Art in Second Life 2023 (14) “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery

06 Mar 2023 1 Comment

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

Dido Haas invited me to see the March exhibition at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO. The offical opening will take place tonight, March 6th, at 12 PM SLT (9 PM CET).

“Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO (sempiternel) consists of 7 partly very large pictures and several animated 3D objects. Dido Hass wrote in her notecard about “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO: “Yann’s topic isn’t easy; it deals with illness and death, but also gives sparks of hope for the future. “

Although I’m used to the mirroring floor at the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, it still impresses me how much it adds to the exhibited art. Yann’s pictures deal with the fight against cancer, they worship the beauty of his mother, they express his love and strong bonds to her – and they express the fight torn between hope and desperation.

Right at the landing point you find a poem by Yann GYRO. The poem is also kind of a description of the installation:

You faced the fear, when you heard the news
But I was here, and I saw you rise and choose
To find your power, and stand tall with grace
And embrace the challenge, with courage in your face

The journey is tough, but I’ll always be near
To guide you with hope, and wipe away your tear
With love and strength, we’ll conquer and transcend
And do what’s needed, to heal and reach the end

The shadow holds a gift, I know it’s true
I see it in you, as you become more bold and bright too
I’m here to support, as you face what’s ahead
And grateful for the bond, that will never be shed

Resilience blooms, in the face of the fight
You won’t be defeated, I’ll stand by your side
I am your ally, with a heart to conquer
Resilience thrives, as we stand as one victor.

Impressions of “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (1)

Close to where you land you see a white 3D statue of a woman levitating in the center of the space – and it bursts into pieces. The statue is placed in front of a huge picture, held in red, a scaring picture dealing with cancer. In the back of this wing is another 3 – part picture of cells and in front of it literally rains pills, red, blue, green and white pills. Overall a very touching scenery!

In the other wing you can see the same statue, now not bursting into peices but surrounded by the same pills. Another 3D object, that permanantly rotates, shows parts of the exhibited pictures, also on a bed of pills.

Impressions of “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (2)

Accompanying a loved person in their struggle against a deadly illness is an experience that you can’t forget, that you don’t want to forget. As opposed to, it creates a strong bond to the person – beyond death. I personally can sense this bond looking at Yann’s pictures and exhibits. And they are very artful too!

Yann Gyro (sempiternel) is in Second Life since 2018. I first saw his art – very different from what you see in “Transcend Struggle” at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery – at La Maison d’Aneli in May 2021 (read here) and in December 2022 (read here). Yann is a photgrapher and designer. Yann has his own store on the marketplace. He also has a flickr account.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery is owned and curated by Dido Haas. Thank you, Dido for providing the space for the art and for enabling the exhibition “Transcend Struggle” by Yann Gyro (sempiternel). And thank you Yann for your art.
As it is the March exhibition at the gallery “Transcend Struggle” shall be available until the end of this month.

Landmark to Nitroglobus Roof Gallery and to “Transcend Struggle” by Yann GYRO
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/38/22/1001
Dido Haas’ blog
https://exploringslwithdido.blogspot.com
Yann GYRO (sempiternel)’s store on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/fr-FR/stores/211360
Yann GYRO (sempiternel)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/people/154701358@N02/

Art in Second Life (13) The Magical Forest by Jaz and Harry

27 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

Jaz (Jessamine2108) sent a message to me and invited me to see “The Magical Forest“, an istallation by Harry Cover (Impossibleisnotfrench) and Jaz herself.
Along with the landmark to “The Magical Forest”, I got a notecard that contained all relevant information including a few words about the artists who were involved in creating “The Magical Forest“. I will be lazy and use most of this notecard.

First of all there’re instructions for your viewer settings and you should follow them to get the full experience.

The exhibit is an immersive experience of Peter’s story, his journey to the magical forest, and his assimilation into it. It also touches upon human greed and the possible consequences. The story unfolds in 11 scenes – the road will take you through the scenes in sequence. You can either read about each scene, listen to the narration, and experience the special effects.
The immersive exhibit brings together the creativity in multiple areas like mesh, landscaping, storytelling, photography and particles. We hope you enjoy the magic and the story.

