In it for the Monet: SL Giverny

Je compris là le pouvoir fabuleux de la
peinture.

Kandinsky, On seeing a Monet, 1910

La versione italiana è in basso....

Plenty of ugly in my life recently, as I've been struggling with the Curse of Ruth. Yuck! The only upside of it was that I read Siri Woodget's blog on the subject ... what a great read. Anyhoo, you all know I love flowers (hint hint) and so I found the perfect spot to recuperate from being hit with SL's ugly stick. I went to SL Giverny, a recreation of the village in France made famous first by impressionist painter Monet and later by the many American and English painters who lived there in order to be close to the artist. There is little evidence to show Monet was impressed by his transatlantic fan base, but I was very impressed by what Kate Robbiani, Soleil Snook, and Omicron Llewellyn have made here. I met Soleil in the garden, in RL she's a professional fund raiser originally from the Pacific Northwest, a textile artist by avocation and an avid gardener currently living in Britain: here in the metaverse she's a gallic gal with the beret to prove it.

Soleil Snook: I was intrigued by the idea of using Second life to express Beauty. It is a subjective idea, but each person knows beauty when they see it, a visceral response, and the French Impressionists do that for me. I wanted to create something that was like walking in a painting, and I see gardening as a way of painting with plants. Giverny is a beautiful place in Real Life, and combines all the things I love, gardening, art, architecture and character of place. My friend and sim-sharer Kaye Robbiani built and owns Ville de Giverny, a residential sim next door. She has used some great photo representations for her replica buildings, like the historic Hotel Baudy where so many American artists stayed - and where SL residents can now stay too.

This is what the hotel looks like in SL... In the Village, Giverny Church (shown in the Italian bit) and Monet's house (in the next picture) are fairly authentic, although the inside of the house is one big room, for the sake of practicalities.
In 1883 Monet and his partner Alice Hoschedé moved into the farmhouse, seven years later, Monet was financially secure enough to be able to buy the property and, on the other side of what at that time was a farm track and is today a road busy with tourist traffic, start digging his lily pond at the end of the garden. The house has a deceptively humble appearance: among the illustrious guests who visited here were Cézanne, Rodin, Mary Cassat, and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. Monet saw out the Great War in London, and travelled extensively around Europe, but this small house on the river Epte was his home for 43 years.
Soleil Snook: We tried to terra-form in a way that captures the lie of the land around Giverny and looked to paintings by Monet for the orchard, the sea walks, fields and hay stacks. My partner Omicron Llewellyn and I have hand-drawn textures from RL photos to create something SL-consistent that draws inspiration from the actual place. To copy it verbatim wouldn't be in keeping with the spirit of art: the Giverny of Second Life is Omicron Llewellyn's and my 'impression' of Giverny. The new Bistro is of course our own, and the notes to and from Claude Monet are a whimsical touch, as is the Perbiatium Conservatory for Tropical Plants, with our own version of the Loch Ness Monster! You can see my attempt at photographing the timid wee beastie further down. Soleil has added another element linking the virtual with the real, making her Giverny experience all the richer I think. She follows the offical RL Giverny Garden Calendar as much as possible and features whatever is growing in the RL Garden of Giverny on any given month. She also plans to revamp the Monet house by adding more Japanese elements. Monet was a huge fan of Japanese art, it seems. See, you learn something new every day. I wondered what was the hardest thing to make for Giverny, and what part Soleil likes best.
Soleil Snook: Gosh, the hardest thing is to keep it fresh and beautiful with plants in their seasons. Keeping the whole place active and alive, and growing an active artisan community that is thriving. The Lily Pond is as close as I could make it to the Real one, including the rotation of plants with the seasons. Fighting Alpha issues has got to be the most frustrating thing. My favorite places in Giverny are the Lily Pond and The Perbiatium Conservatory, because they are colourful, which to me means Beautiful. I smiled, and tried to Google 'Alpha issues' - seems to be something to do with problems in getting textures transparent, but I could be wrong. I have no technical skills, as you know, hello ruthed for a week, mostly due to my unlimited pension for not reading instructions of any kind, plus the shops on the sim distracted me. I wondered aloud how important the commercial side is to Soleil's idea of the Sim Beautiful.
Soleil Snook: Giverny evolved around my first garden center in Caledon, and Kaye who combined open sims with me to create this place, owned a furniture shop. It's beauty that interests us, not financial gain. The sim is commercial, but we attract and keep merchants who are first artisans in their chosen work in SL. By supporting artists we enable them to continue to bring to Second Life the very best of what is offered. Artists in RL let alone SL can not survive on air. It's interesting to speculate on how someone like Monet would have used Second Life. If it had been around in his time, I think he'd have used it to build on what he had already created, I don't think that he would have become photo - realistic. I think he would have pushed the limits of the medium as he did in Real Life. He kept busy, and so do we, for example in October we will have the Festival Autumne de Giverny, which will be music, art, plants, clothing, a French themed celebration of the Harvest. We'll feature the sculpture of Martini Discovolante in the main square. We have Weekly Live Concerts again with Prog Folk Duo Pillowfish and guitarist Jean-Christophe Chevalier, who lives in the RL Giverny area. You can join our group on the sim, it's a subscribomatic easel and won't take a slot in your groups.

There's plenty to do at Giverny. You can row with your loved one on the Seine river, (boats supplied if that's the kind of rowing you prefer) and drive around in an Oldsmobile from the 1800's, or you can shop for plants and pretties, or pose for a picture by Monet's haystacks, or walk by the ocean, or get married in the chapel. You can play the sword game, En Garde, or simply sit by the lily pond and form an impression or two of your own.
Thirza Ember: Your Giverny is lovely. If you were able to visit a similar sim dedicated to another artist, author or musician, who would you pick and why?
Soleil Snook: My favorite American Artist is Georgia O'Keefe. She pushed all the boundaries of the time, in her art and her life. Her use of color is amazing to me. The first time I saw a real live Georgia O'Keefe painting at the Art Institute in Chicago tears came into my eyes, it was so extraordinarily beautiful. I think what Kate Miranda is doing with classical music on Cedar Island is wonderful.. She really does it for the love of Classical music and for the artists and audiences.
Next stop Cedar Island, then, for me... let's hope I manage to lose Ruth in the ether.

