Art in Second Life 2020 (20) Gem’s Skyscrapers

23 Apr 2020 3 Comments

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

I got an invitation to visit Gem Preiz’ newest installation “Gem’s Skyscrapers” which opened Sunday, April 19th. As so often I wasn’t able to attend the opening celebration but I went there the very next day.

Gem’s Skyscrapers – instructions and bird’s eye views

The landing at Gems Skycrapers is in a skybox where you can grab a notecard about the installion. I use a lot of this notecard it in my post. Furtheron you get instructions how to set your viewer, which windlight is recommened (I used the recommened windlight “TOR Night Under a Yellow Moon”) and how to hide you avatar for a visit. I shied back from that first as you have to get rid of all of your attachments but then prepared myself as instructed. There’s a reason for that and I will explain that lateron. I teleported to the installation and although I had seen a picture of Gem’s Skyscrapers in the invitation before I was really overwhelmed by the first views. I selected an UFO and started my visit flying through the alleys and above the skyscrapers. Great!

Impressions of Gem’s Skyscrapers (1)

“I love the infinitely large and the infinitely small. I love stars and atoms. I love skyscrapers and grass strands. I have presented on Secondlife very large fractal frames teeming with tiny details. These differences of scale are one of the levers of the immersive feeling.” (Gem Preiz)

Impressions of Gem’s Skyscrapers (1)

With the city Gem had two objectives:
– the first one is purely architectural and linked to my fascination for the skyscrapers, modern cathedrals which are, like those of the past, the synthesis of all the techniques of their time, dedicated to the collective aspirations of their builders.
– the second one aims to create a stronger sense of immersion on Secondlife. How to push the 256m limit of a Sim and give a city its natural dimension compared to our character? The solution I found is to build on a 1/10th scale and make the avatar invisible, apparently enclosed in the cockpit of a vehicle whose size and speed are made consistent with the scale of the buildings. Thus, it is in a city of 2.56 km side that you move, which is the equivalent of the surface of 100 normal Sims. The offsim background emphasizes this scale effect since these hundred meters high hills really seem here to be mountains topping up the skyscrapers.

Impressions of Gem’s Skyscrapers (3)

About 11000 prims, 500 constructions of more than 100 different designs, 6 transport lines of 20 km in total (at scale), 6 bridges; diversity and excess that evoke but do not equal that of the megacities of our time. I hope that you will take as much pleasure in visiting this city as I had to build it during the 6 months of its realization.
(taken from the notecard)

Impressions of Gem’s Skyscrapers (4)

The city, that Gem has built, has clearly different districts in which the skyscrapers are of the same colour or at least of a similar style, just as they had been built by the same architect. Some forms and silhouettes seem familiar. The reason is that Gem has used some of the world’s most famous skyscrapers as a model for his skyscrapers. He added some drafts of skyscrapers that were never built and some of his own ideas.
The city remembered me of Chicago with the river and the bridges crossing it. You must try to move your vehicle close to the ground for a different perspective as well as flying above the city in order to get an overview.

Before I finished my visit I went home, dressed again and returned to see Gem’s Skyscrapers again but this time 10 times smaller. Again I got different views!

List of buildings or architectural projects evoked or displayed in the city

– Burj al Khalifa (Dubaï, UAE)
– Marina Creek (Dubaï, UAE)
– Sydney Opera (Sydney, Australia)
– Geode (Paris, France)
– The Interlace (Singapore)
– Abu Dhabi Plaza (Astana, Kazakhstan) (competing project, not selected)
– The One (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
– The Address (Dubaï, UAE)
– Lodha World Towers (Mumbaï, India)
– Ecocity (Tianjin, China)
– ADNOC Headquarters (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
– Etihad Towers (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
– Hyatt Regency (Xuzhou, China)
– Sheraton (Huzhou, China)
– 900 Biscayne Bay (Miami, USA)
– WFC Tower (Shangai, China)
– St George wharf Tower (London, UK)
– Sky Mile Tower – Tôkyô Bay (Tôkyô, Japan) (project never built)
– Wynn Hotels (Las Vegas, USA)
– Central Park Tower (New York, USA)
– Pullman Hotel (Roissy CDG, France)
– Grand Rama 9 (Bangkok, Thailand)
– Bride Tower (Bassorah, Iraq) (project never built)
– Lincong Bridge (Huashan, China) (project by Santiago Calatrava)

Impressions of Gem’s Skyscrapers (6)

I wrote already quite often about Gem Preiz and his fractal art, the last time just a few weeks ago, when I visited his installation “Elusive Reality“. In 2019 I visited his own art gallery the “Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery”.
Gem Preiz is educated in science and mathematics and is fond of anything related to Nature, Cosmos and Earth, from astronomy to geology and to architecture. Seeing his work in Second Life is always a particular experience and so was my visit to Gem’s Skyscrapers.

