Art in Second Life 2022 (66) Kids These Days by Lex Machine

17 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

I got a group message from Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) announcing the opening of “Kids These Days“, his latest installation.

Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here). I saw Lex Machine’s installation “Isolation’s Passengers” in 2020 (read here), his installations Bermuda Locket (read here), “The House that Love Built” (read here), Numb (read here) and Nero (read here) in 2021, “Stillborn” in February 2022 (read here) and now I visited “Kids These Days“.

Impressions of “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine (1) – overview

Lex Machine’s installations are collections of art objects from different artists, some of the objects were not intended to be art. Lex’ art is arranging them in his own way and setting them into a context and into an intriguing environment. While quite some of Lex Machine’s installation were dark and yes, a bit depressing, “Kids These Days” is not dark. I wouldn’t go so far to say it expressed fun and happiness, but it is art nicely spiked with absurdity – in my eyes. You find many different scenes and objects at “Kids These Days“. The big whie figure on the top of a mountain range is from Bryn Oh and it overlooks the island like the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.  And in the mountains you don’t the “Hollywood” sign but “Pretty Much Fucked”.

Impressions of “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine (2)

Once again there are many scences realised at “Kids These Days” and most probably I haven’t seen all of them. You land in a field, a tractor is nearby, irrigation systems and a piano. My eyes were caught first by the old Missisippi steamer a bit away. Huge scarecrows seem to guard the old boat. Behind the steamer is kind of a small village with a barn and a chapel … and a pouncing fox (another one from Bryn Oh) looking down at two artful statues (*CM* Sisters by Cherry Manga).

The many objects interfer with each other and it is difficult to focus on one. In the center of the sim is an old steam engine. I once reduced my drawing distance to get just the engine on a picture. The steam is built by birds btw.
Also the scene at the corner of the island, exploding female upper bodies, revealing robot technic inside is difficult to catch alone.

Impressions of “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine (3)

What else? Wrecked cars of course. a bit clown in the mountains, a killer cat with 2 skulls (that one could be from Halloween). slaves pulling a carriage … I sat down and played the piano.

Impressions of “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine (4)

There’s a whole circus in the mountains, the figures are from Silas Merlin. Other objects are from Rebeca Bashley and from Fresh3D (the scarecrows for example). You hardly know where to look first. The only common theme I could gather form all the art is: Enjoy, don’t take everything too serious, something nice in these days of war in Europe. Who knows, perhaps I didn’t realize the message … it is just “pretty much fucked” *winks*

Impressions of “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine (5)

Did I mention that avatars visiting “Kids These Days” are just dwarfs compared to the figures and art objects? Everything is huge, despite the wrecked cars and the piano, the tractor and the steam engine are “normal” sized and the Missisippi steamer is comparably small. I had fun spoiling my eyes with art and getting distracted like in a desolate dream, in which things often do not fit together.

Thank you Lex for another installation. I enjoyed my visit!

Landmark to “Kids These Days” by Lex Machine
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eve%20Bayou/134/137/23

Art in Second Life 2022 (19) Stillborn by Lex Machine

18 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

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

I got a group message from Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) announcing the opening of “Stillborn“, his latest installation.

Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here). I saw Lex Machine’s installation “Isolation’s Passengers” in 2020 (read here), his installations Bermuda Locket (read here), “The House that Love Built” (read here), Numb (read here) and Nero (read here) in 2021 – and now “Stillborn” is his first installation of 2022.

Impressions of “Stillborn” by Lex Machine (1) – overview pictures

Lex Machine’s installations are collections of art objects from different artists, some of the objects were not intended to be art. Lex’ art is arranging them in his own way and setting them into a context and into an intriguing environment. As the title implies “Stillborn” is not happy art, a visit makes you thinking.  I use to zoom out first when I visit an installation or sim to get an overview and a first impression. If you look at “Stillborn” zoomed out what catches your eye first are bones, parts of a huge skeleton maybe of an dinosaur. The bones lay on and levitate above the island.
On a second view you notice the levitating bird cages and some oversized figures, one sitting on the island and a black and a white figure in the water at the shore.

Impressions of “Stillborn” by Lex Machine (2) – close to the landing point

Where you land is a colourful flowerbed, a real contrast to figures and the mood “Stillborn” radiates. There are 2 dollcases with oversized dolls. Their eyes are glowing like crazy. Next to one of the dollcases sits another oversized female with glowing crazy eyes. She has some syringes in her body. Then there is this faceless figure between the two dollcases which is wrapped in chains … and finally right beind the dollcases is a head without a skullcap and the head bearthes out bones.

