Back in September 2020, I wrote about the Artists’ Village at Campbell Coast, operated by BJoyful and Doc Rast (rasterscan) and curated by Owl Dragonash. Since that time, both Campbell Coast and the Village has relocated, the latter now forming a sky platform over the region.
Work recently completed on the relocation, which sees Campbell Coast offer a similar facility as found at the Phoenix Artists Collaboration – a collection of study-style spaces available to artists (group membership required), with up to 110 LI available per artist.
The studios are presented in town house style units with two floors of exhibition space (artists will need to install their own teleport systems between floors), with the studios laid out in blocks separated by cobbled streets and open spaces, complete with an open-air bar / event space at the southern end of the village.
Campbell Coast, January 2021
Some 42 units are available, with 29 already occupied / reserved by the following artists: Dhyezl, Etamae, Jaz, Gidgy Adagio, Shakti Adored, Caly Applewhyte, Whimsical Aristocrat, Ceekay Ballyhoo, Michiel Bechir, Thomaz Blackburn, Giovanna Cerise, Rey Charles, Owl Dragonash, Apple Fall, Johannes Huntsman, Uli Jansma, Suzen Juel, Lena Kiopak, Anouk Lafavre, Dimivan Ludwig, Radagast Malaprop, Kitty Mills, Nympheas Nogah, Inara Pey, Blues Rocker, Tempest Rosca, David Silence and Skip Staheli.
They are joined by musicians Jed Luckless, Lexus Melodie, Larree Quixote, and writer GoSpeed Racer. All of whom amount to a rich selection of artistic expression.
With music events to be held on occasion, as well as entertainment for art events, the Artists Village offers a lot for the patron of the arts to appreciate. When not enjoying the art on display, there are opportunities to sit and appreciate the setting – designed by Kitty Mills and Owl Dragonash – and also to go horse riding.
Campbell Coast, January 2021
Those interested in obtaining a space at the Village should contact one of Bjoful, Doc or Owl in-world.
Sitting on the southern coast of Corsica is small island occupying the south-western corner of Novatron is a small island called Eulennest (“owl nest”).
Held by Kitty (Kitten Mills) the island is home to a range of social venues Kitty has developed for public use. These include music events areas on the beach and up on the table of rock that forms the island, a hidden water cistern, room to dock boats (the island can be reached by sailors) and to re-rez them, as well as numerous places to explore and / or to sit and enjoy the views.
Eulennest, January 2021
[Eulennest is] open for your events and parties – just book an appointment with Uli Jansma, register a DJ (you have to bring your own stream). If special decoration is desired or recitals are required, please contact Uli Jansma or Kitten Mills. It costs nothing!
from Kitten’s Profile
The focal point of the island is the Eulennest café-restaurant and gallery. It is set within Scarlet Creative’s Serendipity Retreat – oft seen within public regions as a deserted structure, and which here is put to very good use. The café element sits within the courtyard of the building, whilst the two wings of the building form the gallery space within.
Eulennest: Anouk Lefavre
It was the gallery that drew me to visit, hosting as it does (at the time of writing) an exhibition of landscape images by Anouk Lefavre. Always a delight to see, the 19 images here perfectly encapsulate Anouk’s ability to bring the settings she visits to life . Here, the majority of images presented by the artist have a focus / theme of water, from coastal settings to rivers and streams – with the presence of water in one being quite subtle.
These are all captivating pieces, each one guaranteed to hold the attention and offered for sale at L$450, whilst the island as a whole offers plenty for the eye and camera to appreciate, and the body and mind to sit and rest while enjoying a visit.
I’m rounding out my 2020 region explorations with a return trip to Biné Rodenberger’s Binemust, which Caitlyn and I last visited in September. At that time, the region was dressed as a representation of Bungenäs, a region of Sweden’s largest island, Gotland (see: Bungenäs at Binemust in Second Life).
That design is still available at ground level, but for Winter 2020/21 Biné has added a sky platform – White Binemust. As its name suggests, this is a place dressed as a winter setting that is nicely Scandinavian is style, whilst also lending itself as a snowy setting from almost any suitable mountainous region in snowy latitudes.
White Binemust, December 2020
Blending seamlessly with a snow-capped and off-region mountain range on all sides, the platform offers a richly wooded environment – a familiar element within Biné ‘s designs, both and above water level, as she has often demonstrated an imaginative use of space within her region that has included woods and copses below sea level as well as on land -, the setting sits under a lowering sky that suggests a lot of snow is awaiting the opportunity to fall on top of that which has already settled.
The woods hide the fact that this is setting of two levels. The upper, home to the majority of the woodland, also forms the landing point for this winter setting, sitting as it does close to a junction of pathways visitors are free to follow. One of these, marked by an avenue of arched trees, leads to a snow-bound country chapel, an icy path links the chapel with a glass and steel igloo, both of which are watched over by an unexpected guardian: and oriental-style flying dragon.
