Tag: Art 2022

Melusina’s Greyscale Magic in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Artsville: Melusina Parkin – Greyscale Magic

Currently open at the relocated Artsville Galleries and Community is a new exhibition by Melusina Parkin entitled Greyscale Magic. Located in a skyborne gallery space at Artsville, this is an exhibition that makes full use of the main display/ event hall and its two side wings to present a collection of images offered – as the title implies – greyscale tones which have been captured in Melusina’s always-engaging style.

Black-and-White or greyscale? I preferred to title this exhibition using the greyscale term because b/w photographs actually aren’t black-and-white: they show a palette of endless shades of grey, from the absolute black to the absolute white. 
But why are they “magic”? It’s because they offer a conventional image of the reality they depict, forcing our brain[s] to interpret the different greys as colours of the “normal” view.

– Melusina Parkin, Greyscale Magic

Artsville: Melusina Parkin – Greyscale Magic

The three-room layout of the gallery space allows Melu to present this collect as a three-part portfolio; one in which she those familiar with her work might see as being – intentionally or otherwise – new interpretations from themes which have been the focus of some of her past exhibitions and work.

In the main hall, for example, is a total of ten images that offer us unique views of rooms and furnishings. Some present images of private living, others more public spaces – a café here, a diner there; collectively they bring to mind Melu’s work in exhibitions such as Empty Spaces and Absences (2017). Meanwhile, in the side rooms we have, respectively, fives studies focused on motor vehicles, evoking thoughts of Cars (2019) and perhaps also Roadside Images (2020); and also five images of buildings and streets that carry with them an echo of Night Walks (2019).

Greyscale photography has been, for a long while, the only one admitted and legitimated to represent “art photography”. Although colour techniques have been available for many decades, [it was] only in the late 1930s [that] colour photography started to be considered a form  of art, thanks to the surprising new technique introduced by Kodak with the famous Kodachrome film … But while the colour TV overwhelmed the b/w one and made it obsolete, greyscale photography endured as a more sophisticated for of art.

– Melusina Parkin, Greyscale Magic

Artsville: Melusina Parkin – Greyscale Magic

Which is most certainly not to say Greyscale Magic is is any way derivative of those past exhibitions, these are new pieces. However, in echoing these from her past exhibits, Melusina is both (again, quite possibly subconsciously) drawing a thread of continuance through her work, giving us further chapters in her ever-expanding and captivating artistic narrative. This is further reflected in the overall framing of these pieces, wherein the angle, subject, lighting and focus speak a single utterance of a much larger story that sits beyond their physical size, so inviting us to enter into the story and interpret it according to our own viewpoint, thoughts and imagination.

More particularly with this collection however, is the fact that these are images captured in Second Life which exude a powerful sense of depth and life entirely of their own and separate to that which otherwise might be present were they to be offered in colour. As a long-time admirer of both greyscale and monochrome images and art, I’ve always felt both have a powerful means to often better convey the vitality of Second Life as a “place” we don’t merely see – we inhabit through our avatars and the time we spend here. As, again, Melusina notes in her statement on the exhibit:

I think that this is due to the “magic” I was talking [about] before. SL photography is colourful, windlight and PhotoShop allow us to play with meaningful colours to represent more real, or more surreal, scenes. But if you select the the right images, desaturate them or turn them greyscale, the result is often closer to the “real” world that it can cheat even the most attentive observer. Isn’t that “magic”?

– Melusina Parkin, Greyscale Magic

Artsville: Melusina Parkin – Greyscale Magic

I  would wholeheartedly agree; and within Greyscale Magic, Melusina demonstrates again, that she is a master magician in the magical arts of Second Life photography.