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Molto brutto questo periodo, in SL per me, afflitta del 'Ruthismo' avevo gran bisogno di immergermi nel Bello... e l'ho trovato presso il giardino del grande pittore impressionista Claude Monet. Non serviva prendere ancora un'altro benedetto aereo in Real - basta con i viaggi lunghi per un po' - ho potuto visitare casa sua, il suo famoso giardino pieno di giochi di prospettiva, e il bellissimo lago con le ninfee, ma non solo, anche il paesino di Giverny dove molti pittori statunitensi, discepoli di Monet, hanno stabilito una colonia; inoltre, ho potuto fare una passeggiata sulla spiaggia immaginaria dei suoi quadri, e nel frutteto della sua fantasia - il tutto grazie, naturalmente, a Second Life SL Giverny. Creazione di tre bravi builders, Kate Robbiani, Soleil Snook, e Omicron Llewellyn, Giverny in SL è arte, storia, giardinaggio, e shopping, tutti all'insegna della Bellezza.Soleil Snook: Per me la Bellezza è fondamentale, un sentimento viscerale quanto soggettivo. Ho voluto utilizzare SL per dare un senso di ciò che io trovo bello - i colori vivaci e la sensualità dell'impressionismo. Sono appassionata sia dell'arte che del giardinaggio in RL, e in SL ho cominciato da subito a creare e vendere textures di fiori e piante nella zona di Caledon, i sim che ricordano il periodo nel novecento. Da qui nasce l'idea di portare nel metaverso la casa e il lago delle ninfee di Monet. Abbiamo voluto adoperare due tecniche diverse nella land: textures fotorealistiche e altre che sono elaborate su una base autentica ma che sono disegnate a mano per adeguarsi alle esigenze e lo stile di Second Life. Se vogliamo, un'impressione della casa di Monet e dintorni, anziché una replica fedele, anche se molte strutture, come ad esempio la Chiesa, sono molto vicine alla realtà, e abbiamo seguito con la nostra terra-forming, un senso del paesaggio francese.

Ecco l'interno della casa dell'artista: come si vede, non è divisa in stanzette, come quella vera. Qui tra poco una novità, aggiungiamo dell'arte giapponese, molto amato da Monet. Il pittore visse per oltre 43 anni in questa semplice casa di campagna, ebbe come visitatori alcuni dei grandi del mondo dell'arte e della politica tra i quali Cezanne, Rodin, Mary cassat e il premier francese Georges Clemeceau. troverai che anche SL Giverny è u luogo molto ospitale e romantico. Qui puoi fare un giro in una vecchia Oldsmobile, fare lo shopping per piante e quadri, passeggiare sulla riva del mare ispirato sempre dai quadri di Monet, o osservare il laog delle ninfee. Soleil si impegna a mantenere il sim secondo le stagioni e aggiorna regolarmente sia lil laghetto che i fiori nel giardino seguendo il Giverny Garden Calendar. Ci sono molti tocchi autentici ma anche elementi fantasiosi di Soleil, ad esempio Nessie, il mostro marino di Loch Ness,vive qui, perché Soleil attualmente vive in scozia. Anche il bistro è pura loro invenzione. Non manca la musica a Giverny, si esibiscono regolarmente Pillowfish e chitarrista francese - anzi giverniano - Jean-Christophe Chevalier, basta premere sul cavaletto subscribomatic per abbonarsi al gruppo e ricevere notizie. Troverai qui anche il gioco di scherma En Garde e ci sono battelli a remi per chi vuole andare sull'acqua. nella chiesa è possibile sposarsi e difatti il posto è molto romantico, con le ninfee e i cigni, ma essendo sola, quale posto più bello di questo, sulla riva d'un mare metaversale, a contatto con le onde irrequiete quanto questa viaggiatrice. Per un attimo, ho creduto d'aver avvistato il mostro nessie... ma non ho fatto intempo a fotografarlo. Sarà stato solo una mia impressione...

September in Paris

...another french quickie, this is getting to be a habit...
Zephyru Zapedzky let me know about a new show he is hosting in the lovely franco-retro sim Paris 1900
Here's his notecard... except I took the liberty of changing 'expose' to read 'exhibit'. I didn't want him to sound like a streaker. Paris 1900 is a lovely sim, go over as soon as you get a chance.. I'll see you there.
"About two years ago, during my first weeks in SL, I was invited to exhibit my RL oils in an amazing museum at the famous Paris 1900 Sim. After my show there, I saw the museum was a bit dormant for a time, so I offered myself to curate it with new artists, giving montly expos.
After some months the Sim was about to close but then was saved by Saddam, and I again offered to re-open the museum and curate the expos as I had done before.
Some months later the Sim changed owners again, and now I was invited by my friend Ziget to continue my work as curator at a different but no less extraordinary museum at the all renewed Paris Eiffel Sim."

So this way, the Museum of Paris rises once more and the vernissage is 18th September at 2 pm SL time.
I'm presenting the great artist Carressa Constantine (RL oils on canvas) and some of my own RL and SL works as well.
I hope you all be there for the big open party at Paris 1900
in the name of Art."

Bohemian Rhapsody: Mykal Skall's Chelsea Hotel

Darkness fell over the grimy city. It wasn't raining, but it should have been, when I dodged inside the Hotel the other night looking for somewhere to sit a while. It was late, very late. There were a few people in the Lyceum, the night club attached to the hotel proper, they stood around swaying. There was a woman sitting on a big cushion on the floor, and a guy was singing and playing the guitar.
Son, can you play me a memory...

His voice suggested that it had been a long night. One of the regulars made a remark about trying to get his voice and guitar both in the same key; he didn't seem to care. I stood at the bar by the busty 2D blonde barmaid, like you do, hoping no-one would notice me. They didn't. We were at the Chelsea Hotel, so it didn't matter. After a while I got comfy, as the discussion about the merits of different guitars faltered back and forth.
...what do you see in me. Just a portrait of what I used to be....
It's really hard not to like a man who plays harmonica, even if he's very tired. His name was Mykal Skall, and he was the owner. After a while, Hotel Manager Enola Vaher came over for a chat. I asked her how she got here...

Enola Vaher: I've been in SL about 14 months; my son introduced it to me, he thought it would help me because in his opinion I was 'bored and lonely'. LOL He helped to find my way around and I met some very nice people. One of those helped me to get a job hosting in a club and I loved it! So I evolved from working in clubs to working for MNP where I met Mykal. I love working with live musicians and helping to get the music out to as many people as possible. I love managing the Hotel, I get to meet all sorts of people. Our Hotel Chelsea is full of characters, just like the RL one. I'm disabled and can't work in 1st life, so for me being able to interact socially with people in SL is a delight.
I told Enola a bit about Artsparks, and asked her who she would build a sim to, if she had the chance.
Enola Vaher: I think I'd choose Bob Dylan. He stayed in room 201 here in the hotel. I've been a fan and hoplessly in love with him since I was 16. The sim would celebrate Dylan in the early '60s, with ballads, folk music and poets. It would be very politically minded, beatnic style. I would encourage talk of disobediance and reform ... actually the Hotel Chelsea is my dream sim. It has all of these things and more. I'd have to say my favorite part is the Lyceum. While this is not a part of the Real Life Chelsea, it's an integral part of what the SL Chelsea is all about. I'm so pleased to able to work there and help make it the amazing place that it is. If I didn't work here I would be one of the regulars who hangs out there every day.

