Happy Holidays and a Blessed 2019

Tags

interstellART, Pottering While the World Ends, The Trip in a Virtual World

This is likely my last post of 2018. I had wanted to share more about what I like in our world during the last few months. Shown in this post are some simple, cropped photos taken yesterday evening at Art at Home Sceneries, a space recently opened at InterstellART.

I had wanted to do posts on two LEA sims before they go away at the end of the month, The Tarot Garden at LEA 17, and Echoes, Metaphysics of Frequencies at LEA 24, which now has a bonus level in the sky, if you haven’t been since the few weeks after it opened.  

Most of the artists who exhibit at InterstellART, have created a scene, each with different style decor, showcasing one of their works. There are some lovely gifts to pick up, plus teleports to galleries where each artist exhibits.

Those who know me, will recognize this as the sort of project I like, and in which I like to participate. During the past year I’ve had the pleasure of participating in Veyot’s Another Town and co-organizing Wanderlust Art Truck 2018. Also, I am a caretaker at Bench Art Park which has been exhibiting the creativity of various artists for over two and a half years. 

People get involved in the Second Life art world for all different reasons. Some of them chat with me sometimes, and I’ve heard it mentioned that avatars don’t buy art because many don’t have, need, or want, homes. Some of us are collectors and support the arts in SL. 

I’m not up for investing in whatever it would take to be included in the SL art scene, whatever that may be. I remain a believer that it’s crucial to treat others with kindness, to appreciate those who DO support one’s work as best they can, and to find healthy outlets for frustration and bitterness.

The scene shown above is by Sanjeewa and Sujeewa Kumara, whose gallery exhibit is well worth visiting.

Other scenes and/or teleports at this location are by Celestine Ghiardie, Fluer Heartsdale, Ilyra Chardin, Wintergeist, artandsoul Constantine, Jaime Poutine, Ramsa Luv, June Clavenham, and Claude Belgar.

I intend to keep posting to this blog in 2019, although I am going to run out of free space at some point. I want to finish my Route 2 virtual infrastructure series.  LEA is on hiatus, and there are great blogs and other resources informing us about some of the things happening inworld.

I have three, more focused blogs which I’ve collaborated on during the past year. Two are public, and the third is an art blog which is private for now.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed The Trip in a Virtual World, which is about travelling around the mainland. Then, in late August I was invited to participate in the Blue Orange Library; it’s open for a few more months and I want to write about soon. A link to a website or blog was requested, and thus Pottering While the World Ends began.

Then there’s my human’s Real Life. It matters. What each of us think, say, and do, matters.

I appreciate my regular readers, and those who stop by occasionally.

Happy Holidays and have a Blessed 2019.

 

 

 

         

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Bench Art Park ~ Nov & Dec

Tags

Bench Art Park, Quentin, Sansara, virtual art

It appears to be sunny, early autumn at Bench Art Park for November and December. The various artists had an optional prompt for this two month exhibit, a quote by Kurt Vonnegut.

The image on the lower left in the photo is by Klaus and contains a notecarded essay on Devicefication. 

The Vonnegut quote refers to November and December as “Locking Season”.

From left to right above, by LiL Mint, serra Qendra, Lynette Trinity, Elle Thorkveld and Kate Silver.

“One sort of optional thing you might do is to realize that there are six seasons instead of four. The poetry of four seasons is all wrong for this part of the planet, and this may explain why we are so depressed so much of the time. I mean, spring doesn’t feel like spring a lot of the time, and November is all wrong for autumn, and so on.

Here is the truth about the seasons: Spring is May and June. What could be springier than May and June? Summer is July and August. Really hot, right? Autumn is September and October. See the pumpkins? Smell those burning leaves? Next comes the season called Locking. November and December aren’t winter. They’re Locking. Next comes winter, January and February. Boy! Are they ever cold!

What comes next? Not spring. ‘Unlocking’ comes next. What else could cruel March and only slightly less cruel April be? March and April are not spring. They’re Unlocking.”

~ Kurt Vonnegut – from a collection of essays and speeches, “Palm Sunday: Bits of the Collage” (1981)

From left to right above, by Elle Thorkveld, Kate Silver and Quinn.

Art by Pearl Grey, (moi), Wheedle and Klaus.

A winter photo by Veyot on the right.

The park has had a lovely remodel by our gardener, Art Oluja.

Elle Thorkveld created something for the Locking theme, and there are different digital images on both sides.

Digital art by Seraphim Placebo.

Vase by Lynette Trinity.

LiL Mint has done some landscaping around Wanderlust Cafe next door.

Piece by Klaus, There are also some sculptures from Elle Thorkveld’s 2018 Burn2 installation.

On the roof of the cafe is a Locking themed 3D piece I’ve done, once again inspired by somewhat camouflaging banlines from the correctional facility next door.