You walk along the scences, each scene has a text going along with it. You can grab the according notecard or listen to the narrator. Listening will take around 5 min for each scene so the whole story unfolds in about one hour. The story is a tale with many references to today’s world and to our dealings with nature and wildlife. It is fun with enough seriousness.
The 11 scences are arranged in boxes along the edges of a sky platform. In the center you find some of the participant characters, flowers and other elements.

The Magical Forest – overview

The Magical Forest team would like to express their thanks to
Kurk Mumfuzz for his mentoring on particles
Natalie Starlight for offering her magical sim “Lost Unicorn” as the background for the story
Harriet Gausman for inspiring writers to create on her “Milkwood” sim
Frank Atisso & Jerzzie Reece for their continued support throughout this project

We hope you enjoy the magical journey through the forest.

The Magical Forest – scene 2 and 7

About the Magical Forest Team:

Finn Bookmite (Fionn Bookmite)
Finn Bookmite is a member of the Milk Wood writers group and Interested in the role of (coughs) more mature people in SL. In RL she is the author of four historical novels.

Harry Cover (Impossibleisnotfrench)
Harry Cover, a.k.a. Impossibleisnotfrench, is a French man. He started his second life by playing with prims, then sculpties and finally mesh.
Passionate about photos, graphic designer in RL (among others), and driftwood objects creator.
Come discover his creations, unique objects, inspired by his meetings, his interests including the recycling of metal objects. He has created L’Artistan to exhibit the objects he has created over time and welcomes you to share your comments, your visions and your experiences.

Jaz (Jessamine2108)
Jaz loves colors and loves to express herself with them. For her, creation is fun and a process of learning. She enjoys experimenting and loves to bring the different things that she does – tell stories, blend colors, create particles, and take photos – together. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t — but it is always fun doing it.

Wednezday Mourningside – Wenz (odinswendzday)
Wenz is a remarkably talented designer, possessing both an impeccable eye for aesthetics and a deep understanding of design principles. She has an innate ability to take complex ideas and distill them into simple, elegant solutions that communicate effectively to her audience. Wenz is also an excellent communicator and collaborator, always open to feedback and willing to work closely with clients to ensure their needs are met. Her attention to detail is unparalleled, and she takes pride in delivering work that is not only visually stunning but also functional and user-friendly. Wenz’s passion for design is evident in everything she creates, and her dedication to her craft is an inspiration to all who work with her.

The Magical Forest – scene 10 and 11

Thank you Jaz (Jessamine2108) and Harry (Impossibleisnotfrench) for this installation, thank you Finn Bookmite (Fionn Bookmite) and Wenz (odinswendzday). I had a lovely and relaxing hour visiting, listening and reading.
I enjoyed my visit!

Landmark to The Magical Forest – Landing point
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caribbean%20Ocean/94/20/3206

Art in Second Life 2023 (12) Happy place by Cica Ghost

14 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , ,

When I got the invitation to “Happy place by Cica Ghost” I was prevented from going there right away. But I looked forward to visiting it. The name itself did catch my eye, in particular as I know Cica’s art. And I was not disappointed!

Before you enter you’re asked to “use shared environment” as the windlight settings belong to Cica Ghost’s art. You should also have advanced lighting turned on and switch shadows from sub/moon and projectors on.

“Happy place” by Cica Ghost is exactly what the name promises, a happy place. You see a lot of green, flowers and trees, steep hills with flat tops, green meadows and a dark sky with yellow to orange glowing clouds. The landing itself is on a flat top of a hill. Walking down you are welcomed by elephants, of course elephants with big cica eyes and the eyes seem to follow you, so as if the elphants wanted to see who is entering the happy place.
I saw a washing line between two trees with drying clothes and a happy little monster. Right at one tree holding the washing line I discovered a cat. Cica often places a cat into her installations. I imagine, she is doing that for me.

Impressions of “Happy place” by Cica Ghost (1)

In the back part of “Happy place” are quite some of the steep hills with the flat top. There are houses – of course houses in “Cica-style” – on the flat tops, You can walk up the hills using ladders. You can sit in front of the houses, if there’s a bench and you can watch the scenery from up there. Perhaps you see a balloon cruising over the place. Hoovering over objects will tell you, where you can “sit”. The ballon is one of these opportunities. Once you’re in the gondola, you can dance while cruising over the place.

