Tag: Art Korner

Update, June 27th, 2022: Art Korner has Closed.

Say it with flowers is a banner line perhaps most recognisable from adverts for Interflora, the global flower delivery service. It is said to be a slogan crafted by ad man Patrick O’Keefe in 1917 on behalf of the Society of American Florists. It was a recognition of the fact that floriography – the  means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers that has been a common practice across many cultures in Asia, Africa and Europe – had soared to new heights of popularity throughout Victorian Britain and the United States.

Most usually we associate the use of flowers as a means of shared communication of feelings. We give flowers as an expression of love / desire or as a means of communicating shared sympathy / commiseration / commemoration, or of a united joy / shared happiness, and so on.

However, such is the versatility of flowers that they can be used as a means of personal expression and narrative – and this is beautifully demonstrated in Inner Bloom, a remarkable exhibition of photography by Ms. Squeeeze (Squeeeze), which opened at Frank Atisso’s Art Korner on May 27th, 2022.

Comprising 17 images spread through a single exhibition hall carefully crafted into three individual areas, Inner Bloom uses flowers to communicate moods, stories and feelings that may be highly individual to the artist, but are richly recognisable to the observer.

Separated by phantom translucent walls, the three spaces making up the exhibition are marvellously graduated in their presentation, the first section offering pieces largely slanted toward monochrome with just soft hints of colour, progressing to images where the colour is more prominent, to those with a depth of colour that contrasts strongly with those in the first section.

At the same time, the style of the images grades through the three sections, from a heavy, but controlled use of shadow and silhouette through to backdrops that provide clarity of image and lighting that more readily reveals expressions, whilst shadow and tone are used to draw specific attention and focus.

By presenting the images in this manner, together with the changing colours of the flowers that form the “carpets” of the display areas, we are imbued with a sense of shifting moods and thoughts, and our imaginations are drawn to different narrative themes in progressing through the exhibition.

Evocative, rich in interpretation and artistic expression, Inner Bloom should be viewed using the supplied environment setting (World → Environment → Use Shared Environment), and with Advanced Lighting Model enabled.

SLurl Details

• Inner Bloom, Art Korner (Deju, rated Moderate)

Update, June 27th, 2022: Art Korner has Closed.

Currently open within Frank Atisso’s Art Korner hub is Forgotten Ghosts by Nara Marcus (Nara Ghost), a quite captivating series of black and white studies that are wrapped within a personal theme whilst each piece carries its own narrative mood – although I very much doubt what is offered in terms of theme and narratives will be lost on any of us, as Forgotten Ghosts very much holds up a mirror into which we can all gaze.

Life can be a complicated thing. We can have periods when everything seems to be ganging up on us: tasks take longer to complete than expected, or become overly onerous; moods plummet; people around us all appear to be operating in their own gloom; worries about just about everything – life, work, health, kinds, parents, finance, etc., – seem to build themselves into insurmountable peaks all around us, and so on. But then circumstances change, and we find ourselves bursting through them, with life becoming brighter, lighter and something to be enjoyed – yet even when this happens, those darker times haunting us and perhaps informing us.

These latter times – when feeling good, but the shadows are lurking – are the moments Nara explores within Forgotten Ghosts, part of the exhibition title reflects her avatar’s name, thus emphasising the personal perspective contained within the 16 images on display, something further emphasised in her use of urban environments for the images in reflection of the fact she is from a city background.

These are all images that have been carefully posed and constructed – and quite beautifully so – to capture the personal moods Nara wishes to convey. However, their brilliance lies in the fact that while personal to her, they each carry a richness of mood, emotion and / or narrative with which anyone viewing these pieces can identify. This is likely because, as Nara notes herself when introducing the exhibition, we tend to be more driven by the things that haunt us than those that don’t.

Every day, I try to live a healthy and happy SL, but the darker and moody vibes seem to be easier to connect with and drive me to create. I hope you appreciate it as much as I did, like the entire process and the end outcome.

– Nara Marcus (Nara Ghost)

All of which make for an evocative and engaging display of art.

SLurl Details

• Forgotten Ghosts, Art Korner (Deju, rated Moderate)

Update, June 27th, 2022: Art Korner has Closed.

Occupying two rooms at Frank Atisso’s Art Korner gallery is an exhibition of avatar studies by Mila Maesar that opened on April 28th, 2022. Perfectly Imperfect marks the first time I’ve had the opportunity to study Mila’s work in detail, and while there doesn’t appear to be any liner notes to accompany the exhibition, this doesn’t diminish it at all; it actually enhances it, allowing the interpretation of the individual pieces and the exhibition as a wholly subjective exercise, driven by one’s own mood at the time of a visit.

