The King of Magic

Here a brand new Drax Files about Zachh Barkley:



Zachh Barkly makes magic dreams for witches and sorcerers in Second Life happen. His Wishmaster Spell HUD is much fun and regularly updated.

Arcanum Website: http://slmagic.com/

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arcanum/138/164/23

Museum Island

An invitation for Shekhawati to participate brought me to the WBHF Community Cultural Hub. For those who like to explore a great source to find new places.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Moon/43/214/23

Temple of Portonaccio, Rome + Agrigento, Italy

One of my findings is the Museum Island, which is filled with historical monuments mainly from the Mediterranean countries. The structures are well done and it is fun to explore.

Roman aqueducts and viaducts are to found at man places in France

The information text in the note card at   made me smile: "Museum Island is rebuilt from archaeological sites all over the world.  The builds are in 3D.  Museum Island represents all cultures in Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, France, Libya, Turkey, Romania, Spain. with representative monuments.  Here is an opportunity to visit real historical monuments in 3D."

I am asking myself now if Northern and Eastern Europe, South Africa and the other continents either have no interesting monuments or don't belong this world? ;)

Abu Simbel, Egypt

But exploring the place is really interesting. Walking through gives a much more realistic idea of a structure than just a photo. Some brought back memories of travels and others created in me the wish to visit. I have a new goal, I need to see Abu Simbel. Alone the walk through the model was very impressive.

Abu Simbel, Egypt

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Breezes/192/135/22

Help Us Filming A Bollywood Movie

Become a Bollywood Star

taken by Infa Cisco Lefevre

The weekly Bollywood Parties with DJ Sunshine's India- and World Music tunes are always well visitied. It is amazing how nicely dressed our guests enjoy the event every week.

taken by Apmel

Seeing this we had the idea it should be fun to film some dance scenes at Shekhawati just for fun. Today we will start with a bit of rehearsal to test the dance formations and next week DD (deceptionsdigital Resident) will take the machinima.

taken by Duna Gant

So come today and next Tuesday, wear your colorful outfit and become a Bollywood star!
Rehearsal and party today Tuesday 25th at 1 PM SLT!


Last days of Relation Tower

Entering the Relation Tower - with Trill Zapatero

Sadly it's time to say goodbye to Robin Moore's great work. After the Bollywood filming next Tuesday it will be taken down and replaced by another work. So come and climb up before it is too late!

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shekhawati/133/56/22

The Ambassador of Second Life

Moya in his Tourist Office for Moya Land in Second Life at Arte Genova

I think there is no second artist in Second Life who has a constant intense mutual inspiration between his work in Real Life and Second Life like Moya. And I think too maybe besides Peter Greenaway + Saskia Boddeke (Rose Borchovski in SL) there is no other famous artist who is supporting Second Life that much in real life. Please correct me if I am wrong. I would be glad to hear and to blog about more examples.

Moya avatar as real life toy

Patrick Moya (Moya Janus in SL) is a French artist who is mainly painting and creating ceramic sculptures. He created a whole Moya World filled with cute and funny comic-alike characters. Everything can be a canvas for his world. He designed toys, clothes, cars, buses... Se here a link.

Moreover Moya is a pioneer of video art. Maybe that is the reason why he found to Second Life. His Moya-Land on 4 sims brought his characters like Dolly, the sheep to life. But the virtual world influences back to RL too. Here a ceramic sculpture of his virtual Moya Land:

Moya is a really busy artist and he has no time to communicate his projects in SL as is should be. Last Tuesday he send me a TP just a couple of minutes before the weekly Bollywood Party at Shekhawati started. So I just had time to have a look for a moment and regretted that I did not took notice of this before. But let me start from the beginning. Moya took part of the art exhibition  Arte Genova with a Tourist Office of his Moya Land in Second Life. How cool is that??? See here a video taken by Florence Canarelli:




Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moya%20Land/101/49/23

Moya with a 3D print of the rebels in Moya Land SL

Rebels territory in Moya Land. I f you are against the dictatorship of an artist visit them in the mountains ;)

And as so as often, he presented machinima taken in SL and  rebuilt the exhibition in Second Life. It closed last Wednesday, but in Moya Land it is still up:

Of course he could not build and show all in the short period of time, but you can see quite a few remarkable works here:

Moya has been exhibiting until January in Korea too. If you could not make it to visit, you can do in Second Life:

Second Life rebuild of the Moya exhibition in Korea

Taxi to the Korea exhibition: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moya/119/97/22