Impressions of “Happy place” by Cica Ghost (2)

There are new and old companions at “Happy place” by Cica Ghost. The new ones are little harmless and happy monsters and you can buy them directly in the installation. FInd the cave with the vendor boards.
But there are not only new companions, you will find also old acquaintances, like the girl and the cow or the two birds .. or the sheep that build a circle on another flat top, where you could dance surrounded by them. Cica also placed some furniture in her installation, little islands of peace where you can sit down and enjoy as if your were in your living room!

Impressions of “Happy place” by Cica Ghost (3)

I noticed that you can sit on the elephants and I had fun tickling their trunks. I’m sure there’s way more to discover!
It is just a happy place.

Cica also provided a quote again. You find it in the landmark description: “If there ever comes a day, when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.” It is not the first quote from Winnie the Pooh, that Cica used for her places. And again the quote is very fitting to her artwork.

Impressions of “Happy place” by Cica Ghost (4)

To no surprise Cica succeeded once again making me smile and thus she allowed me to escape from everyday life for a bit. Thank you for another great (and happy!) installation, Cica!

Don’t wait too long with your visit to “Happy place“, you never know how long it may stay – it is a temporary world.

Landmark to “Happy place” by Cica Ghost
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mysterious/67/68/26
Cica Ghost’s shop on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/98471
Cica Ghost’s flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64860898@N05/

Art in Second Life 2023 (11) Sole Fragments by Maghda @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery

10 Feb 2023 1 Comment

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

Dido Haas drew my attention to a new exhibition in her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery: Sole Fragments by Maghda.

“Sole Fragments” consists of 12 monochrome pictures. All pictures show women in different situations and moods, sometimes soldier, sometimes as prisoners, sometimes sad, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes erotic, then again searching, sometimes hurt. The women are very strong in some pictures, in others they seem rather weak. The pictures are very expressive and draw the viewer into the situation. They encourage us to want to understand what is depicted.

As always the pictures can develop their strengths with the mirroring floor at the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. The objects chosen for decoration complement the exhibition. They, too, are not in shrill colors, creating a strange, thoughtful mood, a mood that matches the pictures.

Impressions of “Sole Fragments” by Maghda @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (1)

Maghda wrote about her exhibition “Sole Fragments” that it is “a personal and introspective display of her journey through Second Life captured through the lens of photography. The exhibition features a collection of photographs that depict the various stages of the journey of the soul, from its highs and lows, to its triumphs and struggles. The photographs capture candid moments of self-reflection, raw emotions, and intimate moments of growth. Through the medium of photography as a means of self-exploration, and self-expression. The exhibition is my window into my soul, allowing the viewer to connect with the emotions and experiences depicted in the photographs on a deeper level.“

Impressions of “Sole Fragments” by Maghda @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (2)

Maghda is from Denmark. She’s in Second Life since 2011. She discovered it “as a platform for artistic freedom and a new way to explore and express herself. In SL, she has the opportunity to connect with talented individuals from all around the globe, learning from them and finding inspiration in their work.“

Maghda left Second Life for 6 years and upon her return the technology had evolved. There were mesh bodies and the photographic tools had improved. Obviously Maghda made the most of it. Her pictures are intriguing. You can see more of her work on flickr.

Impressions of “Sole Fragments” by Maghda @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (3)

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery is owned and curated by Dido Haas. Thank you, Dido for providing the space for the art and for enabling the exhibition “Sole Fragments” by Maghda. And thank you Magda for your art. I enjoyed my visit.
As it is the February exhibition at the gallery “Sole Fragments” shall be available until the end of this month.

Landmark to Nitroglobus Roof Gallery and to “sole Fragments” by Maghda
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/38/22/1001
Maghda’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maghdaresident/
Dido Haas’ blog
https://exploringslwithdido.blogspot.com

Art in Second Life 2023 (10) “Face and Body Language” by Mareea Farrasco at NovaOwl Sky Gallery

08 Feb 2023 1 Comment

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

Owl (Owl Dragonash) invited me to visit “Face and Body Language”, a new exhibition by Mareea Farrasco shown at NovaOwl Sky Gallery.
Knowing the gallery and the artist and having some time on my hand I went for a visit on Monday, February 6th.

