Simploring 2021 (12) Skrunda-2

14 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

When I was checking scoop.it SL Destinations on Sunday, February 21st, I came across Skrunda-2. The entry led to a blogpost of Maddy Gynoid “Simtipp: Skrunda-2“, which I read before visiting myself.
The landmark description is precise and a short version of what to expect: “Skrunda-2 is loosely based on the town of the same name in Latvia. It was run by the Russians to host radar. They left in 1998 and what remains to this day is a complete, but empty ghost-town, a time capsule to Cold War paranoia and Soviet styling.”

Skrunda-2 in Second Life is built on a full region. It is owned by Titus Palmira and was designed by Megan Prumier and Sofie Janic. I remember that either Megan or Sofie had invited me over but busy me had forgot about it.

Skrunda-2 – bird’s eye view and overview map

I strongly recommend to read more about Skrunda-2 before visiting. You will get offered a notecard upon entering the sim, that contains the main information. But a look into wikipedia might also be very helpful.

Skrunda-2 in the physical world

When I started my tour I kept the preset windlight which is set to night. It gives the scenery an even more odd atmosphere. I went to the residential blocks in the center and visited the water tower. The lights are set nicely to illuminate the abandonned town. Nonetheless the pictures were a bit dark and won’t show the many details. Therefore I decided to change my environment setting to “Anan Adored Realistic”.

Skrunda-2 – at the landing, the water tower and the residential blocks.

There is really a lot to explore and discover at Skrunda-2. Unfortunately the sim was quite full and even without using shadows and with a low drawing distance the lag was quite heavy and made moving around difficult for me. I enjoyed my visit nonetheless.
I went to what I named “meeting hall” first. The hall seems to be used for events nowadays. But in general every building looks like it was just abandonned, there’s garbage, graffiti, stuff, furniture as if the town was just left yesterday. But what proves that is is already empty for many years is the returning vegetation that slowly takes over the place again (as in RL I assume).

Skrunda-2 – at the landing / the meeting hall

From another former residential part only ruins are left over, dogs stray through the roads and there’s still furniture outside and other relicts of former life. I’m sure there’s more to discover but lag prevented me from sneaking into every corner.

Skunda-2 – the residential ruins

Of course you also find the leftovers of the Russian army, cars, barracks, water and fuel tanks, antennas .. and you find spots to sit and to think about how it might have been here in those days.

Skrunda-2 – Impressions

Quite outstanding is a large building with many antennas on its roof. Inside you find several large rooms with art on the walls, vegetation inside of the building… and a funny statue on the roof. I have no idea if that building is part of Skunda-2 in the physcial world (it might be) and what its purpose was, yet the art inside is impressive.

Skrunda-2 – the Military complex

The residential blocks are a very good replica of those in the physcal world. Again you can go inside and see the leftovers of life. I did not explore this part in detail as navigating was too difficult for me, but Maddy had some pictures in his blogpost. I visited the old indoor pool, found a statue overlooking the sea and went into another building which purpose I couldn’t find out. I decided to name it “Logistics” as there were cardboard boxes inside, and large piles of bags of coal and some ropebelt conveyors.

Skrunda-2 – indoor pool, residential blocks, the statue overlooking the sea, logisitics building

Skrunda-2 is a paradise for photographers as there’s so much to discover, so many backgrounds you don’t easily get some place else. It is a place I’d never visit in real life, I didn’t even know about it. It reminded me immediately of Serene Footman, who also had many installations of odd places in real life. Hence for me this visit was also educational and made me doing some research.
There is much more to see than I saw during my visit of 1 1/2 hour.

And Randonee Noel made a short video of Skrunda-2. In the video you see the bunker. It is quite close to the landing, just turn right after you passed the entrance barrier.

Skrunda-2 – the bunker and the barracks close to the landing

I enjoyed my visit a lot and I learned a lot and I took many many pictures and I finally traveled to a foreign place again which made my day particularly during these times. Thank you Titus Palmira, Megan Prumier and Sofie Janic!