Moya Land is huge and much fun to explore. If you think Moya can only Comic, have a closer look at the works. And how many artists do you know who got the chance to paint the murals in a catholic chapel? Moya is one of the few:

Second Life rebuild of the Chapel with Moya murals near Nice

Taxi to Chapel: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moya/199/53/45

Patrick Moya is back from Genova now and it is already Carnival in Nice. As every year, he decorated the virtual carnival area according to the motto and filmed in Second Life. Every year, his SL machinima of the virtual carnival are shown on large screens in Nice. Here a real life video:

Carnaval de Nice 2014 in SL

While I am writing this, Moya invites me to watch the RL Stream of the Nice parade today in SL:

Taxi to Carnaval de Nice: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moya/91/129/344

Moya told me that at this place will be a life concert at Wednesday 26th: Yip Jannings is perfroming at 1 PM SLT.

Moya official website: http://www.moyapatrick.com/
Moya blog: http://patrickmoya.blogspot.com/
Moya in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moya.patrick
Group "Patrick Moya News" in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/47228332725/

PS.: Finshing this post I just see that Jo Yardley wrote yesterday about celebrities in SL. Maybe it is due to the fact that Moya's English is not the best and communication is always a bit challenging that he gets not the deserved appreciation in Second Life. And maybe this post helps to change that a bit.

Star Wars in Second Life

The perfect suit for the trip:  Black Classic Spacesuit by ZiSP at Futurewave

There is so much creativity in Second Life, but nothing that gives an overview of all the great places to discover. So we have to rely on recommendations to find the places. Luckily I often get hints from readers. When they IM me and when I am in the middle of something I just ask for the Landmark or a note card. When I have time time I go through all new items and check the places. I have no clue who sent me the LM for Keldabe but I am very grateful. It was the beginning of a long journey through the world of SWRP in SL. SWRP is Star Wars Role Play. I have seen at least 10 sims if not more which all are connected by role play. There was so much to explore and so much creativity in design. All sims are visitors friendly. You just should wear the OOC tag and do not disturb the role play. Of course I have seen the Star Wars movies as everyone else but I have not really a clue which role the places shown here are playing in the Star Wars world. So I better shut up and just show you what I saw. If you are interested you will find much information at the places.

Keldabe

Keldabe, the capital city of the planet Mandalore, the cultural homeworld of the Mandalorian people, located in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories.

It has been built by Darth Infestus (Jashin Lionheart) as the next two sims too.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Illusion/131/4/20


Byss

Byss is the Capital of Sith Empire. Here was so much to explore. Almost every door was a TP to other places. I took a lot of photos and hardly could decide which to show.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Byss/179/20/2528

Dromund Kaas - The Dark Planet

 A remote & shadowy world in the Sith Empire, with dark secrets at every turn... The most interesting was the Forgotten Laboratory:

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dromund%20Kaas/59/40/957

Bakura - City of Salis D'aar

 Bakura is an urban place. I could change my outfit to another beautiful suit from Futurewave and to have a "catwalk" ;)

Nomi Jumpsuit fire by DRBC, Post Apoc Nerd Stompers by Death Row Design,
Neural Net by Chaos Panic and Disorder
Not from Futurewave: [Manticore] Black Cait v2

Whoever gave me the LM for Keldabe...a big THANK YOU for this adventure!

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fourth%20Dimension/128/120/996

Futurewave is open until Sunday, 23rd: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cursed/127/131/967

Fairy Futurewave

Most future scenarios in novels, games and movies are grungy urban worlds. Bur what if human made changings make plants evolving to stronger ot humans learn to live in symbiosis with nature? What if humans change?

From Futurewave: GALLACTIC - Eclipse collar; CPD - Neural Net, skin + face tattoo [PF] Sora <Alabaster> - Lt. Smoke,
Others: hair .ploom. Aries - Monotone; Cheap Makeup-Miss Priss Lipstick

All from Futurewave: DRD-Devine wings/glow -  toxic veins, dress :{MV}: C&C Dress Nos,
suit, boots and gloves: GALLACTIC ; pose {NanTra} Defying Gravity

The photos are taken at Cerridwens Cauldron a beautiful simd with strange plants.

