A Rusted Development is a collaborative art installation on LEA1 at the Linden Endowment for the Arts. It isn’t a new feature – anyone with an eye for art in SL will know it opened in May and is enjoying an extended run as part of the LEA’s Guest Curator initiative. I’ve taken my time getting to it as I wanted to leave others far more qualified than I to give thought and feedback on the installation – and then (to my shame) I forgot about it, only to be reminded when attending the opening of Solkide Auer’s new installation earlier in the week, and which sits adjacent to A Rusted Development.

The installation is curated by Rowan Derryth and the theme was inspired by her own works, although the overall structure and story for the piece came from Haveit Neox, whom Rowan credits as “The Conjuror”.

What firsts appears to be a bizarre conglomeration of industrial wasteland, water, bones, and scattered exhibits actually has a strong backstory, written by Havit Neox, which forms the basis for the installation itself, and provides a canvas for those collaborating in its final form in which to paint their own elements of a story.

The fabled merchant city that rode atop the back of a gigantic whale met with a calamity that ended its existence abruptly. In the middle of the ocean, a horrific storm caused two huge ships carrying toxic chemicals to collide into the swimming whale city. The whale and all the populace died in the flood of chemicals that saturated the waves.

The whale turned to bones, and the city to rust, it was nearly half a century before this city adrift was discovered. An expedition of artists, searching for land to build an art colony, came upon the decomposing city. With the intent to regenerate the place, they set to work by first towing to safe harbor the floating mass. Each artist then undertook their vision. The empty shell of the city suddenly filled in and expanded as each artist found their niche in the Rusted Development. No longer at the mercy of invisibility, the city humbles its rusted façade to the highlights of the art within.

Within Haveit Neox’s build, A Rusted Development features pieces from some of SL’s most highly regarded artists – Rose Borchovski, Artistide Despres, Claudia222 Jewell , Bryn Oh, Scottius Polke, Ziki Questi, PJ Trenton, Blue Tsuki, Stephen Venkman, Eliza Wierwight, and Trill Zapatero. Each is both an individual piece and also part of the larger whole, providing a further facet of the story, both in terms of the destroyed city itself and the lives of the artists who discovered it.

It would seem the community of artists who came across the ruins of the merchant city had been bound within a society where rules outweighed individuality and expression. Their reactions to the constraints under which they’ve lived, and what it has done to society as a whole appears to be a ventral running theme through many of the individual elements of the installation. Several pieces have a dark edge to them, perhaps reflective of the fate of those who once lived within the city as it was carried across the oceans.

There are works here which scale the range from the very large to the incredibly small and delicate. Each has its own tale – some dark, some perhaps edged with the macabre and others filled with a delicate pathos. Each offers a unique interpretation and a further expansion of the backstory. All of them present a genuinely immersive piece which requires more than one visit if one is to witness everything on offer, both above and below the waves.

If you’ve not already visited, you should.

Related Links

• A Rusted Development SLurl
• Original LEA blog post on the installation
• A Rusted Development exhibition catalogue

Now closed

I love Marcus Inkpen’s work. The Looking Glass is one of my favourite regions to visit, and I’m massively tempted by his Floating Victorian Home. In mid-June LEA opened a full sim installation featuring Marcus’ work, and I’ve finally managed to get myself over to see it.

The Returning is described as exploring “the spiritual connection we once experienced, as an integral part of life, now lost – but lying in wait for our return” – and it is simply enchanting.

There is a rich mix of cultural elements here, most of them seeming to come from Asia, but also with some European / Middle Eastern elements as well. You arrive at a wooden landing stage facing a lush rain forest-like environment, split by meandering waterways. Where you go from here is up to you – follow the wooden piers around the small lake to the woodlands, or take a row-boat. There are only two building here, and whichever route you take will eventually lead you to them.

The main building carries echoes of many historical sites; some have compared it with Angkor Wat – and the similarity is strong. For me, and without wishing to sound like a cracked record, the building carries a strong Sri Lankan resonance, reminding me particularly of the great stupas and pools of Anuradhapura.