SLurl Details

  • Artsville (Caribbean Ocean, rated Moderate)

9Volt’s Sphereeletrik – music to see in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Selen’s Gallery: 9Volt Borkotron – Sphereeletrik

Currently open at Selen’s Gallery operated by Selen Love (Selen Minotaur) is an immersive multimedia installation by 9Volt Borkotron (with additional lighting support by Adwehe) entitled Sphereeletrik. It is actually one of three installations within the gallery’s spaces which between them feature the work of four artists (the other artists being Moya Patrick (Moya Janus), Livio Korobase and Bohemio Love (Bohemi0) – the latter two sharing the same exhibition space), and all of which opened on November 3rd, 2022. All of these exhibitions are worth of a visit, and can be reached via the main intra-exhibit teleport at the gallery’s main landing point, but here I want to focus solely on Sphereeletrik.

However, before I get down to discussing it in detail, there are a trio of points that need to be noted by those intending to drop into it if it is to be fully experienced:

  • Advanced Lighting Model should be enabled (Preferences → Graphics → make sure Advanced lighting Model is checked).
  • You should set your local environment to Midnight (to avoid media appearing washed-out).
  • You must enable MEDIA playback in the viewer (chick the movie camera icon in the top right of your viewer (v6) or in the media settings (v1.x) and accept the media stream. Failing to do so means you will not see the greater part of the installation.
Selen’s Gallery: 9Volt Borkotron – Sphereeletrik

The short form description of this installation is that it offers an enclosed space in which a variety of objects sit, hang or float. These range of sculptures to floating cubes and spheres to seating areas to exotic-looking plants. Some of these objects are static others are animated and may, like the walls, feature animated textures (in lieu of the media playback). Ramps slope and spiral into the upper reaches where – if you do not enable media – white prim faces appear to hang.

With media enabled, however, these faces, together with the walls and several other elements within the installation are transformed, becoming media surfaces on which patterns, images and colours are displayed and flow and dance – and not just randomly, as 9Volt explained to me:

It’s music I am streaming that generates the visuals. I created a server which uses a Fourier transform and other mathematical algorithms to measure the stream at 256 frequencies. The results are then displayed in real-time with the music in various ways, with the music offset just enough so it’s displaying exactly as the visuals appear for people in world. The data rate is about 320kbps – about the same as streaming an MP3 into SL, so it shouldn’t cause delay in viewer playback.

– 9Volt Borkotron

Selen’s Gallery: 9Volt Borkotron – Sphereeletrik

In addition to the external server handling the transforms and other calculations, the installation features an in-world script utilising sine wave controllers to count the prims and change some of their traits in iterative stages. This results in media played across some elements being staggered; for example, a pattern plating on one prim reaches a certain point in media playback, so it starts on the next, and on that playback reaching the same point, so the next starts, like a singing canon-in-the-round.

When taken as a whole, the results are – as noted – entrancing, and while walking around the installation is possible, I suggest sitting in one of the cushions and trying the installation in Mouselook and simply looking around at the different elements to see the play for media and patterns, images and colour and the way they chance over time in response to the music.

It’s likely that some of the latter may not be to everyone’s liking, as varied as it is (I’m admittedly not a great fan of EDM, which showed up on a couple of the tracks while I was visiting). However, there is a purpose to the mix of music within the installation (which incorporates instrumentals, pop songs, etc., as well), as 9Volt again noted to me during my visit:

My Gran, who was a music lover her whole life, was going deaf, so I thought that using images and light would allow her to appreciate her music using tunes she knows well, and letting her “see” the notes she could not hear, playing them back through SL and onto her TV screen. My hope is that this installation will give those in SL with hearing impairments a visual expression of music when otherwise they might only hear the bass parts of the music.

– 9Volt Borkotron

Selen’s Gallery: 9Volt Borkotron – Sphereeletrik

As a part of this, 9Volt is interested in gaining feedback from SL users with hearing impairments about this aspect of the installation, and in possibly working with them to further refine the technique to help those with hearing difficulties further enjoy music in alternate ways.

Intriguing as a concept, engaging as a visually immersive installation, and richly varied as a multimedia arts piece,  Sphereeletrik makes for an engaging visit.