Thank you very much for this great installation, Gem. I enjoyed it to the fullest!
Thank you Akiko Kinoshi who provided the space for Gem’s skyscrapers (as far as I understood).

Landmark to Gem’s Skyscrapers
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akiko/128/128/2981
Landmark to Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seductive%20Horizons/11/228/297

Art in Second Life 2020 (19A) “Meant to Be” by Bamboo Barnes

16 Apr 2020 Leave a comment

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

On Saturday, April 11th, I went on a quick art tour again visiting. I visited Itakos Art Gallery to see a new exhibtion that was opened the day before – “Meant to Be” by Bamboo Barnes.

Together with the invitation I got a notecard with basic Informations about Bamboo Barnes as well as about the exhibtion itself: “Bamboo Barnes is a self-taught Japanese artist who has been working with digital images in Secondlife for some years, and also works with digital in real life. The first striking thing about her artwork is an incredible explosion of colors, deep and dense, spread as if on a fantastic palette with a surreal flavor.”

Bamboo is in Second Life for over 13 years already, painting software & photoshop are her best friends. Bamboo had many exhibtions and appearances in the Second Life art scene and in 2018 she had her first exhibition in real life: “I create what I see but maybe you won’t, they are about people’s reality and  mind.” Bamboo’s art is a mixture of abstract forms, of people and photographs. Most pictures are colourful and it is in the eye of the beholder what we see in her pictures. I saw her work the first time at La Maison d’Aneli during the Holiday season 2019/2020 (read here)

Impressions of “Meant to Be” by Bamboo Barnes at Itakos Art Gallery – Blue Pavillion

The exhibtion “Meant to Be” at Itakos Art Gallery shows mainly portrait pictures, portraits that are processed, changed, that are colourful and inspire to think and creat an own story for them. Same goes for the few pictures that are not restricted to faces or parts of faces: “Fantasies and very personal dreams speak of her life, they are imbued with emotion in telling her favorite themes : the confusion of life, hope, strange love .. but above all, what I read is a focus on abandonment.“

The Itakos Art Gallery is owned and curated by Akim Alonzo. Actually it is a place for arts with 7 exhibition rooms or pavillons: White, Black, Grey, Blue, Orange, Purple, Green Pavillion. “Meant to Be” by Bamboo Barnes is shown in the blue pavillion. There’s also a website where new exhibtions are announced.

Landmark to Itakos Art Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ATL/173/191/1009
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery website
http://itakos.it/
More information about “Meant to Be” by Bamboo Barnes
http://itakos.it/index.php/2020/04/05/bamboo-barnes-meant-to-be/

Art in Second Life 2020 (18B) Chuanghu (Windows) – FionaFei Exhibit – GBTH Project

14 Apr 2020 3 Comments

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

I saw quite some installations of FionaFei this year: at her Shui Mo Gallery (read here), at La Maison d’Aneli just a few days ago (read here) and Impostor at Sim Quarterly (read here). Fiona brought my attention to Chuanghu (Windows), her exhibit at GBTH Project. I went there on Friday, April 10th.

GBTH means Grab By The Horns, the GBTH Project is an urban sim dedicated to contemporary art. You find more information at www.thegbthproject.com

Fiona is Chinese by decent but spent the majority of her life in the West:
“I have a fascination with Chinese history and culture, but I often feel like I’m viewing my ancestry through a filter of Americanized information and experiences. Furthermore, my artistic background has been in charcoal and oil painting mediums, and I’ve had very little experience in actual ink-brush painting. Much of my early years were spent painting landscapes and portraits using oil paint on canvas. However, I developed a love for non-photorealism over the years as an artist. In continuation with my love of non-photorealism, I now produce Chinese ink-brush art in Second Life and exhibit my work around the grid.”
For more information look up FionaFei’s own website

Chuanghu (Windows) by FionaFei – Exhibit at GBTH Project (1)

Fiona has also written a short text about her installation Chuanghu (Windows):
“Chuānghu is an architectural installation in the style of ink wash.  It is a modern take of today’s urban environment, especially crowded areas filled with buildings and structures that are close together.  In the meantime, it also provides a type of openness, where all the “walls” are see-through, acting as windows.
The space is meant to be explored, with poses set up in various elements of the installation.  Visitors can sit on the windows and “swap” to pose in other areas within the space.  It is my hope that visitors will take pictures, where each picture is a piece of art.”

