I have left Second Life. I have deleted my avatars and removed everything from Nordan om Jorden, including Nordan Art. The Nordan om Jorden group will be inactive as will this blog. Second Life was an incredible experience for me, it is just time to go. Goodbye, everybody.

Flora

I finally found my way to Giovanna Cerise’s variations of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Imparafacile Island. When one first teleports in, one finds oneself in space covered in musical sheets. There are also free clothes available here, fitting to the installation; I grabbed a beautiful peacock-blue dress. There are several large works dispersed throughout this space, I will only cover a few here. In order to fully appreciate the beauty of these builds, please step inside and click on the ball with a tune one it; an excerpt of music will play. My first stop is a birdcage like shaped build, symbolic of the bird-catcher Papageno. Interspersed is a string of red musical notes, lending this work delicacy and grace. Next, I find myself in a large labyrinth like creation, perhaps representing the Temple of Ordeal, I am not really certain; greenish beams create paths that are adorned by three fan-shaped works. Finally, I stop by a circular grey-brown build containing a pyramid created of light, representing The Pyramids; there are poses here, each offering a dance. All of these builds, and several others I did not cover here, come together and create a magnificent whole. Clearly, a lot work has been put in to this and it is nothing short of a masterpiece! Please go and take a look, here is the slur: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Imparafacile/169/131/2481. Also, Giovanna Cerise will be showing her work at Nordan Art, starting February 4, 2012. Please be on the lookout for announcements.

I am happy to report that guest blogger Huckleberry Hax has been visiting InWorldz again! This time he explored the Gulliver’s Travels sim and is sharing here with us his impressions and photographs.

I’m at the Gulliver’s Travels sim in InWorldz, a quite remarkable depiction by Ub Yifu of Gulliver’s imprisonment at Lilliput.  The detail here is astonishing and it’s easy to lose track of time completely as you wander around, your camera focusing in one after another of the intricate components of this vast and colourful work. At the centre of the sim is Gulliver himself, an enormous figure (bearing more than a passing resemblance to Philip Linden), tied down with ropes and stakes by the many six inch Lilliputians.  Above him, a hot air balloon trailing ropes provides support from the air to lift such heavy items as his pocket watch.  Other areas include a castle, a waterfall and a complete (and I mean complete) Lilliputian village.  The quality of the sculpted prims and textures, and the sheer quantity of detail create the feeling of walking around inside the illustrations to a children’s story book. As engrossing as this work is at the level of visual detail, however, there is still more going on here to intrigue.  The Lilliputians themselves, for example, are little ape people not at all dissimilar from ‘Planet of the Apes’ and I’m curious to know why this is.  One possible theory I have is that this represents the suggestion that the Houyhnhnms, intelligent horses Gulliver encounters in his fourth voyage (Lilliput being the first), were the inspiration for the Pierre Boulle novel.  But I might be way off there.  A set of notecards giving a little information about each of the main areas, therefore, would be a real bonus to the visitor wanting to understand more. The Gulliver’s Travels sim is owned by Jeri Rahja.  If you can, make sure your graphics are set to ultra when you visit this installation, and if you’re using Imprudence, I recommend also switching on shadows for added sumptuousness.  You won’t regret spending time in this sim, and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up spending way more time in it than you expected to. Here is the slurl: 150, 119, 725.

pixel’s work consists of black and white images of young boys and colored text (excerpts from the poem) alternately being shown on a black platform; there are rotating cubes with black and white images on the platform as well. When one clicks the cube in the middle of the platform, a text addressing the issue The Photographic or Ethical Paradox and the Children of Naples appears.

Next, Betty’s work. Here we see layers and layers of large images depicting children living on the streets, contained in a large black space. Standing in between these layers, there is a sense of being enveloped by them and having become part somehow; this is a “right in your face” experience.  Once one enters this installation, one is also provided with a notecard containing information about how to learn more about children living on the streets.

On the next platform is the work by Sarima. It consist of a large cube in various shades of green on a black platform. The outside walls of the cube changes intermittently, showing images of children, drawings, trees and houses. On one of the inside walls is depicted an image of an avatar on a tree branch, perhaps it is the artist herself. It appears she is watching what is going on inside the cube; once one clicks a tall green column like object there are delicate, colorful shapes that appear and fill the inside of the cube. I found there to be a dreamlike and sad quality to this work; this installation also incorporates another poem of Carmen Auletta, namely A Sad Heart (Core Scuro).

