Once again I came across Grauland when I was scrolling through scoop.it SL Destinations. My last visit was in August 2020 (read here). And yes, Grauland was fully redesigned once again.
Grauland is an adult homestead owned by JimGarand. He runs a shop for poses (M-1 Art Poses) in the skies above the sim. You can reach the shop by several teleporter signs spreaded across the sim.
Grauland December 2020 – birds-eye view and orientation map
Again the current version is not comparable to any of the previous designs. And this time the name “Grauland“, which is a German word combination and translates to “Greyland”, does really fit as all buildings and structures are made of grey concrete. The main objects are:
– a tall high building that looks like a horizontal mill with 4 wings, I called it “The Mill”
– a villa with pool and garden, which I named “The Residence”
– an strange building on a hill, I named it “The Octagon”
– 5 artfull memorials
Impressions of Grauland December 2020 (1) Landing point, a room above The Labyrinth, The Mill, inside The Mill
The landing is on a pier and through a arc walkway you enter “The Labyrinth”, a complex with many walls and some dead rooms. It’s not really a challenge to find the exit as that is not the intention of it.
If you ever have been to Berlin you might know the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe” (see wikipedia entry). You find 5 different memorials on Grauland. I named them: The Labyrinth, The Blocks, The Hollow Blocks, The Walls and The Waves. As The Blocks looks quite similar to the Berlin mermorial, my first idea was that all 5 memorials might be drafts for this memorial. I don’t know .. what I know is that they are all quite impressive, offer great backgrounds for pictures and it is fun to think about their meaning.
Impressions of Grauland December 2020 (2) – inside of The Mill
I went to the building that looks like a horizontal mill, The Mill, first. You can walk up in the center and find 4 different rooms, each of them is special and each offers a great view on Grauland. What a cool building!
Apropos cool… The Residence is another cool building, not only because of the cold contrete that is used to build it and to build the surrounding garden. I found several nice spots in the garden, even a nice and cosy room. The building istself is furnished with style, a bit minimalistic with a touch of Bauhaus.
Impressions of Grauland December 2020 (3) – The Residence
I have no idea what purpose a building like The Octagon might have. Is it the welcome center for aliens? Is it a leftover from aliens? Is it a temple? No purpose can be seen, yet it is impressive from ourside as well as from inside, where the light comes in and throws shadows by the walls, that are folded like paper. Intriguing!
Impressions of Grauland December 2020 (4) – The Octagon, The Blocks, The Hollow Blocks
I enjoyed scrolling through the 5 memorials, making pictures, playing with the light and the shadows and I walked up to the scenic outlook, which is nothing else but an open hut built of concrete.
Impressions of Grauland December 2020 (5) – The Hollow Blocks, The Waves, The Walls, scenic outlook
You find quite some places to sit and watch and to literally inhale this outstanding different design. Chapeau, Jim (JimGarand), you created once again something impressive. I did enjoy my visit. I appreciate it a lot when shop owners combine their business with a place to visit. Thank you Jim for creating Grauland and sharing it publicly. Great work!
Landmark to Grauland
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mobile/28/161/22
Flickr group Grauland
https://www.flickr.com/groups/4560078@N24/pool
Diomita Maurer’s Blog 