Melusina 's Art

By Gemma Cleanslate

 Quan Lavender, curator of Art India Gallery  is hosting an amazing exhibit by Melusina Parkin. I attended the opening of the exhibit on Saturday (Feb 2) that was a fun flapper party. Melu was wearing an amazing flapper outfit, as were other attendees. Melu has an extensive history in the art, furniture and fashion world of Second Life and has exhibited in many museums and galleries across the grid. Her resume of accomplishments and awards is available at the gallery and you can pick it up and read all about her. Her major passion is Art Deco. She has remarkable photographs on the walls of the exhibit hall she has decorated at Art India in Shekhawati. The furniture and the carpets on the floor are all examples of her work.  

I loved the ceiling and pillars of the long exhibit hall. The sleekness of the gallery with the subtle shadings and angularity I found kept me just gazing off into the distance for a long time before I went to view the photography. It is amazing to see photographs of all those builds and furniture and pieces that are around SL. 

Above the exhibit Melu has set up a display history of Art Deco relating it back to ancient times. You will find a teleport near the entry point. I enjoyed that area as I learned so much about it that I did not know. You will see geometric patterns from ancient Egypt and the Mayan empire that are the inspiration of  Art Deco and follow movements through the last century to modern times as depicted in buildings , furniture , decor, and fashions all over the world.

I learned from an article that Melu has written, available to you in the history area,  that the term Art Deco “originates from the Exposition des ARTes DECOratives de Paris, 1925 .” Read all about the progression of the art in the last century. At the same place you will get a list of landmarks of places in SL that contain Art Deco buildings and decor. Out of curiosity I did take a couple of tps to places I have not been before just to see the buildings. Some of those sims need a second look.  

The exhibit will be open until the end of March so you will have ample time to explore and enjoy both areas, the exhibit itself and the history locale. There is no way to do it all justice in a short article. See for yourself.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shekhawati/205/29/35 

Gemma Cleanslate

Virtual Museum of Architecture - Fall Build-Off

The Virtual Museum of Architecture (VMA) held its annual Fall Build-off on Builder’s Brewery, located at Builders Resource (111, 30, 22). Djinn Dasmijn was the Build-Off Coordinator. The theme was Art Deco, a style developed in the 1920’s and 30’s. During a whirlwind 48 hours, competitors designed, built, textured, and tweaked their creations. The aim of the competition was to see who could create the most functional and appealing Art Deco commercial building. There were two categories: Novice and Pro, for residents who had previously sold builds. When the building ended on Sunday, SL residents voted for their favorites.

Djinn Dasmijn stated, “I am impressed with the quality of builds our competitors come up with at each build-off.” There are two large competitions held each year, with a different theme each time. This was the first time the Art Deco theme had been used. Dasmijn said a small contest was held to select the best Art Deco trophy. Because the Build-Offs are so popular, Dasmijn may be adding smaller events throughout the year.

There were 21 competitors this year, 10 in the Pro category and 11 in the Novice. The variety and quality were amazing. Among the builds were restaurants, department stores, a theater, and even a dolphin sanctuary. Some of the builders created notecards about their inspiration or method of creating the piece, which I found very interesting. Camden McAndrews, for example, first built a 1:32 scale model of his structure.

One competitor, Darkforest Dean, took time out to talk about his build and allowed me to photograph him. He placed a radio that he had made inside his structure, and the radio served as the inspiration for his build. Another builder, Levi Ewing, built a tall, luxurious “Flag Ship” store to symbolize the richness of the 1920s and capture the mood of the carefree lifestyle people were experiencing then.

Morgan India created “The Hindenburg Club”, a sky harbor/bus station redesigned into a “high-class speakeasy”. India’s entertaining notecard explained the problems faced by executives of Dirigible-Omnibus Harbor, Inc. that resulted in this structure. India’s real inspiration for the build was a hangar at Lambert Field and by Art Deco icons, such as the Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA [1931], the Musical Hall in Kansas City [1932], and the Gold Ballroom of the Overlook Hotel.

A very unique design was the Mariposa Dolphin Sanctuary, built by Enoch Kips. This two-story structure had a second floor observation walk where you could watch the two rescued dolphins swim. Movies were well-represented in the competition, too. A great corner theater was built by Deo, while Simi Firehawk’s stucco, glass and gold structure included Casablanca posters and pictures of movie stars inside.

The end of the competition was celebrated by a dance DJ’d by Etoile in the exhibitor’s area. The Winners were announced at an Awards Gala on Monday, October 24th, from 7:00–9:00 PM SLT, on the competition sim.

The winners of VMA's Fall Build-off 2011 are:

Novice Category:

1st place: Jolie Serendipity, 2nd place: Arteer Oliva, 3rd place: 2Rottin Dean

Pro Category:

Tied for 1st place: Terra Tepper and Marcan Aridian , 2nd place: Hideo Inaka, 3rd place: Granelda Oh

People's Choice Awards:

Novice: Camden McAndrews, Professional: Granelda Oh

Grey Lupindo