Atlas Obscura Pays a Visit

As many readers are probably already aware, Eric Grundhauser of Atlas Obscura recently spent some time exploring Second Life and published the results of his travels as Forgotten Wonders of the Digital World: Second Life. Pete Linden had been kind enough to put us in touch, and I, along with my partner Kinn, had taken Eric (as his inworld self, Baerf) on a whirlwind tour to several places in an attempt to provide a quick overview of Second Life's possibilities — The Far Away by AM Radio (photo above), Kowloon, Insilico, City Inside Out by Haveit Neox, Roche by ddsm2 Mathy (second photo), a Petrovsky flux by Cutea Benelli and blotto Epsilon at the University of Kansas's Spencer Art Museum sim, and also my home, ...riverrun..., because he was curious to see a private space (third photo, and one that Eric didn't publish).

From the start, Eric was a delight to work with and approached Second Life with an open mind, aptly describing it as "fascinating but daunting." Although his initial request was to visit "unsung or forgotten places...the older the better" we struck out to give more of a overview of possibilities, from urban to rural, from "real life" looking places to "not possible in real life" places. I'd like to extend my thanks to Eric, to Kinn, to ArtCrash Exonar (who posed in several photos, including the one above), to my friend and fellow blogger Inara Pey, who posted a lovely commentary on Eric's prose, and to the Lab for arranging the contact.

WindWept

Fans of the departed sim Starfall (about which I wrote here and here) will be delighted to learn that designers Nezzy (Inez Pennell) and Imp (Cinderr Resident) now invite us to visit WindWept, a water sim of great expanse, with views that stretch clear across from one side to the other. Hearkening to Starfall, the sim features clusters of large bounders and trees (many leafless, but some swaying gently in the cool breeze) emerging from the water's surface, with isolated spots here and there to sit or relax, alone or with others.

Overlooking the scene, perched on a high outcrop of rock, is a delightful and beautifully decorated coffee house that offers a chance for indoor respite. And, if you explore carefully, you'll discover its counterpart, an underground room beneath the waters. But even more awaits: near the landing point, you'll spy four windows. Clicking on them (or, at the moment, on three of the four) takes you off to other hidden environments: a park (lowest image), a seedy motel, or cosmic playground. (Presumably a fourth location is in progress.)

For photographers, the opportunity is present to rez objects by joining the land group, and Nezzy and Imp encourage you to share you views of the sim on their flickr group. (These images use the sim's default windlight setting, but several photographers have obtained excellent results with others.) Roamers of the grid will certainly appreciate the photogenic region's beauty and quietude.

Eyerotica (NSFW)

Opening today, Sunday, May 3, at 10 am slt, is Eyerotica, an exhibition of photography by Ash (Ashratum) at Dathúil, curated by Max Butoh. The images explore the fine line between erotic art and pornography from the perspective of a voyeur looking in on situations of dominance and submission, suggestive moments, and outright lust and sex. (I'm being fairly careful with my camera angles in these images.) Several of the photos were clearly taken at The Chamber, located on the same sim as the gallery. "The act of voyeurism fascinates me and certainly has a lot to do with my approach to Second Life erotic photography. I'm not good with posed photos of planned photo shoots, preferring the spontaneous pleasure of seeing, either through a lucky stolen glimpse of intimacy, or effectively taking part in the erotic flow of a scene," says Ash. "Voyeurs are often seen as male in cinema and photography, while females are frequently the observed subjects. My gendered and embodied point of view, a feminine point of view, is my small contribution for this 'other side' of the power of looking." (In this way, Ash also brings to mind the work of photographer Mich Michabo.) While you're visiting the exhibition, take a look through the several cameras that are placed throughout the gallery — they're not just there for decoration — to place yourself in the position of voyeur. Eyerotica will remain on view through the month of May.

