Sneak Preview: Between Orient and Occident

In the January UWA Sky Sim Series 3 Western artists are presenting works about one theme very different ways.

Louly Loon approaches the subject by going to the Far East with the opera Madame Butterfly. When it was written in 1904 by Puccini, Japan was for Europeans even much further away and stranger than nowadays. It was more a fairy tale than reality.

Louly has implemented the three acts of the opera into 3 scenes. Wonderfully delicate structures are turning the theatrical scenery into a European dream of a distant and strange Japan. I'm totally enchanted!

ChapTer Kronfeld made his way on the search and lets us share his artistic process.  Obviously he was in danger to get lost in it. He must have been in between on the way to give up. The well done build contains some surprises on the way. Did he find an answer? The last scene is a labyrinth without exit.

ChapTer says on this: “The journey has to remain the reward and not a static end point. We all have to care and to make an effort continuously in approaching step by step the culturally different and new.”

Asmita Duranjaya is the initiator of the project and I find her work closest to my personal experience. She has pointed out some important fields of mutual impingement and presents them in a visually appealing way: trade, architecture, meditation, etc. The exhibition is partly interactive. It was fun to follow. You can get a HUD with additional information and a puzzle with the chance to gain a gift. I think the theme could be further expanded. I my mind came spontaneously: Arabic numbers, the Arabian influence on Western medicine, rice, noodles and porcelain.

I met Asmita yesterday and quite surprised I had to hear from her that I do "not pay tribute to her importance in the art world of SL” in my blog and that I am "neither able nor in the position to judge her art”. My immediate reaction was not to write about her work. But after some thinking I changed my mind.

I believe one should see the work of an artist separated from personally issues. I do not make blog posts just out of friendship and vice versa I should not ignore a good work, just because the artist insulted me and I don’t like this person.

Now replaced by this artwork.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WASP%20Land/118/133/24

For the Lazybones: Avatar Machine

You're in the mood for little adventure but you're too lazy to move the arrow keys? Your partner never really likes to have a walk with you? Here's the solution: The Avatar Machine! You only need to follow the arrow and to go in. The machine does everything else.  

Please turn on the sound, the noise of the machine is really funny. And if you are even too lazy to port there, then here is a video

Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LOL/187/111/251 

  

OMG - Last Show of Fiona Leitner!

 

Yesterday I visited Betty Tureaud on her LEA parcel ( more about it to come in a future blog post) when Fiona Leitner bumped in. Although we had fun dancing, I had to digest a shock. Fiona decided to leave SL as artist and to concentrate on RL.  That is a great loss for us. Today opens her last show in Second Life. 

Come and see her latest, wonderful works and help us convincing her to stay!

Opening today, Wednesday, January 4., 4 PM SLT

Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Han%20Loso/196/38/70 

The Morbid Charme of an Abandoned Fun Park

The "Culture" – Park Berlin was the only fun park in the GDR. In my Western eyes it had a morbid charm. After the Fall the business has been continued until 2001. Since then the place is in decay. Squonk Levenque has brilliantly captured the slightly creepy mood of decline in his Treptower Park, which is actually the name of the RL adjoining nature park.  Therefore I mixed RL photos with some of the sim. Look around and enjoy, some rides are still working ;) 

During my visit I've obviously chased away some homeless. The Meeroos still stuck in the grill. I've tried a piece. Not bad! Now I know at least that they can be useful.

Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/eagle%20crest/12/249/21

  

Sneak Preview: ARTÉE’s LAST VALSE

Artée (Artistide Despres) received last year for the beautiful and sophisticated scripted music instruments great attention and won quite a few prizes. When it was clear that she would get a full sim at LEA, they should be merged into an "orchestra". So now we can enjoy these works all together on LEA6. The small miracles interact partially with the SL wind and it's a joy to watch them and enjoy the sounds.

But ...

 

In what kind of surrounding are the works? Scattered urban environments between water and everywhere fly large and small marine animals and insects. The glass dome above the sensitive instruments is breaking. It came to my mind that animals in still life’s are meant as a symbol of decay. But these critters are moving, it is almost an invasion. Artée stands alone in between and fights with a pole. It is clear that this fight hardly could be won. I got strong compassion seeing this and now understood the title of the work: 'Where I found my Ivory Tower Surrounded by a Huxleyan World, Which Turned out to be an Orwellian World'

Even if last year was a good one for Artée, so much happened in the world: Fukushima, Occupy Wall Street, the failure of the UN Climate Conference and so on. This touches an artist of course and penetrates the creative work. Artée said on that: "The world is on the edge."

Nothing to add, besides: Don’t miss that work!

But also in technical terms, the work is premium-class and partly in mesh. Therefore make sure to use the correct viewer. Stream and media should be off​​. Put the WL on Barcelona or Midnight. Some parts interact with avatars. Walk, jump and fly around to discover all.

 Now rwplaced by this work.

Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA6/129/32/20



    

Nice And Cool Hunt Only A Few Days More!

Here is real highlight! The last days of a beautiful and challenging hunt.. "The Peatonville Mystery" is a gridwide hunt that was built by MadPea in collaboration with P4NDOR4 Quintessa  in the look of P4NDDOR4's wonderful, gloomy sim Pandemonium.

 You have to wear a hud and look for small pieces of paper. They give you a link to shops where you have to find artefacts.