SLurl Details

Royale is rated Moderate

Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Vibes Gallery: Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions in Second Life – Difficult Conundrum (l) and Dae Fangs (r)

Now open at Vibes Gallery, curated by Eviana Robbiani, is a further ensemble exhibition featuring the work of a dozen artists from across Second Life entitled Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions. It is an exhibition focused on the colour red, as the introductory notes for the exhibition explain:

Red is the colour of extremes. It’s the colour of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the colour of fire and blood – energy and primal life forces – and most of red’s symbolism today arises from its powerful associations in the past.
A deep immersion in the magical sensuality of the colour red , which brushes vibrant images.

– from the introduction to Like Blood, like fire, like passions

Vibes Gallery: Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions in Second Life – Tutsy Navarathna

The participating artists comprise: Dae Fangs, Difficult Conundrum, Joanna Kitten and Peuxswau (Theatre 7); Dragonangelus, Exzoo McDonnel and Tutsy Navarathna (Theatre 8); and Amberly, Apple Roses, Jo Molinaro, Milhailsk Syros and The Base of Bad Ideas (Theatre 9).

Together, these are very different artists, some of whom I am familiar with, whilst the exhibition formed my first acquaintance with others, and whilst the number of pieces presented by each artist is variable, it cannot be denied that all of the pieces offered are striking in tone and content.

Vibes Gallery: Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions in Second Life – Amberly (l) and The Base of Bad Ideas (r)

Given the description of the exhibition, it should come as no surprise that the primary focus of most of the images is that of avatars; but the sheer richness and variance in the art – and the use of red within them is striking. As such, picking individual pieces or artists seems narrow-minded; but the fact is I have to admit I found myself heavily drawn to the work of Difficult Conundrum – one the artists whose work I had not encountered prior to this exhibition.

Offered as two sets of images – Tension, Back to You and Seeing Red, together with -08358 and Voyage – these piece are striking for their very different styles, with the formal presented as a trio of painting-like pieces which reflect a modern approach to physical world artistic statement.

Vibes Gallery: Like Blood, Like Fire, Like Passions in Second Life – Exzoo McDonnel (l) and Dragonangelus (r)

How well individual pieces reflect the central themes (passion, love, danger, anger, the representation of fire and blood) is a matter of personal responsiveness to the individual pieces, but again, I found myself drawn to those pieces with a more subtle suggestiveness / narrative within them – such as the images by Apple Roses and Amberly. But again, picking out individual pieces / artist within this exhibition would be unfair – all of the works offered are extraordinary in their sheer vibrancy and depth.

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Monsters, Demons and Chess in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kondor Art Centre: Monique Beeb – Monsters, Demons and Chess

Monique Beebe – Moni to her friends – is one of the most expressive digital artists I know in Second Life. I’ve had the good fortune to follow the growth of her photographic and digital art skills since her first exhibition, hosted at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery back in early 2017 (see: Hidden Faces in Second Life), and have always utterly enjoyed exploring her work as it enfolds the sensual, the sublime, the emotive and more – always with a story to tell, a question to ask, or a subtle means of engaging her audience’s minds.

Through the years since that first exhibition, Moni has continued to enthral, engage and challenge through evolving styles and approaches, as is the case with Monsters, Demons and Chess, which opened at the Kondor Art Centre, curated by Hermes Kondor, on November 8th, 2022.

Kondor Art Centre: Monique Beeb – Monsters, Demons and Chess

To be honest, this is an exhibition I would have embraced even without having an admiration of Moni’s work which has only grown over the last five years, because it encompasses a form of art that is gaining increasing traction among artists engaged in Second Life: that of hybrid art, and specifically the use of AI processes – in this case the Midjourney AI art generator. I’ve outlined this open-source software previously in these pages, but I’ll let Moni – who has been using it for around six months at the time of writing this article – describe it:

It is software used to generate realistic images, based on Artificial Intelligence. It is used with text we can write down, and it creates some indications; it is not a random image taken on Internet, which corresponds to your text, your words really create something with a deep learning algorithm, giving birth to a new image.
[It presented] A complete new experience for me! In the beginning I was doubtful about it, and I did read a lot of discussions around this subject. It ended becoming a curiosity in my mind, and turned out to be a complete addiction. It [has] allowed me to search more about AI, to discuss it with users and artists, in what way they manipulate it to come to something they wanted at first or appreciate something they did not know about previously.