My last stop is on the  platform containing the work by Emme and Rumegusc. Just like Sarima, they also contribute another poem in their interpretation, again A Sad Heart (Core Scuro), by Carmen Auletta. The poem is posted within the installation itself, both in English and Italian versions. Once one arrives on this platform, one stands in strings of lights, shooting off in different directions. There are images on the walls, parts of a cement wall and grey cubes. There is also a video, which you can see above (thanks Emme!).

These installations will only be at Nordan Art for another three days and then the exhibit travels on to one of its final locations. Come and take a look, all of the four teleports are located in the front of the gallery: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nordan%20om%20Jorden/19/105/25. 

claudia told me that at the moment she is teaching herself how to rig the avatars that she makes. She has an opening coming up at Art Screamer in the near future, really looking forward to seeing what she will show there. Also, claudia will be showing her work again at Nordan Art starting June 9, 2012. Please be on the look-out for announcements.

For more information, please visit http://forums.the-wastelands.org/index.php . And go and check out the Wastelands for yourself, its worth the trip. I think its like thirteen or fourteen sims, so make sure you have a time to explore: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hambone%20Slash/231/133/76.

Museo del Metaverso’s Art and Poetry events have been going on in Second Life since September 22, 2011. Throughout this traveling exhibition twenty-two poems by Carmen Auletta are interpreted by 132 artists for twenty-two weeks. The six artists who will show their work at Nordan Art are Pixel Reanimator, Betty Tureaud, Sarima Giha, Luca Sequini, Rumegusc Altamura and Emme Emmons. The poem chosen for the Nordan Art hosting event is The Children of Naples:

Children  who have  lost  their innocence,
they meet in their thousand in the city,
living in great pain
and we  pretend of not to see.

We must cure this sickness of Naples,
which is within the eyes of these children,
a  look of beaten and flayed hopes,
the misery takes hold of them by the hair.

The real school teaches the way,
work or go to steal,
you find them also in the suburbs,
where the Gang of thieves comes to exploit them.

The world sees them in postcards,
because they are  folklore, they are beautiful,
but together with the pizza and  mandolin,
they do not speak of the suffering of Naples.

The six artists’ work will be shown on five platforms above the Nordan Art gallery itself. Teleports to these platforms are positioned across the gallery, in front of the statue of the angel. This promises to be an outstanding five-day event, I am very happy to host it. For more information about the Art and Poetry events in general, check out http://www.museodelmetaverso.it/page/art-poetry.

The Arte Libera in Sogno (Arte Libera in a Dream) series, which is hosted by various galleries or art sims, started a few months ago with soror Nishi, followed by Rose Borchovski. Both events were written about in this blog (on September 24 and October 9, 2011). The third host in this series is Nordan Art and we are proud to be showing Pol Jarvinen. Pol will be showing his work on a platform above Nordan Art. The teleport to the platform is in front of the gallery, on the steps to the right.

Come and join us for these exciting events hosted by Nordan Art over the next few weeks. Please be on the lookout for announcements.

I am hanging out at the place of the former 1000 Avatars Project, now known as the 1000+ Avatars Project. According to Gracie Kendal’s website, she has reached her goal of 1000 avatar portraits (in fact, 1029 portraits as of January 17, 2012) and the new goal is now 2000. This project, which portraits avatars in Second Life, deals with issues such as anonymity, personality and diversity. Gracie Kendal, aka Kristine Schomaker, wrote her Master’s thesis on the notion of online identity, specifically the construction of Avatars. Here is an excerpt:

I think it’s important to begin with an explanation of what avatars and Second Life are. Sean Egen explains that “‘Avatar’ derives from the Sanskrit word Avatara, which literally translates as ‘descent,’ specifically, a deliberate descent by a god into the land of mortals. In Hinduism, an avatar is the bodily manifestation of immortal beings… Many who use avatars today are literally approaching it from the point of view that their avatar represents their ‘incarnation’ into the internet.” In contemporary culture, an avatar is our virtual representation. Besides the practical reasons for having an avatar, there are many psychological reasons. Because avatars offer anonymity, people use them as a way to escape reality. In his book I, Avatar, Mark Stephen Meadows discusses how people use avatars as masks. “We are more inclined to reveal ourselves when we use our avatars. We’re more inclined to reveal what we want, dislike, and think. But in a world where information is more important than physical proximity, we are not as safe as we might assume… After all, the word persona originally meant, in ancient Greek, ‘mask.’ Not as in a thing that hides your face, but one that shows what is truly underneath.” SL offers people the freedom to explore changing identity dynamics. Experimentation is welcome. It is a safe environment which allows unlimited freedom to express oneself and consider boundaries/barriers that aren’t readily accepted in the physical world. “Computer screens are becoming the new location for our fantasies… The immateriality of cyberspace dissolves not only space and time, but our identities as well. For some this is a frightening prospect, for others perhaps the beginnings of a new empowerment.”

