It’s no secret that when it comes to the work of Claudia222 Jewell, I’m a confirmed supporter / fan. Her work, which spans the most creative use of sculpts and – more particularly – mesh, is some of the most breathtakingly captivating in Second Life, bringing to life the great and varied breadth and depth of her own imagination in wondrous pieces that are hauntingly beautiful and, sometimes, tingled with a little Bosch-like darkness.

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to attend a special preview of her latest sim-wide installation, Spirit, which is being hosted at Art Screamer starting today, Saturday 11^th February, 2012. And I can say, all my bias aside, it is simply magnificent.

Words and images alone are not going to bring justice to the piece – it is one that has to be seen, pondered, savoured.

Claudia222 herself describes the installation as, “This exposition for me is the letting go of a long period of grief, to let the spirits pass, and to start anew in peace.“ The element of letting go, and the symbolism of farewell is strongly – if sometimes in the most subtle of ways – evident throughout the work, frequently in the most beautiful of images.

Exploring the sim, one does come across familiar motifs that instantly mark this as one of Claudia222’s work. There are also a couple of familiar works seen elsewhere in exhibits last year; however, this is no r-tread of previous work by any stretch. The vast majority of the work here is fresh and new and ranges in size from the very big to the exquisitely small – itself another hallmark of Claudia’s extraordinary talent and vision. And where one or two familiar pieces do appear, they are fully in keeping with the overall theme of the exhibit; indeed, seeing one, I couldn’t help but feel Spirit is very much an expansion of the vision first encompassed by that particular piece, bringing it to full and glorious maturity. As such, it’s inclusion is not intrusive in any way; rather the reverse – it is entirely fitting.

This is truly a stunning tour de force of mesh art, one that I urge you to visit. It combines technology and art in a brilliant mix that artists across the grid are finding gives a new lease of artistic expression, as Claudia222 notes herself, “Creating things with mesh brings a great new freedom that will enable many of us artists to learn more about 3D techniques inside Second Life”.

So, makes sure you find the time to visit Spirit; you will not be disappointed. Take your time as you explore the vignettes; there is so much more to see, above and below, than might initially appear to be the case. Music has been provided to accompany the piece, and it is very much worth having audio enabled for it, and I do recommend you use the region’s Windlight settings to gain the fullest impact from the piece – particularly if you can run with deferred rendering enabled.

Spirit opens at Art Screamer opens at noon SLT on Saturday 11th February, with entertainment by Jordan Reyne.

Many thanks to the Art Screamer team for hosting this exhibit and, to Claudia222 for sharing her art and vision with us.