What's New at the Linden Endowment for the Arts

By Gemma Cleanslate

The Linden Endowment for the Arts has many very exciting new installations in both the Visiting Artists sims and the Core sims. I had invites to three openings on Sunday but was involved in the Kickoff of the Relay for Life and missed all three. I went over to explore  the exhibits in two of the sims Monday . Landing at the welcome area was an experience too since it has been remodeled since I last was there . It is worth a visit to check out the new textures and look into the distance at pieces of art that are placed around the area. Here you can see the posters for the new artists in resident and if you stand close to the poster and click you will have a slurl in your chat that will take you right to the region. Be aware that some are still a work in progress. The core sims can be reached in the same fashion and the posters are there next to the artists area. Go take a look.   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA3/130/116/21

I then went over to LEA 19 to see the exhibit of my friend iSkye Silverweb. At first sight I was stunned by the desolate landscape but by the time I left I understood and realized it was not desolate at all. Since the sim was empty I had time to explore and see all the components that iskye has placed there. There is a story behind the creations. Read them. She also has her poetry at some of the segments to read and absorb with the story.  Most people have experienced what she did in one way or another ,

Loss
“Chaos. Disorder. Nothing makes sense.
Lost my place in a blink, like that.
Reality sinks in, just a bit. “

and will understand why it is set in the way it is. I will let you walk , and look, read and form your own impressions from your own memories.  Visit the “Colors of Loss and Healing “,  art by iSkye Silverweb, music by Ahnue Heartlight, creative support from Dubhna Thiadra,   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA6/128/128/22

My next trip took me to the installation “The Art Rocket” by Betty Tureaud.

When I see a rocket by Betty Turead I know I am going for a ride! On landing I grabbed the notecard to give me her ideas of enjoying the exhibit . I took the rocket for a wild ride through the region getting just a glimpse of color and what is to come. When I landed at the base again I put on the hud for a more sedate visit through the levels. At the Planet level I found myself finally believing that spring is really coming. The masses of colors are uplifting! Each level is discrete and has its own flair, but some have connections to another .

Watch for interactive fun.  My favorite was swimming with the fish in the ‘Pond’. The ‘Black Hole’ actually is not as empty as you think. Have fun as you tour using the hud. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA19/128/129/22

I will be touring more of the builds as they are completed. 

Gemma Cleanslate

Bryn Oh And More at the LEA

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

I have been a fan of Bryn Oh for many years in Second Life. Her art is always a delight to visit  and often become part of it by interaction. Bryn is a real life artist living in Toronto Canada, whose landscapes are known over many countries and exhibited in many museums and galleries.  She has been doing various forms in exhibits that are extensive filling a sim from top to bottom and border to border and very interactive for the visitors. Some of my favorite exhibits include the "Rabbbicorn" story and "Anna’s Many Murders." 

 

Right now she has an installation titled  Retrospective in LEA 9.This goes back to here original art done in 2007and shows work to 2014.It is a wonderful perspective of how her art has progressed over the years.It is almost overwhelming in its scope. As you move through the site you will click on posters that lead you to  her machinima . Her artistry is in many media. The entire region is full of exhibit examples from each year. Just follow the signs. It will be open through December.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA9/196/216/21

 

Another lovely exhibit not to be missed has opened in LEA6. It is art of real-life and Second Life photographs, and a poetry exhibit. Again the artist is a real life artist, Eliza Cabassoun, who says of her pieces, “Everyone has a place where they found their soul. This is where I found mine.  I found mine in a cabin by a lake where the fog rises in the morning into the mountains like a warm blanket.This lake is where I followed my soul to realize I have two gifts--writing and photography--and a part of my soul will always be here.” 

 

There is a convenient TP to get you to the gallery and Poetry Garden.  Walk around her lake to view some art  and some of her sculpture .
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA6/104/30/29

 

Gemma Cleanslate

What's New at the LEA

By Gemma Cleanslate

The  Linden Endowment of the Arts  have granted their regions to the artists for the next three months. Most builds are almost ready and you can actually get to visit some now. Bixyl did write about  Pinwheels LEA 26 a few weeks back (link). I took a look at several and recommend visiting them all.  

One that I loved was the region called Black Elk. It is a tribute to the lovely prophetic words of Black Elk, a native American medicine man or shamen. It is a beautiful display on LEA1. You will see his words in the air amid horses and other symbols of the spirit of nature.  Livio Oak Korobase (Livio Korobase) is the creator in this region. Above in the air is a stunning collection of symbols in a hovering tiny planet like build overseen by flying doves. Sit and enjoy.

