Art in Second Life 2020 (79) Of Bots and Blossoms by Ciottolina Xue

06 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I got an invitation to visit “Of Bots and Blossoms” by Ciottolina Xue at “The 22 art space in Bellisseria“. The name Ciottolina rang a bell. I saw her objects in 2015 in the garden of Fallingwater, Inara Pey’s Second Life interpretation. Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in Pennsylvania. (read my post of 2015 here). But I didn’t come across her ever since – but now.

The exhibition “Of Bots and Blossoms” by Ciottolina Xue at “The 22 art space in Bellisseria” combines two different sets of virtual sculptures by the artist: a garden in which blossoms are associated with the ideas of birth, motherhood and nurturing; and a group of robots in scenes that may be, at the same time, somewhat funny and poetic.

My visit started in the garden. For this exhibtion Ricco Saenz and Randy Firebrand have changed the house that hosts the gallery and selected a one story building. This way Ciottolina’s sculptures in the garden are more visible and the view of the visitor isn’t too much distracted by the house itself. The scuplture “Of Blossoms” show blossoms and babies that are proctected by the blossom itself and by the love of their parents.

“Of Bots and Blossoms” by Ciottolina Xue at “The 22 art space in Bellisseria (1)

The bots that are shown in the exhibition poster can be found at the back entrance of “The 22 art space in Bellisseria“. They really look funny above the porch. They seem to have fun!

Inside of the house you find more bots, yet they are more serious. Two of them seem to be reading, but actually they look at paintings, one is playing with a balloon in the shape of a fish and one is painting the walls in the house. It is surprising that the bots and the sculptures in the garden are from one and the same artist. Cittolina obvioulsy tries out different styles. And although the two themes of the exhibtion “Of Bots and Blossoms” seem to be independant from each other they do fit well together.

“Of Bots and Blossoms” by Ciottolina Xue at “The 22 art space in Bellisseria (2)

Ciottolina Xue is an Italian artist and active in Second Life for over 12 years. Roses like those in this exhibtion are one of her favourite motives. You can purchase her art either in her inworld store [C8] CREAZIONI di CioTToLiNa here or at her marketplace store. And Ciottolina has also a flickr account.

The 22 Art space is a gallery in Bellisseria, the new continent with many Second Life prime members homes. The gallery is on one of these homes. It is owned and curated by Randy Firebrand and Ricco Saenz. The gallery’s name refers to the Modern Art Week in 1922 in Brazil, also known locally as “The 22 Week”.

“Of Bots and Blossoms” by Ciottolina Xue at “The 22 art space in Bellisseria (3)

Inara Pey, in who’s garden I came across Ciottolina Xue’s art wrote also a blogpost about “Of Bots and Blossoms” (read here). The exhibition will stay open until Feb 14th, 2021.
Many thanks to Randy Firebrand and Ricco Saenz for enabling this exhibition. I enjoyed my visit.

Addendum:
After publishing this post I had a conversation with Ciottolina Xue. She told me that the robots in the house are looking at the paintings of Mario Emanuele Degni, who had an own gallery in Second Life. He was a friend of Cittolina and sadly died of an heart attack last month. Hence the exhibtion is also in remembrance of him. And Ciottolina Xue’s recent and future work will include a piece of his art.

Landmark to The 22 Art Space in Bellisseria
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Grenouille/60/35/35
Inara Pey’s blogpost “Ciottolina’s bots and blossoms in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2020/11/13/ciottolinas-bots-and-blossoms-in-second-life/
Ciottolina Xue’s inworld store [C8] CREAZIONI di CioTToLiNa
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lighthouse%20Oasis/36/160/2772
[C8] CREAZIONI di CioTToLiNa marketplace store
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/199291
Ciottolina Xue flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/169593978@N08/
Mario Emanuele Degni’s art
https://marioemanueledegni.com/author/degnimarioemanuele/

Art in Second Life 2020 (78) Behind The Door by DixMix Source

02 Dec 2020 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , ,

On Saturday, November 21st, DixMix Source opened an exhibtion with his own art in room Amalfia at DixMix Gallery.

Before entering you get an idea of the title of the exhibtion with two unhinged doors at the entrance of the room.

