist’s final notes and Memorial to a Woman in a Field.

The images are striking, Janus reflecting the diversity of styles and techniques Blake uses within his poem within each of her images. Where he uses metaphor, alliteration and simile, she uses technical and artistic approaches such as motion blur, superimposition and Chiaroscuro. However, most strikingly, Janus matches Blake’s use of juxtaposition within her images, most notably through the placement of the natural beauty of the women in her images against their backdrop. Whether drawn from images initially captured in Second Life or the result of digital manipulation of images produced outside of SL (and possibly using AI toolsets?) matters not.

Kondor Art Centre: Janus Falls – Auguries of Innocence

There is so much to unpack in these pieces, that it is possible to end up writing a treatise. The aforementioned Memorial to a Woman in a Field for example, offers so much to consider, from the manner in which it presents what should be harmony between people and humanity and nature, through to the way it offers a subtle reflection of Blake’s deeply held Christian beliefs whilst rejecting the constructs of organised religion for the manner in which it encourages the corruption of self  through the promotion of judgemental intolerance and denial of anyone who can be branded as “others” – something which we can still see only too well within modern society.

However, rather than ramble on, I think Janus herself does more than enough to present her work as it should be seen and understood. Certainly, Auguries of Innocence does much to offer a questioning challenge to us, one with which Blake himself would doubtless agree: given it is now over 200 years since he wrote the opening lines of his poem, isn’t it about time we finally started putting aside self-centred and social indifference / cruelty to one another and tried to be better, both for the benefit of others and the world as a whole?

SLurl Details