Tag: The Living Room

Now open at The Living Room, the music and arts venue operated by Owl Dragonash and Daallee, is an exhibition of images by Sabbian Paine, entitled Quiet the Mind.

The exhibition is the first to take place in a newly refurbished Living Room, which has been redesigned by Daallee to present a very light, airy environment on the top three floors of the tower the venue occupies at Lagrange Point Spaceport. For his exhibit, Sabbian also recommended the local windlight, AM Radio’s Nostalgia, which gives the venue a very atmospheric yellow-gold tint.

Quiet of the Mind offers an intriguing mix of images which those familiar with Sabbian’s work will doubtless recognise and appreciate. Many are set within well-known locations across Second Life  and feature Sabbian or one of this alter-egos or models, centrally featured within the picture. Somme appear to be quite natural in setting, sitting at a canal side, standing on the sands of Sommergewitter, etc., while others are perhaps more surreal or present a unique interpretation of a familiar piece of art – as with Damaged People, which utilises pieces by Mistero Hifeng.

However, if there is one thing all of the pieces have in common, it is the power of the imagery created within them and the emotions they exude – hence the title of the exhibit. Nor are these emotions limited to those featured in the pictures; viewing some of them, it is hard not to feel a tumult of thought and emotions in response.

The emotive context is heightened on the upper floor of the gallery, where sits a sculpture by Groll Greggan, overlaid by a series of emotive terms and feelings we can encounter in our daily lives, some of which are again reflected in the pieces offered for our viewing pleasure.

Quiet the Mind will be open through until Tuesday, October 27th, when it will close with a further party at 18:00 SLT, with music by Anidi Huet.

Visitors to The Living Room can also enjoy the following events during October:

• Wednesday 21st, 12:00 noon SLT: Plowwie’s Fall Line ~ Fashion show, featuring the music of Dango
• Thursday, October 22nd – 17:00 Kevin Thomas; 18:00 The Vinnie Show.

SLurl Details

• The Living Room (Rated: Moderate)

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 marks the opening of this month’s art exhibition at The Living Room, and for September, Owl and Daallee are presenting the work of not one, but four talents from Second Life, with the gallery space also undergoing a remodelling as well.

On offer through until the end of the month are selected works by CK Ballyhoo, Jamisson Burnstein, DanelleDee, and someone whose artistry I’ve long admired and enjoyed: Nico Time. All offer an intriguing mix of styles and content, both from Second Life and the physical world, making this month’s exhibition a multi-faceted event.

On the gallery’s upper level, CK presents a series of images entitled SL Skies. As the name suggests, this presents a series of skyscapes captured by the artist, who notes of them, “no filters have been used except for the black and whites, to put an emphasis on the clouds.” The result is a set of pictures, some individual, some paired, all displayed in their own little settings, each of which has been created to match the scene captured within the image itself.

Occupying the same level as CK, Jamisson offers images he’s captured during his explorations of Second Life. These are centred on three large format slide show screens, each of which slowly runs through a set of images loaded within it, depicting not only places but people as well. The pace of progress is such that each image can be fully and properly appreciated before the next fades into view.

Jamisson notes that he rarely exhibits his work in-world, “But The Living Room is a special place – so I am honoured to show some of my pictures here.” He’s absolutely right on his observation about The living Room, and on the strength of the pieces he is displaying I’d certainly like to see his work gracing more galleries.

On the lower level gallery area, Danelle presents a selection of her art from physical world. These are a mix of black-and-white and colour drawings and pictures, some with a distinctly geometric feel to them, some more abstract and others encompassing subjects such as fruit, sailing boats and butterflies. Having only joined Second Life in 2014, Danelle notes that she has found that her involvement in-world has both helped in her personal growth and encouraged her to express herself more fully; I empathise.

Alongside of Danelle’s display is Nico’s. I’ll be the first to admit this review is perhaps a tad biased towards him given I’ve included two images of his display. However, I simply cannot help it; I’ve long admired his work  through Flickr, the SL feeds, Avatar Social Network, etc. He has, to me, a marvellous eye for composition, colour and presentation, and I’m delighted to see his work appear at The Living Room.

The exhibition will officially open at 12:00 noon SLT on Tuesday, September 8th, with a party featuring music by Joe Paravane. There will also be a closing party at 23:00 SLT on September 29th, featuring Matthew Perrault.

And don’t forget The Living Room’s monthly live music party, which for September is set for the 17th, and features Bat Masters at 17:00 SLT, followed by Lyndon Heart at 18:00.

SLurl Details

• The Living Room main SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The Living Room gallery space SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Now open at The Living Room, the music and arts venue operated by Owl Dragonash and Daallee, is an special exhibition of the art and artistry of Toysoldier Thor, which features items of both his 2D and 3D art.

I profiled Toy’s work back in February 2015, and for those who haven’t as yet visited his gallery space in Second Life, the exhibition at The Living Room serves as an excellent introduction to his art, featuring as it does several of his 3D sculptures, some of which are displayed alongside his own 2D interpretations of the pieces, as well as a number of his paintings.

Included in the latter is one of my personal favourites, Assassin’s Prayer (shown above), beautifully displayed behind a glass partition. This is quite honestly an utterly captivating piece, which beautifully blends elements taken from both Second Life to produce a finished picture which carries a powerful symbolism and story.

Also on display here is Shattered, another emotive piece (not shown here) which has taken Toy on a remarkable journey, as it has evolved from a painting in the physical world through to a mesh model within Second Life to becoming a 3D printed model, and which is now a beautiful piece of physical art cast in bronze, and which can now be pre-ordered as a part of a second casting run. You can read more about this piece on the upper mezzanine of the exhibition.