The room is held in cool blue tones. As far as I could tell the raw pictures were taken at Second life. They all a bit blurred and hazy so that the original picture appears dimly. Exploring the pictures tempts the spectator to get deeper into the picture and figure out more details or to add more details from own thoughts. What is common is a door. You find a door of different size in every picture, sometimes you can see a person in the door. That might be the door that allows you to see behind, to get the details, who knows?

Impressions of “Behind The Door” by DixMix Source

DixMix Source is from Brussels Belgium and is in Second Life for almost 14 years. He always had a gallery. He describes himself as “artist, photographer, director, musician and more”

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it. I like your art and enjoyed my visit.
The exhibition “Behind The Door” by DixMix Source will stay open until the end of 2020

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/

Art in Second Life 2020 (77) MindScape3D

28 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After publishing my post about “Hexagonia” by Amita Duranjaya (read here) I had a chat with Amita and she invited me to visit interstellART, a sim dedicated to the (cyber-)arts, owned and curated by her.

I had never heard of interstellART before but from the information notecards that I got from Asmita I can tell that the sim has several levels full of art and there’s really a lot to see. For my fist visit I decided to see the 3rd level, a landscape-terrain used for special exhibitions. Right now and until the end of 2020 the special exhibtion is “MindScape”, a collaborative project initiated by Asmita Duranjaya. 18 artists have contributed 3D-installations or 2D-pictures and visualize their imagination of the topic MindScape. I visited MindScape3D.

MindScape3D is related to brain research and what can refer to the human mind, how to develop, inspire and care for or manipulate it. 11 artists have created 3D artwork referring to the topic by adding his or her idea, be it more realistic-physical or more mental or philosophical abstract. The 11 artists are: Shenn Coleman, iSkye Silverweb, June Clavenham, Claude Belgar, Kyoko Furse-Barzane (Samara Barzane), Hayden, Melodie Heart (mariemadeleine38), Giselle Seeker (brightlyshyne), Art Oluja (Artistik Oluja), Betty Tureaud and Asmita Duranjaya herself.

The 3D area is a moon landscape that was designed by ShennColeman. Upon landing I met Larita (asmitaduranjaya1), who made writing this report about my visit to MindScape3D way easier:
Welcome at interstellART and the MindScape-project. MindScape is a collaborative art-project initiated by Asmita Duranjaya, curator and artist on this sim interstellART (Nice Atoll). 19 artists have contributed 3D-installations or 2D-pictures to visualize their imagination of the topic MindScape. I am a guide-robot and will lead you through the area with the 3D-art-installatons for an overview.
Each installation has a board with further information, which you can study after the tour on your own.
Please follow me now.

I followed her. There’s a path that lead along the different installation. It starts with the 3D area itself. I use the text from my robot guide Larita along with my pictures for this report.

My robot guide Larita (asmitaduranjaya1)

Our first artist is Shenn Coleman, who has constructed the “Brain-Dome” for this moon-area. He says: “Sharing to reach beyond the boundaries of our imagination is always a fantastic adventure. I like to create to learn and to share, and SL is a wonderful way to do that and i like to explore imaginative ways.
This dome was an attempt to visually represent the function and the genesis of the thoughts in our brain and maybe also to invite other forms of intelligence to come into contact with our human neurons.”

Our next spot is the installation by Danish artist Betty Tureaud. She says: “In computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans. In my art installation I combine AI whith Neuralink, a cable direct into the brain to make a superhuman, a cyborg, where artificial intelligence AI is combined with human intelligence.”
This is an interactive sculpture with a dance-animation, if you sit on it. Jump on it and try it after the tour.

MindScape3D: “Betty Tureaud – AI”

French artist Claude Belgar says: “The sculpture “The Mind Is Free” reflects the freedom of traveling the ocean, using only the natural elements to wander across. The vehicles, ships and a plane refuge from being captured in an abstract head, so it symbolises the flow of mental imaginations – the mind is free.”
You can enter the crater to have a closer look when you come back after the tour.

Artist Kyoko presents her “BLOOD WALL :: Man’s Mind Holocaust-Killing Fields-Hiroshima. I am of the belief that our future will bring many new and wondrous creations, but in the end we will still be capable of turning on each other because of perceived differences or agendas. The 3 parts of this work represent three attempts to solve a problem. All resulting in multiple deaths. In each case methodical and intended.
Kyoko Furse-Barzane
March 2020
Please feel free to enter the dome to see the work from different perspectives.