The majority of the pieces are head-and-shoulder portraits, although there are some broader images to be found within the collection. At first glance, the images appear to be split between the two rooms simply through the used of colour or tone: monochrome pieces appearing within one room and colour in the other. However, things are not entirely that clear-cut; whilst the darker room does have predominantly black / white or monochrome pieces, there  are also hints of colour to be found; whilst in the lighter room, colour predominates, but monochrome pieces are also to be found.

All of the pieces carry a richness of narrative, stories in part suggested through their titles. Several are evocative of iconic images: Waves, for example, carries with it a suggestion of Neve Campbell and Denise Richards as seen in promotional posters and images for the film Wild Things; alongside of it, Honey Pie offers echoes of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust.

Whether such touches are intentional or merely my own subjective response to these two particular images, I’ve no idea; but I found similar touches in some of the other images, and through them, a part of my own connection to them.

But if there is a theme within this exhibition, what might it be? I found myself driving to the idea of duality and self. Again, this is in part suggested by the title of the piece, and – obviously – by the images themselves and also the setting.

Most of us who come to Second Life do so in order to find a means of self-expression, a part of which is embodied through our avatars. For the majority of us, this gives rise to avatars that tend towards a view of perfection: an idealised view of who we are / would like to be. But while they might be perfect, we, as their operators remain imperfect, perhaps even conflicted.

Our moods and outlook change – hence perhaps the use of light and dark rooms to display these shifts – whilst our avatars remain constant throughout; perfect in looks, perfect in relationships, perfect in appeal. Even in situations where we’d end up a complete mess – or at least less-than attractive – such has being smothered in honey or splashed in paint, our avatars remain an image of perfection.

This dichotomy between this digital perfection and the imperfections of “real life” is perhaps most clearly represented within Open Up *(seen to the right of this article). It is an utterly startling and fabulously presented piece, with a depth of expression and potential for narrative that completely captivates.

But however you opt to interpret Perfectly Imperfect for yourself, make no mistake; these are visually striking and richly engaging pieces.

• Art Korner: Perfectly Imperfect (Deju, rated Moderate)

Update, June 27th, 2022: Art Korner has Closed.

Coffee is a beverage that has been around a long time, and one that takes many forms. Making a really good cup of coffee is both a skill and an art form; in fact the way in which some types – such as the latte – are made and presented has been directly elevated to an art form complete with world championships (thanks largely to the work of David Schomer and the baristas at Espresso Vivace in Seattle, Washington State in the case of the latte).

As a coffee lover, I genuinely appreciate the skill and care that goes into making a really good cup of coffee; as someone who appreciates artistic expression, I also admire the beauty and expression that goes into creating the perfect piece of latte art – so much so that since purchasing a fabulous Sage duel boiler expresso maker, I’ve been attempting to learn latte art for myself!

Someone else who has opted to use her love of coffee as a means for artistic expression is Mara Telling, and we can witness this at Frank Atisso’s Art Korner Gallery III, where she presents a collection of specially-produced images under the title Coffee. In all, thirteen images are offered – three of them forming a trilogy – which all present a fun examination of the coffee lover’s relationship with their beverage of choice.

Each of the ten individual pieces might be seen as something of a eye-wink metaphor: the velveteen touch of a really well made mocha in which the wine-like accent of the bean has been retained without any over-egging of its natural acidity such that its taste is like that of a lover’s kiss; the idea that we can feel safe and at home as much with a cup of good coffee as we can in the room stuffed with furnishings; that the comfort of a perfect latte can be as relaxing (or invigorating, depending on one’s mood!) as a visit to the spa, and so on.

Nor are they overly reverential; Coffee Ride joyously celebrates the wild kick of caffeine that can mean so much, while Coffee Break reflects of the coffee drinker’s almost voyeuristic indulgence of people watching while sipping an innocent cup or mug; whilst Haute Coffture pokes fun at the serious coffee drinkers almost snobbish approach to appreciating the beverage. Thus, within all ten pieces lies something anyone who enjoys coffee will both recognise and have cause to smile about.

And nor is the art of making coffee forgotten, celebrated as it is through Coffee Trilogy, focused on a marvellous gacha set previously offered by Andraus Thor. With a hand bean grinder, moka pots and a traditional Turkish coffee maker (among other items), the set brings the full richness and delight of “traditional” coffee brewing (and skill) to Second Life.

Rounded-out by an interactive coffee bar – grab yourself a cup of coffee and sit and people-watch others as they come and go within the gallery or take a ride on the giant cup of coffee as it turns slowly (and perhaps capture yourself on camera) – Coffee is a display of art than is both fun to witness, and which also speaks to Mara’s talent as a self-taught photographic artist; one who fully understands the use of colour, light, framing and cropping, and the need for subtlety in their use to produce pictures that are instantly pleasing to the eye.

SLurl Details

• Art Korner Gallery III (Deju, rated Moderate)