Quan's Travelogues

2011-10-21

Halloween Horror Series Part 7: The perfect Halloween Quest. HELP!

A group of designers have built a really fantastic quest for Halloween : "The Flesh Game" Sign in at the reception desk and wear the HUD. You are player number 7. On the following way you will notice that the previous players come to death and that with your help! You can expect an adventure in a quality as I have not yet seen in SL with many good ideas and nice, scaring builds. But....it is not fast and easy. For hours I stuck here already. It requires all your patience, deduction, skills and fun of collecting. 5 players already passed away! Who's next? Is it my turn? HELP!

Come as soon as possible, maybe you get me and can help. And when I get back home alive, I will need at least one day to unpack all the gifts that I've collected here! HELP!!

Taxi:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pulse/181/186/31

2011-10-17

Halloween Horror Series Part 6: Gretchen and Teddy

An small girl stands all alone with her teddy in the arms on the stage of an abandoned theatre. Scary biests seem to watch her. This nightmare, built by Bryn Oh, reminds us of the imagination and fears of childhood.

Taxi: sadly gone

Halloween Horror Series Part 5: Nordic Halloween

"Östan om Solen" is the name of Rebeca Bashly's Halloween show at Nordan Gallery. Click on the sign at the landing point and set the viewer on midnight. You land in a beautiful small group of buildings with mist, a poisened looking well and glowing pumpkins. I especially felt in love with the cute ghosts in the bed. Open until October 31.

If you like it, don't miss Rebeca's Installation Inferno (here my blogpost) and her wonderful Ice Gallery (find my Blogpost and LM here).

Nordan's gallery has a great show with some remarkable artists. Check my blogpost here: http://quanlavender.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-works-at-nordan-art.html

Taxi to Nordan: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nordan%20om%20Jorden/21/104/25

2011-10-15

So Many Things are Possible: INTERACTIVE on LEA4

I feel very honoured to be the only blogger getting early access to the INTERACTIVE show on LEA4. Great artist been assembled, curated by L1Aura Loire: Glyph Graves, Maya Paris, Misprint Thursday, Lorin Tone, Eupalinos Ugajin, PinkPink Sorbet und Selavy Oh. Interactivity is a complex theme and you should spend some time to fully understand the installations. They are not just nice.

Can you imagine that you can send an email to an object in SL, which makes the text readable inworld? Check out the installation of Misprint Thursday. You get a HUD and a note card to interact.

Maya Paris’ work cannot not be missed here. Almost everything is clickable and offers enormous fun. I met Maya here and asked:

Quan Lavender: do you liked comics as child?

Maya Paris: i did:)

Quan Lavender: one can see^^

Maya Paris: this is a kind of exploded comic

There is a sound garden, where you can make your own mix of sounds and there is a very dangerous corner, which should be avoided:

The work of PinkPink Sorbet is very beautiful. The patterns change faster by moving of avatars. Sit on the button in the center to enjoy. I could not find a TP up to the skybox. Here is the LM: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA4/234/150/502

I had a great conversation with the fish. Try for yourself:

In front of the fish is the Taxi tour to all installations. Sit on the LEFT poseball of the winged rubber hoop: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA4/21/9/21

Glyph Graves has created many great, beautiful and interactive sculptures. He said:

Glyph Graves: but it does a few things the sculptures change depending on the combined rotation of all the people in range

Glyph Graves: the notes are determined by the rotation of the avatar

Glyph Graves: the colour depends on your system language

Glyph Graves: so its a pixel painting of the languages of the people who walk through it

Quan Lavender: hmm, what is the pixel painting of the languages?

Glyph Graves: ahhh, the close ones respond to your system language

Glyph Graves: the melody produced depends on the rotation of the avatar

Glyph Graves: Maya, go touch the morphing sculpture

Maya Paris: ooh this is great, it makes me want to run through it......and i NEVER run

Glyph Graves: the mushroom shaped one

Maya Paris: yessir

Maya Paris: :)

Glyph Graves: *smiles .. it's not totally safe

Quan Lavender: not safe?

Maya Paris shouts: help!!
Quan Lavender: hehe

Glyph Graves: you get more interesting sculpture shapes if you're not vertical

Maya Paris: excellent:)

Glyph Graves: well the mushroom things morph when you get close and then skewer you if you touch them

That promises a great time, when the visitors come from all over the world today.

Unfortunately, there is also a sad message. AM Radio will not be in the show because of inventory problems. But he might contribute later. The sim will continue to change anyway. L1Aura Loire said: “There are some interactive ideas I plan on rolling out later in the time of the exhibition, maybe in a month or two. So people need to check the LEA blog.” Here is the link: http://lindenarts.blogspot.com/

INTERACTIVE opens today at 2 PM SLT with an Interactive Performance @SENSES PLACES mixed reality dance-technology environment. Get more information at the LEA blog.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA4/21/9/21

SORRY! I'm responsible for the mess: Museum of Hyperformalism at LEA 1

On this Saturday 2 more LEA Sims will open and yesterday evening I was able to visit "The 2011 Survey of Hyperformalism". Here we end up in a museum, which has built high up above the roof.