Visions of Hope

Opening tomorrow, Sunday, May 3, at 1 pm slt, is Visions of Hope, an exhibition and silent auction to benefit Relay for Life, organized and curated by Ricco Saenz and Randy Firebrand. Through the end of May, visitors may place bids on the artwork (it's a silent auction), with all proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Bids open at L$400 and can increase by L$100 increments.

Each piece on display is unique and is not available elsewhere, so this is a great chance to pick up a true collector's item. Featured artists include Bear Silvershade, Bijou, Boudicca Amat, Dru G. Eiren-Milneaux, Em Larsson, Hills, Morganistik, Pusher Gearbox, Randy Firebrand, Ricco Saenz, Serei Guena, Skippy Beresford, Tomais Ashdene, Trinity Yazamoto, and Ziki Questi.

Haru to Shura — Yes, Giovanni

On display at entrance, a sim owned by yoshihiro Obolensky that seems to be available for short-term installation space, is Haru to Shura — Yes, Giovanni, an artwork by Yooma Mayo. In this era of all-mesh builds, it's refreshing to see something beautifully created exclusively using traditional prims, even if many components of the artwork were exhibited at Split Screen back in 2013 as Yes, Giovanni (read here). High in the air, two gigantic goldfish overlook a possibly surreal scene of a winding train on which an antique locomotive puffs its way, enormous pink lotus flowers reaching up from the sea, and the skeletal remains of some sea creature filled with metal milk cans.

Yooma tells me that the title refers to the 1927 novel Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa, the central character of which is a poor boy, Giovanni, who discovers a train that takes him on a journey through the stars, and possibly into the afterlife. During their travels, Giovanni loses his only close friend, Campanella. "I wanted to build the world of their dreams come true," said Yooma. Haru to Shura — Yes, Giovanni remains on display only through May 10, so be sure to visit soon.

UNIA

MadPea's UNIA has been in development for a long time — so long, in fact, that I first visited preliminary builds for UNIA in September, 2013! Way back then, Casja Lilliehook and I were given an extended tour by head pea Kiana Writer, and an article soon followed in the now-defunct AVENUE magazine, as Kiana hoped to open the sim by Halloween that year. Fortunately, UNIA, which is an exceptionally complex game, has finally opened its doors today, featuring contributions from Harter Fall, Electronic Mode, Fae Varriale, Hikaru Yamamoto, RAG Randt, Indigo Lucerne, Arduenn Schwartzman, Fuzz Difference, Gaius Tripsa, Abramelin Wolfe, BlueSean Yiyuan, Bryn Oh, Caer Balogh, Fuschia Nightfire, Jaimy Hancroft, Lindsey Warwick, Rebeca Bashly, Silex Zapedzki, Wildcat Snowpaw, Zachh Barkley, Damien Fate and many others. Although I've had some great opportunities to explore the build over the past couple weeks, I'm going to hold off on a more complete post until I've had time to complete the entire experience, which Kiana tells me will probably take most people ten to twelve hours. To learn more, visit the UNIA website, where you'll find not only background information but also clear instructions on how to make the best of your visit.

Farewell, The Colder Water

Jordan Giant, owner and designer of The Colder Water (about which I wrote here back in August 2014) has announced that the majestic sim will close "in the end of the month of April." Whether this means Thursday the 30th or possibly sooner I don't know, but time is running out for you to take a last look at the region, dominated by its solemn lighthouses and splendid views. Thanks to Jordan for having shared her creation with the community. [Update: Jordan tells me that the sim will likely be tomorrow, April 28.]

France Portnawak: Terracotta

A brilliant ochre style now envelopes the picturesque sim of France Portnawak, which designer and owner Leica Arado has recently transformed into a new theme: Terracotta. (Read about previous incarnations of the sim here and here.) As always, the region is picturesque and affords beautiful views, including some that stretch far out into the waters, where a cabin on stilts awaits travelers. Towering rocks to the north overlook the inland forests and the sandy shores, filled with vibrant orange and deep green.