Wlaking more towards inside you see several kneeling figures who try to protect themselves maybe in order not to be hit by one of the bones, the are squatted down like babies. And they have multiple heads are hands growing out of their bodies, abnormalities which can be found at stillborns.

Impressions of “Stillborn” by Lex Machine (3)

A bit apart from the stillborns you find a crying oversized figure sitting on the island. You can literally feel the pain the person is experiencing. She sits between the above mentioned birdcages, in which are birdlike beings with a clock between the wings, a symbol for the time flying by so quickly?

As usual the symbolism of Lex Machine’s installation “Stillborn” is hard to grasp. I once met Lex when I visited “Numb” (read here). Lex was a soldier and lost brothers in arms to suicide. In the end more veterans commit suicide than are killed in action. They have memories of things that used to kill people and the pictures drive them nuts. Far too often the only cure given are drugs … with the known results. At least some elements on “Stillborn” do remind me of this background, like the figure in chains, the female getting drugs, the head without a skullcap. It might be that Lex is expressing the pain about a stillborn, an event that is very hard to get over, something you don’t wish for anyone. I don’t know it.  And how do the two figures kneeling at the shore fit into this picture?
What I know is that the composition of art objects is again very effectful and impressing.

Impressions of “Stillborn” by Lex Machine (4)

I checked a few artists and builders of the objects collected and arranged at “Stillborn“, not of all: ЈiPe (jipe loon), Stabitha (what88 zond), Crai Conundrum, Eric Bloodrose, aki69, wassaabii, NESS (donotgivemyself), MedievalFantasy, Rogue Falconer and Galathir Darkstone, who made the dinosaur skeleton. Some of the names sounded familiar and I came across them on other installations of Lex. Some were new though.

Thank you Lex for another installation that made me thinking.

Landmark to “Stillborn” by Lex Machine
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eve%20Bayou/15/134/22

Art in Second Life 2021 (86) “Nero” by Lex Machine

13 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

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

I have covered Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova)’s art installation already several time and just lately I saw the intallation “Numb” (read here). Lex told me that he also just had finished another installation at SLEA and gave me the direct landmark to it. The installation is called “Nero” and shall be open for the public until end of September.

Impressions of “Nero” by Lex Machine – overview / view at the landing point / theather and guitarist

“Nero” is an artfully arranged installation with objects from other artists and builders. Lex’s artful way to arrange the objects, to combine them, place them into different contexts and backgrounds and to build a relation between them is his particular style (which I like a lot). As for as I found out for “Nero” Lex used art and obejcts from: Rena (guraa), Rebeca Bashly, omronAK (anthonymorfy), Brotherchic (xxalexmodelxx), Chunker Chip Cookie (Jamie Rozenberg), Tah (Tahiti Rae), Alir Flow, Ness (donotgivemyself), Gwen von Aurora (Sweetgwendoline Bailey), Ganja Brune, Bryn Oh, Nams (Nama Gearz), Jogi Schultz (yogijo), Wassa (wassaabii) and Arken Soothsayer. Wow, what a long list and I’m not sure if I got them all.

I made a bird eye’s view of “Nero” and gave most objects a name. At the central landing at SLEA you can grab a notecard about “Nero” and about Lex Machine. In this notecard Lex wrote about “Nero“:
“With this arrangement I tried to tell an open ended story of 4 different perspectives: The world with evidence of it’s end standing in front of it and the reaction of being happy to just wiggle the rest of it’s sand to the bottom of the hour glass, it’s dependency upon the virtual realms of sedation and all those oh so cool different masks it lets us all wear, the dichotomy of religion….it’s nurturing nature it’s other dark sides of fear and control, and some sign of hope behind it all. At the center is something more personal…the core of what causes this brain to move in these directions. To know more of those, you will have to ask me personally. I play those truths closer to my own chest.”

Remark: The hour glasses are around the guitarist who plays in front of the theater.

Impressions of “Nero” by Lex Machine (1)

Lex Machine asked to play with the environment settings for getting different impressions of “Nero“. I didn’t do that for this isntallation but you can get quite dark or quite sunny and happy pictures when you do, it’s up to you only – so try it!

In his art installations Lex tries to come to terms with his experiences as a combat soldier, with all the misery and hardship, with the violence and with the pictures that are literally burned into his memory. Art helps him (and maybe others) to express his thoughts and to rebuild his life. I personally am always touched and intrigued by his work.