I know Mareea Farrasco as owner of IMAGO Land and IMAGO Art Galleries. My first visit there was in 2021 (read Simploring 2021 (16) IMAGO Land). I saw her exhibtion “Painting the Summer” and I wrote about Mareea and her art: “Mareea’s pictures are quite large. They are based on pictures taken within Second Life. Most of them are in a little bit softened, without sharp contrasts, almost a bit blurred and held on light warm tones – reflecting the Summer.“

This in mind the exhibition poster and the title “Face and Body Language” was surprisng for me. And Owl wrote in the notcard accompanying the exhibition “This is a new style for Mareea and she explored her creativity beautifully!“

“Face and Body Language” consists of about 30 pictures displayed on both floors of the NovaOwl Sky Gallery. Mareea added some sculptures from Willem Koba to liven up the large room on the ground floor. She also added 2 pictures displayed on the floor. You can see them either using your camera or even better from the second floor where you can look at them through the transparent dance floor.

Impressions of Face and Body Language by Mareea Farrasco at NovaOwl Sky Gallery (1)

Mareea Farrasco is in Second Life since the end of 2009. As mentioned above she’s a SL photographer. She wrote about her art:
“My photography covers a large field, from portraits to landscapes, from concrete to metaphoric images, from narrative scenes to still life pictures.
Pastel colors are my favorites, expressions of a nostalgic painterly mood. But sometimes I add some color accents or, on a contrary, some dark shades and shadows, showing joy or fears, related to my feelings of the moment.
The pictures I create are small steps in the indefinite journey to myself, in the middle of the noisy yet amazing Second Life.”
You can see more of her art on her flickr page.

And furtheron Mareea wrote about “Face and Body Language”: “my current exhibition is the result of my effort to come with something different from my comfort zone, sort of challenge I put on myself. So I play here with the theme of the exhibition – physical and (senti)mental attitudes of the avatar, who is the focus of the pictures, and with the technique based essentially on exploring the possibilities offered by the exposure and gamma correction in the photographic process.”

I think the result is convincing! Mareea’s pictures are erotic, the women in the pictures express passion and joy of life. They expose themselves and play consciously with temptations. I love in particular the strong colours. My personal favourites are the pictures with the wild red hair. I have been told that I have a weakness for red hair.
Anyway, I really liked what I saw. Well done!

Impressions of Face and Body Language by Mareea Farrasco at NovaOwl Sky Gallery (2)

The NovaOwl Gallery and the NovaOwl Sky Gallery is owned by Uli Jansma, Owl (Owl Dragonash) is the general manager. NovaOwl is an international community on the mainland continent of Corsica. NovaOwl is located on Novatron. It is a meeting place where events take place regularly. Thank you Uli and Owl for providing the space for the art and for enabling this exhibition. I enjoyed my visit.
“Face and Body Language” by Mareea Farrasco shall stay open until March 30th.

Landmark to NovaOwl Sky Gallery and to Face and Body Language by Mareea Farrasco
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Novatron/122/39/2001
Landmark to NovaOwl – Gallery & Club
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Novatron/131/102/23
Mareea Farrasco’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96165669@N06/

Art in Second Life 2023 (9) Reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) & Onceagain Art Gallery

06 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

I got an invitation to visit Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s latest exhibition named “Reflections” at Onceagain Art Gallery. A good reason to visit Onceagain Art Gallery (once) again, as it is more than one year since I my last visit there (read Art in Second Life 2022 (2) Onceagain Art Gallery).

The landmark leads you to a small gazebo within a park. From there you walk through the park, cross the gate, turn left twice and walk a path upwards to reach the exhibition “Reflections” which is shown in kind of a cloistered court.

Impressions of “Reflections” by reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) (1) – from the landing point to the exhibition

Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili) wrote about “Reflections”:
“I’m really pleased to host in my gallery a delicate artist, who I discovered last year by chance when I won one of her works at an auction.
In life you don’t always need to look for deep meanings, sometimes beauty is enough to reconcile you with the world and Maddy with her works is what she manages to do.”

The exhibition consists of 11 pictures all showing woman, mainly portraits, in their beauty. Most of the pictures are monochrom (not all) and the women are all dressed beautiful and they wear flowers, ornaments, jewelery and other accessories underlining their beauty and attracting the spectator to look for details and to get pulled into the picture.