Chuanghu (Windows) by FionaFei – Exhibit at GBTH Project (2)

You reach the installation with a seperate teleport from where you land at GBTH Project. Having seen some of Fiona’s art already I felt immediately familar “in” her installation. One of the features of her art is that you can walk through it and thus experience it in a different way. Chuanghu (Windows) is completely held in Black and White and thus the visitor is the colourful element in her installation. You see not just windows, but doors, even houses, rooms, roofs and sometimes they melt together to a thick black, at other times or viewing angels all elements look transparent and gray and light. Of course I also tried to “sit” and tested a few poses. That was fun! And also provided another view on Chuanghu (Windows).

Thank you Fiona for another piece of your art. And many thanks to the GBTH project for enabling this exhibtion.

Landmark to Chuanghu (Windows) – FionaFei Exhibit – GBTH Project
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/the%20GBTH%20project/219/100/47
FionaFei’s own website
https://fionafei.portfoliobox.net/
GBTH Project website
http://www.thegbthproject.com

Art in Second Life 2020 (18A) Endometriosis by Cherry Manga

14 Apr 2020 1 Comment

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

On Friday, April 10th, I had some time in the later morning and went on a short art-tour. I first went to “Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises” (HEA). On April 10th, at night, a new installation was going to be opened “Endometriosis by Cherry Manga” and I had a quick look at it.
I came across Cherry Manga in January when I visited Strange Garden (see here), which is located in a huge skybox sphere at ADreNaLin, a new art and music place owned by JadeYu Fhang and Cherry Manga. And at the opening of “Endometriosis by Cherry Manga” the music was by JadeYu.

Endimetriosis by Cherry Manga at HEA gallery (1)

“Endometriosis is a condition in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside of it. Most often this is on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and tissue around the uterus and ovaries; however, in rare cases it may also occur in other parts of the body (source: wikipedia)

Endimetriosis by Cherry Manga is a 3D installatio with a large female figure in the center. The woman suffers from Endimetriosis and is surrounded by red blood plates floating around her. I personally suffered with her but I also was impressed by the artful creation and how the moving light made her look differently from various angels and even from one position. I can imagine that there’s an additional effect with the right music.

Endimetriosis by Cherry Manga at HEA gallery (2)

“Hannington Endowment  for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises – Despite ist name “Xeltentat Enterprises” is not a Commercial sim in any way. It is a peaceful and private area for contemplation and Relaxation, nd is proud to host Artists at The Hive!”
It is owned by Hannington Xeltentat. “Hanningtom Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises” – or short HEA, was built by Tansee, who also runs the gallery.  Thank you Hannington for providing the space and thank you Tansee from enabling the isntallation “Endometriosis by Cherry Manga”

Landmark to Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/127/126/3503

Art in Second Life 2020 (17) La Maison d’Aneli April 2020

09 Apr 2020 7 Comments

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

On Wednesday, April 8th, the April exhibtion at La Maison d’Aneli was opened to the public. This time it features the art of Agleo Runningbear, Eifachfilm Vacirca, Etamae, FionaFei, Tralala Loordes, Xirana Oximoxi and Kalyca McCallen. I peeked into the exhibtion already on Sunday, April 5th.

I started my visit with the room presenting the art of Etamae.
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. I came across Etamae in 2019 when I visited her exhibtion “Dominance and Submission” at Elevate Femdom (see here). Today Etamae has also an own gallery to showcase her art, the Extempore Gallery and Lounge, another gallery I might visit soon. At La Maison d’Aneli Etamae works with animated pictures that change permanently either with fading in and out different perspectives of the same picture or with zooming in and out. Two of these pictures are on twisted surfaces thus increasing the animation effect. We see heads and bodies or broken bits of them, the walls are covered by webs of barb wire, faces watch us… you can let your mind wander in the complexity of thoughts and impressions.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – Etamae

Kalyca McCallen and Proton d-oo-b (Eifachfilm Vacirca) formed Alchemelic, a Zurich-based music and art project with cinematographic background, mixed media, and 3D modeling. Proton d-oo-b (Eifachfilm Vacirca) is from Switzerland and looks back on decades of experience in different media businesses. His music style ranges from traditional to experimental. Kalyca McCallen is a multi-media artist from California and loves experimenting with texture and color. They aspire to spark our imagination and elevate our mood with their unique blend of visual art and original music. Kalyca McCallen and Proton d-oo-b (Eifachfilm Vacirca)’s installation at La Maison d’Aneli is titeled “The Space Between”. In their room you see three large 3D heads on both long sides of their room leading you to a door that brings you to platform with the core installation. You enter the space … planets and stars around you between 2 even larger 3D heads, a strange world, a fantasy, science fiction in your mind. Imagine that with experimental music!
Unfortunately I had no music from Alcemelic during my visit though but I had a look at their youtube channel, where you find many long and short clips of their music and their 3D art. The provided notecard at La Maison d’Aneli provides much more information and many more links.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – Kalyca McCallen and Proton d-oo-b (Eifachfilm Vacirca)

