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 (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