For the exhibition, the gallery space at The Living Room has again had a make-over to keep the look and feel of the space in keeping with the artwork on display, and the finished result is highly effective. The exhibition of Toy’s work will continue at The Living Room through until the end of the month.

As usual, there will also be special live events at The Living Room in June, comprising:

• Thursday, June 16th – live music with:
  • 17:00 – Billy Thunders
  • 18:00 – Anidi Huet
• Tuesday, June 23rd 19:00 SLT – Toysoldier Thor closing party with BartAlan Barbasz.

SLurl Details

• The Living Room main SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The Living Room gallery space SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Opening at 12:00 noon SLT on Tuesday, April 7th 2015, at The Living Room, is a new exhibition of art by Whim (Whimsical Aristocrat), which will run through until the end of the month.

Whimsically Naked comprises – as part of the title implies – a series of nude studies featuring Whim and her models in a variety of carefully posed setting and lighting conditions – which may make the exhibit slightly NSFW.

“Given the time and money I expend on buying clothes in SL, the choice to photograph subjects without clothes might indeed appear a bit whimsical,” Whim notes, in reference to the other half of the exhibit’s title.

“I have long been an admirer of artistic nude photography, and with advances in the lighting model and avatar appearance I feel the technical barriers between creation of realistic art nude images in second life and in that other life are collapsing. This creates the opportunity for me to explore the interplay of posed bodies with careful lighting, creating artistic images portraying emotional states.”

The result is a display mixing colour and monochrome images, primarily of women, but with a couple also featuring the male form. All are striking in execution and presentation, and do indeed underline the narrowing boundary between what can be achieved photographically using models in-world and what can similarly be achieved in the physical world.

Whim notes that having a strong emotional content in her images is of key import to her, and that she’ll use the tools available to her in order to express emotion and engagement within many of her images. Looking at those presented within this exhibit, it is fair to say the emotional content in them is undeniable; as is the power each image has to capture not just a moment or pose in time, but an entire story.

Lazarus Doghouse will be on-hand at the opening of Whimsically Naked, and The Living Room will be presenting a number of events throughout April as well:

• Thursday, April 16th – live music with:
  • 17:00 – Whirligig Rutagaga
  • 18:00 – Laidback Celt
• Friday, April 24th 10:00 SLT: Plowies PJ party, featuring Beth Odets
• Thursday, April 30th, 13:00: Whimsically Naked closing party with OBLEE

Related Links

• The Living Room main SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The Living Room gallery space SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

The Living Room is a new art, performance and social venue  which will officially open its doors on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015, at 12:00 noon SLT.

“Daallee and I have wanted a little comfy place for a while,” Owl Dragonash, one of the two people behind The Living Room says of the venue. “A place to give back to the artists and musicians we love an appreciate.”

Spread across the upper two floors of a tall circular tower, The Living Room offers commanding views out over the region in which it sits. The lower floor offers room for people to sit and chat or, if there is a musician playing, to enjoy the music from the comfort of sofas and armchairs. A small art display area is also on this floor, although the main gallery space is the floor above.

For their début exhibition, Owl and Daallee are excited and pleased to have a small exhibition of pieces by Cica Ghost. And small really is the operative word here, as Cica has provides a set of of seven exquisite little dioramas entitled Small Worlds, and they are an absolute delight.

Each diorama is displayed within its own case, sitting atop a small stone plinth. Four of them represent the seasons of the year, while the remaining three present more general scenes, one of which art lovers may recognise as a miniature reproduction of Cica’s wonderful 2014 exhibition, Little Village, which I wrote about almost exactly a year ago.

And when I say “exquisite”, I do mean just that, these tiny models are beautifully crafted and rich in detail, so much so that they should be seen for themselves, rather then viewed through photographs.Take Little Village for example (see above). Not only has Cica reproduced her lovely and quirky little hilltop houses, when you look closely at them, you’ll see little cats sitting in the windows of some, a familiar Cica touch on several of her installations in the past.

Each of the models is available for sale at L$400 each for those who particularly drawn to having one at their SL home, and copies can be purchased via the little sign alongside each one, which also provides the LI for each piece as well, so you know precisely what you’re getting (the LIs range from 39 through to 135, depending on the complexity of each model).

To celebrate the opening of The Living Room, the first live music event will feature The Vinnie Show, and Owl and Daallee have already lined-up further entertainment and events, including:

• Thursday, March 12th: 17:00 – Mason Thorne; 18:00 – Whirli Placebo
• Thursday March 26th: 11:00 – Small Worlds closing party, featuring Winston Auckland
• Sunday March 29th: 17:00 – Rynanne’s Closet fashion show with music by Augusto Napoli.

An in-world group has also been created for those interested in keeping abreast of news on events occurring at the venue, and which can be joined via a subscription board on the lower floor. Owl and Daallee have also created a Flickr group where people can post their images of art and music events at The Living Room.

“We imagine The Living Room to be a welcoming hang out used to share Artists and Musicians creative talents with us our community and The SL community,” Owl and Daallee say of their new venue. “And don’t forget, The Living Room lives on Lagrange Point Spaceport sim, owned By Hippie Bowman, which has a full galaxy to explore, take the space taxi it is fun!”

So why not hop on over to The Living Room and enjoy some good music, wonderful art and friendly company – and take a tour of Lagrange Point while you’re there.

Related Links

• The Living Room SLurl (Rated: Moderate)