MindScape3D: “Claude Belgar – The Mind Is Free” and Kyoko Furse-Barzane (Samara Barzane) “BLOOD WALL :: Man’s Mind”

This MindScape-version of the RL nano-graphic novel “The Pool”, written by German author M. K. Iwoleit/Hayden in SL, presents an audio-version in English and German and visitors can listen to the nano-story by clicking the specific keyboard. The installation contains also a virtual book-version. The English version of the human is spoken by Dodge Threebeards, the robot is an artificially produced voice. The German version is spoken by Dick H. G. Read more on the nc and return to the spot after the tour to listen.
Remark: The installation at MindScape3D was created by Asmita Duranjaya. The ambient etude as a background music has been composed and recorded by Hayden who is interested and active in several kinds of artistic expression.

MindScape3D: “Hayden – Der Pool / The Pool”

Artist Giselle Seeker has mystic mind-experiences. She says: “When the mind is at rest, the creative processes can flow more freely with daily stressors and distractions put to rest, as the brain repairs and restores exhausted brain cells. This allows for brain waves to flow more freely with less disruptions in the electro-neurological processes. It also seems to become more aware and open to things of the Spiritual nature. These may or may not be proven by Science, and may not be the proper terminology, but these have been my own observations and experiences in my own lifetime.”
Enter the crater after the tour.

MindScape3D: “Giselle Seeker (brightlyshyne) – The Mind’s Increased Perceptiveness To Spirituality Including Creativity When Asleep Or At Rest”

“The Clover Plant” of artist Melodie Heart refers to the idea, that Shenn’s brain has occupied a dead star and is going to fill it with new life. Melodie says: “Replant a desolate planet with natural seeds. Ban genetically modified organisms, reduce the use of pesticides”. Make it a better world. Study the installation when returning after the tour.

Artist iSkye Silverweb says: “For most people, this is a world full of sound: birdsong, voices, engines, and music. MindScape is a perfect project to demonstrate just a little bit of the experience I have, navigating in a silent world. For me and others who are deaf like me, the world is filled with seeing and feeling. With this installation you may get a taste of how people living in a world without sound come to see the rhythms of life. We can “see” many of the sounds that you hear.”
Study iSkye’s work closer after the tour.

MindScape3D: “Melodie Heart (mariemadeleine38) – The Clover Pant” and “iSkye Silverweb – Visible Rhythms”

The statement of artist June Clavenham is: “‘State of Mind’ intends to be a visual representation of how the thoughts we choose to entertain in our minds affect our emotions, the way we perceive our realitiy, the way we interact with others, and in general, all of our being and our lives.”
Enjoy this sculpture after the tour.

MindScape3D: “June Clavenham – State of Mind”

Artist Asmita Duranjaya says: “After surviving mankind, robots will start to construct their own culture by taking over forms of expression of the HipHop-culture e.g., visually, sonically and kinetically. Culture is the mental shape of beings and the result of mental efforts. No culture without mind.And now listen to the rapper TrippLee and his rap “Robot” or/and dance with the robots.” Enjoy it later.

MindScape3D: “Asmita Duranjaya – No Culture Without Mind”

Artist Art Oluja/Littlewing says: “‘Aural Blossoms’ is an visual-audio experiment in which I’ve played with a collage of colourful textures, incorporating kaleidescope patterns I created out of second life snapshots as well as music visualization wave patterns produced in the iOS beta app ‘Endlesss.’ The idea is to portray the sensation of music that blossoms in your headspace, evoking a landscape of emotion as you listen to different sounds that guide your mood.” Read more on the notecard and interact with the sculpture, when you return for an individual tour.

MindScape3D: “Art Oluja/Littlewing (Artistik Oluja)- Aural Blossoms”

That was our tour to get an overview over the MindScape-exhibition in the 3D-area. I hope you have enjoyed the tour and if so we would be glad about a small donation.
Thank you and have a good time.

I could add a lot more as some of the mentioned notecards contain a lot more information about the artists and about their work. But on one side this entry would become way too long and on the other side, you can go there yourself and read what you’re interested in. In my personal opinion the showcased art did express a lot more to me knowing the thoughts of the artists, for example “Visible Rhythms” being created by a deaf artist.