Landmark to Skrunda-2
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rockford/206/20/22
Wikipedia about Skrunda-2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrunda-1
Maddy Gynoid’s “Simtipp: Skrunda-2”
https://echtvirtuell.blogspot.com/2021/02/simtipp-skrunda-2.html
Video Randoneenoel
https://www.flickr.com/photos/randoneenoel/50943905512/in/pool-14746851@N23/
Sofie Janic’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/154984823@N02/
Megan Prumier flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/meganprumier/

Art in Second Life 2021 (14) “Skin by Mrs. S.” @ DixMix Gallery

09 Feb 2021 1 Comment

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

I visited the exhibition “Skin by Mrs. S.” at DixMix Gallery.
Mrs. S, that mrs S (lauralar). I saw her “Magical Rooms” at Itakos Project and Art Gallery last year (read here), an exhibtion she made with her partner Mr S. (saka infinity).

“Skin by Mrs. S.” at DixMix Gallery (1)

The exhibtion at DixMix Gallery is quite different to what I saw before from mrs S. It consists of 10 pictures, of which 5 are held in white and dark blues and the 5 are more or less black and white like charcoal drawings. What they have in common is that they all show naked females.

“Skin by Mrs. S.” at DixMix Gallery (2)

The skin is white, the background is uni dark, hence you see just the curves, the shape and your eye is not distracted by anything else but a few white areas that could be windows.
The 5 pictures that remind of charcoal drawings just show a few lines with a tiny bit of shadows yet the contures are visibile, again you see the curves, the shape but even less a face.

“Skin by Mrs. S.” at DixMix Gallery (3)

Its the simplicity that makes the pictures intriguing, the clear focus on the shape of the naked female body. From what I see, I think the raw pictures were taken in Second Life and processed to provide the desired effect of simplicity.

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it. I enjoyed my visit. The exhibition “Skin by Mrs. S.” will stay open until February 18th

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
mrs S (lauralar)’s Flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/123839917@N06/

Art in Second Life 2021 (13) “Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy

06 Feb 2021 1 Comment

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

DixMix Source invited me to have a look at “Figure and form” by Harbor Galaxy, an exhibition that will be opened at DixMix Gallery with a party on Saturday February 6th at 1 PM SLT.

The exhibition is right now prepared on a platform, ready to be moved to its place at DixMix Gallery. What is missing right now in my pictures is the fitting ambiente for Harbor Galaxy’s pictures.

Harbor writes about “Figure and Form”:
“In this series of little pictures I wanted to take a step back from the avatar as a personality and concentrate on the its’ figure in relationship to various forms, most of which were the simple building blocks we use here in Second Life and then build upon that relationship with color and light.“

“Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy at DixMix Gallery (1)

Actually the figures are comparable small in comparison to the form. Habour uses both, females and males, and instinctively the view of the spectator is focused on the figure, trying to see more details, like clothes, shape and age. The form doesn’t prevent focusing on the figure as it is kept simple. The forms itself would be nice abstract art with the light effects and selected forms and colours, the figures itself would be to small with no particular feature – but together they interact.

I couldn’t find out much about Harbor Galaxy. She is in Second Life for 12 years. And she has a flickr page where I found a short description about her: “Just a pixel dolly exploring my creative side in SL. I don’t generally talk too much about my process primarily because it frequently seems kind of like a happy accident but in my work, I attempt to merge photography and digital painting. I take pictures using screen shots and then edit and manipulate the images in GIMP; frequently using distortion and color to invoke an emotional response from viewer.“

“Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy at DixMix Gallery (2)

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it. I enjoyed my visit. The exhibition “Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy opens today, Saturday February 6th at 1 PM SLT, and will stay open until March 19th.

