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

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

Simploring 2017 (49) Blue Orange

27 Jun 2017 3 Comments

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

When I visited MetaLes..O..Art Virtual Space (read here) I saw among other art, the exhibition Melancholy by Ini (in.inaka). I got in contact with Ini and she proposed to see her last project: Blue Orange and she passed me the landmark to it.

Friday, June 23rd, I had the opportunity to visit Blue Orange. The landmark text describes Blue Orange as a friendly bohemian club for MUSIC and ART lovers. And it is! The landing is at a subway train station, that already contains quite a bit of art. I got welcomed “Hello to all and welcome at BLUE ORANGE bohemian underground club and art project 2, space around club may look tricky and easy to get lost, please use notecard with all locations(inside poster on wall), sure if also lazy to walk 😛 no pressure about advanced lights and WL, but it could help, lets have fun :-)”
I took the notecard, that contains landmarks to see the pieces of art at Blue Orange from Theda Tammas, Cica Ghost, Rebeca Bashly, Jarla Capalini, Gitu Aura, NicoleX Moonwall, In Inaka and Igor Ballyhoo. Blue Orange is group owned, the group was founded by Ini, hence I suspect, that it is Ini’s baby.

The Blue Orange Club

The landmarks in the notecard didn’t work for me, I just got teleported back to the landing point when using them. But you can as well explore Blue Orange without the landmarks. Blue Orange is a club, with exhibitions and pieces of art arranged around this really cozy and individually styled club. I read that every once in a while at Blue Orange there’ll be parties, cozy or crazy, simple or very messy or themed events as well – with some really exclusive Blue Orange music lovers or guest dj’s.

I explored the whole club and the current exhibitions. As with Ini’s exhibtion that I saw at MetaLes..O..Art Virtual Space, Blue Orange offers a different way to exhibit art, from classic exhibtions like those from Gitu Aura, NicoleX Moonwall and Jarla Capalini to art playing with light like Duality from Igor Ballyhoo, from single 3 D art like Great Escape by Rebeca Bashly to 3D art showing 3D statues within a labyrinth from Tehda Tammas, from just 2 pictures from Ini herself to the art installation of Cica Ghost “Rainy Day”. It is not that difficult finding the exhibition even without teleporting, you just have to find the stairways down and up from the club level. When you explore the exhibitions don’t miss to take the notecards that are offerend at some exhibtions and that will provide some more Information about the artists and about what you see.

I liked a lot what I saw. I think the concept is similar to MetaLes..O..Art Virtual Space, changing exhibitions from various artists, and various forms of art. Ini made a great job in realizing this art project. I did enjoy my visit to the fullest and got a lot of inspirations. Thank you, Ini, for providing the landmark but most of all for providing this space for the art within Second Life.

Landmark to Blue Orange:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Empire%20State%20Island/213/28/1435