Impressions of “Reflections” by reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) (2)

Maddy wrote: ““Reflections” is a journey of portraits that experiments with new ideas using A.I. technologies. The exhibit showcases photos created with Midjourney and Second Life Avatars, combined with the use of A.I. to create a melancholic and dark atmosphere that captures the essence of the subjects portrayed. The soft colors and blurs emphasize the intense emotions and intimacy of the portraits, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the images.”

Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) is in Second Life since 2009. She’s passionate about photography in RL and SL. She writes: “I’m not an artist but a researcher of images to be developed… a dreamer with open eyes of this world “out of time”. In SL always open to new possibilities of experimentation trying to convey the magic that I see.”
I’ve seen Maddy’s art the first time back in 2017 at Enchanted Art where her exhibition “Maddy 2017” was showcased (read here). Further on I saw Maddy’s work at La Maison d’Aneli in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 and at GenovArt Glass Gallery in May 2021 (read here). You can see more of her art at her flickr page.

Once at the gallery I took the teleporter, where I landed for my visit to “Reflections” and visited the Onceagain Art Gallery.

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (1) – Two buildings / Two sculptures (Cherry Manga and Bryn Oh)

The place has changed quite a lot, the concept is still the same. In a large park are several buildings. The park and the buildings are full of Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili)’s art collection. In the park you find 3D art as well as inside of the buildings at windows or larger spaces. The buildings are galleries and feature the art of many artists.

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (2)

I know and wrote about most of them, though I admit that there’re some, who I didn’t come across yet. The following list of artists is certainly not exhaustive, but it testifies to the size of the art collection and the many styles:
Moki Yuitza, Mihailsk Syros (mihailsk), June Langer, Kika Yongho, Eviana (eviana.robbiani), Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau), Milena Carbone (mylena1992), Filthy Fluno, Marina Münter (vivresavie), Melusina Parkin, CioTToLiNa Xue, Zia Branner, Maloe Vansant, ZYNTHEA, Mareea Farrasco, Celestial Demon (celestialdemon), Gully Rivers (gullyrivers), Karma Daxeline (Karma Weymann), Cad (cadwallader), Lika Cameo (LikaCameo), Scylla Rhiadra, Mara Telling, Frank Atisso, Cherry Manga, Harbor Galaxy, miu miu miu (miumiumiusecond), Therese Carfagno, Bryn Oh ….

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (3)

onceagain (Manoji Yachvili) ist in Second Life since 2007. Manoji is Italian and lives and works in Tuscany, Italy. She “likes photography, art, landscapes, animals, visiting strange places, most of these things she also does in RL“. You find more of her also on her flickr account.

Thank you for showcasting so many artists in a great environment and for enabling Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s exhibition “Reflections”.
And thank you Maddy for your art.
I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Onceagain Art Gallery and to Reflections by Maddy
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Peaceful%20Mountains/51/173/3502
Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/magdyne/
Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69389809@N03/

Art in Second Life 2023 (8) Melusina Parkin’s February 2023 exhibitions

04 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

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

Melusina Parkin invited me to her February 2023 exhibitions. She has two new exhibitions: “Ladies” shown at Melu’s Photo Gallery and “Outskirts” shown at her Minimum Gallery.

I am a fan of Melusina Parkin’s art and have seen quite some of her exhibitions. Melu’s style is minimalistic. She usually takes her pictures in Second Life. The minimalism forces the spectator to focus on details, that might stay unseen when too much distracts the view. I visited “Ladies” at Melu’s Photo Gallery first and this exhibition fits perfectly into the exhibitions in which Melu pursues her minimalism.

Impressions of Melusina Parkin’s February exhibition “Ladies” at Melu’s Photo Gallery (1)

No wonder “Ladies” shows pictures of women, more precisely of ladies. The women are all adult and gracefully depicted. Often you see them only unreal, either blurred or only from the backside, sometimes a no contrasting uni background is selected, furtheron they don’t wear any colourful clothes. Thus you have to focus to see the details, the secret behing these ladies. You can speculate about their age, or there origin. Are they happy or depressed? What do you conclude from their posture?

Impressions of Melusina Parkin’s February exhibition “Ladies” at Melu’s Photo Gallery (2)

At Melu’s Minimum Gallery is the exhibition “Outskirts”. In this exhibition Melusina Parking worked with Artificial Intelligence once again, like in her exhibition “Wrong Mirrors” which I saw last month (read “Art in Second Life 2023 (1) Wrong Mirrors by Melusina Parkin“).