– Monique Beeb

Kondor Art Centre: Monique Beeb – Monsters, Demons and Chess

Offered across the two floors of the striking gallery building are some of the fruits of Moni’s labours with Midjourney: a striking series of 25 images that allow us to see into Moni’s journey with the software tool, a journey involving chess, monsters and demons, as she explains in her liner notes accompanying the exhibition:

My first use of this software was rather random, I was mostly discovering it. I took simple shapes, balls, and it ended in chess pieces. I made many of them, arranging the background, the lights, the perspectives … When I tried to make faces, I often saw irregularities in the way they were created. Distortions on the eyes or lips, strange shapes. Then I worked more, trying to identify why it came that way. I was at some point left with a gallery of “monsters” on my computer. Their unusual odd curves made me like them … I eventually edited them on Photoshop, and make them: beautiful monsters and quiet demons!

Monique Beeb

I don’t propose to delve into the pieces in depth – each and every one of them speaks clearly and beautifully for itself. The lower floor of the gallery focuses on the works featuring chess, and like that game, there a marvellous strategy at work within them as Moni takes the nuances of MidJourney’s algorithm and combines it with her own innate ability to frame a single-frame story which born of the aforementioned sensuality, subtleness and expressiveness.

The latter is also present in the images around the upper level, where Moni’s “monsters” and “demons” reside.  These may not be sensual in the conventional sense like those on the gallery’s lower floor, but there is a richness of expression, beauty and look that makes them as equally attractive and as rich in their own narratives.

Kondor Art Centre: Monique Beeb – Monsters, Demons and Chess

As a part of this exhibition, Moni asks a question that is not uncommon with the subject of hybrid art: are images generated through, or collated and manipulated by, AI (and other) means really art? She also enquires whether such images have a place in Second Life. My personal response to both questions is an unequivocal “yes”; traditional artists manipulate brushes, paints and inject their own eye and imagination in their work in order to create a piece of art; similarly, Second Life (and digital) artists also manipulate images with tools like  PhotoShop and GIMP and paint with digital tools to produce an end result.

The fact that tools like Midjourney rely on descriptive text elements or the manipulation of algorithms or alterations to their baseline parameters does not lessen the fact it is the artist’s eye and imagination, often assisted by additional tools that allow for editing and / or compositing – just as with other digital art forms, as noted above – guiding the entire creative process.

Kondor Art Centre: Monique Beeb – Monsters, Demons and Chess

More than that – I’d defy anyone to visit Monsters, Demons and Chess and not see the images presented as a richly artistic expression.

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Camels and Chameleons with Cica in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost: Camels and Chameleons, November 2022

November brings with it another foray into whimsy with Cica Ghost, as she offers an installation entitled Camels and Chameleons – which you have to admit is an interesting combination of beast and reptile!

As with recent installations from Cica, this one is extreme easy on the eye to view and offers gentle exploration on foot. The largely flat landscape offers a desert-like suggestion with adobe-style walls and structures for the most part not too far removed from the kinds of environments one might reasonably expect to find both camels and the desert varieties of chameleon common to the more arid parts of Southern Asia. These are interspersed with cacti which, whilst not common to the lands in which camels might be found, are certainly found within the more arid parts of the California, into which Chameleons have been introduced.

Cica Ghost: Camels and Chameleons, November 2022

Of the two types of creatures, the camels are the most numerous, with two of the three recognised “true” species represented: the single-humped Dromedary (aka Arabian camel), which accounts for around 94% of all camels and which is common to the Middle East, the Sahara Desert, and South Asia, and the two-humped Bactrian camel, common to Central Asia, including the historical region of Bactria, and also found in remote areas of north-west China and Mongolia.