Impressions of “Nero” by Lex Machine (2)

Thank you Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) for another great installation. Thank you to Tansee and all others involved for curating SLEA. I did enjoy my visit.

Direct landmark to “Nero” at SLEA Region 4 NE
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLEA4/131/130/23
Landmark to Second Life Endowment for the Arts SLEA
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLEA7/23/26/55
Lex Machine (archetype11 Nova)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sorrythatnameisinuse/

Art in Second Life 2021 (84) Numb by Lex Machine

09 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

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

When I was looking at scoop.it SL Destinations  for a place to visit on Sunday, August 29th, I came across the latest installation of Lex Machine (archetype11 Nova), named “Numb“.
Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here). I saw Lex Machine’s installation “Isolation’s Passengers” last year (read here) and his installation Bermuda Locket earlier this year (read here). The last installation I saw from Lex was “The House that Love Built”, which I saw end of February 2021 (read here).

Lex’ installation Numb is a collection of art objects of different artists. His art is arranging them in his own way and setting them into a context and into an intriguing environment. To get an overview I once set environment to “Midday” to create an overview. But to get the full experience you have to use the shared environment. In this environment the installation is quite dark and bloody.

Impressions of “Numb” by Lex Machine – overview and first pictures

I started my visit with the blood licking heads wearing top heads. The heads as also quite some other objects in the installation “Numb” are from Stabitha (what88 zond). The bloody gears are from Noke Yuitza, an artist who I covered in the blog already. In the center is a nurse distributing pills. Put together the scene is quite depressing. It is best seen from the chess board, where Lex has placed a piano and a cello.

Impressions of “Numb” by Lex Machine (1)

Quite dominant are the flying captured hearts as if someone has ripped them off the bodies. The flying hearts are from Rebeca Bashly. And there are quite some dead bodies hanging on balloons, surrounded by dead trees. There’s also a scene with playing kids. As if they don’t mind all the misery around, open to begin something new, being just curious.

Impressions of “Numb” by Lex Machine (2)

Lex was present during my visit and I had the opportunity to talk with him. “Numb” wasn’t built with happy thoughts, he told me. Lex was a soldier and just recently lost another brother in arms to suicide. In the end more veterans commit suicide than are killed in action. They have memories of things that used to kill people and the pictures drive them nuts. Far too often the only cure given are drugs … with the known results.
Lex’ anger with that and his own struggles with recovering from what war has done to him is the basis for the “Numb“.

In the light of this background “Numb” is quite depressive, but it is also a very artful way to express feelings. Art can be healing, expressing yourself in art can be healthy: “There’s a pill for everything these days…. none of them actually cure what’s wrong”

I dicovered a little girl on the palm of a creepy figure sitting on the ground. For me the girl expressed hope and it made me smile in all this darkness.
What else? A scene with a mermaid (created by Ginger Chevalier) surrounded by floating fish. I also saw two faces by the artist Wassa (wassaabii) almost buried in the ground. I saw objects from Frank (meshmastermind), Raya Jonson, Runa (alrunia ahn), Krys (krystali rabeni), C. Edo (cory edo) and Paco Pooley. But there might be more…

Impressions of “Numb” by Lex Machine (3)

Oema (Oema Resident) made a video on “Numb” which is really very well made and she must have changed the environment setting as the pictures are quite brighter and she selected a fitting music. Great work, Oema!

Lex told me the installation “Numb” shall be available a few days more although it was already set up one month ago. I learned though that it was closed down on September 6th to make room for another temporary installation:
“I will build a short lived installation to remember 9/11/01. This event changed my life and others I know personally and I always remember it with a build every year. On 9/12 the sim will be closed again and re-opened as soon as the new build is completed.”
Hence when you go there right away until Saturday, September 11th, you can see Lex’ 9/11 installation.

“Never Forget” by Lex machine

Thank you Lex Machine (archetype11 Nova) for the installation “Numb” and for our open conversation laying out your thoughts. I did enjoy our talk and my visit.

Landmark to “Numb” by Lex Machine
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solveig/103/119/22
Lex Machine (archetype11 Nova)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sorrythatnameisinuse/
Oema’s video of “Numb”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkAZyOTpBTs

Simploring 2021 (13) The House that Love Built

18 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

I scrolled through scoop.it SL Destinations to pick a destination for my simploring tour on Sunday, February 28th. The entry “The House that Love Built” caught my attention immediately. It is a new installation of Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova).

Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova) was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here). I saw Lex Machine’s installation “Isolation’s Passengers” last year (read here) and his installation Bermuda Locket earlier this year (read here).

The entry on scoop.it SL Destinations led to a post from Inara Pey “The House that Love Built in Second Life“, which I read before visiting myself.

Impressions of Lex Macine’s “The House that Love Built” – overview and orientation map

“The House that Love Built” is built on Lex’ own moderate full region Solveig. The landmark description tells a story:
‘I want you to show me your love with a build.’ .. ~My Ana … Thank you Ana. This is because of….and for…you.

Ana, that is Anastasia Falcor (Anastasia Nova), Lex’s partner in SL – and he built “The House that Love Built” for her … and he built it with love!

Spontaneously it is hard to categorize “The House that Love Built“. I was even pondering to publish my post under “Art in Second Life”, yet I sticked with the simploring category. The sim is roughly devided into two parts. The first part, where you land, is the lovely, romantic part with a residential house that might be the house that love built. It is not yet furnished though. On this part you find also a wedding barn, fully prepared for Lex and Ana’s wedding party. It is a really lovely setting.

Impressions of Lex Machine’s “The House that Love Built” (1) – around the landing

On this romantic side of “The House that Love Built” you also find a steamboat, an old school house, waterfalls and a farm, some deers made of stone covered with moss and quite some nice places to sit and cuddle, to enjoy the scenery. You can take great pictures and you can even take a ride on a horse. The rezzer for the horses close to the farm.

Impressions of Lex Machine’s “The House that Love Built” (2) – the wedding barn

The second part of “The House that Love Built” is dedicated to the art. Just like in his installation Bermuda Locket Lex plays again with giant pieces of art, mostly created by Mistero Hifeng, the horses are from wassaabii – but I didn’t check all. The giant horses with the “exploding parts” of their heads and the giant statues can be seen well from the romanitc side and the mixture between a lovely created romanitc sim and the art provides a specific touch to this installation.

Impressions of Lex Machine’s “The House that Love Built” (3) – around the farm

The giant statues are arranged around an old theatre. The whole scene looks af if it is long abandonned, plants have reoccupied the place. Scattered around the sim you also find a lot of cars, some look ready for use, others are just wrecks. Cars are often part of Lex’s sims.

Impressions of Lex Machine’s “The House that Love Built” (4) – the theatre

“The House that Love Built” is not just a house, it is a whole sim dedicated to love, a place to dream and a place to enjoy art.

Impressions of Lex Machine’s “The House that Love Built” (5) – the school house, the waterfalls, view from the balcony, “Si scioglie nei tuoi occhi…la Luna” by Mistero Hifeng

Thank you Lex for another impressive installation and in particular for sharing it publicly.

Landmark to “The House that Love Built”
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solveig/151/123/23
Inara’s blogpost “The House that Love Built in Second Life”
https://modemworld.me/2021/02/27/the-house-that-love-built-in-second-life/

Art in Second Life 2021 (7) Bermuda Locket

24 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

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

I came across “Bermuda Locket” when I scrolled trough scoop.it SL Destinations . The entry led to a blogpost from Maddy Gynoid “Simtipp: Bermuda Locket“. Actually Bermuda Locket is the newest installation of Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova).
Archetype11 Nova was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here). I saw Lex Machine’s installation “Isolation’s Passengers” last year (read here).

Bermuda Locket is a collaborative build of Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova), Anastasia Falcor (Anastasia Nova), Mr. X Zenovka (Marcomr2 Zenovka) and Sheraton Falcor (Sheraton Voom). In the landmark description Lex writes: “As you enter into my curse, our dreams reverse and the demons burst…“

Bermuda Locket – overview and orientation map

Bermuda Locket consists of two islands. On one hand it is a lovely beach themed sim with two residentials houses, a beach hut, a boat house, two motor yachts and a sport boat and places to wind down and dream. On the other hand it is a collection of 3D-art, the visualisation of dreams, of temporary thoughts, be it nightmare or beauty or surreal.

Impressions of Bermuda Locket (1) – around the landing point

The presented art is quite dominating as most of the objects are very large. The landing is opposed to a broken lighthouse (which I came across already a few times in different sims) by the feet of a large laying female sculpture. You see two other oversized female sculptures kneeling and sitting nearby and strange fishes fly over your head. A surreal scenery. The fishes were created by aki69, most of the oversized sculptures at Bermuda Locket are from wassaabii.