Please, for more information check out the Gracie Kendal 1000+ avatar project website at
http://1000avatars.wordpress.com/. Also, head over to the site and check out the portraits for yourself (or even get your own Avatar portrait taken), it is worth the trip. Here is the slurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coyote/98/157/1430.

I am very happy to report that Scottius Polke agreed to be interviewed for this blog. We met one evening, hanging out on top of Scottius’ current Nordan Art build, The Starfish Commander, chatting and taking pictures. Below please find the interview that followed. Pictures two and three are by Scottius Polke.  Scottius’ work can be seen at Nordan Art (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nordan%20om%20Jorden/19/105/25) until January 23, 2012. 

Flora Nordenskiold: I consider your installation The Docks one of the most important works in Second Life. When I first went to see it, I was completely in awe and I still feel that way. Please tell us about how this work came about.

Scottius Polke: Thanks Flora! The initial idea for the docks came from a drawing I did using ScribblerToo, an online drawing program. It was mostly a stream-of-consciousness effort, in which a figure slowly emerged. I figured it needed something to stand on, so I made a dock, and then of course, some water. http://srolfe.com/wp-content/gallery/scribbler-animals/dockjester2-web.jpg. It was ColeMarie Soleil who upon seeing it said, “You should build this plz.” So I did. Initially I thought it would be only the contents of the drawing, but felt it needed more. An environment slowly built up around it and in doing that, a story of sorts came about. However, I have left that open-ended and let the viewer interpret what is happening. As a result, I know of a short story, poem and machinima that are based on the build.

Flora Nordenskiold: You are showing at the Flying Eye Art Museum at the Looking Glass Animals in the Scribbled Wild, drawings created in Real Life, using your Real Life name Scott Rolfe. I have seen photographs of your Real Life work (see http://srolfe.com/) and find it just as intriguing as your Second Life work. Please tell us about your Real Life work.

Scottius Polke: I started out as an illustrator, and like to keep my drawing skills fresh, which is part of the reason I did all those animals. My illustrations are also the basis of my larger works in sl, which almost all incorporate them. But the main focus in my Real Life work right now is assemblage. Basically I take found objects and make constructions out of them. They can be identifiable things like animals, or more abstract compositions. Assemblage to me is a combination of hunting/gathering and putting together a jigsaw in which there is no set solution. Sometimes to finish a piece I need a very specific object, and as a result a large percentage of my studio space is shelves of stuff.

Flora Nordenskiold: The Second Life art community is diverse and vibrant, the creative possibilities appear limitless. Who are some of the creators that inspire you here? What are your thoughts on art and creativity in Second Life in general?

Scottius Polke: To try to list every artist that inspires me would be nigh impossible but I am awed by the great range of talent here. There are rl artists showing their works, and artists using primarily inworld tools. There are texture, sculpt and now mesh experts. There are builders of large elaborate sims, as well as those who focus on individual objects. Many people, for one reason or another, are not able to be part of an art community in rl, so Second Life offers this vibrant community take take part in, however which way one chooses to is up to them.

Flora Nordenskiold: You have been in Second Life since 2008, for about four years now. What are some of the best and some of the worst things about Second Life and how have things changed since you have been here?

Scottius Polke: As I mentioned above, being able to take part and share in a community is one of the biggest pluses for an artist here, in my opinion. It also serves as a great place to visualize ideas, create models and final artwork that would be either time, cost or space prohibitive in rl. I think one of the aspects of SL that could be seen as a weakness is the fact that a larger audience has never been cultivated here to view the work of all the artists here; growth has remained mostly flat since I joined. This isn’t to downplay the other aspects I mentioned, but just to add a bit of realism about how far an artist can go professionally inworld. I would add that there are the cost factors of owning a sim, but we all know that by now.

Flora Nordenskiold: Finally, I have to ask about the otter, your chosen avatar in Second Life. People love him, perhaps women in particular ( I know find him (o)tterly adorable). Why an otter?

Scottius Polke: Well I think you just answered your own question. <big otter grin>

Flora Nordenskiold: Thank you, Scottius.

Scottius Polke: And thank you, Flora!

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