Mykal Skall, the man behind the virtual Chelsea, has been in SL over three years.
Mykal Skall: I heard about it from a few friends. The first few weeks, all I found was casinos, strip clubs and escort services. I couldn't wrap my mind around it, until someone pointed out to me that any new society is driven by money and sex... I later imported some of my art into SL and realized how great it can be to get exposure for art and music when I heard my first live streaming performance. I had been primarily playing live music in SL since then. The outlet for my art and original music was the main driving factor that kept me here, along with the joy of building.
The film "Sid & Nancy", was Mykal's introduction to the Chelsea Hotel. if you don't know their story click here. Reading more about the hotel, he was intrigued by a place that was like a vortex sucking in so many talented musicians, writers, artists and thinkers. The hotel opened its doors in 1883, not far from Washington Square. The word 'Hotel' may be misleading, we're not talking Waldorf Astoria here: a room in the Chelsea means a relatively cheap self-catering city bolthole for artists rich in talent but not much else. Creativity squared equals disorderly conduct, the hotel's lobby and public areas have always been full of art, often dangerously so. Sparks of every kind fly here. Another volatile couple who called the Chelsea home for a brief time were the impecunious Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin; this is where Thomas put the finishing touches to under Milk Wood, and indeed went fairly gentle into that good night from these very doors. You can visit Sid's virtual room, on the first floor, and Bob Dylan's room, currently threatened with 'improvements' in the real world, is also open for viewing. Mykal has filled the sim with many authentic touches, and there are lots of notecards to fill you in with both the general history of the hotel, and its current legal woes.
Mykal Skall: I stayed at the Hotel in 2008, and was amazed at its history, the incredible art on the walls, the unique sounds and smells, and the eclectic blend of extreme characters. To walk the steps and halls, in the footsteps of Thomas Wolfe, Leonard Cohen, Arthur C. Clarke, Bob Dylan, affected me forever. To later find out about the Hotel's recent troubles sickened me. I did the build myself. It took about three weeks. I had built the outside shell at a different site about a year earlier, but this is a completely new version. I really had no intention of leaving it here, or even making it a business. I simply bought the cheapest mainland in SL with the idea that if I ever opened it to the public I'd move it to a better, faster, sim. But then the Chelsea Hotel blog picked up the story, and the New York Times interviewed me, and Linden Labs made us the #1 Hot Spot in SL, our traffic went from 17 to over 20,000 in three weeks, and we were stuck here. It was a challenge to keep the outside as true-to-life as possible yet make the inside viable for SL camera angles.

With the help of a RL hotel resident I got amazingly perfect textures of the hotel. He is now a SL resident also. My favorite part of the build is the inner staircase. Just like in the RL Hotel, the walls are crowded with some of the most incredible art you will ever see. We don't know how many people walked - or even fell to their death - on those steps, but it feels like all of their ghosts are still here. Several RL residents and past residents, authors, and musicians, visit or stay at the SL hotel. That's one of the coolest things. The virtual version has gathered a group of regulars with a very similar mindset to those who frequented the RL hotel over the years.Thirza Ember: Tell me about your best moment so far.
Mykal Skall: Our "unofficial grand opening"! I had done the build, it had hit the blogs, and I had a call from the NewYork Times all within a few weeks. The reporter wanted to interview me on the phone, I told them they should do it right, and visit the hotel in SL. I had no plans, nor any idea how to run a venue, but I didn't want the place empty when the reporter showed up. A few hours before his arrival, I contacted Skylar Smythe, she's associated with some of SL's best spoken word artists. I told her what was happening and asked if she could gather a few people for a poetry read so that it looked like something was going on at the hotel. By the time I got the reporter logged into SL, the sim was so full that we couldn't even get him in. We had to ask for volunteers to leave so that he could take the tour! It was incredible. You can see for yourself the machinima of the event.
We plan on having regularly scheduled poetry and spoken word events like "Art in the Streets" an event to showcase original artists, with musicians playing in the streets. Recently I played at our first ever "Rocking the Chelsea Rooftop" show, we have some other pretty off-the-wall ideas, but I don't want to let too many cats out of the bag at once. We keep the creative flow very loose and improvisational. What you won't find is any musicians playing to backing tracks. It's one of our few rules, we we cater to the "singer/songwriter" crowd, and don't allow "karaoke" type performers. What we have found by wandering in, are half dressed men suspended in the fireplace, a large flock of chicken-headed avatars dancing in the Lyceum, and some of the most incredible talent in SL performing within our walls. So stop in, any time, you never know what your unique experience will be.
Thirza Ember: I love the David Combs circular painting of the lobby, (see below) it captures the spirit of the place. So many famous writers, musicians and painters are connected one way or another with the Chelsea. If you were given a sim and allowed to celebrate just one of those famous names, who would you pick?
Mykal Skall: I wouldn't pick one of the famous artists, musicians, or painters, I'd pick the person who for decades made it possible for those people to thrive here at the Chelsea Hotel: Mr. Stanley Bard. Mr. Bard ran the hotel throughout its most tumultuous and creative years, and now thanks to greedyshareholders he's been ousted and that creativity is in danger of being stifled forever. I'd build the sim just like my current build only larger and more detailed as a tribute to what the hotel would be in RL if he were still in charge. Mr. Bard is no spring chicken, and I hope for two things: That he sticks around long enough to see the Hotel reinstated to its previous glory under the management of his son, and that he somehow finds out about my small attempt to preserve the hotel virtually and bring awareness to his plight. I don't know if he has any clue what I've done, but it would mean so much to me to find out some day that he did.

Eccomi a New York, al Chelsea Hotel ... forse l'hai sentito nominare? Io no; ero all'oscuro di questo vero gioiello artistico newyorkese prima di capitare nella versione virtuale su sim Lanestris. Costruito in real nel 1883, si tratta di una residence frequentatissima da artisti, poeti, romanzieri e musicisti famosi e meno famosi, monolocali scarafaggiatissimi, dove regna l'estro non l'igiene. In RL l'elenco degli inquilini chelseani durante il ventesimo secolo è ricco quanto eclettico: Andy Warhol, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Edith Piaf, Thomas Wolfe, Francesco Clemente, Janis Joplin, e Sid Vicious, per nominare solo alcuni dei più famosi. L'albergo ha una storia un po' scabrosa, spesso ha presentato un aspetto disordinato, l'androne sopraffollato di tele stumenti musicali sculture e il detrito del processo artistico. Qui nella figura si vede un quadro del 'vero' atrio dell'albergo, di David Combs. Stanley Bard è stato per decenni il benigno amministratore del caos meraviglioso al Chelsea, permettendo agli inquilini di usare il tetto come giardino e studio artistico, perdonandogli anche l'affitto quando i tempi erano difficili, offrendo una mano in generale a quelli che ne avevano bisogno. Al Chelsea regnava un senso di protesta, di poesia, di confusione creativa che a sua volta attirava come in un vortice altri grandi talenti, alcuni divenuti famosissimi, alcuni ancora sconosciuti ma comunque grandi a modo loro. Di recente alcuni investitori hanno tentato di prendere in mano l'albergo, sfrattando residenti facendo delle ristrutturazioni alle camere 'storiche' tra i quali quella di Bob Dylan, troppo lunga e litigiosa la faccenda da raccontare qui. Poi molto più ... edificante la cronaca del Chelsea Hotel in SL; ti consiglio di leggermi fino in fondo oggi, se hai mai provato sconforto davanti alle sfide finanziarie-artistiche di Second Life. Ho conosciuto l'owner e builder in questi giorni, Mykal Skall, simpatico pittore e cantautore, residente nel metaverso da oltre tre anni. Ci siamo visti nel Lyceum Club che fa parte del suo build, e dove suona quasi tutte le sere la sua chitarra e l'armonica. A me piace l'armonica, l'ho scoperto questa settimana. Harmonicas rock. Gli ho chiesto come e perché The Chelsea Hotel in Second Life.

