An image from 'The Arrival' by Rose Borchovski. Photo courtesy of pallina60 Loon My 5th LEA Arts Festival 'peek' is The Arrival by the acclaimed SL artist, Rose Borchovski. In a recent interview Rose revealed that this detailed build was inspired by her real life childhood experiences. She grew up in a seaside village and once every few years a small whale would be washed ashore, condemned to die a slow, sad death. It was the cause of much excitement throughout the village when this happened and left a great impression on Rose. This vivid recollection formed basis of the idea for The Arrival. Now I'm going to 'Peek Cheat' - but just a little. I wrote about The Arrival last month, so I'll refer you to that very enthusiastic blog post for further info, images and the SLurl to this incredible installation!
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The fourth in my series of LEA Arts Festival 'peeks' is Cries & Whispers by the very creative Nino Vichan. This is really two installations in one. It contains dramatic representations of scenes from two of Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice. The textures and visuals are amazing - the moving forest is particularly spooky. To assist viewers, note cards are dotted throughout the build (click the books) and quotes from the play pop up on your chat screen from time to time. For those who haven't had the opportunity to read or see these Shakespeare plays before, I've provided brief overviews of the plots below. They are very cool stories! Macbeth - the plotMacbeth is driven to murder the King of Scotland so that he can take up the throne himself. He immediately assigns the blame to someone else, leaving himself free of suspicion. Not only does he refuse to come clean, but he does everything in his power to make sure that his secret doesn’t leak out - including murdering others. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is an accessory and an accomplice to the King's murder. In fact it was she who came up with the devious plan in the first place... Macbeth - the three witches Three witches (also known as the weird sisters) make several prophesies that spur Macbeth to undertake his murderous acts. The prophecies included him becoming Thane of Cowdor and eventually the King of Scotland. Macbeth - the bloody hands No artistic work that explores the story of Macbeth could ignore Lady Macbeth's horrific hallucinations - blood on her hands. These symbolise her guilt, the onset of her insanity and are the reason for her ultimate suicide. This is only my third LEA Arts Festival "peek" but I'm lucky to have survived! Upon arrival Danse Macabre appears to be a gothic art gallery. All the paintings on the walls have, as the name implies, macabre subject matter. A sign informs me that the exhibit is inspired by an ancient art genre that depicts myths and stories. Spooky SL art and photography? Cool! I walk innocently through the archway, further into the gallery's gloomy interior ... What I'd thought was going to be a slightly scary photo exhibition soon took a major turn for the worse. The more pictures I saw on the walls and the further I wandered into the gallery, the more creepy, horrifying, monstrous scenes I was forced to pass through. My poor little avi was on her own and she was soooo frightened! (And she's not usually a wimp.)
The second in my series of LEA Arts Festival 'peeks' is Cica Ghost's, Black and White World. This build is deceptively cute and simplistic. Admittedly, it has undeniable child like qualities such as stick figures and simple line drawings of houses, trees and other typical neighbourhood objects. However, the more you explore this little wonderland, the more you discover its sophistication. Everything moves slightly - the wind blows, people ride bikes and fish jump in ponds. It's clever. I visited Black and White world with a good friend, Jamie. We started discussing how it was made but Jamie stopped me in my tracks when she posted, "Oh what are we doing? This is so much fun. We should just appreciate it for what it is." I had to agree and from then on Jamie and I were frolicing like kids over bridges and hills. Pffft to the technical side of things!
I'll be "peeking" at one exhibition, machinima screening or event from the LEA Arts Festival each day day this month, as long as real life allows me the time. The first of my peeks is the electrifying installation called JJCCCART. This build was an eye-opener for me. Just when you think you can identify an artist by their style they trip you up. Sheesh! That's what JJ has done here. That's if the owner of this neon-filled build is the JJ Coronet whose colourful artworks I've come to know and love. I'll assume it is and feel sure I'll be speedily admonished if I've got it wrong :) Two things struck me when I arrived here - bright, neon lights and cement - and these two themes proved to thread their way throughout the entire installation. The candy coloured lighting was a stark contrast to the concrete architecture. The overall atmosphere was close to, but not quite, industrial. I wonder if there's such a thing as candy-industrial?
The LEA Arts Festival is packed with interest and fun. It features twenty sims with:
For more details you can check the LEA blog and/or refer to the SL Art Exhibits Schedule (below).
Ce n'est pas une peinture (English interpretation 'This is not a painting') is a relaxing, fun and beautiful art installation. Gracie Kendall (US artist Kristine Schomaker in 1st Life) has cleverly re-purposed her RL abstract paintings and mixed media work by texturing scores of curvy prim shapes with them. The result is an amazing, immersive 3D experience for us all to enjoy.
Hop on the ball next to the cake at the arrival point to be spirited away. Your avi will be taken on a tour, gently floating and tumbling through a sea of shapes, vivid colors and patterns. The images below don't do this artwork justice. You need to experience it yourself - it's mesmerizing! Gracie also gives you free skins based on her art. For the best view of Ce n'est pas une peinture go to preferences>graphics, turn your water reflections on and also set your draw distance to at least 256. "Who killed the fish?"
"The fish is big." Whether you're an SL art lover or not, if you haven't seen The Arrival by Rose Borchovski yet, make sure you do! It's one of those SL things you just don't want to miss. Along the back of a massive, tethered fish are a number of 'scenes', each of which constitutes a small work of art in its own right. There are elements in the water too that shouldn't be overlooked. This build has an eerie-cheery feel, even circus-like in parts. Having said that, the fish looks as if it might be regretting its arrival and not in a particularly festive mood. It won't do to be be shy around this strange, surreal 3D installation. I've visited a few times and I'm still finding details that I missed earlier. I'm also still blowing bubbles because of the bubble blower I was given to wear! This work contains elements that you may have seen in others by Rose — eyes, fish, flying chairs, text and pigs. Of course you'll also come across her very cute, blue eyed Susa Bubbles, including little male counterparts. They are all concerned about, "who killed the fish?" Rose has included some teleports for you as part of the build. Certainly use these, but also fly around and move in close because the elements in each scene are astounding. Also please wear your headset (streaming off) as the sound is an important component of the overall experience. Have I used enough adjectives to convince you that The Arrival is a must-see? If not, the images below should give you the motivation you need. It's also listed on the SL Art Exhibits Schedule. Enjoy! Earlier this week I blogged that Danger in Evolution was coming soon and now it's open for all to see! The scene was set when I arrived beneath a bleak, dark sky - I could almost smell doom in the air. This futuristic installation is a caution to us all. It purports disaster, from weird mutations to total catastrophe, if mankind fails to adopt a strong, values-driven approach to the advancement of technology. The different styles and approaches of the two artists, Nessuno Myoo and Kicca Igaly, are interesting visual contrasts. They also reinforce the point that none of us can predict exactly what will happen if we ignore our social responsibility and allow technology free reign, but whatever transpires we can be sure it wont be pleasant. As the following photos illustrate, Danger in Evolution is as disturbing as it is thought provoking. It almost punches us in the face with the warning to take preventative action now, before it's too late. If you care about the future of our planet this installation is well worth a visit. Don't miss it! |
AuthorHi there. I scribble my thoughts on the latest artworks, exhibits, 3D installations & machinima that I come across in my Second Life travels, along with other arty SL news. I offer my impressions of the pieces, but I'm certainly not an art critic. Each artwork will impact individuals in unique ways, so I encourage you to draw your own conclusions by visiting them in world. Enjoy! SearchCategories
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