Asadorable Delightful (Asadora Summers) On The Yavascript Pod Cars

By Bixyl Shuftan

With the Pod Car tours on the mainland created by Yavanna Llanfair in the news lately due to the announcement of their closing last Friday due to a miscommunication with Linden Lab, and the announcement a few days later that they would be staying. Unfortunately, Yavanna is not as active in Second Life as she used to be due to a Coronavirus infection having had some lasting effects on her. Fortunately, there was someone whom could answer questions about the pod cars and what's been going on, Asadorable Delightful (Asadora Summers).

When asked how long had she known Yananna, and her pod system, she answered, "Let's see, I first rezzed 2006, Pods started in 10 years ago... I've known Yavanna around five years. The pods I knew when they first began or near around then, experienced them, but haven't regarded them so passionately until I moved back to Mainland."

Of her role with the pod car system, "Currently, I am a moderator for the Pod Riders group, which is a group of people that enjoy exploring Mainland using the YavaPods. I also stay close outside of SL with Yavanna Llanfair who founded the Pod Riders group. If she isn't available, then I pass on what is asked to be passed on to her. I make sure to keep the Pod Riders group notified of new stations/new pod stops and what else regards the Yavapods."

When I asked if there was ever a glitch in the cars, Asadorable answered, "If there is a glitch with the pods, someone reports it to the Pod Riders group and/or will send a message to Yavanna telling her. Yavanna is excellent at sorting any problems out right away. Normally however, it's very rare there is a glitch with the pods, unless it has something to do with out of Yavanna's control."

As it turned out, Asadorable didn't hear about Yavanna's 24 hour ban until just before the announcement, "I first heard of Yavanna's 24 hour ban when she sent a notecard last Friday, explaining all that had happened and as to why she was doing what she had done, making the pods still work but not riding down roads on their own without a passenger." Of her being banned and the lack of a response from the Lab, "I'd chalk it up to it can be easy to have misunderstandings on any platform on the Internet, especially in SL."

Of the numerous comments that Yavanna had gotten in support, "Of course there were! Yavapods are a Mainland institution, actually a SL institution! One resident had a concept and created it, in an effort to bring people together on Mainland, to help people explore and see what they would not normally be able too without the pods."

In the middle of our interview came the announcement that Yananna and Linden Lab had resolved the misunderstanding. "It's exciting!" Asadorable told me, "Yavanna is certainly relived, as we all are in the community!" Of the part about "possible joint projects," she wasn't sure what they could be, "Mmmm, well honestly, Bixyl I can only imagine! It's Second Life after all and SL is what we make it! (smile)"

Might we see pod tours in Bellissaria? She answered yes and no, "Actually, as Patch Linden stated in his reply post on the thread that refers to the pods on the SL community forums, he did mention that they have already used some elements of that nature in Belliseria. You'd have to check out that post yourself, to make sure though."

When asked if she had anything to add, Asadorable answered, "I just want to add that Yavanna has has done Mainland Proud. The Pod Riders, all the support from other Mainland and Pod lovers, we all have done Mainland proud with the support we have shown Yavanna. She created a beautiful thing for us all to enjoy together and explore using the pods. Mainland wouldn't be the same without them."

To join the Pod Riders group (Click here).

Bixyl Shuftan

Scraps: Collages at Montara Bridge Works Gallery

By Klaus Bereznyak

Scraps, by Veyot (Resident) is the current collection of art on display at Montara Bridge Works Gallery in Second Life.

The gallery is located in the sky above a tiny beach idyll where visitors are welcome to relax and enjoy the waterside setting, take off for further exploration in a passing Yavascript Pod, select a destination from the posters on display or check out the landmarks from a notecard in the news vendor.

Into this context, Veyot has placed her virtualized collection of hands-on, real-life collage work, made initially not with pixel manipulation but with glue, paper, and scissors. The collages are abstract and freeform with thematic echoes of shape, color, and content, leaving it very much to the observer to take what they will from the detail.

Veyot's summary, provided in a notecard at the exhibit, states: "These abstract collages are made from scraps of junk mail, old calendars, magazines and newspapers. I use them for greeting cards or fold them over to make covers for tiny notebooks. I prefer to tear random shapes instead of carefully cutting around an object. In SecondLife, they seem more useful as textures rather than wall hangings, so I put them all in one box. It's upstairs."

Many of the pieces include tantalizing fragments of text and a mixture of formal and informal composition, figures, faces, textures from nature, fabrics, maps and photographs. There are 12 individual pieces on the wall and several décor items textured with collages as well as the box of textures, which are on offer as freebies.

However playful and accidental the works may appear at first, they are marked by a coherent style and overall feel that perhaps comes from the fact that Veyot has been making collages for several years, although this is the first time they have been presented in an inworld collection. Veyot explained to me it was the combination of her commitment to making a "collage a day" while stuck at home during the Covid-19 crisis and an invitation by gallery owner, Pearl Grey, that provided the impetus for the project.

The pictures were chosen from dozens of possible options. Choosing the ones that would work together in the space, Veyot tells me, was a challenge that took "some imagination". It is an accessible exhibit in that we are likely to be familiar with printed material and many of our humans had a crack at sticking things together on paper in our early education. I found myself naturally responding to the colorful, kaleidoscopic compositions as they seemed to celebrate nature and topography, everyday life and exotic locations, inviting fresh associations between visual cues.

It's inspiring to look at these pictures, and I found myself wanting to have a go too. I asked Veyot if she had any tips for wannabe collagers. She said, "Calendar pictures are an especially good source because of the size. Tear the page into random shapes and then glue them down in random order for a simple abstract collage. Take care which way you hold the paper when you tear. You can get a white edge either showing or not, whichever you prefer."

Veyot is one of many creative souls making ingenious use of the opportunities in our virtual world to make art and stories and have adventures. You can read what she's up to on her blog or follow her on Tumblr.

SLURL: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montara/47/187/702
Veyot's View: https://veyot.tumblr.com/
Virtual Veyot: https://veyot368870036.wordpress.com/
Klaus Bereznyak