Mykal Skall: Ho conosciuto l'albergo tramite il film Sid & Nancy, una tristissima RL vicenda vissuta (e cinematizzata) nel Chelsea. L'edificio ha una storia così ricca e affascinante ho voluto approfondire. Essendo io artista e poeta, anche se soltanto al livello 'amatoriale', l'idea dell'albergo e i suoi ospiti divenne per me un simbolo di new York più significativo della Statue of Liberty o il Empire State Building. Infine nel 2008 ho avuto modo di visitare l'hotel e di conoscere anche alcuni residenti, e devo dire che il luogo mi ha colpito molto. Si sentiva la presenza di tutti quei grandi che hanno influenzato me e tanti come me... Thomas Wolfe, Leonard Cohen, Arthur C. Clarke, e Bob Dylan. Sapere che la creatività e la libertà di espressione di chi frequenta attualmente l'albergo sia minacciata mi ha spinto a creare una versione virtuale per sensibilizzare il pubblico a quello che sta succedendo. Da un po' di tempo importo i miei quadri in SL, ma non intendevo mettere su una business in Second Life, infatti ho comprato il land meno costoso sul Mainland e in un paio di settimane ho costruito l'albergo. La parte più difficile è stato replicare un esterno realistico che possa accomodare interni 'vivibili' dal punto di vista dell'avatar, anzi dalle Linden camera angles. Per il build ci ho messo circa tre settimane, e ho avuto la grandissima fortuna di ottenere, tramite residenti dell'Hotel RL, delle textures autentiche. Il Lyceum è un'invenzione mia, per dare un posto per le serate musicali, ma il resto è molto vicino alla realtà. Sono particolarmente fiero del giardino sul tetto, dove teniamo feste, e dove in real gli artisti lavoravano si esibivano e... cercavano l'ispirazione a modo loro. Inoltre le scale mi piacciono moltissimo. La tromba delle scale è una vera e propria galleria, questa ringhiera è esattamente come quella vera, e mi piace pensare a tutte le persone che hanno camminato - o addiritura sono cadute - per queste scale di marmo. Ho voluto ricreare la stanza di Sid e Nancy, e la camera di Bob Dylan, ma ci sono anche altre camere prenotabili. Ho avuto il privilegio di ospitare nella versione SL alcuni dei personaggi veri che hanno vissuto in quella reale, è stato una degli aspetti più belli della mia esperienza metaversale. Ma la parte più straordinaria è stato quando alcuni blog hanno saputo della mia iniziativa, in particolare il blog della Chelsea Hotel - mi ha contattato un reporter del New York Times - mi voleva fare un'intervista! io ho proposto un'incontro inworld, il reporter ha accettato, e ho subito pensato che l'albergo virtuale senza 'ospiti' avrebbe un'aspetto triste... non avevo mai organizzato un evento in Second Life, non sapevo come fare, ho contattato la brava Skylar Smythe, lei conosce molti poeti e scrittori di spicco in Second Life e real, e in pochissimo tempo ha messo insieme una serata indimenticabile... c'erano talmente tanti avatar sul sim che ho dovuto chiedere alcuni di uscire per poter far entrare il reporter e fargli fare il giro dell'albergo. Abbiamo fatto una bellissima machinima per ricordare l'occasione. Linden labs ci ha messo numero uno tra i loro Hot Spots. E da allora, l'albergo è divenuto famoso. Continuiamo ad organizzare serate di musica, di poesia, ma anche molti incontri meno formali, momenti in cui tutto è possibile, regna il caos della fantasia libera. Ci sono state serate in cui ho trovato nel Lyceum un gruppo di avatar tutti con la testa di pollo, in un'altra occasione, nel cammino c'erano degli uomini mezzi nudi sospesi in mezz'aria... tutto è possibile. Prossimamente faremo delle feste 'in strada' - arte e musica disposta davanti all'albergo. E ci sono sempre eventi nuovi, basta associarsi al gruppo per saperne di più.

Se dovessi fare un'altro sim, un Arts Park per un solo personaggio, non sceglierei nessuno dei grandi qui sopre nominati. Sceglierei proprio Mr Stanley Bard. Lui non è né scrittore, né pittore né musicista, ma senza di lui l'Hotel Chelsea non avrebbe mai potuto nutrire e dare rifugio tutti questi grandi talenti. Su un sim con più disponibilità di prim e meno lag, rifarei su scala molto più ampia l'albergo, aggiungendo molti elementi di come era l'albergo all'apogeo della sua storia. Io desidero due cose, che l'albergo real possa tornare sotto la direzione del Sig. Bard, e del suo figlio David Bard, e secondo, mi piacerebbe che potessero venire a sapere di questo mio tributo alla loro opera d'arte... il Chelsea Hotel.

Peeled Prims: Aloisio Congrejo

I wandered lonely as a cloud

at floats on high o'er vales and hills...

The Daffodils William Wordsworth

Back, if nebulous, in the land of the Living, in time for an art show by Aloisio Congrejo at the S&S Gallery of Fine Arts on sim Aeonia North. It's a fine gallery built and run by Stefanik Dagostino and Ally Aeon. Just to show you how fine, they have a selection of cold cuts and fizzy punch available for guests. It's a lovely gallery arranged around a quad with a beautiful oak tree in the centre. That's me in the middle, the little puff of white cloud. Wondering how I can be inworld for an hour and still not rez while all around me is crystal? You are not alone, unlike myself. Back to the gallery... Other art on display includes work by Torno Kohime and the fascinating, disturbing, images and words by Rose Borchovski. But I was here to see Aloisio's art. Aloisio Congrejo has been in second life for rather more than three years now, for the best - in every sense - part of two years he has been making art, working with different media, his work drifting between sculptures and paintings, both forms coming alive through the use of fractals, particles and music. Lots of jazz. There is four o'clock in the morning in a lot of his art, the taste of the ocean, and that siren song of solitude that I think everyone in SL has heard, many times, but few have captured in prims. The lovely Ally Aeon greeted me with a kind word and told me that the show would be opening tomorrow Sunday 6 September. She stood in front of Aspettando il sonno, in English Awaiting sleep. You can see a snap of Aspettando il sonno down in the Italian part, but the work really needs you to be standing in front of it, to capture the nuances and shifts in light and texture, to absorb the sense of eyes on stalks, of that hourglass shifting and spilling away through the night, the lids that will not close until one more shape has been perfected, the anaesthesia of cursor and pupil through the million colours of the imagined world, through the long moments waiting for SL to respond... even through a RAM-deficient lens such as mine own, it's a great piece. I wondered what made her like this picture in particular.
Ally Aeon: I really like all Aloisio's work, but this one the most. It is dynamic, has a good composition and colors are great.
I wanted more. I asked her, what does it make you think of ? Just one word.
Ally Aeon stopped for a moment, and then said, "Peeled."
I could see what she meant, and so will you, if you go over to S&S Gallery of Fine Arts.
Another place to see Aloisio's work is at Gemini Isle, where he and Tani Thor run Tanalois, a gallery, studio and retreat for artists of all kinds. He has been working on an immersive project called Globulous and invited me to come and check out his spheres. All in the best possible taste of course. here are some pictures of the work in progress, tp over and have your music turned on, it's a great experience. Inside the globes you'll see... this kind of thing. Mouselook and audio on, thatàs my advice.