April Louise Turner (Agleo Runningbear) is an artisan shaman with native American, Romanian, German and Irish roots (wow). She makes perfomances, poems and paintings. Her art is also featured at ArtCare Gallery, another place to be added on my list of places to visit. At La Maison d’Aneli we see portraits in different techniques, mainly pencil drawings. At the time of my visit, her room was not yet finished and the pictures weren’t yet aligned perfectly, but the pictures itself were already there and the longer you look at them, the more they impress.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – April Louise Turner (Agleo Runningbear)

Tralala Loordes is in Second Life since SL 2009 and devoted to everything post-apocalyptic. But she’s also tempted by LODE headpieces. To her “they’re so much like Renaissance flower paintings. Flowers also have stories, myths, lore”. I never heard about LODE headpieces nor did I find a definition. In her room at La Maision d’Aneli you can see them: fantasy portraits with huge headpieces made of flowers and other elements. The pictures are presented in a fantasy environment, each picture held by a hand, a few pigeons on the floor and flying around and 2 large trees at the entrance so that you enter a different world.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – Tralala Loordes

Xirana Oximoxi is a Catalan artist, children’s books writer and illustrator. She works with different mediums, oil, watercolor, acrylic, ink, charcoal and pastel. At La Maison d’Aneli she presents her exhibition “Lost Souls”, which is in some way related to the current situation in all of our real lifes: “During these days of confinement many of us have to reinvent ourselves a bit so we can have a better time locked up at home. Walking around the rooftop I noticed the irregular surface of the walls and they have become a source of inspiration. “Lost Souls” is the title of a series of images I discovered following a small crack or the configuration suggested by the little fragments of rock of the conglomerate. The technique is a mixed media of photography and digital retouch.” It is fun to look at these stone surfaces and to discover faces, it attracts your attention to look more intensively and to abstract. It is not the first time that she is featured at La Maison d’Aneli. I saw her exhibtion “Women Artists XVI-XIX” there in February 2019 (see here)
Xirana has her an own website and an own blog.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – Xirana Oximoxi

I came across FionaFei’s art already two times this year visiting her Shui Mo Gallery (see here) and visiting her installation Impostor (see here).
Fiona is Chinese by decent but spent the majority of her life in the West: “I have a fascination with Chinese history and culture, but I often feel like I’m viewing my ancestry through a filter of Americanized information and experiences. Furthermore, my artistic background has been in charcoal and oil painting mediums, and I’ve had very little experience in actual ink-brush painting.” For more information look up FionaFei’s own website.
At La Maison d’Aneli we see 6 2D paintings of Fiona arranged at the left and at the right side of her installation. The installation itself is a bit more colourful then what I saw from her so far, held in black, red and green. And again you can walk in and get a part of the installation – and walking in your get different perspectives. Another piece of art, another technique – and I like it.

La Maison d’Aneli – April 2020 – FionaFei

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/36/55/3501
Extempore Gallery and Lounge
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blarn%20Isle/13/210/1502
Alchemelic YouTube’channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/doobeifachfilm/videos
ArtCare Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Prychek/229/105/431
Xirana Oximoxi’s website
http://nuriavives.com/
Xirana Oximoxi’s blog
http://nuriavvives.wordpress.com/
Landmark to FionaFei’s Shui Mo Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreams/147/44/2554
FionaFei’s Website:
https://fionafei.portfoliobox.net/

Art in Second Life 2020 (16) swim with elephants by Betty Tureaud

06 Apr 2020 1 Comment

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

I came across “swim with elephants” scrolling through scoop.it SL Destinations. The entry led to a post of Dido Haas: “Swim with Elephants by Betty Tureaud.” Dido is a photographer, she is the owner and curator of Nitroglobus Hall, as well as a blogger (Exploring SL with Dido). I added the link to her blog to the active blogs list today.

Back to “swim with elephants“, which is an installation of Betty Tureaud at African Sun, a full (adult) region. The region is group owned and the group was foung by Aki (akikokinoshi). I assume that African Sun is owned by Aki.

Betty Tureaud is from Denmark, she’s a builder and light and space artist in Second Life. I came across her art before at ArtSpace UTSA in 2016 (read here), in August 2018 when I visited her isntallation “The Art Game” (read here) and in January 2019 when her work was shown at La Maison d’Aneli (read here).