Taxi to Cerridwens Cauldron: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cerridwens%20Cauldron/35/159/53
Taxi to Futurewave:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cursed/127/131/967

Gallery Hopping

DREAM by Noke Yuitza

Arte Libera galerist Simba Schumann writes in her introduction to the installation: "A woman sleeps embracing her pillow and  her transparent  alter ego embraces her, while another part of her looks at both with lovely eyes. She is good, she feel her complete. It will be the same when she'll wake up?" Is it really an alter ego? To me it looks more like an imaginative partner or more likely someone who exists, but is far away. We live in a world where more and more relationships emerge from virtual contacts. Already 30% of all relationships in Germany started in 2011 in the internet with a strong growing tendency. And against common prejudice  those couples have a significant better chance than others who met in real life. The reasons are to be found in a more open communication at the beginning and the long time span of checking and testing  until they finally meet, usually more than a year. But what happens in the time between first virtual and real contact? Dreaming and longing! I saw that very much in Noke Yuitza's work which is to me one of her most beautiful and poetic. See here a teaser taken by her:



Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solaris%20Island/222/193/2503



The Image And The Imaginery by Tani Thor + Aloisio Congrejo

Tani and Alo are one of the power couples in the art world of SL. They run a gallery, they curate and they create. And as always they combine here artistic talent with good taste. From the landing spot you see a large abstract image in Bauhaus colors which opens to a 3D space once coming nearer. This build by Alo host a gallery with portraits made by Tani. They are not only very interesting edited, the extra fun was that many of the models are well known in the art world:

Melusina Parkin and Tani Thor

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ITALIAN%20SQUARE/139/159/2047


LA CHAISSE AU PAPILLION by Pol Jarvinen

I always have Pol Jarvinen in mind in correlation with the word poetry. Having a conversation with him about any kind of art you often hear him using that word. And also his art is always poetic. I am not talking about poems, it is about the atmosphere, the feelings, the unspoken and the unspeakable which makes the magic part of a good artwork and which often makes me quiet when blogging a work and just encouraging to go,  see and feel.

Same here with Pol's "Chasing Butterflies". Seeing the insects, caught in geometric, interfering meshes cause a poetic melancholy which are something like the red line in all of his works. It is very much about the restrictions of hopes and dreams in our lifes. But to experience you have to go for yourself.

Opening tomorrow at 1,30 PM SLT

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solaris%20Island/159/40/1401

Futurewave and Futurebuilds

Taken with old viewer

I know why I rarely blog fashion. Getting the look, finding the pieces you imagine plus make up, skins, accessory, face and body lights, poses and the perfect location is a huge work. How easy is it to blog art insteadt! You take some nice pics, find a few more or less smart words and you are done.

See the bumps on the pumpkin

But some events like Futurewave are so interesting that I cannot resist. And when I unpacked and checked a zillion blogger bags and tried to get some looks together I had the idea inspired by Bryn Oh's Kumiko to build a projector for the photos. It is not that simple as I thought, but luckily Elke Wylie helped me. You see the results here.

Elke recently filmed a walkthrough at one of the rare builds in SL which already use widely items with materials enabled and she said "Isn't it sad that so many users are not aware of the endless possibilities in Second Life and never use them?" She is right and I decided to visit the place and to use it for my second Futurewave post.

I used the Firestorm-Betax64 4.5.1. which is materials enabled. Since my graphic card is quite simple and cannot eat too much data I had the settings on Mid/High with advanced Lighting Model and shadows. The first image on top is taken with old viewer. All images are NOT edited and the WL settings are not changed. I think the results are quite amazing.

DRD centipede XS bw at Futurewave

The caterpillar sucking the spine fascinated me. I recently saw a science fiction series in TV where extraterrestrials this way took humans over and used their bodies as their own. It took me ages to find a dress that goes with the beast.

For Futurewave: Necklace Spyralle Wearable Comm Hub Model rrl8b, Skin [PF] Sora <Alabaster> - Rust
Others: .:SS:. BLACK WHITE STRIPED SPIKED MINI, Headpiece . a i s l i n g. Cour des Cauchemars Crown  for Genre

For Futurewave: Boots DRD post apoc nerd stompers coal, , Pose: {NanTra}

If you don't use a materials enabled viewer it is still a great build. To see the full effect have a look at this walkthrough by Elke Wylie:



The shop owner and builder of Srs corp. Kelkith Kiezelstein is to me one of the very creative and innovative designers in Second Life. Do you remember the North Pole sims Wolfenstein + Leviathan? Kelkith was the builder! Back in 2011 I made some travel tips with a German SL TV broadcast and those sims where in the first issue, starting from 2.20 min:



On closer look you see that some features are the same as here in the new shop. I am no weapon and war fan at all. But looks as if even in SL some of the best are working in those industries.

Taxi to Srs corp.: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Capella/28/41/3801
Taxi to Futurewave: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cursed/127/131/967