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

Art in Second Life 2021 (10) “Waves of Silence” by Etamae

01 Feb 2021 1 Comment

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

Last year I had quite some blogposta about Etamae and her art. I visited her Eta’s Feed Your Fetish Gallery (see my blogpost here) and her Extempore Gallery and Lounge (read here). I saw her contribution to the joined exhibtion of Apirl 2020 at La Maison d’Aneli (read here). I saw her “little boxes” at Hannington Art Foundation (read here) and her “Memories of a Foreign Reality” at Itakos Project Art Gallery (read here).

Etamae is in Second Life for almost 5 years. She’s from the UK and began transforming her pictures from the things she has seen and loved in Second Life into something else, in digital art in 2018. Etamae is not defined by just one style or area of art, she plays with different patterns and tries herself out in a broader spectrum of art. And so also the current exhibtion at the DixMix Gallery proves her attitude to always try out different forms of art.

The exhibition “Waves of Silence” is located in the room Abby at DixMix Gallery. It consists of 9 partly quite large pictures. The walls of the room and the floor is kept in grey tones. At the walls you see some shadows of people and objects. The background fits well and is used to contribute to the pictures. The largest picture named “peek”, that you see in front of you when you enter the room consists of two halfs, in the center of the combined pictures is something that looks like a boxing ring, each half shows the silhouette of a person (a boxer?). In fact the left and the right part are just mirrored pictures that were coloured differently. If you step back far enough and look at the picture the shadows on the wall behind add to the picture so that you can recognize a face.
Etamae also played with mirrors in her picture “reflective”, also colouring both (mirrored) halfs differently.

“Waves of Silence” by Etamae at DixMix Gallery (1) – away (upper left) / reflective (upper right) / peek (lower picture)

Etamae’s picture “Waves of Silence”, gave her exhibtion at DixMix Gallery it’s name. In this picture Etame uses several layers (I think just two, but mabye three), that are zoomed in and zoomed out slowly. This way she creates the illusion of waves, colourful waves. It is quite calming to look at it and to watch the slow change of the picture.
In the picture next to it, named “peace”, she uses another and much more visible effect of changing it permanently. The picture has two layers that are permantenly moving against eachother (one to the left side, one the right side). It is one on the same picture, black and white, and shows a face. The upper picture is transparent. There is a moment when both pictures fit exactly, then you see one picture only. But mostly you see the face changing, you see at least 2 faces … or even none. And the changes are quite quick.

“Waves of Silence” by Etamae at DixMix Gallery (2) – Waves of Silence (left side) / peace (right side)

The third technique Etamae is playing with in her exhibtion at DixMix Gallery is a moving a thin layer of grey or fog over her pictures. In her picture “rapture” this makes the background changing just a tiny bit. You do not notice it at the first glance that the picture is animated. In her picture “sleep”, the effect is stronger and quite visible as two second layers (the fog) are moved over the picture against eachother and thus the picture gets partly darkened, but the dark parts move.

“Waves of Silence” by Etamae at DixMix Gallery (2) – rapture (upper) / sleep (lower)

Etamae showed again her ability to play with different techniques. I enjoyed my visit a lot. Her artwork is intriguing. Thank you Etamae!
Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it.
The exhibition “Waves of Silence” by Etamae will stay open until February, 19th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
Landmark to Extempore Gallery and Lounge
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blarn%20Isle/13/210/1502
Eta’s Feed Your Fetish Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Swanbridge/204/19/3216
Etamae’s Flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/157802675@N08/?

Art in Second Life 2021 (1) Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery

03 Jan 2021 2 Comments

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

On Saturday, December 19th, 2020 a group exhibtion was opened at DixMix Gallery.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery

The exhibition compromises ten pictures of ten artists, namely: Randonee Noel, Syn Huntress, Del May, Paola Mills, Wicca Merlin, Talloulah Warra, Megan Prumier, Amber Wild, Maloe Vansant and DixMix Source.
Some of these artists have benn covered already in this blog and I can recognize their style. Although ten artists have contributed there’s a common theme – Hidden Beauty.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery: Randonee Noel – Darker Facets / Maloe Vansant – Habibi / DixMix Source – Syra No

Beauty might be hidden behind a veil, a mask (quite common in this day and age) or by hands. In either case the full beauty can still be recognized.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery: Megan Prumier – Expectation / Del May – Tunnel

But beauty may also be the body of a pregnant woman and the really hidden baby, it might be the toddler, it might even be hidden behind a fantasy being made of steel and biological material. The exhibition radiates the power of beauty from ten different perspectives.