Impressions of “swom with the elephants” by Betty Tureaud (1)

The installation “swim with elephants” is quite unique and fitting to the sim name African Sun. It is installed in a sphere in 4000m height. The sky and the ground is orange and yellow so that you literally feel the heat provided by the sun which shines strongly and unrestrictedly. The sphere is large, you see elephants slowly walking in a circle, each elephant has a beam in yellow, green pink or yellow pointing from its back into the sky. You see a large group of flamingos, you see a pyramid at the horizont, a range of dark orange rocks, and some trees. Right in the center of all and close to the landing there’s kind of a pond (or is it simply sand?), yet you can’t really see any difference to the ground around. Humans float in the pond (on the sand?) forming a circle and you can become a part of them by “sitting” on the center sphere.

Impressions of “swom with the elephants” by Betty Tureaud (2)

The backs of the elephants can be used for dancing. I can only imagine every back occupied by the dancing guests on the occasion of the opening party of “swim with elephants” on March 22nd.
I went insode of the pyramid where you find another elephant with a Japanese temple on its back. The temple spews Japanese characters every once in a while and you can sit on the trunk of the elephant.

Impressions of “swom with the elephants” by Betty Tureaud (3)

I don’t want to interpret Betty Tureaud’s work, everyone has different thoughts looking at or expierencing art. For me “swim with elephants” had something peacefully. I sweat, I could feel the heat, but it wasn’t threatening. It’s like walking or dancing in an African dream, not everything must have a meaning. After my visit I asked myself if elephants are seen as having wisdom in Japan, considering the elephant that spew characters in the pyramid …
Anyway have a look yourself!

Thank you Betty Tureaud for the installaion and Aki (akikokinoshi) for providing the space for it.

Landmark to “swim with elephants by Betty Tureaud”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akiniwa/111/170/4002
Dido Haas’ blogpost “Swim with Elephants by Betty Tureaud”
http://exploringslwithdido.blogspot.com/2020/03/swim-with-elephants-by-betty-tureaud.html

Art in Second Life 2020 (15) Wildflowers of The Prairie

04 Apr 2020 Leave a comment

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

Thursday, April 2nd, I went to “Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises” (HEA) to have a look what’s new. Some hives were still work in progress, but one new exhibition had just opened – Wildflowers of The Prairie by Thunda Masala.

You can grab a notecard with information about the artist and about the project before you step down into the “The Queen Bee Gallery” downstairs.

Impressions of “Wildflowers of The Pairie” by Thunda Masala (1)

“Thunda Masala is a freelance photographer who lives in Iowa. He is also a molecular biologist. Thunda is drawn to the images of countryside because of the beauty and simplicity of  nature, landscape and livestock. Open spaces, dusty meandering roads, vast sky and gently rolling land of Iowa provide ample opportunity and satisfaction of capturing nature in its varied seasonal moods. Thunda also runs a blog about Second Life.“

Thunda’s mission is to help preserving the praire. “More than 98% of the original prairie are lost to agriculture and industrial development. As such, this constitutes the largest devastation of any ecosystem on our planet. There are numerous efforts, both private and government-led , that intend to restore prairie- the land and its flora and fauna. However, these are minuscule efforts compared to what we have lost.
Wildflowers probably constitute the most obvious components of the prairie. Through these photographs of wildflowers, I hope to show what beauty they bring to the land and why we should try our best to preserve the gift of nature to protect the existing prairie and hopefully augment it.“

Impressions of “Wildflowers of The Pairie” by Thunda Masala (2)

The exhibition at HEA shows a selection of great pictures of flowers and insects, close up pictures as well a whole meadows. The pictures really give a good impression of the beauty that comes with natures.
The pictures are arranged in a circle, the walls show a meadow, the ceiling is blue, the floor is earth-coloured and covered with different grasses, two deers stand hiding in higher grass and watch, some butterflies liven up the scene. In the center is a video screen where you can watch a video slideshow with more pictures from Thunda. At least I had to fumble a bit to get it running in Second Life as the meadow in front made clicking to agree to data protection rules almost impossible. But I managed it and view the video inworld. Alternatively you can watch it here or use the direct link provided below.

 

Thunda’s pictures are really impressive. I like the way they are presented in a room that provides a little feel of Pairie. What is certainly missing is the smell and the sound of insects. I enjoyed my short visit and it was educational in addition.
Thank you Thunda!