The ground floor of the gallery contains a vibrant exhibit by Giselle Seeker.

Upstairs, digital art by LiL Mint.

The art park and cafe have been operating in Quentin for over two and a half years. You’re welcome to stop by to view the art, and enjoy the view and the music streams.

 

 

The Mysterious Old Man in Kowloon [game/event]

Tags

animesh, Kowloon, micro robot

A mysterious old man has been reported invading a room in Kowloon, and there’s a game event which opened December 2, in which you can attempt to repel the intruder. It doesn’t take long, isn’t too difficult, and you can win a cool prize.

The board near the landing has instructions in Japanese and English. You select a weapon. The “weak” weapon is free, and works fine but takes longer to repel the mysterious man. The medium weapon is 3$L, and the strong one  is 10L$. Select your weapon, wear it, and teleport to the  room.

I got out my camera and attempted to stay out of the way as my traveling companion prepared to battle the intruder. He used the free weapon, and the intruder kept arriving at a reasonable pace, through the window, fireplace or door. After a predetermined number of hits with the weapon, (stand within 1 meter from the intruder and right click), the prize is received, and you can exit through the door. Please bring your sense of humor with you.

The prize is a high quality, animesh micro robot. It has a dedicated HUD that allows for color change, and controls to open/close the canopy. It can be attached to a miniature avatar. It’s amusing to watch running around; the sounds are well-done too.

If you need a miniature avatar, there is a micro rabbitroid available for purchase for 30L$. (I was unable to locate the avatars via the SLurl provided in this blog post.)

Exploring Kowloon has always been enjoyable for me.

Deliberare Humanum Est at G. B. T. H. Project

Tags

Deliberare Humanum Est, G. B. T. H. Project, Marina Münter

Deliberare Humanum Est (Because Pretending We’re Not seeing it is Diabolical) by Marina Münter, is open until December 12 at G. B. T. H. Project. It opened November 11th, prompted by a recent election in Brazil. The setting is a favela. Near the landing is a cart, with a folder including a notecard about the installation.

“Deliberare Humanum Est (Because Pretending We’re Not seeing it is Diabolical) actually brings more questions than answers. Inside, there are two rooms: one with a possible reproduction of a home in the favela and other with laptops open with a few real reports in English about Bolsonaro, the military and some of the real damage caused by them.”

The room with clickable laptops for news reports.

The G.B.T.H. Project, (Grab By The Horns), is a concept gallery curated by Marina Münter and Megan Prumier. The installations change monthly.

“We believe that Second Life is a powerful creative platform and try our best to make use and learn at our own path the tools available in it.”

Deliberare Humanum Est is Marina Münter’s fourth solo exhibition. An artist bio is included in the folder available from the cart near the  landing.

Symbolic Decay

Tags

Elle Thorkveld, Generative Art, glitch digital art, interstellART, Symbolic Decay

The Symbolic Decay exhibit is of Generative art, a contemporary remix of tribal symbols, with added rust and decay. It is the November AiR exhibit on the InterstellArt sim. 

The digital art is by Elle Thorkveld, an artist focusing on generative and glitch digital 2D and 3D works. Elle says she enjoys creating SL sculpture, installations and experimental machinima. She is a SL and RL photographer, and a RL mixed media artist.

Her work focuses on the use of color, novel combinations, movement, randomness & unpredictability.

I enjoy Elle’s work and am especially drawn to the pieces in this exhibit.

There will be an opening reception this Sunday, November 11 at 10:00 a.m. SLT.

The exhibit runs through November.

Black Bayou Lake

Tags

Black Bayou Lake, Jade Koltai, Louisiana, Serene Footman, virtual swamp

One of my favorite getaways at this time, is Black Bayou Lake in Gainesville. It’s a Louisiana swamp, based on a real place. I’ve not been to the real life place, but I grew up near the Mississippi River; I know a little about the crawling, biting, slithering things in river water.

The sim opened the first week in October. I was fortunate to hear of it then, and took these photos when there were few people around. The windlight is beautiful. These photos have had the exposure lightened for the post, and don’t show the sparkling water and beauty of being immersed in the sim.

My favorite thing about Black Bayou Lake is the outstanding music stream. I also enjoy the birds and other wildlife. They often add a pop of color. There is, of course, a Flickr group. 

Photos in the Flickr group show a variety of light being used.

There are shacks and a houseboat, and plenty of seating for hanging out. I am laying in a hammock, listening to the blues, while I type this post.

 

The sim was created by Serene Footman and Jade Koltai. It is rated Moderate. The real Black Bayou Lake is located in Ouachita Parish in Louisiana and is part of an 800 acre nature reserve.

You can read more about the inspiration for the sim on the Furillen website.

There’s a guestbook near the landing, but no tipjar or planned events. I don’t know how long the sim will be available, but it won’t be for long.

I’ve found it to be an effective antidote to some days in real life.