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it. I enjoyed my visit. The Group exhibition “Hidden Beauty” will stay open until

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

Art in Second Life 2020 (85) Moki Yuitza – Geomorphism

30 Dec 2020 1 Comment

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

I visited “Geomorphism”, an installation by Moki Yuitza at the art platform of DixMix Gallery.

Geomorphism is an art intallation using a lot of light effects. You should set your windlight to midnight for seeing it correctly. Geomorphism is set up in a cube. In the center is a big tree. All walls are covered with sort of geometrical forms – and they are permanently changing. The main light effect is in white and is topped with a kind of aurea borealis. Hence you get a lot of different impressions, depending where you look at, at what time, from what viewing angle.

Impressions of “Geomorphism” by Moki Yuitza at DixMix Gallery (1)

But there is more than that, there are several smaller trees that are decorated with spheres, there are flowers on the ground and grass …. and all is mainly in white. The light effects are amazing and my pictures have become an artwork themselves, unique, not reproducable.

Moki Yuitza is in Second Life for over 12 years. I came across her twice so far. One time in 2019 when she was participating in an exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli (read here) and one time when I visited an installation of her at LEA 19 “Hypercube – labyrinth of the mind” in 2018 (read here).
Moki has had a lot more exhibtions and installations, that I missed though. Well you can’t see all and everything in Second Life *winks*. Moki’s profile is full of installations of her that are gone in the meanwhile. The virtual world is even more short-lived than the physical world.

Impressions of “Geomorphism” by Moki Yuitza at DixMix Gallery (2)

I found this about Moki from a notecard for La Maison d’Aneli: “In RL I am an architect and in this metaverse I found the possibility to realize my idea of ​​space and my architectural fantasy, as well as to share it with other people.” That does fit to Geomorphism at DixMix Gallery as well.

Impressions of “Geomorphism” by Moki Yuitza at DixMix Gallery (3)

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing to it, and last but not least thank you Moki Yuitza for your installation. I enjoyed my visit.
“Moki Yuitza – Geomorphism” will stay open for visitors at least until end of Jan 2021.

Landmark to DixMix Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
Moki Yuitza’s Flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/148055295@N07/

Art in Second Life 2020 (84) Barock by Caly Applewhyte

23 Dec 2020 1 Comment

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

I visited the exhibtion “Barock by Caly Applewhyte” which was opened December 5th at the DixMix Gallery. The theme of Caly (Calypso Applewhyte)’s pictures in the room “Abby” is – surprise – Barock. The room itself is decorated with the luxury colour of this period – red. Dark red curtains at each side of each picture like a curtain being opened to showcase the art. Red lights at the red walls, a dark floor.

The pictures itself presents avatars, fantasy persons, not necessarily from that era, but with wild hairstyles and often colourful make-up. But they all are dressed according to Barock. And the paint has already become brittle like it does on old paintings. This combination is intriguing and invites to take a closer look to decide which effect is dominating in this or that painting.

examples from “Barock by Caly Applewhyte” at DixMix Gallery (1)

Caly (Calypso Applewhyte) is a SL Photographer from France, who joined SL in 2010. Her focus is the avatar itself as a means of expression to transport emotions. She processes her pictures with Photoshop. I have seen her work already a few times and you can recognise her style, she has found her personal characteristic artistic style. Her pictures do tell stories, like good art has to do.
According to her profile Caly also blogs and has written articles for several magazines. And she also make portrait pictures of course. You can see her work also on her flickr account.

examples from “Barock by Caly Applewhyte” at DixMix Gallery (2)

