Diomita Maurer’s Blog

Looking for a place to explore I came across MetaLes in the Second Life Destination guide. MetaLes promotes culture and art in the Metaverse. Artists and creators of Second Life expose each for 2 months in the sim MetaLes. Curators (owners?) are Ux Hax and Romy Nayar. I looked up “Metaverse” and found a definition at wikipedia “The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet.”
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse)

Actually I visited 3 different installations at MetaLes starting with Empty Minds, which was mentioned in the destination guide. The information or better the thought that you get on your way visiting “Empty Minds” is “It is made known that if an idea is born in your empty mind, you must come to disregard it. Nobody knows why. The origin of that idea was lost. Maybe you’ll be the first to have the idea to not to discard your ideas. :))“

MetaLES ..O.. ArT Virtual Space –  exhibitions in June 2017

Empty Minds by Roma Nayar is surreal. It is dark and grey, not scary though. The beings in this installation look like humans on the first glance. But they have no feet, they have one wheel instead, some have two wheels. Their head is an empty light bulb and the arms are very long. They are dressed and some dressed provide a little bit of colour to the scenery. You can get a free avatar for more immersion (I didn’t do that). What you see and interpret into this art installation, well I leave that up to you. I noticed at flashing light bulb in one ot the light bulb like heads on one being (is there an idea just born). I saw the row of beings waiting in line to get into a machine, that looks like a washing machine, a shower, a machine to clean your mind? I of coruse noticed the 4 beings standing at the top of the hill in the middle of the installatiom wearing a bin umbrella each. They look like talking, like exchaning ideas? I saw the fence that looks like the fence of a graveyard and the being opening and closing the front door again and again and on the other side of the fence lies a book worm being and around the head of another being is a flock of bugs. I got some surreal pictures, I have some ideas what is expressed with this art installation “Empty Minds”. To make up your mind yourself, you’ll have to visit it. As far as I understood the concept of MetaLes it should be open until End of June.

Empty Minds by Romy Nayar
Exhibtion at MetaLES ..O.. ArT Virtual Space

From the landing point of MetaLes you can not only visit Empty Minds but also an exhibtion called Melancholy by Ini (in.inaka). This exhibition is already running since End of March, so I don’t know how long it will be on anymore. At least the above mentioned 2 months are already over. You may like or dislike the art of Ini. The way it is presented is unique as it is not a normal gallery. You have to walk long ways to see her pictures, you have to dive into her spaces and some pictures just appear when you are in the right position. This adds another dimension to the art, which I found quite interesting, although I only liked a few of her pictures itself.

Melancholy by Ini (in.inaka)
Exhibtion at MetaLES ..O.. ArT Virtual Space

The third exhibition that runs currently at MetaLes is “Mental Levels” by Sina Souza (sinalein). Sina has quite a long list of exhibtions in Second Life and was shown at many galleries. She also had exhibitions in RL. “Sina Souza is a young digital artist from Germany. She works since 2012 with the presentation of images and uses the name (Sina Souza) as a pseudonym. Her works are surreal, moody, dark, thought provoking and unique in style.” (source http://sinadesouza.wixsite.com/mindfactory). There’s a notecard available with the bio of Sina Souza at the starting point of “Mental Levels”. “Mental Levels” in again a particular concept of presenting art and it involves different levels. The art objects are in boxes, that are opened just on one side. You start on a platform and walk down stairs that lead you to the next level, you have to walk around the box to see what is inside. Each art installation is something that you have to look at in detail and it might cause that you think about it and stay a bit longer looking at it before you continue to the next level.

Mental Levels by Sina Souza
Exhibtion at MetaLES ..O.. ArT Virtual Space

With MetaLes, I discovered another art sim in Second Life which changing exhibitions for myself. They run an own website, which is not up to date unfortunately (last entry is from March 2017).

Landmark to MetaLes
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MetaLES/128/128/18
MetaLes website
https://metalesmetaverse.wordpress.com/