Impressions of Melusina Parkin’s February exhibition “Outskirts” at Minimum Gallery (1) – Melusina Parkin herself was there

At the exhibition is a board explaining more about “Outskirts”:

“This exhibition shows 80 images based on AI generated ones, depicting scenes of everyday life in the outskirts of a big city. Each of the 20 panels shows 4 images, available by clicking on them.
Years ago, I did an exhibit titles “Outskirts, Images of a neglected world”, showing photos of SL places. Now I tried to do the same using the AI tool. Maybe the introuction to the former show can be suitable for this one, so I reproduce it here below…..”

The pictures at “Outskirts” are not necessarily minimalistic, yet they all express a bit of depression and sadness. No strong colours appear, mostly the world in the outskirts is grey and hazy.
I clicked on a few of the 20 pictures to see the other 3 pictures of the same frame. I admit, that I didn’t find a scheme. The 4 pictures have no common motif, at least I couldn’t recognize it. Instead all 80 pictures show typical scenes of the outskirts. Very intriguing as the conditions of life in the outskirts can be felt when looking at the pictures.

Impressions of Melusina Parkin’s February exhibition “Outskirts” at Minimum Gallery (1) – examples of 2 frames with 4 pictures each

Melusina Parkin is in Second Life since September 2008. She has been a fashion manager, a journalist, a furniture creator, a builder, a decorator and a photographer. Her work as a photographer has been showcased in more than 50 exhibitions – from which I saw just a few. Melusina has a flickr account which counts more than 13,000 (!) photographs. Extensive collections of her photos can be seen also on her blog Virtual Exhibits and on some slideshows on Youtube (links also under this post).
There’s also an online book with her Second Life exhibits 2011-2019 here.
Melusina Parkin has an own gallery at Time Portal, “Melu’s Photo Gallery” and an own store for Art Deco furniture called “Melu Deco“. Melusina also owns a second place (Melu Space) with another gallery (Minimum Gallery), a bookstore and another “Melu Deco” inworld store.

Thank you for your February exhibitions. I enjoyed my visit!

Landmark to Melusina Parkin’s Melu Photo Gallery – exhibition Ladies
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Time%20Portal/248/101/1940
Landmark to Melusina Parkin’s Minimum Gallery – exhibition Outskirts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lunula/129/107/621
Landmark to Melusina Parkin’s store for Art Deco furniture “Melu Deco”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Time%20Portal/243/99/1930
Melusina Parker’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melusina_parkin/
Melusina Parkin’s Virtual Exhibit blog
http://meluphoto.blogspot.it/p/home.html
Melusina Parkin’s youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVzglBiqhrOLXnAp3Qt3Zjw
On line book Second Life exhibits 2011-2019
https://www.calameo.com/books/005997622f28dd58ca75d

Art in Second Life 2023 (7) Memory Gongs at The Hannington Arts Foundation

27 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

I got an invitation from Therese Carfagno. She sent a message and told me that she had teamed up with two friends, Sweet Susanowa and Violaine (Anadonne), and that the three teamed up and installed a permanent exhibition in a big gallery at The Hannington Arts Foundation. The gallery is named: Memory Gongs.

Actually Memory Gongs consists of three galleries that are built in several connected buildings. One is called The First Life Gallery, the other The Second Life Gallery and the third The Erotic Gallery. When you zoom out you can recognize the three different galleries. Each gallery has a different base colour outside as well as inside. The landing is at the entrance to all three galleries.

Impressions of Memory Gongs (1) Gallery overview

The gallery was built by Sweet Susanowa. All three artists have pictures in all galleries. I started my visit with The First Life Gallery. The featured pictures there are RL pictures and paintings of all kinds uploaded into Second Life. They reach from abstract to monochrome photographs

Impressions of Memory Gongs (2) The First Life Gallery

I know all three artists, Therese Carfagno, Sweet Susanowa and Violaine (Anadonne) from my visits to La Maison d’Aneli, which has closed it’s doors end of last year. And now the three made their own gallery.