Well, more soon. Rural France and gritty New York City are waiting in the wings.
It's nice to be back.

Settembre e si torna in Second Life dopo l'odissea estiva alla ricerca dell'arte e la creatività virtuale e si ricomincia il percorso artsparchistico con lo scultore e frattalista Aloisio Congrejo e la sua nuova istallazione a Tanalois: Globulus

Risiedono nella sabbia di una piattaforma a mille metri i globi, come tre bottiglie da cui potrebbe uscire, da un momento all'altro, un genio come quello di Aladino... E invece siamo noi invitati ad entrarci, a divenire i geni della nostra propria favola SListica, a scoprire tre sale diverse misteriose incantate. Puoi vedere tutte e tre parti della istallazione in queste foto. La prima se vogliamo, io non ho riscontrato un ordine particolare, e questa è ancora una work in progress, la prima dicevo è in alto, una sala rossa piene di raggi o ragni o note musicali che ballano e si sprigionano come in una fontana, poi un globo pieno di punti tondi lucidi bianchi che rimangono inalterati sullo sfondo multicolore che invece trafigge con tonalità vivaci gli osservatori, e la terza sfera piena di ...globuli, note tonde, armonie circolari, come pesci o cellule o bollicine, sempre in movimento sempre nuovi, proprio come la linfa vitale di Second Life e dei suoi creativi. Tanalois, di Aloisio e di Tani Thor, casa spirituale di un numero di artisti italiani e non, è stato per me il piacevole punto di partenza per un nuovo viaggio attraverso l'arte di SL. Ma non mi sono fermata qui, tramite il gruppo Tanalois ho avuto modo di visitare una galleria per me nuova, quella di S&S Gallery of Fine Arts su sim Aeonia North. Si tratta della galleria costruita e gestita da Stefanik Dagostino e Ally Aeon. Puoi vedere una foto della bella Ally in alto nella parte inglese, e anche della galleria, disposta in modo molto gradevole intorno ad un prato con in mezzo un immenso albero. Qui troverai opere di Torno Kohime, le strane e affascinanti parole e immagini di Rose Borchovski, insieme alle opere di Aloisio. Appena arrivata a S&S Gallery of Fine Arts Ally mi ha salutato gentilmente e mi ha detto che domani all'1.00 pm SLT c'è l'inaugrazione della mostra, io invece ho voluto vedere subito i pezzi scelti per l'occasione, e ho chiesto a Ally quale fosse il suo preferito. Ha scelto Aspettando il sonno. Curiosona, le ho domandato il motivo.

Ally Aeon: Veramente a me piaccono tutte le opere qui nella mostra, ma questa in particolare mi ha colpito. Il motivo? La trovo molto dinamica, piena di colori e mi piace soprattutto la composizione. Se dovessi scegliere una sola parola per descivere a cosa mi fa pensare, direi la parola 'peeled' mi viene in mente. Sbucciato.

Infatti proprio così. ma per capire di cosa parliamo, le foto (specialmente le foto mie) non bastano a communicare il movimento e la luce in questa opera... non c'è niente da fare, dovrai andare di persona a vedere la mostra, cliccando sul link... Partecipare domani sera alla vernissage a S&S Gallery of Fine Arts e non mancare di associarti al gruppo, hanno molti eventi interessanti. E ti do appuntamento qui sul blog di ArtsParks la settimana prossima per notizie artistiche-virtuali dalle vie più sporche e poetiche di New York City, e dalla Francia della belle epoque e molto di più... ci vediamo in world...

Shadow of giants: Ub Yifu

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, does not go away.

P K Dick

Meet French builder Ub Yifu, builder of gigantic and extraordinarily detailed statues. That's him the figure in black in the pictures, a sort of silhouette - marionette of Don Quixote, complete with horse, and separate Sancho Pancha. It's his own creation... but that's a line stolen from another knight. I first met Ub at a vernissage over on one of the Pirats sims a while ago, I think I mentioned him to you in French Quickie a few posts back, if you're interested in checking out that very fine institution. This week, I finally got around to visiting him at the heart of his world, Ub Yifu Sculptures. Ub came into SL thanks to a TV show. He works on custom statues and people often ask him to reproduce famous RL sculptures. He's particularly well known for his version of the magnificent Argonath from The Lord of the Rings and for the Dalì elephant. His work has been on display in dozens of different sims, and is very popular in the steampunk community, but that's not how he started...Ub Yifu: I start learning to build reproducing some famous painting in 3D that was great to learn the job. I started with Matisse, Magritte, then Dali and Picasso. Matisse was my starting point, it was easy enough to learn to adjust prims.
Thirza Ember: was it your intention to sell art in SL at the beginning? or did that happen after you got started? Ub Yifu: No, at first I just wanted to create things. I'm still amazing by 3D, but then people start to ask me to do sculptures for them. I make all my own sculpties with my hands not using any script, nor importing pre-made 3D objects...
Thirza Ember: What is the biggest project you have worked on?
Ub Yifu: My biggest build, and one of my most recent builds, is the monument for Mexican Independance. It's 14 different statues using 841 prims in total. You can see it at Ciudad de Mexico the Mexican Government sim.
Many builders find the process draining, I wondered how long it would take to make 14 different statues, and whether Ub was one of those people who needs to take a break to avoid getting burned out in SL.
Ub Yifu: It took about one month to make the 14 statues for that project. I do some break during the day, but I build everyday since 1,5 year now - it's all I do in SL.
Thirza Ember: You also have your store, here. What about selling and dealing with clients? Do you enjoy that part of the work?
Ub Yifu: That depend on the client, but most of mine are cool - they are art lovers so it is a pleasure to please them. For example, georg janick is a great client of mine. But first I had to do a lot of advertising to show my work. That was not the best part, but you need to show you work somewhere at beginning.
Thirza Ember: What was the most difficult statue or painting you tried to reproduce? Did you ever have a picture or a sculpture that was just too difficult?
Ub Yifu: Well first all were very difficult and some impossible for me but now I think that I can handle the human body to do something not too bad. Thirza Ember: Can you remember one piece that was especially hard?
Ub Yifu: Yes, well, many were hard and I'm still not satisfy with most of works but, for example, that Botero hand is pretty hard. The hardest thing to make in SL for me at beginning was the human body. I'm still working on that hand, adjusting each sculpties one by one as always. Each new sculpture is a new challenge for me, so my favourite piece is always the one I'm currently working on. You can see my latest installation over on sim Wizard .
Ub's sim Ub Yifu Sculptures is a treasure house of sculpture. You can keep up with his latest offers and exhibitions by joining his group, sculpture creation team. He told me he had always had a land from his first days in SL, but waited to open his own place once his earnings were enough to pay for it. We both agreed that having a piece of land on which to build transforms the experience of SL, as a mode of creative expression. But that opportunity often depends on dumb luck, rather than potential talent. Ub thinks Linden should give everyone just a little land, and I rather think he is right. I wondered if he visits other artists and who in his view are the best of the best. Ub Yifu: I visit them all, I think, or almost. At my beginnings, lightwaves was Starax and I was amazed by his prim work. Everybody knows it. He did the Black Swan including the famous angel and ballerina of course, but first he was working with basic prims like I did before sculpties arrived. I like a lot pumpkin tripsa too.
Thirza Ember: Do you have a favourite artist or writer, or musician that you would like to see in SL?
Ub Yifu: A real one you mean?
Thirza Ember: Yes.
Ub Yifu: My favorite writer is dead. It's Philip K. Dick a great science fiction writer. For him, the sim would be a steampunk sim, something like Wastelands maybe. I would put some of my pre-existing sculpture in it, maybe, but some I would do especially for that. What specifically? I have no idea yet, but maybe a body in a cryo machine like in his famous book UBIK. There are so many things one can do here, the possibilities are endless, for example I would do a sim about the movie BRAZIL too, for my next exhibition maybe. It would be just like the movie: old and futuristic.
Here on the sim you'll find several handmade avatars of fictional characters, reflecting his taste from John McClane in Die Hard to Edward Scissorhands. I wondered which was Ub's favourite.
Ub Yifu: Don Quixote ~ I always wear that one.
Thirza Ember: So you are a dreamer.
Ub Yifu: Of course! I must be, to spend my days building here.
Thirza Ember: But unlike Don Quixote, your dreams have a reality that cannot be denied.
Ub Yifu: Hehe maybe, but all these are just pixels owned by Linden...