There’s also a lot more information on the web and the links are provided at the landing spot. I looked up a website about CyberArt: “Introduction, how to define and produce it”.

Thank you Asmita Duranjaya for this special exhibtion MindScape3D and for pointing it out to me. And thank you for providing the space for the arts and your passion for it.

Landmark to MindScape3D
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nice%20Atoll/190/142/3687
A webpage about CyberArt – Introduction, how to define and produce it
http://www.ethnomusicscape.de/cyber/CyberArt.htm

Art in Second Life 2020 (76) La Maison d’Aneli Nov/Dec

26 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

On Wednesday, November 25th, a new exhibtion was opened at La Maison d’Aneli. It features the art of Bebop Xue, Adwehe, Eylinea, Aleallo, Nils Urqhart, DameKlaudia Demonia, Red Bikcin and kjs Yip.

As usual I didn’t wait until the opening and I couldn’t attend the opening event due to my other obligations in RL and SL. Hence I peeked in again early.

I started my visit with the skybox of Bebop Xue. Bebop is a French artist und in Second Life for over 12 years, yet I haven’t come across her before. Bobop’s skybox is devided in 4 rooms, the floor, the walls and the ceiling are animated with a light effects projecting combs on the surfaces and they are permanently changing. Bobop uses kind soap bubbles that rain from nowhere and vanish again. This way there is a steady motion in the exhibition box and the showcased pictures and the few hoovering 3D objects become more static. Her pictures are colourful, are often showing faces or scifi elements and are in my opinion really artful.

With less than 3 years Adwehe is still quite new to Second Life. I saw her art already a few times, twice at La Maison d’Aneli and at VeGeTaL PLaNeT Gallery. So far I saw always something different, Adwehe is is experimenting with different forms of art and with the possibilities that Second Life offers. The main part of her skybox is filled with a structure of different, mainly black and white and grey transparent layers, sometimes with a touch of blue, with stairs inside. You can walk into the structure and you get different views depending on your position and viewing angle. Inside of the structure several figures are kneeling ..  standing .. they appear and vanish, sometimes you see just one, sometines the other, sometimes none and rarely all. The structure tempts you to stay and try out more views.

 

Eylinea is with 2,5 years also quite new to Second life, and I saw her art before also at La Maison d’Aneli and at VeGeTaL PLaNeT Gallery. And like Adwehe she’s still exploring the possibilities and trying out new things. Her passion seem to be objects and moving light effects. Her room in the current exhibtion at La Maison d’Aneli is filled with cubes and spheres. While some cubes stay fiexed at their places, the spheres and other cubes are constantly moving around on fixed routes, they turn and they shine and glow, producing different effects. It’s fun watching and letting your mind wander.
Eylinea writes abotu herself in the accompanying notecard: “Photographer, cube juggler, light dresser, tattoo artist apprentice, designer, designer of cardboard furniture and lights, jewellery maker…. dreamer at her own time! To sum it up: creator of lots of things, curious about everything. That’s how I could qualify my sl… and my rl!“

Allo (Aleallo) is in Second Life for 4 years. It is the first time I saw his work. Allo makes portrait pictures of people in Second Life. He keeps them im black and white. The showcased portraits at La Maison d’Aneli all seems to tell a story as portraits should do.

I visited the skybox of Nils Upqhart next. It is designed like a classic gallery space, the walls are filled with photographs of landscapes and of some wildlife. The floor is designed fitting to the pictures as a green meadow and there are some opportunities to sit. There are really quite a lot of photographs and they show how beautiful and even lonesome the nature even in Central Europe can be. Some of Nils’ photographs are awesome and capture a very particular atmosphere.
Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice in RL) is a French landscape photographer in RL. He take s his photos mainly in French Alps and other French mountains (Vosges, Jura, Bugey, Aubrac…). And even if I didn’t come across him so far yet, he has a lot of exhibitions in different SL galleries every year. Nils is in SL since December 2007. Since 2010, his photos have been on display year-round at Art gallery Rill’Arts. Nils (or Paul in RL) has an own website https://paul-maurice.pixels.com/.