On LEA16 Dave Searby Mason had created a three level interactive experience you don’t want to miss. Use the notecard you will find there to help you enjoy each level to the fullest. The ground level is restful. The tp at the entrance will take you up to the sound spheres where headphones will enhance the visit. Wander and listen. Another tp will take you to the third level of which David says, "is also designed to walk through like the spheres but here the visual aim is different.  I wanted to create a ghostly feel to add another dimension to the sounds."  It is an experience not to be missed. 

Another that I enjoyed very much is LEA 10, La Palma Sculpture Garden by Peli Dieterle, still a work in progress. There are lovely sculpts in the area near the water now. However the setting is so restful I brought out my horse and took a long ride up the winding road to the top and back down again. The build around the interesting sculptures is delightful. Take a tp over there. While you are at the welcome area cam out and take a look at the pieces of art that are in the sky.
 
This is just a sample of the regions you can visit. There are other TPs from the welcome area to take and you can save the LM to come back many times over. Some of the regions will be holding events at various times during their stay and there is a calendar on the website .I will do another article on more of the exhibits. There are many! You can start at the Welcome area http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA3/126/126/22 . Here you will find posters for the various regions with their teleport slurl by clicking on the poster. This will take you to the sim.  Connect to the blog or website from the welcome area poster that lists it. 

Gemma Cleanslate

Of Sound Mind at the Linden Endowment for the Arts

By DrFran Babcock

Talk about sounds in Second Life and Lorin Tone’s name is bound to come up. Thus, when Judi Newall sent me a notecard to alert me that Lorin and his friends had gotten a sim in the Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) I knew I was in for a treat. I teleported over there, and was met by Lorin Tone himself. He told me to explore, so that’s what I set out to do. I had a wonderful, joyfully noise-filled time, and so will you.

The build is actually a series of several different environments, constructed by Lorin’s long time collaborator and aptly-named recluse, Madcow Cosmos, along with other friends: Glyph Graves, P4ndor4, Quintessa, Meriadne Merlin,Inventor Alchemi, Marcus Parrott, Mia Anais, and Judi Newall. It’s a testament to Lorin’s spirit of teamwork that so many people love to work with him.

It is difficult to describe the builds, especially because they focus on sound—a concept that does not translate well into print. The exhibits are interactive, and rely upon you to touch and walk through characters and sculptures to create and loop sounds. For example: A beach side group of singing creatures loop sounds and chorus when touched. Touch them all for a pleasing cacophony, touch them again to change the loop played, and the whole sound changes completely.

Or, go to the Obligatory Spooky Cave, and walk through the falling water to activate sounds that echo and chime through the space, but beware the monster at the end. There are so many activities: Eat Brains under the giant skull, visit the jellyfish underwater that were made by Glyph Graves , see the Boolean Sequencer by Inventor Alchemi, play full songs on The Mighty SLurlitzer, visit Marcus Parrott’s café where the staff speak to you and sing the Fishead Song, and everywhere on the sim Madcow Cosmos’ alarming, cute and frightening characters, sticking out their tongues, winking, flapping wings, and most of all making sounds, sounds sounds.

The whole point of this installation is this, according to Lorin Tone: Second Life is a place where so many different and amazing environments can be created, but what improves and enhances all of them is sound. Lorin and his friends have a mission to improve how sound is used in Second Life., and the sim is proof that they have succeeded.

Of Sound Mind is open now on LEA Island 19. Did I mention freebies? There are several scattered around the sim. I found a harp and some other goodies to play. There will be events and lectures and sound seminars throughout the installation. Check the Linden Endowment for the Arts website for schedules: http://lindenarts.blogspot.com .

LEA19, (123, 187, 22)

DrFran Babcock

The Path

I missed the opening of The Path last weekend but went over there as soon as I could. As a curator of the Linden Endownment for the Arts, Bryn Oh, along with seven collaborators have put together the elaborate story of The Inventor. Some of the artists are known to me and others are new, but there so much talent in one place.

It is hard to decipher the real meaning of the story , its beginning and its end. The underlying basis for the exhibit is the surrealist “exquisite Corpse.” Each creator adds to the words, picture, or in this case, entire story of the Inventor. There are wispy hints of other stories we know. I have been through it three times now and each time my view has changed as I encountered more intricate discoveries and meaning in the scenes as I moved along. Each station is amazing in its diverse addition to the prior part of the story.

