Le Cactus

"My favorite bar in Second Life is back online," announced Eupalinos Ugajin as Le Cactus by Maya Paris reopened at LEA21 today. As curator of the sim through an LEA artist in residence grant, Eupalinos invited Maya to resurrect Le Cactus (which had been previously displayed elsewhere), and installations by other artists will certainly follow. For those familiar with Maya's artworks, a word like "wacky" might be a worthy description, as her hilarious installations are crazy, playful and colorful, with plenty of movement and sound. And user participation is a must, with poses and animations abounding everywhere (be sure to click on everything) — silly dances, ridiculous movements, and very fun interactions.

Maya describes the build as "a celebration of the extraordinary talents of cultural trailblazer Josephine Baker, queen of the trumpet Valaida Snow, the lampshade-hatted dancers of the Casino de Paris and the offbeat irony of Jacques Dutronc. Throw a banana on your head, dance on a cactus and tickle a tentacle. Everything's interactive, so click away!" If you pick up the HUD at the landing point, you'll be able to view videos of Josephine Baker and other 1930s artists (with the delightful early jazz radio station Radio Dismuke already available over the parcel's music stream).

Perhaps best of all, Maya provides seven free avatars that will turn you into everything from Josephine Baker (below, with my partner, Kinn) to a dollop of whipped cream, and wearing these makes you just about indistinguishable from the build itself. Be sure to stop by the bar, too, to grab a drink, a banana split, and a spinning animation. This is one place at which the more really are the merrier, so bring friends along to join in the absurdity.