Impressions of “Wildflowers of The Pairie” by Thunda Masala (3)

“Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises – Despite its name, ‘Xeltentat Enterprises’ is not a commercial sim in any way. It is a peaceful and private area for contemplation and relaxation, and is proud to host artists at The Hive!”
It is owned by Hannington Xeltentat. “Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises” – or short HEA, was built by Tansee, who also runs the Gallery. Thank you Hannington for providing the space and thank you Tansee for enabling the exhibition “Wildflowers of The Prairie”

“Wildflowers of The Prairie” shall be opened until April 30th

Landmark to Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/127/126/3503
Video Wildflowers Of The Prairie TM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOyUFJLJGhk&feature=youtu.be
Thunda’s blog about Second Life
https://storiesfromsecondlife.wordpress.com

Art in Second Life 2020 (14) Impostor by FionaFei

23 Mar 2020 4 Comments

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

I had an art afternoon on Wednesday, March 4th, and went to Sim Quarterly once again. Currently Sim Quarterly presents “impostor” by FionaFei.

Sim Quarterly is a sim and initiative of Electric Monday:
“Art and the virtual world, Second Life© are very similar — you are able to both find yourself and immerse yourself (and maybe even lose yourself) in something totally unlike what you already know. The experiences you gain help you grow and form new opinions about the world. That is what I hope this sim can provide over time. I am very excited to bring to you a quarterly art project by way of The Sim Quarterly.
The project features one creator every 3 months (every quarter) as an artist in residence. The purpose of the sim is so that residents can experience something new and even create a community.”
The current installation “impostor by FionaFei” will stay opened until May 30, 2020.”
Learn more about Sim Quarterly at their website.

I came across FionaFei visiting her Shui Mo Gallery in January 2020 (see Art in Second Life 2020 (2) Shui Mo Gallery)

Impressions of “impostor” by FionaFei (1) – upper left is the landing spot from where you teleport into the Installation itself

FionaFei choose the title “impostor” as the installation is “a self portrait and a critique of myself as an artist. The exhibit showcases an ink-brush painting of mountains layered over each other to form landscapes often seen in many traditional Chinese landscape paintings. However, there are metaphorical “big red-flags” in the scene that interrupt the perfect serenity of the painting. The inspiration behind this exhibit came from her cultural background as a Chinese American immigrant and her technical background as an oil painter.”

Fioma is Chinese by decent but spent the majority of her life in the West: “I have a fascination with Chinese history and culture, but I often feel like I’m viewing my ancestry through a filter of Americanized information and experiences. Furthermore, my artistic background has been in charcoal and oil painting mediums, and I’ve had very little experience in actual ink-brush painting. For these reasons, “impostor” is meant to be a self critique and reflection of my inexperience with the actual ink-brush medium, where I feel like I’m never “good enough,” but I’m embracing it.“

Impressions of “impostor” by FionaFei (2)

Just like at the Shui Mo Gallery you walk through the Chinese ink painting, becoming a part of it once you teleported from the landing point to the installation itself. Quite dominating are 2 giant red hands rising from the ground that seemingly try to grab you. You walk through the installation along a wooden walkway, also painted in black ink. The installation/picture surrounded by high mountains and you see some trees scattered on the slopes.

When following the path you also come through a field of red flowers and signs, a real contrast to the black and white and if you further walk on you get to the other side of a mountain and find the ink brush, a strong picture that you actually exist as a part of a painting.

Impressions of “impostor” by FionaFei (3)

Needless to say that the impressions are overwhelming. The painting does fulfill all stereotypes that we might have in mind about Chinese ink art. You really get great backgrounds for pictures. By concidence I fitted into the Chinese painting very well with my quite erotic outfit.

On the top of one mountain you find kind of a temple, a tempel for ink! Try to sit on the central element inside, an ink pot. You can worship the ink there – and I did.

Impressions of “impostor” by FionaFei (4) – worship the ink!

FionaFei herself characterized the elements of her installation “impostor” as follows:
Red Hands: My hands reach out from the white abyss of the painting to forcefully touch the scene.
Red Flowers: The red flowers signify my imagination beyond Chinese ink, and my love of whimsy.
Giant Ink splatters: Ink splashes across the surface of the landscape as my inexperience becomes ever more present.  All the mistakes with the “brush” has manifested itself in explosions of ink. 
Red Chinese Characters: The Chinese Characters 你是谁 (Ni Shi Shei?) asks “Who are you?”

Thank you Fiona for this installation. I enjoyed becoming part of it and walking through it. Thank you Electric Monday so much for your initiave and for hosting “impostor“ by FionaFei, which shall stay opened until May 30, 2020.