Claudia C. Erdesathi (DameKlaudia Demonia) is from France and in Second Life for far over 12 years. She’s a former roleplayer and became a SL photographer and thematic setting builder for her own use. She “creates scenes around many fields of the science-fiction and fantasy: cyborgs, gynoids, Giger style inspired characters, dragons, vampires, etc… and sometimes explores the paths of intimate portraits or special effects with the depths of the technical boundaries…”
Her skybox at La Maison d’Aneli is an ancient temple with female statues embedded in the walls and in the center of the temple some angel statues. The four walls of the temple are used to showcase Claudia’s picture … most of them I’d categorise fantasy or scifi fantasy.

I saw Red Bikcin’s art before, the last time in 2018 (read here). Actually one of her pictures is at our home. Red’s skybox at La Maison d’Aneli is colourful and futuristic as I expected it to be. All walls, floor and ceiling are animated with a blue/green starry sky with some fog and clouds moving. There are several animated colourful fractals at the walls and round fractals that even radiate light in form of beams into the room. It is fun to be in Red’s box and just to watch the animations and the every changing impressions.
Red Bikcin is from Spain and in Second Life for more than 13 years (like me). She has her own gallery, the R&D Art Gallery Diotima. Her artworks are especially fractals, although also has made exhibitions with photography and installations.

kjs Yip (aka Jochen Schülpke in RL) is in Second Life for almost 14 years. Since January 2007 he has been dealing with light, color and prim, the basic elements of the virtual world and quite soon began exhibting his art work.
“Jochen Schülpke worked for a long time as a TV journalist, wage clerk, photographer, TV editor and cameraman, is now retired. Now he acts with the pictures of kjs Yip from the virtual world. He shows them as collages in the real world. Of course, J. Schülpke is only a representative, an appearance, an avatar of kjs Yip. 😉”
His skybox at La Maison d’Aneli is very colourful. In the center is a structure in blue, red yellow, and green that is used as a stairwell to get to a platform within the skybox. At this platform kjs provides some basics about his work. You can downlod three books of him about “Painting with light, colours and prims” or scroll through displayed books. The walls of the skybox are used to display more of his art. I admit, I was impressed – well, I do like colours.

The current exhibition stays opened at least until December 10th.
La Maison d’Aneli is owned by Aneli Abeyante. Through her gallery she brings together all forms of creativity in RL and SL and the featured artists come from around the globe. Aneli’s intention is to “put her gallery in the service of artists, so that the world can be better, exchanges and meetings probably contribute even though it seems to be particles.”
Thank you for another great joined exhibtion, Aneli. As always I enjoyed my visit and writing about it. It always inspires me.

Landmark to La Maison d’Aneli
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Holland/23/65/22
Landmark to VeGeTaL PLaNeT Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oreo/64/100/501
Art gallery Rill’Arts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helvellyn/56/197/30
Nils Upqhart (or Paul Maurice in RL)’s website
https://paul-maurice.pixels.com/
Red Bikcin’s R&D Art Gallery Diotima
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gigli%20Waves/156/241/41

Art in Second Life 2020 (75) Kalliope Bennet – There was a reason to stay

21 Nov 2020 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

I visited Dixmix Gallery again and saw the exhibtion by Kalliope Bennet “There was a reason to stay” in room Abby.

The exhibition room looks a bit pale and cool with all walls, floor and ceiling held in a grey, lightly blue tone and the pictures are not colourful either yet also held in pale tones some more tending to blue, others to brown or grey tones. “There was a reason to stay” consists of 10 pictures. In most of them we see a the back of a woman looking out into the nature. The pictures are not only held in one coloursheme they are also a bit blurry like fading memories. So there was a reason to stay at these spots for these women (or is it one and the same), be it a favourite landscape, be the memory of a particular moment .. whatever it is, people sometimes stay as their thoughts wander to another time or place.
The selection and the setting of the pictures is well done, it simply fits.

Kalliope Bennet “There was a reason to stay” – exhibition at DixMix Gallery

It’s the first time I came across Kalliope Bennet (tsocolat) and I couldn’t find out much about her. She’s in Second Life for over 8 years. And reading her profile I could sense how the pictures fit to her, how they express herself. You can see more of her work on her flickr page.

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it, and last but not least thank you Kalliope Bennet for your great pictures. I enjoyed my visit.
“Kalliope Bennet – There was a reason to stay” will stay open for visitors until December 4th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
Kalliope Bennet flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalliopebennet/

Art In Second Life 2020 (74) Sophie de Saint Phalle at the Galleries of New Babylon

18 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

I got an invitation to attend the exhibtion of Sophie de Saint Phalle at the Galleries of New Babylon. New Babylon is the new location of the former Babylon Berlin Club.