Bryn said of the exhibit,”I really think this may be something people talk about for a long time. I personally couldn't pick my favorite scene as each excelled in some area or another. And that to me is a very good sign.“

I did have a favorite. I found the scene of the windows fascinating and spent time peering into each one. Each part of the story was been assigned randomly to each collaborator and each developed their own interpretation so when you reach the end you may feel the need to begin again as I did. The dimensions of the parts really needs to be studied for their many secrets. The third time I went I took someone with me to help find the hidden points I had missed and I am so glad I did! My own mental ending is not a happy one for the Inventor.

To insure not being lost, take along the teleport list that you can find before you enter the journey. On my first visit I used it many times but was able to find the way more easily in my other visits. This is a journey not to be rushed so plan to spend time there, or plan to return often. You should listen as well as look.

Bryn Oh says, “I would like to thank all the artists involved for working so hard on this project and in such a professional manner. They created a truly brilliant experience for me and hopefully for all the guests as well.” Here are the names of all the collaborators: Bryn Oh, Colin Fizgig, Marcus Inkpen, Desdemona Enfield / Douglas Story, Maya Paris, Claudia222 Jewell. Scottius Polke, Rose Borchovski.

Begin your journey here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA2/181/185/23

Gemma Cleanslate

The Nine Circles of Hell

Seeing what I thought to be an interesting location in the Destinations list on login, I headed over to the Lea Full Sim Art Series at Lea6 (124,164,625) to find Rebeca Bashly's take on the Nine Circles of Hell. All nine are represented, from the frigid land of the 9th circle (for those who commit treason) to the wearing of lead-lined cloaks and people walking backwards with their heads turned around (the Hell reserved for fraudsters and the like). On seeing the sign overhead before the entrance, I went in with high hopes figuring it was going to be something very much worth talking about.

In the first circle (Limbo), it's decked out as a large castle with ghostly forms sitting around, as if waiting to be redeemed. Ascending to the middle of the castle, the teleport up there dropped me down to the second level, the eternal hurricane of Lust (where those who let lust guide them are supposedly eternally blown about on an ill wind). After watching the ghostly faces within the hurricane spin for a minute or two, the next teleport led to the circle of Gluttony awaited. There, an "icy rain" fell on the souls of the damned, fored to live in disgusting slush of some kind for all eternity. From there it is a descent into Greed, showing souls pushing giant boulders back and forth with their chests.

After a visit to the land of the greedy, it was off to the fifth circle (Anger) where sculptures of large groups of people eternally fighting on the surface of the River Styx were displayed in a massed jumble of bodies trying to tear each other apart (an article in Wikipedia I looked up remarked that the souls are "locked in" to their level, forever stuck in the mindset of the "theme" the circle is supposed to revolve around). After that it was off on a trip to the City of Dis, the sixth circle (the circle of Heresy). Guarded by what appeared to be three gorgons or medusae at the front, the entire "city" was a bunch of flaming holes with bodies in them.

The teleport at the back led to the 7th circle of Hell, where those who subscribed to violence in life were punished. Met at the entrance by the Minotaur (guardian of the level), this one to me was the most defined, with three very visible "circles" within. The first showed the outer ring where centaurs shot at sinners immersed in a river of blood and fire; the inner circle showed the "wood of the suicides" being beset upon by the harpies, and the center showing the blasphemers being stuck up to their heads with fiery flakes raining down on them. Once I went to the teleport at the other end of the rings, it was off to the 8th circle of Hell, the Malebolgia.

The Malebolgia was full of many little "mini islands", each showing souls suffering in one way or another (one group in lead-lined cloaks, another group wandering eternally with their heads turned all the way around so they could not see where they were going). This is the home of those who were frauds in life, unable now to see the truth and how to redeem themselves. Finally it was off to the bottom level, an icy wasteland with the devil himself at the center, with wings flapping. Lots of faces frozen into the ice here, with no escape (literally, I had to teleport home to get out of the sim).

It's all in all a very nice piece of artwork and the effort really shows, but what seemed to be lacking here was interactability. There was nothing to click, other than the teleports from one circle to another... no signs revealing information about the various levels or punishments (or various "lyrics" from the Divine comedy), no ability to *be* one of the souls and float around in the river on the 7th circle and experience it... nothing at all. That kind of dumbed down the whole experience. That is why I'm giving the whole place a guarded three Dragon Hoards out of five. It's a nice place to visit, see, and interpret for yourself, but there's no replay value, at least not to me.

Lea6 (124,164,625)

Xymbers Slade



From the LEA Full Sim Art Series, "Nightmares," directed by Urban Steampunk, "Not every dream is a good dream and sometimes nightmares can be significantly far more than just bad dreams...."