As soon as you find them you receive immediately a gift. The game runs until January 6. For the HUD you had to pay a fee of 100 Linden. For the last days, CEO Kiana Writer generously sent the HUD for free to the group members. Join the MadPea group and check the notices. Happy hunting!

P.S. I just heard that the nice build is gone, but the hunt is still going on: http://madpea.blogspot.com/2012/01/asylum-went-nuts.html

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MadPea/100/222/22

Are you Part of the 70% - Exploring SL

So much information, but where is the TP?

Referring to this blog post, I already wrote about bad shopping experience in Second Life. That so many have little desire to travel is certainly also a result of the myriad of badly planned and ill-designed sims. This is my topic today.

I am aware that most sim owners are laymen who fulfill a dream of their youth here. Therefore there are e.g. too much dancing and sex clubs in SL. Once to be as cool as an owner of a disco or a sex club... ;) But whatever you intend, without visitors it's not fun. And your visitors vote mercilessly with their feet. The end of all is often predictable.

Rules and threats...but no help

In early November such a project made it with a great photo into the Editor Picks: "Labyrinths de Mythos", a RP and combat sim. Of course I went there and landed ... in a shopping area. But I was immediately spammed with 3 endless note cards. I counted the words:  I should read 7271 words! If that was not enough, it contained another 5 note cards. Guess what I've read! I am an experienced traveler, but had to look around a while until I found where there was a visitor-tag and the TP. I landed on the residents sim, which I had to pass through until I finally found the RP sim. Of course, no hint or sign was there and my mood was already pretty much down. There I had to look again, until I could TP to other places and finally found the great scene from the image in the Editor’s Picks. Unfortunately I made no photos in my anger. I already had in mind to show this sim as an example how guaranteed failures are produced. And when I came back now for this article, the more beautiful 2. sim was already abandoned. So, the predicted end is obviously on its way.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Labyrinthe%20de%20Mythos/71/87/292 

Especially tragic is that such a sim was in the Editor Picks. Many noobs were wandering around on my first visit there, as with all Editor's Picks and had no clue what to do.  After this experience guaranteed 100% never logged back into SL. But regarding this topic, more to come next time..

Here are my wishes to sim owners:

-     Define your desired visitors and offer them what they want.

-        Make a concept and ask yourself whether it is explainable in a single   sentence.

-        Think about how the guests understand without many words what is going on.

-        Give me a SHORT note card with the most important rules and instructions how to move on.

-        Give me a visitor's tag, I do not want to participate immediately the RP.

-        If certain outfits are desired, offer freebies. It does not matter if they do not look so great. The sooner I visit your shops.

-        Think about how you make the visit of guests so exciting that they become interested in the RP. For those interested, offer detailed note cards.

-        Ask not only your close friends for honest opinions.

-        Do not constantly change your concept completely just because it does not work immediately. Good things take time and it scares your already gained fans. Slight changes are ok.

-        If it does not run, don’t blame the stupid world which does not appreciate your genius work, but understand that you have done mistakes.

-    If you think at the end that you have done all just for your own fun and SL is just a game anyway, then please do not complain if no one is playing along with you.  

  

A Historical Walk With Silent Movie

Historical Places in SL have their own charm. The Berlin1920 project I have introduced to you before. But there is another place with historic Berlin: The Scheunenviertel. Not so big, but nicely done and worth a nice New Years walk. A highlight is the Münz-Lichtspiele, a silent movie theater. Currently, they show the oldest film version of Alice in Wonderland from 1903. Cecil Hepworth made the longest movie that was ever done so far and it is almost completely preserved. Unbelievable 8 minutes long is the movie ;)

I took a photo of the scene with the Mad Hatter and I wish you a wonderful holiday with a New Year's Hat of the Mad Hattery.

With the Best Wishes for 2012!

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Forest%20of%20Samhain/19/213/1002

Shopping With a Cold

These days are hard days. Poor BK Ansar had to go shopping although he has a bad cold. So he went quick in his pyjama and his cool bunny slippers. I could not resist and took a photo. Hopefully I am not infected now. If you happen to meet him pass him a new tissue.

Wonderful Place to Explore: The Looking Glass

The Looking Glass is a poetic dream world that invites you to explore. Alone the half destroyed theater with the realistic textures is really worth seeing. In the pretty town you can descend into the sewers. 

They are so much branched that you can get lost in it. Hidden outputs lead to the other areas of the sim. I particularly like the enchanted forest. Everywhere are beautiful places to stay and is worth more than one visit.

Currently there are two other reasons to go there. At the side of the theater, there is a Christmas tree with gifts from various shops.  

Gifts under the Christmas Tree

Artwork by Scott Rolfe

And in the gallery on the mountain there is an exhibition of RL works by Scott Rolfe, Scottius Polke in SL. Inworld works by him are currently to be seen at the Nordan Gallery, at Originalia, at Project Z and  as part of the collaborative work, "The Path". And here the circle closes. The Looking Glass has been build by Sharni Azalee and Marcus Inkpen. Marcus also has been taken part of The Path.

Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Horizon%20Dream/117/129/58

  

Travel Adventure at LEA

On all the newLEA sims happens a lot and it's fun to look around there. There will be plenty to blog in the near future. Today I came across the name of Charlotte Bartlett and was immediately curious. She builds incredibly beautiful houses with interior for incredibly low prices. I really felt in love with this one. It is already available in the Marketplace or inworld.

On the table there is a TP to an adventure trip, which ends up back in front of the house. You will enjoy it!

 Taxi:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA25/206/63/21