I flew up and could jump down quite easily. In the museum there is also a TP to partially gigantic installations in the sky. We find works by Josina Burgess, Oberon Onmura, RazorZ, Sabine Stonebender, Selavy Oh, Suzanne Graves and Velazquez Bonetto. I especially liked the works of Oberon, which are always clearly and graphically designed and have special scripts. In the skybox are two towers building up, which merge and then fly apart; it is also interactive. When you come into the vicinity of the installation it behaves differently, depending on your location. Brilliant!

But in the skybox of Suzanne Graves the trouble started. The installation was such a beautiful pink I got lost and frustrated, until I accidentally hit the yellow arrow and the work became green. In a panic I clicked again, and it became blue!

I went down rather quickly. But there was more frustration as I accidently stepped on the glass plates, they exploded! Running away I came across the beautiful pearl string and it fell apart. I feel so ashamed!

I better stay away when it opens today at 1pm. But I wish you much fun with the works (that I have left intact).

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA1/128/128/0

2011-10-13

Second Life All-Star Build: The Path

I've learned something new. Do you know what a "Cadavre Exquis" or "Exquisite Corpse" is? I did not until yesterday. It is a method invented by surrealistic artists, where they together create a work in which everyone plays his own part. When I was a child, it was a popular game at birthday parties. Each was required to add a sentence on a fictional story and everybody laughed at the crazy course of the story. Such a method is of course as well possible with paintings or buildings in SL.

For "The Path" Bryn Oh as curator has invited a genuine all-star group: Colin Fizgig, Marcus Inkpen, Desdemona Enfield / Douglas Story, Maya Paris, Claudia222 Jewell, Scottius Polke and Rose Borchovski. The order of artists was random and each one added a part to the story and built the scene. The classy cast of artists inspired everyone to give their very best. I could describe for each installation with superlatives, but I simply say: Even if 2011 is not over; I think that this is the best Sim of the year. Again and again I was blown away by the quality of buildings.

Rowan Derryth, PJ Trenton and I were invited to participate the final inspection (as one would say in construction business) of the artists' group. Besides Colin and Douglas were all present. Read Rowan's blogpost here.

From left: Maya Paris, Marcus Inkpen, Scottius Polke, Desdemona Enfield, Bryn Oh, Claudia222 Jewell, Rowan Derryth, Rose Borchovski and me

Here a photo of the group at the landing point. At the back you see vendors with info note cards of the artists. The TP to the next station is always the head of a man, the main character of the story. Please switch on the sound, as it is an essential part of the installations.

I do not want to take away your curiosity and reveal everything. You get the story by following the path. It's about a poor inventor who suddenly discovers a hole in the wall in his lab...

Bryn Oh has created a highly detailed lab and we see how the inventor discovers the hole.

Colin Fizgig built the second station. Many worlds open up, only one will bring us where we have to go...

A shame that I have not yet blogged about "The Looking Glass" built by Marcus Inkpen, I've planned already long time and I promise to do it soon. He shows us here countless doors, where to go? The wood textures at this place are sensationally beautiful.

The next station is built by Douglas and Desdemona. Our hero lands in a glistening white hallway and has to go into a completely dark hall. Suddenly you will be beset on all sides. Click on the objects and see what happens.

We have fought and land in the work of Maya Paris. At first glance, it looks stylish and cool. But then discover the scary and funny details and animations ...

Both the design and the sounds of Claudia222 Jewell are a contrast to the previous station, as it could not have been sharper. And that's what makes "The Path" so unique and fascinating. In this wonderful dream world you have to look a bit for the TP. The story tells us, that our inventor was hypnotized by a colorful fish ...

Scottius Polke takes us back to a laboratory and your skills are demanded. So go and walk up the ruler! Don’t you want to taste the primordial soup in the bottle?

The last part of the story tells us Rose Borchovski. We discover details of all previous stations. In the installation, many funny animations are hidden.

The last sentence of the inventor is: "There is no place like home"
After such a journey for sure! And if you miss it, you surely will regret!

Opening Friday the 14th at 2pm SLT of October 2011.

Sadly gone, but here is a machinima:

2011-10-12

Pure Surrealism: Lens of Dreams

No wonder that Eupalinos Ugajin gave me the LM of "Lens of Dreams". His installation "Some Day my Cow will Come" is high-class surrealism (see my blogpost here). Lens of Dreams, built by Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone is colorful and playful. Walk, fly, sit, click and see what happens. Funny little creatures of several species inhabit the Sim and make on click funny different noises. So necessarily turn on the sound. Scattered around are some signs which provide gifts, including a cute caterpillar as shoulder pet and a complete avatar. I felt back in the world of the illustrated books in my childhood. I made so much photos and could not decide which to show you....