Binemust, December 2020
A second path leads to a large house overlooking the lower aspect of the region (of which more anon). Of a modern, clean design, with large windows and cosily furnished, the house is suited to this snowy location, and appears to be open for visitors to explore – as do all the buildings to be found with White Binemust. The icy path running to the house ends in a circular pond, its surface frozen, revealing the smooth path may itself be a stream caught beneath the ice. A small cabin sits close by the pond; in warmer days it might form a summer house converted from a greenhouse; for now it presents a cosy den / bar.
A tiny cabin and a shed offering Christmas trees round-out the high-level section of the platform. Below them, reached via a path than descends via a line of steps, and a more open space, the woodland ending at a line of trees at the foot of the slope, having marched down it to meet a rutted track that follows the contours of the hill.
Binemust, December 2020
The selection of buildings here – focused on another clean design of a wood-framed ranch house – has the feel of a farm caught in the depths of winter about it. Shaggy highland cattle graze in a fences field, a wagon of hay close-by should the snow overcome the grass of the field. Across the snow and ice sits and A-frame cabin, perhaps offered as a holiday home by those who own the farm. Sitting outside of it is a little snowman offering a reminder of a more unpleasant aspect of this past year.
Although sitting below the landing point, the farm and its buildings art nestled on the edge of a mountain valley, one suggestive of being formed in the ancient past by the passage of glacier that encountered a hard table of rock that forced it to split, giving rise to the plateau on which the setting is located.
White Binemust, December 2020
It is within this valley, visible from the large glass frontage of the farmhouse, that another of one of Binemust’s iconic elements can be found: the wreck of a Viking long ship. It’s a piece Biné uses as an emblem for her designs, a visualisation of her Norse / Scandinavian heritage.
While there are touches of Christmas to be found within the setting – decorated trees (one of them of a most interesting design), lights festooning tree branches and so on. However, this is far more a delightful winter setting than Christmas focused, thus it offer an ideal seasonal visit with which to see out the year (as it did for me) or as a winter setting in which to see in the new.
Thursday, December 31st 2020 will once again see Bay City celebrate the turning of the year with their annual Prim Drop festivities.
The event will open at 23:30 SLT at the Bay City Fairgrounds in North Channel. The theme for the event is a wintertime soirée; black tie attire is recommended, and all SL residents are invited to attend. Marianne McCann will be providing the music and fireworks, and food and drink will be provided.
This will also be the final opportunity in 2020 to donate to Child’s Play Charity, a US 501c3 non-profit organisation which helps seriously ill children around the globe during their hospital stays with the purchase of games and gaming equipment. So even if you can’t make it to the event itself, do please consider taking a couple of minutes out of your SL day and stopping by the Bay City Fairgrounds and making a donation via one of the collection bins there.
About Bay City and the Bay City Alliance
Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.
For several years, Giovanna Cerise was a name synonymous with engaging, evocative 3D art installations within Second Life. Her work – which I took considerable delight in exploring and writing about – encompassed many ideas, themes and narratives, often drawn from the physical world as much as her own thoughts and imagination, with some offering unique interpretations of classic pieces.
It was through the latter – a re-interpretation of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, presented in 2015 – that I became utterly captivated in Giovanna’s work (although I had encountered and appreciated it prior to that installation) – and remained so throughout the time she was creating in Second Life. Marvellously capturing the essence of the classic story of Tristan, knight of Cornwall, loyal to King Mark(e), and Isolde, Irish Princess, Giovnna offered key scenes from the story, beautifully interwoven into settings that offered visitors insights into Wagner, opera, and a rich symbolism and commentary that reached beyond the original tale to make the installation truly unique of itself.
Giovanna Cerise, Tristan und Isolde, 2015
In Soul of Colours (presented in 2012 and again 2016), Giovanna similarly presented an unfolding story inspired by Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute, K620), the 2-art opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Within her installation, Giovanna allowed visitors to undertake a journey through key scenes and events from the opera, and to appreciate the music from it in a richly layered and evolving setting.
With pieces such as Monochrome, and Line, Giovanna offered explorations of themes, often simple in idea but complex and engaging in execution; unfolding tales, if you will, with Line enfolding both Giovanna’s £d and 2D art. Both of which, for a time, could be appreciated in her own gallery Last Harbour, which again was always a joy to visit.
Giovanna Cerise at Campbell Coast
All of this I mention, because several years ago, Giovanna stepped back from active arts expression in Second Life – although her presence remained on the Marketplace. However, she is now making a return to SL, and may well be resuming her role as one of the platform’s most engaging artists.
I have entered Second Life a little recently, but now I have a desire to start over. I have to organize myself and then I think about taking a land. I have some ideas in my head that I want to do.
– Giovanna Cerise to me, discussing her re-engagement in SL
While she is considering her next steps – something she and I also discussed, but I’ll not break confidences to say more here – Giovanna has taken up a modest studio gallery where she is exhibiting some of her smaller pieces. The studio can be found at the growing arts community at Campbell Coast (about which I’ll have more to say in an upcoming article), and I commend all those with a love of art in Second Life to hop over and take a look at both Giovanna’s studio and Campbell Coast as a whole – ans to keep an eye on both as 2021 unfolds.