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing to it, and last but not least thank you Caly Applewhyte for your pictures. I enjoyed my visit.
“Barock by Caly Applewhyte” will stay open for visitors until Jan 15th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
Caly Applewhyte’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/calypsoapplewhyte/

Simploring 2020 (81) Oblivion

10 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

For my simploring tour on Saturday, November 14th, I picked Oblivion from scoop.it SL Destinations. The entry led to a blogpost of Susann Decuir “Simtipp: Oblivion (Adult)“. When reading the post I remembered why the name rang a bell. I was there before when I tried to get to the DixMix Gallery while it wasn’t yet opened. Oblivion is in the same region and it was mainly built by Megan Prumier who is also involved in the DixMix Gallery.

Oblivion – Bird’s eye view / at the landing point / crossing the bridge

Oblivion occupies a quarter of the region. It’s rated adult. Oblivion is owned by Dante (Gian Fetuccio) und MAYA (mayamoxie). As mentioned above Megan Prumier built most of it.

From the landing point you have to walk over a long bridge to get to Oblivion which is located on a seperate island. There’s a sign “Trepassers will be violated. Can there be anything more inviting in Second Life, in particular in an adult sim?

Oblivion – The Main Event Dome (1)

On the island are three buildings and a couple of places to cuddle, sit or meet with friends. I called the main building in the center of the island “Main Event Dome”. It is a huge building and has one big round room inside, perfect for events. Along the sides are several opportunities to sit, play billard, expose a slave or sub, meet and talk with friends, read or cuddle. I tried out some of them. Opposed to the entrance in a dj desk, hence i suppose that the dome is or will be used for events.

Oblivion – The Main Event Dome (2)

On the left side of the Main Event Dome is another larger building formed like a cross. The light inside has a green touch and makes it look a bit mysterious. In the center ot the cross is a round meeting place which looks very luxurious, almost like a room in a palace. From here doors lead to the 4 arms of the cross and in each of them is one room with a BDSM furniture in the center of it: A cross, a bird cage, a lounger and a doll cage. I couldn’t resists and tried out each.

Oblivion – The Luxury Playroom

The third building in a small tower which is used as a bathroom. The three buildings are surrounded by a park with several opportunities to sit or talk. The whole scenery looks quite neat and luxurious. It might be a secret club meeting here, maybe a circle of doms who enjoy some time with their subs here … or are there BDSM events celebrated here? I don’t know, yet what I know is that the place excited me and that I might come back to see what happens here.

Oblivion – Bath-Tower and places to sit and meet

Thank you Dante (Gian Fetuccio) and MAYA (mayamoxie) for sharing your place with the public, thank you Megan for building it. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Oblivion
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/136/112/21
Susann Decuir “Simtipp: Oblivion (Adult)”
https://mein-zweites-leben.blogspot.com/2020/11/simtipp-oblivion-adult.html?zx=e9c0f1915588b964

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

10 Nov 2020 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Art in Second Life 2020 (69) “Craving by Moon Edenbaum”

28 Oct 2020 1 Comment

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

I visited Dixmix Gallery again, which was built by Megan Prumier, and which I came across by the hint of Violet Boa (read here). At the room Abby a new exhibtion was opened on Saturday, October 10th: “Craving by Moon Edenbaum”.

Moon Edenbaum’s exhibition can be tagged with “Sensuality, shadow and light, point of view and monochrome”

Moon is in Second Life for over 10 years. In his profile I read about him: “the more I learn the less I know , SL photographer & soul explorer”

Impressions of “Craving by Moon Edenbaum”

Moon’s pictures are highly erotic. The pictures radiate sensuality as well as a bit of melancholy. As they are in black and white the focus is only on the female body and face. Moon plays very well with shadows and light to enhance his work. You can see a lot more of him at his flickr page here.

Example from “Craving by Moon Edenbaum”

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it, thank you Violet for the hint and last but not least thank you Moon for your great pictures. I enjoyed my visit. “Craving by Moon Edenbaum” will stay open for visitors until November 6th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
Moon Edenbaum’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129645631@N07/

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