You can hear nature sounds as you move around the sim, and also safely wade into the water with your camera.

 

 

 

 

Burn 2 ~ I Robot part 2

Tags

Burn 2, Burning Man, I Robot

 

Burn 2 is winding down. Due to Sunday’s log in issues, the Temple Burns were postponed. The Leave No Trace deadline is Thursday, November 1st and there’s still time to enjoy some of the builds.

Organica

There’s a Bunny Ride Tour rezzer, just past the gift tent, after you walk a little ways from the landing.

Machine Wall by Elle Thorkveld

I enjoyed this years Burn 2 and appreciate all that the  builders and volunteers put into it.

The 11th Principle

There is a timely build with reminders about consent.

There was much more to see here, during this busy season with Halloween in SL, RL seasons changing and elections in the U.S. Well done.

 

Burn 2 ~ I Robot

Tags

Burn 2, BURN2, Burning Man, I Robot

It’s a busy time of year in both lives and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this year’s theme for Burn 2, I Robot, as much as I have. One of my favorites is XD Robotics by Daark Gothly and Xiija. You must see the changing expression on the robot faces.

Behind XD Robotics, on the Time Machine sim, is Boxanne by Elle Thorkveld. I would like to include landmarks to each of these builds but it isn’t working for this post.

This year, there are also smaller installations scattered around the playa. The chillbots above, are by Elle Thorkveld.

Another small exhibit shows drawings by Enola Em. Her drawings are done in pencil, pen and ink.

Another build nearby is called Unemployment Line. It’s very large and green.

You can rez an art car and drive inside, or walk. I chose the Root Beer Float to drive; there’s also a Martini car.

At TumbleCat Playground, a small robot kitty chases a colorful ball around. The characters higher up on the structure are spinning around.

Next to the TumbleCat Playground, and across the road from Boxanne is a colorful build by Midori Rotoru.

This build by Kerryth Tarantal is called Therefore I dance. It’s nearby on the Don’t Panic sim.  I’m sharing photos of builds I can photograph more easily but am enjoying the interactive builds.

This build, Dean4225, is further away, in Alkali. It was satisfying for the pleasant time I had sitting with a friend on top of the modular habitat and drinking pixel beer.

Back In “Don’t Panic”, this build is quite beautiful. It has an I Robot Censer, in which you can leave a message. There’s a teleport to easily get up into the center.

In front of the modular habitat in Alkali is a Post-Singularity Sleep Deprived Survival Unit by serra Qendra on which you can pose. The tree that shows up as blue in the  photo is color changing inworld.

Also in Alkali, is the Psy ROBOT build. There are dances and it’s great for photography.

Burn 2 is outstanding this year, (and I had really liked the Da Vinci Burn a couple of years ago). The sense of humor and mostly light-hearted approach to the theme is much appreciated. There are plenty of places to peacefully sit, and also places to dance, which I usually don’t take time to do. (Yes, there’s some lag during times of events.)

I intend to do at least one more post about I Robot, but having fun comes first.

 

Nature’s Way

Tags

Another Town, Klaus, meditation

Roots, Wings, Shells, and Lights. The four digital collages on the walls at Nature’s Way represent these four aspects of nature.

Avatars are invited to use this virtual space for reflection, drawing, journaling, and staring into space in this room in Another Coffee Shop in Another Town.  More detailed suggestion are given in the notecard from the image on the easel.

Roots ~ What grounds you?

Wings ~ What lifts you?

Shells ~ What protects you?

Lights ~ What guides you?

Nature’s Way will be available through the end of October, at least. The images, prompts and room were created by Klaus.

There are other rooms in Another Town plus a coffee shop. Located in Pahto.

Meadow Rose, Neverland

Tags

Kismet, Meadow Rose

One of the destinations I’ve visited more than just a quick one-time look around is Meadow Rose. The 65,520 square meter sim is rated Adult.

The land description includes the statement, “Meadow Rose is just the start of the story.” It sounds inviting to couples but I found it not to be exclusively so.

On my return visit, I brought my horse and my camera.

At the landing is a fence with info about the usual Flickr, Group Joiner and such, plus an info giver for Kismet builds.

I have distant, fond memories of the huge Kismet home owned by a weird family of vampires that took me in somewhere around 2012. I was delighted to see the same build is used here. I recalled that it had a secret room. I found it, and that is where the adult stuff is on the sim, whether you want to find it or avoid it.

On my second visit I noticed some paranormal activity in the local cemetery.

I most enjoy the paths around the sim and the use of wildflowers. Textures rezzed quickly for me, unlike many other places, and I noticed less lag.

A friend mention one of the gazebos or pavilions was an older build, and was pleased to see it in use.

I noticed a few other avatars on horseback too.

There are several scenic areas to sit and spend a little time. No one living or dead bothered me on my visits.