Violaine is in Second Life since 2016. She contributed at La Maison d’Aneli in November 2018 (read here), in January 2020 (read here), in April 2021 (read here) and in September 2022 (read here).
I saw Sweet Susanowa’s art at La Maison d’Aneli back in July 2019 (read here), in May 2020 (read here) and in December 2021 (read here). Sweet joined Second Life 14 years ago without thinking about any exhibition at a gallery. She is a photographer now in real life as well as in Second Life.

The Second Life Gallery features pictures that are based on photographs taken within Second Life as the name already implies. The show the braod variety of art that can be created based an SL pictures. For me that is still facinating after all the years I have spent in SL already. I don’t get tired of it.

Impressions of Memory Gongs (3) The Second Life Gallery

Therese Carfagno is also an artist who I know from La Maison d’Aneli. She had exhibitions there in June 2021 (read here) and in May 2022 (read here). Therese came to Second Life in February 2007. Soon she got a job as a journalist, and met the most interesting artists in SL. Seeing so much creativity inspired her to start taking pictures herself. Therese thinks that taking pictures helps to look at the world a little closer – and there are so many wonders to see in SL:
“I have no interest in calling myself an artist. I take snapshots. If I’m happy with the picture because of the motive, the colours, the people in it, or anything, I upload it to Flickr or exhibit it somewhere. That’s it. And if someone else like what I do, that’s even better.”
You can see Therese Carfagno’s pictures also on her flickr account.

Memory Gongs is a really large gallery and you can spend hours there. My quick visit took already more than an hour and I didn’t see all, nor did I look at many details. The pictures have all names, that you can see when you hoover with your mouse over them. The titles may provide a little insight in the artists thoughts about their work.
What I missed were notcards about the artists. And you can’t see easily who of the three artists made which picture. Maybe that is intended, I don’t know. I personally would appreciate to see the artists names.

Finally I visited The Erotic Gallery. I think I won’t have to describe what kind of pictures are featured there *winks*.

Impressions of Memory Gongs (4) The Erotic Gallery

Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF) is owned by Hannington Xeltentat. Thank you Hannington for providing the space for the art and for enabling Memory Gongs.
Thank you Therese Carfagno, Sweet Susanowa and Violaine (Anadonne) for your art.

Landmark to Memory Gongs
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/116/135/3333
Therese Carfagno’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carfagno
Landmark to Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/128/129/3501

Art in Second Life 2023 (6) Guernica by London Junkers

25 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Almost one year ago I visited London Junkers installation “Harriet Tubman – Hero” at The Eye Arts (read here). When I got an invitation to see his newest installation “Guernica“, I was curious to see it. I went there Saturday, January 21st.

“Guernica” is an installation that remembers the attack on the town Guernica back in 1937 and is a tribute to Pablo Picasso’s famous large oil painting also named “Guernica”.

Guernica is one of Picasso’s best-known works, regarded by many art critics as the most moving and powerful anti-war painting in history. It is exhibited in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. 
The grey, black, and white painting, on a canvas 3.49 meters (11 ft 5 in) tall and 7.76 meters (25 ft 6 in) across, portrays the suffering wrought by violence and chaos. Prominent in the composition are a gored horse, a bull, screaming women, a dead baby, a dismembered soldier, and flames. Picasso painted Guernica at his home in Paris in response to the 26 April 1937 bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country town in northern Spain that was bombed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish display at the 1937 Paris International Exposition, and then at other venues around the world. The touring exhibition was used to raise funds for Spanish war relief. The painting soon became famous and widely acclaimed, and it helped bring worldwide attention to the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War.
(source wikipedia)

Impressions of “Guernica” by London Junkers (1)

London Junkers’ installation consists of two 3D ensembles. One shows the attack of the town Guernica in 1937, the other is a 3D model of the famous painting on Picasso. London added two boards. One board is about the history of the attack and about Pablo Picasso’s painting. There London also has some quotes of Picasso.
The second board is a poem of London fitting to the anti-war theme of his installation and to the bullets fired from the airplanes.

BULL
by London Junkers

Black bullet crosses silent space,
Tearing the sky, breaking the flesh.

Deaf missile sound hitting all ears,
Ruining the dreams, raising their fears.

Cloudy dust, red blood burst,
Music dying slowly under the shadows.

The wingless birds refuse to fly,
tormented by the baby cries.
As flower petals float on rivers
of confusion and dementia.

Why is it that we do not learn?
And many have to die to die again.

Why is it that we never seek?
for happiness and wisdom?