When you look around you see many oversized sculptures. There are 2 beach houses, a traditional on one island and a modern beach house with boat house and beach hut on the other island. I first visited the traditional beach house. On my way to it I encountered an armada of “Wasp Angels” created by Bryn Oh. Close to the house is an intriguing sculpture created by CioTToLiNa Xue surrounded by flying shadowy females. At the beach are several cars sticked with their front into the sand. The cars are the work of Rena (guraa). And finally the ensemble of surreal art is completed by sculptures of Rebeca Bashly.

Impressions of Bermuda Locket (2) – around the traditional beach house: Bryn Oh’s Wasp Angels / CioTToLiNa Xue sculpture / wassaabii’s and Rebeca Bashly’s sculptures and Rena (guraa)’s cars

The tradiditional beach house is furnished quite with style and with love for the detail – and nothing reminds of the surreal world which is outside.

Impressions of Bermuda Locket (3) – in and outside of the tradional beach house / Rena (guraa)’s cars

The beach house on the second island is modern. Together with the boat house, the beach hut, and the 2 big motoryachts it radiates luxury. The furniture inside is similar to the furniture in the traditional house, again very stylish! I sat down outside on a swing and enjoyed the surreal scenery.

Impressions of Bermuda Locket (4) – in and outside of the modern beach house

In the corner of the second island you see a couple of horses (also created by wassaabii). On the beach lies anothter oversized female. Closeby I noticed a raft and sat down for a break.

Impressions of Bermuda Locket (5) – wassaabii’s sculptures, the raft, the beach hut and wassaabii’s horses

Bermuda Locket is an outstanding art sim. I rarely saw that many oversized sculptures and it is strange to see how they dominate the scenery. The mind (at least mine) isn’t able to differentiate between the lovely beach islands and the oversized surreal 3D art. Again Lex Machine created an outstanding composition of art and the featured homes of MZ Creations by Mr. X Zenovka (Marcomr2 Zenovka). And because of the dominance of art I categorized my visit under “Art” rather than under “Simploring”.

Thank you Lex Machine (Archetype11 Nova), Anastasia Falcor (Anastasia Nova), Mr. X Zenovka (Marcomr2 Zenovka) and Sheraton Falcor (Sheraton Voom). I enjoyed my art-simploring-tour.

Landmark to Bermuda Locket
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solveig/93/135/21
Maddy Gynoid’s blogpost “Simtipp: Bermuda Locket”
https://echtvirtuell.blogspot.com/2021/01/simtipp-bermuda-locket.html

Art in Second Life 2020 (62) Isolation’s Passengers

02 Oct 2020 5 Comments

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

Scrolling through scoop.it SL destinations for my simploring tour on Sunday, September 13th, I came across Isolation’s Passengers. The entry led me to another post of Maddy Gynoid – Simtipp: Isolation’s Passengers (in German), which was very interesting and tempted me to visit right away.

Impressions of Isolation’s Passengers (1)

Isolation’s Passengers is a full moderate sim, group owned by “Shutter Thugs”, a group founded by Archetype11 Nova, who owns the sim. Archetype11 Nova was formerly known as Schmexysbuddy Resident and created the Hotel California sims, which I visited in 2019 (read here and here).

Impressions of Isolation’s Passengers (2)

Isolation Passenger’s is an art installation and deals with the corona virus. The landmark description provides the overall thought “When isolation becomes a religion, the living trade places with the damned.“

Impressions of Isolation’s Passengers (3)

The landing is just in front of a large church. Scattered around the whole sim you find interpretations and elements that refer to the virus, to the quarantine time, to social distancing, to the fear of dead, to dead itself, to religion and to loneliness and the halt of all life as we know it.

Impressions of Isolation’s Passengers (4)

The single sculptures and scenes are impressive and inspire to think, to make a connection between them. And there’s really a lot to discover. I took many pictures here and they speak for themselves. Hence I retrain from further words and interpreations. Art and it’s effect on us is different for each of us anyway.

Impressions of Isolation’s Passengers (5)

I can only say, impressive art work! Isolation’s Passengers is an art installation you shouldn’t miss. Thank you, Archetype11!

Landmark to Isolation’s Passengers
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solveig/100/112/21
Archetype11 Nova’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189657005@N08/
Shutter Thugs’ flickr
https://www.flickr.com/groups/3808663@N25/
Maddy Gynoid’s blogpost “Simtipp: Isolation’s Passengers”
http://echtvirtuell.blogspot.com/2020/09/simtipp-isolations-passengers.html