Turning Tricks

As the images unwind

Like the circles that you find

In the windmills of your mind

I don't know if anyone notices these things, but I do plan to go back and finish that post about the Inferno in English, honest, right after this...
It's off to virtual Portugal and YouTube to check out the work of an old acquaintance, zephyru Zapedzki, a Portuguese painter and photographer. We met ages ago, on the last day before Paris got nuked from a lack of funds. There's a post about it, if you look in the archive. I say the last day except it wasn't, in good gallic style, not a hair was touched, if anything the art nouveau and vieux over there continues to flourish under new management, and it's busier than ever. Nothing like a fuss to get the punters in.

Anyway, zeph dropped this poster on me in which he asks: "Have you ever wanted to make love inside a giant kaleidoscope?" and who of us hasn't, in an erotic moment, thought 'this is all well and good, except for the fact that we're not in a giant kaleidoscope'. Oh yes, you have. Zeph has four 'scopes for you to visit, with this warning: "CAUTION! if you have epilepsy or similar problems do not use the Kaleidovortex M for more than a few seconds - even people with none of these problems may experience dizziness or sickness."
Yeah, brings us right back to the poster question, I know. I took some photos as you can see, just to show the kaleidoscopy and the hugeness, that's me the tiny figure in the middle of this picture, TP to that location here. Or here for the one in the picture at the top, I think. *Also thinks what the heck kind of hair is that now?* They are labelled 'F' and 'M' for reasons that wll probably become obvious to you round about ... now.
This is the video on YouTube he made of the 'scopes. (It suddenly occured to me I better watch it to the end, to make sure zeph didn't get carried away in the making of...)

He has a gallery you may want to visit also.
And now for something slightly different, more machinima, kaleidoscopes, but with libraries thrown in. It's called 'I am Library: Ode to Self-discovery and Collective Creativity' and promises to be clips from an early version, this video was posted back in February, as soon as I can find some hair and heels I plan to zip over to Thoth Jantzen's space in the Open Habitat, and see if the full and perfected version it is still there...
Hmm back again...well, of course in my semiconscious state of mini laptopia I saw little, and I may indeed have shown more than I saw, to the Man Himself, Thoth Jantzen, who as you can see is Thoth by nature as well as by name. He gave me this link to a new version you might like to see. In SL since '06 making him an oldbie of the best kind, as even my limited view of his CosmiqueIII confermed. What good stuff does he have on offer? You go over there and report back, how about that.
Also, if you're reading this today, Thursday 16 July, here's something else happening in the Italian part of the metaverse, at 10pm Italian time. The Antica Stamperia Il Faro (I have no idea how or why, but antica it is) is awarding literary prizes over at Immersiva. Drop by and try out some of your Italian, and pick up some original fiction while you're there! Ecco inanzittutto questa sera si festeggia a Immersiva come scritto qui, la letteratura metaversale italiana. In bocca al lupo a tutti i concorrenti e scrittori che si sono aderiti, e buona lettura a tutti noi, ci saranno delle opere davvero interessante da sfogliare inworld quest'estate. Second Life offre una gamma di emozioni e avventure ... caleidoscopica, e con questa parola giungiamo alla seconda notizia di oggi, il novo machinima di zephyru Zapedzky. Zeph è portogese, artista, musicista, fotografo; l'ho conosciuto tantissimo tempo fa, a Parigi Eiffel, quello che si chiamava Paris 1900. Ho scritto un post a proposito mi pare, uno di quei sim che sembrava all'epoca destinato a sparire sotto il peso del tier, ma che esiste ancora per fortuna, un sim molto elegante e bello. Sopra c'è una foto di lui scattata quel giorno, e a dire il vero era tanto che non avevo avuto le sue notizie, invece proprio ieri mi ha mandato il carino annuncio che vedi sopra. Ha creato quattro opere giganti, possono essere visualizzati nel primo machinima che avrai notato sorrendo attraverso la parte inglese... oppure possono essere visitati di persona : il cartello pubblicitario ci invita a ponderare la domanda : "Non hai mai sognato di fare l'amore in un caleidoscopio gigante?" Una domanda retorica, naturalmente. Sono quattro opere, veramente non ho capito come sono disposte nel metaverso, comunque questa qua sarebbe l'ufoscope F.

Quello grande di sopra, non so se riesci a vedere ma sono io al centro, è il kaleidovortex M belli da visitare anche se per quello grande c'è l'avvertenza che può provocare il vomito... uomo avvisato mezzo salvato. In tema di caleidoscopi in Youtube ho trovato anche l'altro video che vedi sopra. La creazione di Thoth Jantzen, eccolo, un vero ...dio egiziano - scrittore poeta poliglotta artista audiovisuale e dai anche filosofo. Uno di quelle persone incontrati per caso nel metaverso che provocano la voglia di continuare la permanenza virtuale ancora un pochino, per vedere cosa ha da dire.