Sophie de Saint Phalle at the galleries of New Babylon (1)

The galleries are in a skybox. It is a modern gallery with two floors, high ceilings and flooded with light inside so that the exhibits can develop their expression.
Sophie de Saint Phalle is formerly known as Sophie Marie Sinclair (perpetua1010) and I have seen quite of her art already. Sophie also owns her own gallery in Second Life, the SUBCUTAN Art Gallery and Multimedia Center.

Sophie de Saint Phalle at the galleries of New Babylon (2)

At the Galleries of New Babylon she showcases parts of her exhibtion “Terra Australis” (read here), some of her more erotic pictures anda few colourful more abstract pictures. So it is a nice selection of her art, there are just her caricatures missing. All of her art just looks great in this environment.

Sophie de Saint Phalle at the galleries of New Babylon (3) – lower left is named “Dicke Dame am Strand” and there’s a copy of it at our home in SL

Sophie de Saint Phalle (perpetua1010) is a Austrian RL painter and book author. She mainly paints nude from models and abstract art. She loves to experiment with different kind of paint and lithography. Her favourite materials are sand, plaster, glue, terracotta, stones, bones, ash, charcoal, natural pigments and more.
Sophie has made several book illustrations and was for many years political cartoonist for a well known satire magazine. She lived and worked in the Unites States, Australia, Rome and Monaco.

The exhibtion of Sophie de Saint Phalle at the Galleries at New Babylon should be open until Mid of December.

Landmark to the Galleries at New Babylon
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blazing%20Star/218/115/3012
Landmark to SUBCUTAN Art Gallery and Multimedia Centre
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ocean%20Island/136/128/1002

Art in Second Life 2020 (73) Memories of a Foreign Reality

12 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

I visited Etamae and Imaginary Footprints (01Matthew10)’s exhibtion “Memories of a Foreign Reality” at the white pavillion at Itakos Project Art Gallery.

In the accompanying notecard the artists describe the background of this exhibtion:
“Memories of a foreign reality`s main thought is based on the struggles and feelings of disconnection of the individual.

Back in the 60`s and 70`s there was a need to raise this individualism as the holy grail. We evolved the individual to the highest goal, and now we see the result.
Millions of confused minds are searching for a hold. Entangled in political and economical strategies. The American dream, or the possibility of being a important person on the world wide web has given us a tenuous hold, a fragile rope that can easily be severed.
Populism, preachers, industry each have their play with us. We are living in interesting times of change.
The soul… a character in a context… equal to others… seem to be forgotten. but it is there… it suffers… and it tries to be seen.

“Memories of a Foreign Reality” by Etamae and Imaginary Footprints at Itakos Project Art Gallery (1)

The bringing together of two artists who not only admire each other as photographers but as people was a journey that culminated with Memories of a Foreign Reality.
Merging both photography and ideas resulted in some interesting work that evolved as it was passed back and forth until each was content with their own perception of each piece.“

The pictures are all in black and white. They consist of several layers, and some seem to be put together like puzzles. You recognize fragments and pieces in these pictures, often faces, sometimes there’s another photograph peeking through. Most of them convey fear and lonliness, at least for me. The soul is something we can’t grab, maybe the last secret of human beings, if the soul exists. As always everybody does see different things in pictures, everybody makes up different stories. As far as I understood the notecard, the pictures were exchanged between Etamae and Imaginary Footprints, they added and changed them individually until they both were content with the result, until both saw their message conveyed. In this sense the pictures are even more intriguing, there might be two souls, two messages fighting to inspire the spectator.
I like the complexity of these pictures and the many possible interpretations.

“Memories of a Foreign Reality” by Etamae and Imaginary Footprints at Itakos Project Art Gallery (2)

I have come across Etamae quite often this year already. Etamae is from the UK and began transforming her pictures from the things she has seen and loved in Second Life into something else, in digital art in 2018. Etamae is not defined by just one style or area of art, she plays with different patterns and tries herself out in a broader spectrum of art. And the exhibition at Itakos Project Art Gallery is no exception. Again she tried out something new.
You can also find her pictures at her flickr page.

