UWA Forest & Metallic Sea, Strangers Also Dance

Kudos to the University of Western Australia for using one of its three regions for visiting artists—in this case installations by Soror Nishi, quadrapop Lane and Glyph Graves. Soror's work, entitled Forest, is quintessential Soror—as I said somewhere or other I always think of Dr. Suess on acid. (I mean that in the nicest possible way, no offense intended to the Geisel family.) Soror's work, shown above, is a substantial sprawl of her curious vegetation, while quadrapop's contribution, Metallic Sea, is much smaller but wonderfully elegant—metallic grass that sways in the wind (shown below, although you'll have to see it in person to really enjoy the slow and subtle movement).

Glyph's contribution, entitled Strangers Also Dance, provides some instructions here, and you have to follow them to really see the artwork. (Otherwise you're going to think ho-hum, nothing here.) Head over to the structure in the water, and sit ... and then be transported up to the main body of work. All I can say about my attempts to capture any of it in photos: epic fail. It's a world in constant motion. So go see it for yourself. :)

Dirty Cute? No — Filthy Cute!

Alert blog readers will recall a post from the past, Dirty Cute, about Fade Lei's spectacular build in the Hachiman region, one of my very favorite spots in Second Life. I stopped by recently to see it, and—*sob!* it's gone! I knew that despite the early party scene at Dirty Cute (and some wild parties there were) it had become more of a shopping destination for Fade's great skins (the brand is Ugly Duck), but somehow I wasn't prepared for the loss. As I ventured forth with trepidation, however, I saw that Fade had not exactly deleted Dirty Cute—Dirty Cute is now Filthy Cute, a completely new build that partly embraces the old but now branches out in a new direction. The dirty white and gray concrete of the old build has been replaced with a much darker palette, and it's more clearly defined as a cool place to shop rather than a club that was converted into a store. A blast of grime and neon! :)

Even if you're not planning to shop for any of Fade's cool skins or other items (creative and distinctive designs—join the Ugly Duck group and get a ton of free stuff!), you can spend a long time here exploring layers, levels, corridors and—true to the earlier iteration—hidden panels and entrances. Fade tells me that she's not really completely done building—she has plans to add more of a maze-like experience in the tunnels and to open up some of the boarded-off areas. If you really want to explore, set aside some time, or plan for multiple visits, as it's truly easy to get lost (and "camming's cheating" says Fade, in case you're thinking of doing that to find your way out!). Looking for some secret places? Try clicking on what appear to be solid walls as you go ... you might find something.

Update on 18 October 2011: If you want to see the build as opposed to the store, where you'll land, wind your way through Fade's shop and look for a hidden door in the wall. :)