Potete anche visualizzare qui l'ultimissima versione del machinima. Colori psicadelici, romanzi ambientati in Second Life, e la bella musica di Elton John... all you need is love!

Infernal Obsession: Dante Primer

The English bit is further down... just keep scrollin' along ♪ ♫♪

Questa settimana dietro il consiglio di un'amico sono andata all'inferno. Lo so, lo so, ho dei pessimi amici. Ne sono più che consapevole.

Ma invece questo consiglio non era del tutto negativo: di inferni, in Second Life - e qui si parla dell'inferno dantesco, per intenderci - ce ne sono addirrittura due, nati da due stili molto diversi, due punte di partenza a prima vista lontani l'una dall'altra, ma forse no.

Il primo inferno visitato era quello di Dante's Inferno. Se decidi di ...andarci anche te, a quel paese, be', ancor prima di abbandonare ogni speranza, bisogna fermarsi un pochino sul nome del sim per intero: Dante's Inferno and Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor. Ora, io in un primo momento ho pensato che le Linden Hills avevano qualcosa a che fare con Linden labs. Non è così, Linden Hills è un romanzo di Gloria Naylor, nel libro le 'colline Linden' sono sia un quartiere nera americana sia un'allegoria dello stesso inferno, ma un'inferno nel quale le anime hanno negato le loro radici, hanno offeso e rinnegato la loro vera identità, anziché offendere Dio. Ciò spiegherebbe questo lato del sim, la parte che approfondisce, tramite cartelli e elementi come degli automobili anni '50 una chiesetta in legno e dei fastidiosi paparazzi, lo studio del libro di Gloria Naylor. Non l'ho letto, e confesso liberamente, non ho nessunissima intenzione di farlo; il prezzo della mia testardia, l'ho trovato incomprensibile e disarmonioso, che sofferenza...

Un intero sim per rappresentare l'inferno dunque, ma con fortissimo accento americano, ideato e costruito da Desideria Stockton, Eloise Pasteur e i loro amici di Literature Alive un'iniziativa per promuovere lo studio e la conoscenza della letteratura ai lettori di tutte le età. Il terreno nerastro, toccato di rosso, sotto le stelle fredde d'una mezzanotte eterna, si scende da girone in girone; tra il fumo e il fuoco, tantissimi cartelli e schermi, informazioni tratti da wikipedia, il testo integrale dell'inferno sia in inglese che in italiano, vari spezzoni di film ispirati dalla Commedia, e brani di musica 'diabolica'. Tanti cartelli, a dire il vero, da far sembrare il Limbo più la vetrina d'un supermercato che il vestibolo dell'inferno. Un inferno da liceo, allora, pieno di indicazioni idee e approfondimenti, mirato ai giovani lettori americani. Basta contemplare la 'porta' (in inglese 'gate'), che vuol dire anche cancello e, nell'interpretazione americana della soglia dell'aldilà, troviamo proprio un cancello da fattoria.

Il sim è volutamente incompleto, qui non troverai Lucifero. Le creatrici hanno voluto dare ai viaggiatori giovani e meno giovani la possibilità di partecipare alla loro visione infernale, di ...metterci lo zampino, se vuoi. Infatti, oltre ai quiz interattivi, rocce parlanti, serbatoi di notecard e progetti per scuole, c'è in palio la bella cifra di $L10,000 destinato a chi crea il 'perfetto' Lucifero. Le istruzioni e le regole del concorso sono disponibili nell'ultima bolgia, qui in fondo, dove il muro vieta di passare alle parti più freddi (e meno politically correct).

Niente tp, dovrai ...andarci a prenderle.

Il secondo inferno invece è del gruppo di Agora Saturnia, terra atea, terra di artisti di ogni tipo, paese natale di silvestro Dagostino. Un inferno nei cieli in quanto costruito su una piattaforma sopra la land, pieno anche questo di informazioni sul libro, ma anche di balli e animazioni appropriate alle vicende delle anime dannate. Ho chiesto Silvestro come è nato il parco d'arte. Silvestro, in veste da Dante, mi ha spiegato tutto...

silvestro Dagostino: L'inferno è venuto per caso. Avevo fatto un vulcano, e vedendolo una amica, Soon Zenovka mi ha dato l'idea dell'inferno. Tutto questo circa 5 mesi fa, più o meno, ma il lavoro è fatto a periodi di non più di una settimana alla volta perchè mi consumo oltre quel periodo. Insomma ci saranno 20 giorni di lavoro in tutto per ora. Per fare l'inferno, mi sono documentato ovviamente sulla divina commedia che conoscevo solo dal titolo fino ad allora lol ! Poi, ho cominciato con la selva oscura, cercando di rappresentare anche qualche personaggio tipo Caronte, Dante, Virgilio ecc., poi andando in ordine per gironi cercando per ogni girone di rappresentare la colpa e la punizione delle varie anime con delle animazioni appropriate.

Thirza Ember: L'inferno dagostiniano dunque assomiglia a un palazzo in marmo, a più livelli o terrazze, aperta al centro come la tromba delle scale... solo che non ci sono scale. Ma l'idea originale era di creare il tutto in una gigantesca sala di marmo, o forse una caverna?

silvestro Dagostino: Sì. All'inizio avevo fatto tutto su un livello ma la fame viene mangiando la notte porta consiglio e quindi mi sono deciso a fare qualcosa di più grande.
Thirza Ember: A quanti livelli è dunque il tuo inferno, ed è vero che manca il Satana?
silvestro Dagostino: Non sono sicuro ma almeno 5 mi pare. Poi qualche girone l'ho messo sullo stesso piano di un altro, altrimenti non mi basta lo spazio. No, al Satana non sono ancora arrivato. Al finale c'è ancora tempo - molto tempo; è anche una questione di prims nella land abbiamoanche altre iniziative che necessitano di questi ...maledetti prims.
Thirza Ember: per te cosa e' l'aspetto piu bello, il fare o l'aver fatto? Ti diletta di più l'attivita' oppure vedere tutto finito?

silvestro Dagostino: il fatto è fatto me lo godo per pochi giorni tramite i complimenti che non mi dispiacciono mai. Cmq per me un lavoro non è mai finito. Il bello è quello che deve ancora venire altrimenti non ci sarebbe ragione di restare in sl per me.
Thirza Ember: Venire in contatto per la prima volta con il testo in questo modo così intimo, cercando di manipolarlo e interpretarlo in 3D, è un viaggio in sé stesso straordinario. Quale è stato l'aspetto che ti ha piu colpito, mentre lo leggevi?
silvestro Dagostino: domanda mica semplice .... come ripeto non conoscevo la divina commedia. Non l'ho stuadiata a scuola.
Thirza Ember: il libro l'hai trovato piu' breve, Molti hanno l'idea che si tratta di un libro pesante, e, visto che è stato scritto 700 anni fa, un libro antiquato, l'hai trovato così?
silvestro Dagostino: no anzi il contrario mi è sembrato molto moderno invece.
Thirza Ember: ...e il peccato piu grave???
silvestro Dagostino: non sono nemmeno a metà quindi non lo so. No. Ecco, forse lo so. Il peccato più grave è non averlo letto da ragazzo.
Thirza Ember: ahhaha
silvestro Dagostino: grave lacuna ma non è colpa mia!