“Memories of a Foreign Reality” by Etamae and Imaginary Footprints at Itakos Project Art Gallery (3)

I didn’t find out much about Imaginary Footprints (01Matthew10), who’s art I saw the first time. He’s in Second Life for almost 4 years and looking up his profile reveals just that he likes philosophical texts. He has a flickr page where you can see more of his pictures – unchanged and not processed by Etamae.

The Itakos Art Gallery is owned and curated by Akim Alonzo. Actually it is a place for arts with four pavillions on two floors and one sky platform. There’s also a website where new exhibtions are announced.

Landmark to Itakos Project Art Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ATL/182/214/1009
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery website
http://itakos.it/
Etamae’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/people/157802675@N08/
Imaginairy Footprints flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/164888130@N04/

Art in Second Life 2020 (72) Charly Keeley-Keating – Autumns Glow

10 Nov 2020 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

I got an invitation to see “Autumns Glow” by Charly Keeley-Keating for Ocotber 24th. I love the colours of Autumn and the picture on the invitation was really stunning. I was prevented going there due to my RL activities, but I went on Tuesday, Ocotber 27th. “Autumns Glow” is showcased in the room “Amalfia” at Dixmix Gallery.

The exhibtion is not large, it consists of 10 pictures. The floor of the room is excellent decorated with objects fitting to the theme: leaves, mushrooms, logs, snags and rakes on brown tiles. The decoration was done by Megan Prumier.

The pictures are just beautiful, very colourful and expressive, almost too beautiful. But I have seen such scenes in the physical world. Charly has the talent to get the right light, angle and perspective to make her pictures. I assume that they are not very much processed. Excellent work!

I hadn’t come across anything from Charly Keeley-Keating (ladycharis) before. Charly is in Second Life for almost 10 years and it doesn’t surprise me anymore that her passion is photography in Second Life: “Life is full of every day stress, worries, and what if’s…and we all handle it differently…..For me its turning images from Second Life into Art I visualize in my mind. Oh and coffee and cookies!! Smiles… 🙂“

Charly has a flickr page and there I found a few words that describe her and her pictures almost perfectly: “Painter of thoughts, photographer of dreams…..”

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it, and last but not least thank you Charly Keeley-Keating for your great pictures. I enjoyed my visit a lot.
“Charly Keeley-Keating – Autumns Glow” will stay open for visitors until November 20th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
Charly Keating flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/148853144@N04/

Art in Second Life 2020 (71) Bridge by Cica Ghost

08 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , ,

Thursday night, November 5th, I got an invitation from Cica Ghost to visit her newest installation “Bridge“. I went there Friday, November 6th.

“It takes both sides to build a bridge” is the thought that Cica gives us on our way visiting. This time Cica’s installation has a clear message, that is also expressed in this thought. You can easily see this message when you stand on the landing point and zoom out.

Impressions of “Bridge by Cica Ghost” (1)

You see two Cica-ish villages. Both are built on high plateaus with steep slopes. These two villages look alike on a first view and in particlar looking at them from farer away. The villages are connected by a bridge. In the valley between the two villages lives a huge dragon who looks down at the two village. Beside the two village and the dragon there’s a languet with a single tree.

I went exploring the first village and form some elements that made me smile as they are so “Cica-ish”, the girl with the cat drawn at one wall, or the car drawn on another wall. Flowers and flowerbeds decorate the courts, there’re opportunities to sit and watch.

Impressions of “Bridge by Cica Ghost” (2)

I went over the bridge and visited the other village, that looked alike in the first view. But the houses have more and bigger windows. There are 3 cars, Cica mobiles, that you can either use on the installation or purchase for your own plot. I tried driving one but it is very difficult in the narrow roads. You find some of Cica’s cats strolling around the village, hence I didn’t have to search “the one” cat. For me it seems as if the inhabitants of the second village a slightly more wealthy and live a little bit different.

Impressions of “Bridge by Cica Ghost” (3)

Both hills, both villages, have an access to the valley. Form the first village there’s one not that steep way down, from the second village there’s a stair leading down. I went down to the valley and found not only the dragon down there (or more it’s feet). There’re also two sheeps, a black and a white one – another strong symbol. Far outside on the languet with a single tree you can sit on a swing and overlook the scene. But sitting there outside you’re quite alone and if the dragon would be dangerous ….. no way to get to the villages.