Black bullet crossing empty fields,
searching for widow, monk and thief.
you paint in monochrome the scene,
while tiny ruby feet succumb to grief.

Death moves now swiftly standing tall,
Spitting bull bullets out its breath,
breaking the mirror that reflects,
the hate and greed that drives them all.

Impressions of “Guernica” by London Junkers (2)

The 3D model of Picasso’s painting is intriguing as you can walk through it and even become part of it. London added a third dimension. Nonetheless you can recognize the painting immediately. What you see in it (both in the painting and in the 3D model) is in the eye of the visitor of course. For me personally it expresses the madness and uselessness of war. Unfortunately that is something that had become so near to us in Europe and that also started with a surprising hostile attack. Picasso’s picture has become very persent again.

Impressions of “Guernica” by London Junkers (3) (upper left is Picasso’s picture, all others are London Junkers 3D model)

Thank you London for this installation, for the poem and for pointing us to Picasso’s picture in this day and age. I appreciate your poem and the installation. Well done!

Landmark to Guernica by London Junkers
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montague%20Island/72/140/3510

Art in Second Life 2023 (6) Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir

23 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

Art in Second Life 2023 (6) Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir

I got an invitation from Jaz (jessamine2108) to the opening of a new exhibition at the Third Eye Gallery: “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir. I couldn’t attend the opening event but I went there a day before.

The exhibition consists of 10 pictures by Michiel Bechir. Michiel wrote about the exhibition: “A walking meditation helps us feel less distracted by thoughts and allows us to enjoy our stroll more. This exhibition is dedicated to this theme. I will show different locations on the Mindful Cove sim. The works have hardly been edited as I want to show the scenery in its most natural way.”

Impressions of “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir @ Third Eye Gallery (1)

Michiel has started his long virtual journey into Second Life as a photographer in 2009. Michiel enjoys seeing new places, meeting new people from all over the world and expierencing the creativity in Second Life (just like I do!). Michiel discovered the possiblities of different tools to improve his pictures. By editing them he also tries to add a personal touch and feeling.
Michiel owns and curates an own gallery, the Michiel Bechir Gallery. He also has a gallery with a selection of pictures at Art Park. Furthermore you can also see more of his work on his flickr page.

The featured pictures show the beauty of natural almost untouched nature that you can experience in Second Life – and Michiel’s passion for it.

Impressions of “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir @ Third Eye Gallery (2)

I had never heard about “Mindful Cove“, although it must be a sim that exists already for many years. Inspired by my visit to “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir I went exploring Mindful Cove myself.
Mindful Cove is a full region owned by a group founded by Avalon Birke who is in Second Life already since 2006. From the landmark profile I took the description of it: “Mindful Cove exists to provide both an entry point into Second Life, and an ongoing community region for newcomers and long-time residents alike, based on the core principle that SL can be an excellent place to engage in activities that support emotional and mental well-being.”
And in Avalon Birke’s profile I found the information: “After 14 years of volunteer service in SL, I have semi-retired – and Mindful Cove is now in the very capable hands of my friend Coughran Mayo.”

Impressions of “Mindful Cove” (1)

I started my own walking meditation and took a few pictures of this beautiful place myself. I can tell it is really worth a visit and offers beautiful views and the possibility ot take a short trip into nature, to blind out everyday life for and to get to positive thoughts. A very well made place!

Impressions of “Mindful Cove” (2)

Third Eye is Jaz (jessamine2108)’s home and gallery – a place that is designed to showcase art, particles, inspire stories, and offer a quiet place to relax and rejuvenate. Jaz says: “It is the culmination of my many dreams – to create a place that nurtures and helps the growth of all types of creative endeavors – be it words, pictures, or particles.“

I enjoyed my visit to the Third Eye Gallery and to “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir as well as my short trip to “Mindful Cove“. Thank you Jaz for enabling the exhibition “Mindful Exploration”. Thank you Michiel for your artwork – and for inspiring me to make a short trip to “Mindful Cove” myself.

Landmark to Third Eye and to Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ravenglass/13/165/1002
Michiel Bechir’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39613053@N03/
The Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/26/226/2502
Michiel Bechir’s gallery at Art Park
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fermat/148/36/53
Landmark to Mindful Cove
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mindful%20Cove/180/175/27

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