CITY INSIDE OUT

Preliminary trial in a sandbox for the eroding mud appearance of the city. 

Two overlapping pages of plans for my exhibit: CITY INSIDE OUT

     On Dec. 16, Ziki Questi asked me about my plans for an exhibit at LEA. I answered her in real time, and actually think its brevity was easier to understand than the longer version I had prepared for the LEA application. She posted my response on her blog (Zikiquesti.blog):

Haveit Neox:My build will center on a city turned inside out. The mud city will have no windows, no doors. It will have the look of an old city eroded. Only holes in the roofs gain access to the interiors. But when visitors climb down the ladders, the interiors are actually exteriors — what we see walking the streets. My intention is to bring about a sense of having no home.

     In the photo above, I’ve overlapped two pages from a sketchbook for my upcoming exhibit “City Inside Out”.  The LEA eighth round of Artists-in-Residence program is a very generous outreach to SL artists. 20 sims are made available to 20 artists for a six month period free of charge. Each artist receives one sim to develop during a 4 month period. By the final two months of residence, the sims are open to the public. How luxurious is that! To have 4 months to develop an idea, rework it, live in it so as to have a more intimate feeling for the relation of its parts. The artists will be able to start building from Jan 1. I started early in sandboxes, to test ideas. Once I receive the land, the arrangement and rearrangement of the city plan will be much easier to build. For artists who finish before the 4 month building period, they can have an opening whenever they wish. But we are all required to have at least one event… an opening, or something other. I might do more than one, depending on how things develop. 

     I will post more information as the project grows. With January 1 just two days away... Happy New Year everyone!

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Tour of Accentaury on Vimeo

Scene of the Paper Observatory toward the end of the film.

"ACCENTAURY TOUR 2014"

I hurried on a film project the past two days so that I could post it by Christmas. Whatever holidays you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the season. My throat was a bit sore while recording, but the tour must go on! Wishing you all the best in the coming year.

Please click HERE to watch the film on Vimeo.

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PAPER OBSERVATORY BLOWING IN THE WIND

The decomposing bib of paper announces the main entry to the Paper Observatory
Windlight setting: Sunset

     It has always been my intention to keep refining the structure of the Paper Observatory as it matures. Heading over to the sculpting program Zbrush, I fashioned a bib for the front of the building, so that it would appear that the main entry is a giant tattered piece of paper. Complementing the bib on either side are two waving banners frozen in arcs from a perpetual 'wind'. About a week ago, I added two buttresses from the once existent Paper Tower. Altered a bit in height, these supports give a semblance of grounding to the hovering Observatory. Delicate material tethered to a stake may include ripped sails on a ship, a failing kite in the sky, or sheets having flown off their laundry lines and impaled on some solid object, ripped to shreds by the unmerciful wind. The idea of holding a building made of thin paper in place against the powerful elements sets up a dynamic of braving the elements. At some future date, I may release the Observatory from its constraints, and at that time, the building might seem to float free - for those who will have known it's former arrest.

A glowing city hugs the bay where a galleon performs its trick.

   
     The interior of the Paper Observatory shows a new installation. Two figures hold up a magic panel through which a ship jumps. The original milky floor serves a new purpose in this exhibit: that of emanating the ocean. Along the 'shores' of this sea, is a city of bright glow. Chairs are set up in various parts of the interior to afford visitors some comfort while they look around, or click for links to watch movies.

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SANDSTORMS, NEPTUNE, OSSUARICUS

Ossuaricus fends off the oncoming sandstorm.

     Continuing my celebration of 5 years in Second Life, the Neptune Statue I'd set up at Plusia Arts is also now seen (as a slightly smaller version) at the Paper Tower Court. I frequently place builds I'd made for exhibits outside of ACC Alpha back at the home sim. So Neptune has returned to where he was built, but with a sad story. He transforms into a new identity named Ossuaricus: donning the bones from his subjects of a dying sea. In order to accommodate this prim heavy piece, I had to take in the surfing red cow, blue cat, and yellow dog. The telescope at the South Gate was also taken in, as well as the primmy Centaur from Second Libations who stood until this morning on the floor of the Bookbinders' Stairs. Several pieces of falling pillar and a sheet of paper were removed from the Paper Observatory. When this was all accomplished, the space not only yielded the prims I needed for Ossuaricus, but looked cleaner as well.

Get ready for some wild weather! Ossuaricus is just barely visible in the center
of this image.

     The Paper Tower Court is the only desert-like setting at ACC Alpha. It's in stark contrast to the dominant gardens of the sim. So I went shopping... again! This time for a sand storm. The particle effects are great, and it is timed randomly. Sometimes the storm only lasts 30 seconds, sometimes a couple minutes. And the wait between can range from 5 min to 15 min. It's well worth it to me. The Court isn't the only place I set up an emitter. There is also one down at the ghats below Medusa Locks. The wind whips through the tunnel leading to the Prim Mausoleum. It's not desert down there, but somehow the effect works.

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PaperBack Pixels Cafe, remodel

It was the black cat's idea to add aquariums to the cafe.

     I found some gorgeous aquariums tonight, and decided the cafe would be a good place to display them. Since the resizing is by script only, and the pieces were a bit large for their new homes, I had to knock out several walls to accommodate the large aquariums. Bringing blue into the space seems to have offered a refreshing contrast to the predominant oranges and browns. While off on my shopping trip, I also found other goodies, including a tin of cookies and a carousel of cupcakes. Both offer the visitor's sweet tooth a tasty array with just a click. The Paperback Pixels Cafe was built in 2011, so it was about time to spice up its walls.

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