Exactly which species of Bactrian is represented isn’t entirely important, but given their short-haired nature, I preferred to think of them as being the rarer Wild Bactrian of China / Mongolia. The chameleons, on the other hand, are fewer in number, and I can’t help but feel Cica perhaps missed a trick in not blending them more with some of the landscaping / other features within the setting (allowing for their size, of course).

Cica Ghost: Camels and Chameleons, November 2022

I qualified the structures within the setting above, because whilst most of them are styled in a manner in keeping with the desert / arid environments in which camels tend to be found when roaming free, there is a rather novel structure towards the centre of the installation. Comprising blocks and towers that are, at first glance vaguely reminiscent of a Middle-Eastern fortification, it also has a slight other-worldly feel to it, with some of the blocks suspended in mid air on horizontal planks bridging the gaps between other blocks, and many of them sprouting deadlock-like growths of cacti from their tops.

Rounded out with another quote from Dr. Seuss, Camels and Chameleons also includes a range of  places to sit and / or dance (including on a camel or tow!) and offers a further opportunity to appreciate Cica’s art in a whimsical and light setting.

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Art for balanced thinking in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Third Eye Gallery: Zia Branner EUNOIA

Currently open at the Third Eye Gallery, curated by Jaz (Jessamine2108), is an exhibition of art by Zia Branner entitled EUNOIA, drawing on the ancient Greek word.

Essentially meaning “beautiful thinking, a well mind”, the word’s usage is more complicated than that. Originally, it was applied to the art of oration, and the need for speakers to cultivate a sense of goodwill between themselves and their audiences to encourage a better reception of their ideas and / or viewpoint. However, Aristotle used it to define the foundations for an ethical existence: the kindness and benevolence flowing between spouses. In this, it might be taken to mean approval, sympathy and readiness to help.

Both Isocrates, and (later) Cicero leaned towards a more political usage of the term (eúnoiã, in the case of the latter): as a means to describe an individual’s feelings toward party, or the city-state, and the benevolence in which the city-state or party so hold city-state should bear towards the honest citizens, and allow them their right to hold an opinion. Much more recently, it is used as a means of referencing good mental health and general good disposition.

Third Eye Gallery: Zia Branner EUNOIA

It is in terms of finding that mental balance and our desire / need / want / struggle to achieve it that Zia presents this collection of her art. Presented in her familiar mix of abstract and impressionistic work, these are piece in which – as the artist notes in her introduction to to this exhibition – the ebb and flow of colours (for Zia, red and blue) represent the ebb and flow of our emotions in that drive to try to achieve that sense of equilibrium.

In all lives from time to time it isn’t easy to have a mind in balance. We have our downs, we have our challenges. There is cold, there is warmth. Our strength then lays in our goodwill, in our kindness and with this the balance in our mind and our well being goes up again.

– Zia Branner

There is something faintly ironic in the idea that “balance” is something that should be sought after; the idea that we must strive for it through meditation or study or exercise or whatever so often can lead to frustration or annoyance that the calming balance we desire remains tantalisingly out of reach. Yet through art we can find that balance, be it as the artist or the witness. For the artist, the act of creating art can be a harmonising act; bringing the disparate parts of self together to present a finished work; for the witness, it presents the opportunity to become lost within the flow of a piece of art, to naturally put aside consciousness of self, and thus achieve that inner equilibrium.

Third Eye Gallery: Zia Branner EUNOIA
All of this is present in the 11 images offered in this collection. Whether you see the expressions of mood / emotion in Zia’s red and blue or other colours or whether to see the expression of a coastal scene or of a daydream matters not; these are pictures in which it is easy to lose oneself in the flow of colour or the contrast of hard and soft line – and in doing so, perhaps find a balance of thought for yourself.

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