by DrFran Babcock
This is the first SL Birthday that I have ever attended
without reading everything I could find before entering. I usually have a build
as well, that allows me early entry, and the ability to preview everything, and
to know what is going on from lurking on the group builder chat.
This year I am so busy with First Life that I entered the
sims on Press Day, and had the “kid in the candy shop” feel of seeing a vast
world for the first time. I had no preconceived notions, no advance plans to
see any particular build (beside SLNewser, cough, cough), and I got to wander
around, and look at whatever shiny thing caught my eye. Thus, what follows is
very much based on the few builds I saw after I landed, and teleported around
randomly.
I love the theme What Dreams May Come, because it allows all
the exhibitors to unleash their creativity—something they seem to do regardless
of the theme. Below are two exhibits that exemplify the best the best of this
world of wonder and intelligence.
Asmita’s Dream by Asmita Duranjaya (http://slurl.com/secondlife/
I was drawn to this parcel as I flew around SL12B because of
the bright pink and magenta patterns and turrets. I landed in a whirl of
fractals and dance balls. Asmita is a Second Life™ artist who has exhibited at
a lot of venues in world, including the Linden Endowment for the Arts: http://giridevi.blogspot.com
The build in SL12B is very pink, and full of fractals. My
very first build at Burning Life in 2006—which was called Burning Life back
then, and not Burn—was made of walls covered with fractals, so I was drawn to
it from the start.
There is no great, deep message here. This is a place to
come and enjoy, and the dance balls make it clear that we are meant to have fun
in this pink paradise. I hope you will come and do just that.
The Stuff of Dreams – iSkye Silverweb (http://slurl.com/secondlife/
For the most part, when you wander SL12B you have no idea who
has created the plots you are visiting. I use the inspect tool in the viewer. I
was pleasantly surprised to find that the giant green bed to which I was drawn
had been built by iSkye Silverweb. I know iSkye for her tireless work with
Gentle Heron and Virtual Ability, and have noted that as time has passed she
has developed into a competent and creative builder.
What I really liked about this build was that it had been
well thought out with the theme in mind. It had a completeness to it that was
probably attributable to the use of color, and the scale of the objects. The
giant bed is more than pretty; it’s fun. You can jump on it all you want and
your mom won’t tell you to stop. Here are iSkye’s words about the exhibit,
taken from the notecard on her parcel.
This world
teems with life, with variety, with possibilities. There is so much to do and
see and experience that one person cannot possibly do it all in just one
lifetime. The world is just too big. But we can dream, and some of our dreams
can actually come to pass. Wishes we had when we were young, but as we got
older they became less important to us. Then we have other dreams to pursue...
Life is about things we imagine, that become real. Have you ever rested on a
hill watching clouds go by, lost in daydreams? Perhaps your dreams talk to you
at night, in the moments between waking and sleeping? Life is constant change,
always seeking...something. Our wishes and hopes may change, but the magic
stays with us. Our lives can be the stuff of dreams.
The display is cut
into two diagonally, with the bed on one side, and a dark green forest with
candles on the other. It is meditative and speaks to the hope of dreams. I
spoke briefly with iSkye and she was eager to answer any questions I had, but
it seemed to me that her creation had said it all.
Come to SL12B
SL12B will be running
all week with exhibits, interview shows, music, comedy and the final
realization that, as iSkye asserts: “…the magic stays with us.”
DrFran Babcock
Thanks so much for writing this post..Most informative and enjoyable.
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