Impressions of “Bridge by Cica Ghost” (4)

“It takes both sides to build a bridge“, a bridge to connect people. Particular in this day and age where not only in the US the division of the society progresses more and more, it needs a bridge to reconnect people and to overcome the division.

I enjoyed my visit to Bridges by Cica Ghost and despite the serious message of this installation I had fun seeing the world with kids eyes and looking at the “Cica-ish” objects, houses, flowers, graffiti and animals. Thank you Cica!

Landmark to Bridges by Cica Ghost
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elle%20Island/209/96/51

Art in Second Life 2020 (70) Hexagonia by Amita Duranjaya

06 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

On Tuesday, October 13th, I visited “Hexagonia – A Virtual Cyber-Paradise” by Asmita Duranjaya at Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF).

Writing about “Hexagonia – A Virtual Cyber-Paradise” by Asmita Duranjaya” was made easy for me as there’s a text about the artist and a text about the installation on the great board at the entrance.

My Cyber-Paradise is a place for de-celeration, Absolute relaxation and enjoyment of colours, shapes and sounds. Basic shape is the hexagon due to the host place Hannington Endowment for The arts (Remark: nowadys Hanningtion Arts Foundation), which is itself a hexagonian gallery. The hexagon and the hexagonian fractals, the colours teal and violet are typical expressive tools in cyber art.
The conceptiual idea is a paradise in the future, where all religions and cultures are equally respected. Symbos for this background are the bridges with a quote from the basic scriptures of six different religions – whether humans will still exist or not is an open question.
The paradisiac environment is enlivened by two cyber bots and some animals, partly with animesh function, which I am not able to creat myself due to missing hard- and software – so I am giving my credits to EliteDesign, Shephard and Lance.
My thanks go to Tansee and Hannington Yeltentat for providing the space.
Enjoy the paradise, take a seat on the flying insect and do a round trip and play with the horns at the bridges, which play music by touch and can be stopped too. Musical credits go to David Schombert and his ambient composition “L’Exile Des Arbres”.
Play with your windlights, every graphic card is different. Recommendable are: [TOR] SUNRISE – Turtle Island or [TOR] MIDDAY – Precision blue or [EUPHORIA] smoky blue sky.”
(Asmita Duranjaya)

Impressions of “Hexagonia – A Virtual Cyber-Paradise” by Asmita Duranjaya (1)

I tried all recommended windlight settings and to be honest on my hardware it made no big difference which one I used. I had a relaxed visit and enjoyed the views, I flew with the insect and I had a few minutes of meditation. You can really immerse yourself into another (better?) world.

Impressions of “Hexagonia – A Virtual Cyber-Paradise” by Asmita Duranjaya (2) – Quotes on the bridges

I never came across Asmita Duranjaya before – and I’m in Second Life for more than 12 years and spend quite a lot of time inworld. This virtual world is really large and steadily changing, so there’s something new to discover every day.
“Asmita Duranjaya is an avatar-artist in Second Life and OS, interested in creating landscapes and virtual environments with fractals and cyber-related forms of expression, with a colour concept and a conceptual topic.
Asmita has organized numerous collaborative shows and solo-exhibitions, was awarded in competitions for virtual art and won five times a LEA-grant (Linden Endowment For The Art). She has been co-founder of Space 4 Art, runds the art-sim interstellART with 15 artists in residence and arranges monthly changing solo-exhibtions and one huge-size collaborative project per year.
Asmita runs a webpage with inforation about the topic cyber-art – here.“

Impressions of “Hexagonia – A Virtual Cyber-Paradise” by Asmita Duranjaya (3) – some close-up’s, zooming in provides artful views

Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF), the former HEA Gallery is owned by Hannington Xeltentat and was built by Tansee, who also curates the foundation. Thank you Hannington for providing the space and thank you Tansee for enabling Amita Duranjaya’s installation. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to HAF “The Hannington Arts Foundation at Xeltentat Enterprises”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/132/124/3525
Asmita’s webpage with inforation about the topic cyber-art
http://www.ethnomusicscape.de/cyber/CyberArt.htm
Landmark to art-sim interstellART
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nice%20Atoll/160/148/20

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