Thirza Ember: bellissima risposta.
L'inferno di Dagostino e di Dante si trova tra i molti gioielli di arte a Agorà Saturnia, su sim Leiter.

This week I went to hell, well, I've been sent there so many times I thought I might as well see it for myself. Hell in SL is not other people, but two very different sims by two very different groups. First up, the Sim by Desideria Stockton, Eloise Pasteur and co of Literature Alive! a group that aims to get more people reading and appreciating literature through the kind of immersive experience only possible in a virtual environment. Neither Desideria nor Eloise was available for coment when I contacted them, shame, I would llike to have known more about the process of choosing this material for their sim. But perhaps it's obvious: in fact, the sim is not 'just' Dante, but a dialogue between two texts, on one hand, Dante, and on the other, Gloria Naylor's Linden Hills. I had never heard of this book and had just assumed Linden hills was something to do with Linden Labs, that link put me right. Which is sort of important, because standing staring out across the yawning mouth of the hellish sim, the Caddies and the old wooden church seem weirdly out of place.

Of course, there's plenty of inworld info that would have set me right hd I taken the time to read some of the notecards. The fact is, this Inferno is so packed with notecards, background information, interactive rocks, video footage, music and flames, that it is hard not to feel like a shopper on

This exhibit is meant to engage all of your senses, and these are the tools we have used to create an immersive experience.
On each level, there are activites where guests are asked to contribute content. Please explore all the circles of Hell. There are loads of notecards and activities, the plan is for student generated content to be added as various schools begin to use the project - they can add multimedia, sharing their ideas and experiences and everyone can participate in the "Build Lucifer" contest, with a top prize of L$10,000. That getting your creative juices flowing? You might want to run over the text of the 34th Canto then! Moving about the sin - oh sorry I mean sim - is easy enough, it's an open plan hell, no tps here, but there's a gondola that takes you from level to level if you're afraid of the fall.

Dante's Inferno

Building Fiction: Huckleberry Hax

"You do realise that's what makes Second Life special, don't
you Texter? Not the idiots with the huge cocks, not the novelty
avatars, not the little cliques and clubs and groupings, but the
cool controllers there privately to let it slip, just a little, just to
see what having it slip just a little feels like."

November 2008: Texter Triste is standing on the platform at Le Havre railway station, waiting for his Second Life love to turn up; but a killer is watching him, and smiling...

Just So That You Know, Huckleberry Hax

Huckleberry Hax didn't come into SL with the intention of sharing his writing; it just turned out that way. He chose SL because he was taking part in the National Novel Writing Month event. He's since produced five novels that carry the reader from the Metaverse into the real world, and back again. What kind of books, I hear you ask? Well, that's the teaser from his fourth book "Just so that you know" up above. Next thing you're going to want to do is download, for free, some of his stuff - you'll find it here on the web.
So what's the story, Huck?
Huckleberry Hax: National Novel Writing Month. I wanted to take part and actually finish a novel. On one of the weekly podcasts, I heard that there was a guy in SL holding support meetings in some sort of virtual cafe. To be honest, I was more interested in work avoidance than I was in virtual meetings! After a few hours wondering around (and, quite frankly, wondering what all the fuss was about) I went back to my novel writing. But I was back over Christmas, and then again in the Spring. I've pretty much remained here ever since. Starting with my first SL novel, 'AFK' (which I wrote for National Novel Writing Month 2007), I've made everything I've written under my SL name available for free, on my blog.
I wondered how and when Huck started reading his work inworld.
Huckleberry Hax: In July 2008, Harriet Gausman of the Guild of UK Writers group asked me to read my second novel, 'The Day is Full of Birds' in parts over period of a couple of months at her Milkwood sim. I'd done very little voice communication on SL prior to that (I still prefer text for chat), so it was quite daunting! I've discovered that reading in voice is a very satisfying experience, however, and over the many reading events that I've done since then, I've enjoyed working on improving my style as much as possible.
Since Huck was originally lured into SL by a support group for writers, I was curious to know if he frequents any meetings of that kind nowadays.
Huckleberry Hax: I try to go every week to the weekly Writers' Circle meeting at Cookie, where writers share extracts of their work for feedback. I also go sometimes to the poetry workshop at The Blue Angel Poets' Dive on Saturday mornings, although I fancy my poetry advice is probably not in the same league as some of the more established poetry writers who hang out there! I'm working with two other writers from the Blue Angel - Persephone Phoenix (the owner) and Shara Levanque - to produce a new poetry journal that's due out any week now - 'Blue Angel Landing'. Its mission is to celebrate the work of SL poets, both new and experienced; this pretty much encapsulates the mission of the Dive itself, actually: the weekly open mic session held there (Sundays at 5pm SLT) has been running without break for nearly three years and is rarely attended by less than 30 people. It's an amazing achievement and the event has a quite unique atmosphere, no small part of which is the exhilaration of new poets reading their work in front of a live audience for the first time.
With the limit of groups one can belong to still firmly at 25, we all have to think twice before signing up for anything new, and I wanted to know which ones Huck found the most useful for his literary activities.
Huckleberry Hax: P.S. (Post Scriptum) is a really good one to belong to, since all the major events get advertised in that. The groups I'm most active in are the The Blue Angel VIP, the Guild of UK Writers and the Written Word. I also go to events sometimes organized by Bookstacks and INKsters. But there are plenty more groups besides these. Oh ...and I should also plug here my own group, Huck's News.
Huckleberry Hax reads regularly at Milk Wood, at the The Waterstage in Cookie, the Blue Angel Poets' Dive and on occasion at Bookstacks, The Bookworm Cafe at Da Vinci Isle and the theatre in The Village. I asked him that terrible question - which place he likes the best.

Huckleberry Hax: The Blue Angel is perhaps my favourite place to read my work in Second Life, because the atmosphere there so perfectly seems to match the type of RL place it's been designed to look like. But Cookie would be a close second - there is just so much that goes on there.
I asked the Usual Question, but got a surprising answer this time: Huck went with architecture, not books.
Huckleberry Hax: An Art Park to suit my taste? Well, I'm a fan of post-war brutalist architecture, so I would love to see a sim dedicated to the work of architects like Rodney Gordon, who died last year. I'd like to see again departed builds like the Tricorn Centre, (in RL Portsmouth, UK, demolished in 2004) - not the stained, crumbling, rather dreary looking things they became, but the way they were intended to look when they were new.
Despite the obvious Get Carter reference (aren't I predictable), I learned today that brutalism has nothing to do with cruelty and everything to do with the French term béton brut = raw concrete. It's an interesting choice, although I'm not sure a whole sim along those lines would be to my taste. But the idea of SL Pompey? That I have to see.