A dramatic EEP Fixed Sky with custom cloud texture (Painted Drama Windy Afternoon from the Painted Clouds set) by Stevie Davros
Back in 2018, I wrote about Stevie Davros, and Australian photographer, who had produced as series of Windlight skies and clouds for people to use to help enhance their environment when taking pictures, or to offer a unique environment within their region (see: Clouds and windlight skies by Stevie Davros).
Since the arrival of the Lab’s Environment Enhancement Project (EEP), Stevie has been working on new skies and cloud assets specifically for use with EEP, and offered me the opportunity to try some of them out. And I have to say, that like his Windlight skies and clouds, these are impressive collections, ideal for photographers looking to enhance their images, and offering region and parcel holders a set of options for setting a Fixed Sky over their parcel / region (and which can also be used to create dynamic Day Cycles).
If you are unfamiliar with using EEP assets and settings, I recommend you refer to one of the following:
However, and for completeness, these notes include a quick overview of how to apply Stevie’s settings.
Saturn looms large: a EEP Fixed Sky setting from the Cosmic Skies set by Stevie Davros
At the time of writing this article, Stevie had a dozen EEP packs available via his Marketplace store, comprising:
Painted Clouds: a folder of 13 Fixed Sky assets featuring cloud texture files sampled from the brush strokes of 19th Century French impressionist painters.
Aussie Cirrus: a folder of 19 skies featuring cloud texture files created from photographs Stevie took of the skies over Adelaide in Australia, and then processed.
Gossamer Cirrus: a set of 19 skies featuring cloud textures depicting very high altitude cirrus strands, some of which are presented in a their own “fantasy” style of sky.
Cirrus Cloudbank: a set of 21 skies featuring strands of cirrus cloud overlaid with / extending from banks of cloud
Cirrus Clouds: a bumper set of 34 cloud textures, suitable for “real” and “fantasy” settings.
Stormy Skies: a selection of cloud texture collages created by Stevie to give dramatic sky and cloudscapes.
All of these packs, whilst focusing on cloud formations, include customised ambient lighting and may include custom Sun / Moon textures.
Painted Sky Banded Sky from the Painted Clouds set by Stevie Davros
In addition, Stevie has produced several sets of Fixed Skies offering more of a “cosmic” setting:
Replacement Moons: a set of six replacement Moon textures (crescent, waxing, full, gibbous dual crescent and blue).
Replacement Suns: a set of replacement Sun textures very suitable for sci-fi settings, including a blue giant and a binary system with a blue giant and red dwarf star.
Cosmic skies: a set of 10 textures offering various astronomical / sci-fi images, including solar eclipses, a comet, a (frighteningly large) meteor, galaxies, a crescent Earth (ideal for a Moon base setting) and Saturn with his rings.
Aurora Night Sky: a selection of night skies with cloud textures designed to give the effect of looking at the aurora (Borealis or Australis, you pick 🙂 ).
The remaining two packs are more quirky in nature the first presents something for the romantics: link heart clouds, and the second that places an erupting volcano on the horizon (the volcano replacing the Sun texture).
A radical sunrise (Gossamer Cirrus Surf Beach Sunrise from the Gossamer Clouds set) by Stevie Davros
There are a few points worth noting with these sets:
When purchased, each pack is delivered as a folder to the Received Items folder / panel of your inventory (so no unpacking required). They can all be used directly from the folder they are received in; however, you might want to copy said folder to the Settings folder in your inventory – the system folder than is intended to contain all EEP assets you create and / or purchase.
As Fixed Sky elements, these are all assets that have fixed ambient lighting, and fixed Sun / Moon positions in the sky, with the clouds moving dynamically in response to the wind direction and speed.
The assets are supplied Copy / Modify, so you can make copies of any of them and then make alterations to it using the EEP Fixed Sky editor to produce your own variants. You can also use any of them as a basis to create your own dynamic Day Cycles.
Alternatively, to make changes purely for photography purposes, these assets can be applied and then adjusted using the Personal Lighting panel.
Use the standard EEP options for using Stevie’s assets
The easiest way to use these assets is to apply them directly to your avatar – highlight the asset you wish to use the right-click on it and select Apply only To Myself. This can be done from inventory or from World → Environment → My Environments … Applied in this way, the setting you’ve selected is only visible within your viewer, and will not be seen by others.
Alternatively, and if you have the requisite permissions, you can apply the asset to your parcel, where anyone within it who is using an EEP-supporting viewer set to (World → Environment →) Used Shared Environment, will also witness it. Further, if you are a region holder, you can apply the asset to your region this option is not shown in the image above, as I do not have region rights, and so Firestorm has removed the option from my context menu).
Rigel in the sky (Big Giant Sun from the Replacement Suns set) by Stevie DavrosWith prices ranging from L$99 to L$399 for the cloud packs, and the “cosmic” sky packs all priced below L$100, Stevie’s EEP sets represent very good value for money for photographers, and a potentially useful means for those interested in learning how to manipulate EEP settings (although the latter can admittedly be done via EEP settings available through the Library → Environments folder as well).
Again, you can pick up Stevie’s packs from his Marketplace Store, and my thanks to him for taking them for a test drive.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 