Landmark to Sim Quarterly
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Sim%20Quarterly/6/6/1403
Sim Quarterly website
http://thesimquarterly.com/
Welcome to “Impostor” by Fiona Fei
http://thesimquarterly.com/2020/03/01/welcome-to-imposter-by-fiona-fei/
Sim Quarterly Flickr group
https://www.flickr.com/groups/thesimquarterly/
Landmark to FionaFei’s Shui Mo Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreams/147/44/2554
Fiona’s Website:
fionafei.portfoliobox.net
Fiona’s Flickr:
flickr.com/people/fionafei

Art in Second Life 2020 (13) Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz

20 Mar 2020 2 Comments

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

On Thursday, March 19th, I came across an exhibtion of Gem Preiz when scrolling through scoop.it SL Destinations. His newest exhibtion is called “Elusive Reality” and is shown at “Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises“

“Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises – Despite its name, ‘Xeltentat Enterprises’ is not a commercial sim in any way. It is a peaceful and private area for contemplation and relaxation, and is proud to host artists at The Hive!”
It is owned by Hannington Xeltentat. “Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises” – or short HEA Gallery, was built by Tansee, who also runs the Gallery. It is open now for 4 months, hence it is quite new.

Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises – Shedule of current and future exhibtions (upper left) / “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz” at Hive 1 (lower left) / accompanying text to “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz” (right)

I wrote already quite often about Gem Preiz and his fractal art, the last time in 2019 when I visited his own art gallery the “Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery” (see Simploring 2019 (10) Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery)

Gem Preiz “is educated in science and mathematics and is fond of anything related to Nature, Cosmos and Earth, from astronomy to geology. The world of fractals is, in the same way, ruled by Mathematics functions which, as Physics do in Nature, enable to create objects which features repeat themselves at every scale. There lies his passion for fractals: create thanks to the power and pureness of the Mathematical concept, images the complexity of which can suggest Nature beings, objects or sceneries.” (taken from the notecard that you can grab at the exhibition)

Impressions of “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz” at Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises (1)

With his exhibtion “Elusive Reality” Gem gives us his explanation of what we see there (see also in the above 1st picture):
“…. Each discovery raises as many new questions as it solves enigma, making the material around us an incresingly elusive reality.
Elusive as the details of the 12 fractal images that this exhibition displays, which your eye will perceive more and more precisely as you approach them, but that no calculation or viewer can reveal in their ultimate fineness. Elusive like the crystalline decoration whose facets appear or disappear depending on the movements or angles of view, forming a solid base where standing without letting itself decipher.
I invite you to explore this unreal universe, where fragmentation and apparent chaos combine with the mineral rigidity of monoliths, an image of a multiple world, a world of illusions, a world that we will never grasp better than imperfectly.” (Gem Preiz)

Impressions of “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz” at Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises (2)

The exhibtion is a feast for the eyes in red and yellow. The red and white respectively the yellow and white glowing blocks change their appearance as you walk through the exhibtion. You see the 12 exhibited pictures from far away as an eye catcher and you see more and more details as you walk closer. Each of them is a real masterpiece and full of details. You can loose yourself in all the details. And now just imagine how these fractals were created .. the result of mathematical operations yet you can’t recognize the origin anymore nor can you really recognize a regular pattern.

As always I was excited seeing Gem’s art. It has been a while that I saw his art. Thank you Gem, for this great exhibtion! I enjoyed my visit a lot. Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz will stay open until End of March, so hurry up if you want to see it yourself.

Impressions of “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz” at Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises (3)

Many thanks also to Hannington Xeltentat who provided the space for the art and many thanks also to Tansee for builidng and curating the gallery. I didn’t hear from this art place before and unfortunately had not the time to have a look at the other exhibitions so far, but I’m pretty sure that I will come back. The upcoming program sounds promising.

Landmark to Hannington Endowment for the Arts at Xeltentat Enterprises where you can see amoung other exhibtions “Elusive Reality by Gem Preiz”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/127/126/3503
Landmark to Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Seductive%20Horizons/11/228/297

Art in Second Life 2020 (12) The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

16 Mar 2020 3 Comments

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

Following Inara Pey’s blog I came across “The Itakos Project and Art Gallery“. Inara had written about an exhibition of Sennaspirit Coronet named “Union” in her post: Senna’s Unions at the Itakos Project in Second Life. And I wanted to see that exhibition.

Right upon my landing I noticed that there’s more than just the exhibition “Union” at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery. Actually it is a place for arts with 7 exhibition rooms or pavillons: White, Black, Grey, Blue, Orange, Purple, Green Pavillion.
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery is owned by Akim Alonzo. There’s also a website where new exhibtions are announced. I came across Akim Alonzo in Oktober 2019 when I visited La Maison d’Aneli where Akim exhibited a series of pictures loosely based on the cult movie The Matrix (see Simploring 2019 (97) La Maison d’Aneli in September / October 2019). Reading my own blogpost again, I had already mentioned that Akim has his own gallery yet I have missed going there.