As beautiful as the landscape is, the many dwellings spotting the landscape, some slightly hidden, are perhaps even more important, as they each tell a story — or, rather, they invite you to tell a story. "Materials, objects, architectural elements are mixed, with objects that allow us to imagine the history of the person who lives there," explained Leica to me. (And here I am roughly translating from the French in which we spoke.) "A music lover, a writer, a traveler, or a house where a seamstress might live...a farmer's house, a (rather humorous) temple [fourth image] without religious connotation, up on the hill. The cabin on stilts [third image] would be inhabited by someone rather passionate about animals. Objects evocative of India, China and Africa are all mixed."

The juxtaposition of elements extends even to the flora, where tropical palms stand side by side with deciduous hardwoods, but it all fits seamlessly. Exploring couples looking for romantic locations will discover quiet spots here and there, and a motorboat provides an extra way of getting around offshore. If you enjoy your trip to France Portnawak, please consider leaving a contribution at the landing point.

Poseidon's Abyss

Now open as part of Fantasy Faire is a sim-wide build by Haveit Neox entitled Poseidon's Abyss, and true to the artist's usual style it's a complex, fantastic and sprawling creation that extends over land and under the sea, with a seemingly endless number of small areas to discover. Several ships, loaded with goods, are ready for sail in the city harbor, but others have smashed or sunken, alerting us to imminent danger.

"The enemy’s superior power can no longer be held off," Haveit's story begins. "The city struggles to save its arts aboard the fleet of living galleons. To protect its valued paintings, music, literature, and all the company of its theater, the ships must sail on the hour if their culture is to survive. But 40 fathoms beneath those waves, Poseidon spies the underbellies of the ships, and readies his own advance for the bounty." And if you sink below the waters, you'll find Poseidon, trident and all, with his army nearby.

Given the short run of Fantasy Faire — only through May 3 — one has precious little time to fully explore Haveit's creation, not to mention the other arts builds. Do take some time while you're there to consider a contribution to the Relay for Life event, which benefits the American Cancer Society. I extend my thanks to the many artists and participants who make the event a reality. If you'd like to see these images on a larger scale, Haveit has created a gallery to house them (and a few others) at around 156, 71, 22 — I'll also be posting them on flickr.

PimperPuppets: Being beautiful in the art scene

Serge, Samantha, Bridgit, Helen, Lucia, Sullivan, Curt and Susann vie for influence in the cut-throat world of artists and exhibitions in the delightful PimperPuppets production, Being beautiful in the art scene, by d-oo-b (Eifachfilm Vacirca), now showing at LEA9 through the end of May. "Serge has been chosen to feature his art in the Grand Hall," begins the synopsis. "He is determined to impress everyone. But Lucia steps out of his shadow." An animated performance using puppets originally modeled in real life by Eif, whose professional background is in theatre and videography, the production runs every 5 minutes — just take a seat to watch everything unfold before you.

Before you watch the play, however, I would suggest walking up to each of the PimperPuppets at the landing point. As you approach, they'll tell you more about their characters through chat bubbles that appear over their heads. And none of them is particularly likeable: "They are sort of pimps," Eif quipped, "having artists as their whores. (Art and prostitution were always connected, by the way.) They have lizard eyes, determined to succeed. Fame is their drug, and no one is really morally complete." Their determination to succeed is indeed far more important to them than the artwork itself, and they don't hesitate to stab one another in the back to advance their own agendas.

After the performance, you're invited to visit the various sets, where you're invited to set foot directly into the scenes you just witnessed. "Theoretically," Eif said, "the audience can step into the picture and comment," opening up another possible layer into the storyline for onlookers. When Being beautiful in the art scene concludes its run at LEA9, Eif plans to stage a follow-up performance (at another sim) in which Curt, Lucia and Samantha take a vacation to go climbing in China. More about the current production can be found on Eif's blog, including information on added events, although eventually those posts will move further down. The avatars are also available for sale on the Marketplace.