For me, the Sri Lankan element was certainly heightened by the fact the music stream accompanying the installation features pieces by Lakshman Joseph De Saram. Having the music stream on is not a vital part of a visit – if anything, I’d say that in parts it actually might detract from the overall atmosphere. However, I was curious as to what might be accompanying the installation and in what was undoubtedly a serendipitous moment, I turned media precisely as Beggar / Charles Is Dying from De Saram’s soundtrack for Bel Ami was playing – and so the mental association with Sri Lanka was cemented.

Inside the structure lay the deeper spiritual elements: manuscripts that appear to be from the Kabbalah, including what looks to be the Sēpher Yəṣîrâh; on the floor in the central chamber is a carving featuring the seven Chakras, adding a Hindu / Buddhist element, around which a pendulum slowly rotates.

The remaining building appears to be more western in style and design – almost a folly. It contains a device resembling an orrery, enticingly called Know Thyself. Around the walls are empty frames and pictures that appear to be from the 19th Century; perhaps another piritual echo – the memories of those who have passed before us.

Exploring the region will reveal strange incongruities. Alongside the “folly” run a set of power / telegraph wires; up on a hill you’ll find a US Postal Service mail box. Near the end of the reflecting pool at the front of the main building sits a pianola.  Are these random placements, or do they carry meaning themselves? You’ll have to decide, as I’m saying nothing.

I’m not sure how long The Returning will remain open. If you haven’t visited already, I urge you to do so – and don’t be surprised if you find me sitting in quiet contemplation by the reflecting pool or among the trees.

When I was a teenager, many moons ago, a frequent insult passed around was, “If brains were dynamite, s/he wouldn’t have enough to blow her/his own ears off.” If a girl was particularly disliked, this sometimes became “….She wouldn’t have enough to blow her own tits off” (boys had a similar twist, which involved parts of their anatomy much lower than the chest).

So, any art installation that invites you to Blow Your Own Tits Off tends to ring bells of teenage years past in my noddle, and send me investigating.

The full title of the piece is “Celebrity Blow Your Own Tits Off”, and it is by Maya Paris with assistance from a number of other SL artists. It is located on LEA 10, and is modelled on a game show (proudly sponsored by “Braino, Ransom & Wow™”), with five interactive levels.

The main part of the experience is to follow the dotted red arrows (well I had to get something that fits the metre of “follow the yellow brick road”) through the various exhibits looking for “holes” to pass through (or touch). You’re encouraged to touch anything else you come across as well, and to have sound on and your AO off (so your avatar can be animated).

Along the way you get the opportunity to pick up various items as well. Whether you wear the accessories or not is up to you…some are decidedly  … novel!

Some of it is a little ominous … some a little confusing … some might be considered a tad rude – although one cannot help but be reminded of Kenny Everett’s Cupid Stunt and that really, “It’s all done in the best PASSSS-ABLE taste!” :).

Crash Bang Trollop, which is where you end-up on exiting Blow Your… is similar in theme, and is described thus:

Tired of being bombarded by the crazy tornado that is the beauty industry?

Time to CrashBangTrollop!

Now you have your ZAP suit, wear it and find the 7 Trollop gadgets in the “ZAP” boxes around the sim ( all free)

Run Wild, turn up your sound and click everything! Dodge the needlefish, tiptoe through the aggravated follicles, help those boobs escape the underwires, Wax on….and off….claw your way through the waters, dare to try the trollop-rocket? Spray yourself orange, and don’t forget to Vajazzzzz.

Trollop is open-air, and opposed to enclosed, as with Tits, and offers a number of things to click on to animate your avatar or which give you further bits’n’pieces.

If I’m honest, I’m not at all sure what to make of either piece – apart from feeling decidedly silly when I emerged from Tits. As interactive experiences go, they are both certainly that; I’m just not sure if there is meant to be a commentary on the state of television today and / or the cosmetics industry, or whether it is all simply meant in fun.

Best thing, possibly, is that if you’re curious you go along and find out for yourself. I man, the worse that can happen is you do manage to Blow Your Own Tits Off, right ;-)?