The Itakos Project and Art Gallery and the current exhibitions

I started my visit in the black pavillion with Sennaspirit Coronet’s “Union”.
“Union” presents portraits of friends, collaborators and lovers in Second Life. Senna writes about it “We all know those people who, while individuals, have close ties to another in world person, whether they be friends, collaborators, or lovers this show celebrations the “Union” we have in this virtual world. When you think of one, very often you naturally envision the other. The great people who gave their time to participate in this show are wonderful examples of these bonds we form and proves that SL is RL.“

Impressions of “Union” by Sennaspirit Coronet at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

Because I live my Second Life also in a close and intense relation this theme did catch my attention immediately. Together with great and artfully showcased portraits we learn a bit about these 17 couples be it by a quote, by describing their common interests or their contrats or by their biographies. In enjoyed reading and looking at the portraits.

Sennaspirit Coronet joined Second Life in late 2006 as part of her RL work in academic publishing and started shooting images in Second Life end of 2007. She worked in the advertising and graphic design business, later worked on digital transformation of assets and publishing. Due to this background the portraits shown in “Union” are very professional and artful.
Senna took breaks from Second Life on a few occasions but the opportunity to do creative work and to be with the many friends always brought her back.

I visited the orange pavillion next. It shows the above mentioned exhibition “The Matrix” by Akim Alonzo – a metaphor for a world of people trapped in a simulated, virtual reality that has many aspects in common with the Secondlife world.

Impressions of “The Matrix” by Akim Alonzo at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

Akim also likes taking portraits and his pictures in this genre are also very professional. The faces tell a story that you can make up for yourself when looking at them. His portraits are shown in the grey pavillion

Impressions of “Portraits” by Akim Alonzo at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

The white pavillion features “Agape in Pace” by Milena Carbone. “Milena Carbone is a French artist and is in Second Life since mid 2019. She discovered its artistic potential and since then has devoted all her free time to creation, associating, as in real life, images and texts. By accepting the rule of the “double” (the real “I” and the virtual “I”), Milena Carbone includes herself in her artwork. Her creative process is iterative: some of her images inspire her stories and these stories modify the development of the image, which itself transforms the story” (excerpt from a notecard givin at the exhibtion).

Impressions of “Agape in Pace” by Milena Carbone at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

Agape is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God”. Within Christianity, agape is considered to be the love originating from God or Christ for humankind (see wikipedia)

In “Agape in Pace” Milena tells several stories in words and in texts about Agape, who is oriented towards love and about Lilith, who is  oriented towards hatred. Along with the exhibtion Milena has provides a notecard in which she further details her toughts and texts.

The blue pavillion features Patrick Ireland “Homage to Surrealsim”. I couldn’t find out anything about Patrick Ireland and I never came across him or his art. The pictures are what you expect – a homage to Surealism 🙂

Impressions of “Homage to Surrealsim” by Patrick Ireland at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

The green pavillion is not a pavillion, it is a plaform that can be reached by teleporting. Here you find the exhibtion “Stolen Child” by CybeleMoon (Hana Hoobinoo) and Akim Alonzo: “The Stolen Child was born from the meeting between CybeleMoon and Akim Alonzo, sharing a passion for Celtic legends and the magical scenarios they evoke. Photos of CybeleMoon and Akim Alonzo’s scenic installation interpret the poem The Stolen Child (1889) by W.B. Yeats, in which it is said that Fairies are not benevolent creatures at all, attracted by strength and vitality of mankind, or beautiful children and especially newborns.” (taken from an accompanying notecard)

Impressions of “Stolen Child” by CybeleMoon (Hana Hoobinoo) and Akim Alonzo at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

And finally I visited the “Matrix Art Club”, an event space that Akim built. I assume it is used for opening events and vernissages. Here I came across Mistero Hifeng again. His sculptures are quite widely spread in Second Life.

Impressions of “Matrix Art Club” at The Itakos Project and Art Gallery

Thank you Akim for providing your space for the art, The Itakos Project and Art Gallery. I can sense how much work and passion has gone into it. I look forward to future visits!

Landmark to The Itakos Project and Art Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ATL/177/192/1011
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery website
http://itakos.it/
Inara Pey’s blogpost “Senna’s Unions at the Itakos Project in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2020/03/09/sennas-unions-at-the-itakos-project-in-second-life/

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