THE FROG PUPPETEER

DREAM

Yesterday, I awoke with a new idea for my virtual city. Since I’d sculpted a miniature group of buildings in the Plateau of Man Park the day before, I wanted to carry on the theme of more miniature groupings. This comes naturally to me. I grew up building miniature cities in the yard, and when later in life, I had no yard, I would draw cities on long rolls of paper, or sculpt ceramic buildings for aquariums. So why not do the same in Second Life?

MEDUSA LOCKS NEIGHBORHOOD

It didn’t take me long to decide where to put this next mini city. The Medusa Locks neighborhood in the cliffs provides all sorts of ancient nooks and crannies for the unexpected. The area is riddled with convoluted paths, boring into the walls of the hillside as if planned by an earthworm. These short tunnels and little rooms effect a porous shell around the inner Library of Darkrodin, which is the large space at the core inside the hill. The area around an outdoor ramp linking two levels of the Locks seemed an ideal site. With a virtual trowel at hand (Prim Generator), and a large bristled paintbrush (Photoshop), I set to work.

FROGGY

The frog was taken from one of my past exhibits called Second Libations. She was a puppeteer in that show, and remains so in the Locks. Her fellow puppeteers were photographed so I did not have to use large numbers of prims in the construction of this sculpture. The strings from the handheld handle do not attach to people or animals however. The characters in this story are the buildings. The puppeteer manipulates the city itself, its structures, its roads, its vegetation.

CERAMIC CITY

As mentioned above, I used to build ceramic cities for gardens. I used a photo of one city I built in RL, and adjusted it in Photoshop. It is the city image you see on the background wall of the installation. To bring more depth to the flat texture, I used Prim Generator to make some buildings come out at us in 3D.

VISIT

THE MEDUSA LOCKS NEIGHBORHOOD
In the center of the above photo, you will see a couple glowing areas in the seawall.
The one most central is the Frog Puppeteer. You cannot miss her, she is to the left
of a ship which juts out from this seawall.

If you’d like to visit the location, it is in the city of Accentaury (the ACC Alpha sim). This is visible from the ocean while looking toward the Medusa Locks neighborhood. It is easy to find… a complex seawall of buildings topped with a domed structure as seen in the photo. The Frog Puppeteer is fairly central, and situated near the ship that protrudes from the seawall. 

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT THE PARK

Colorful procession on the ancient stairs leading up to the Plateau of Man Park.

     After the “Lost Alphabet” installation closed a month ago, I decided to pull some of the scenes from inventory into the city of Accentaury. Originally, rezzed deep in the ocean, and accessed through a gaping hole in the Library floor (which has since been closed), I began moving them up to the surface of the Plateau of Man Park, as well as the Spilt Gold Corridor below the Studio of Builds Arena.

     This gives a sense of drama to the Park, and though these scenes were originally designed to fit my story “Lost Alphabet”, I have reworked the arrangement of the characters so that visitors can deduce their own stories. Whatever the interpretation, there is a great deal of action which lends vitality to an otherwise tranquil space.

Women with birdcage skirts, run in the Park toward the Wash.

     Recently I’ve made several large changes to the sim. The parading people at the Spilt Gold Corridor lead to the Lost Alphabet Wash Fountain (see earlier post), which in turn gave me ideas for the interior of the House of ACCentaury, the construction of the Black Gate which visually frames the carousel, and finally, reworking the game room which is also on the Park grounds. I’m on a building spree. Who knows what tomorrow brings.

THE BLACK GATE

Textures in the upper section of the Black Gate.

     This tower was designed to visually frame the old carousel (when viewed from inside the House of ACCentaury), the carousel being among the oldest structures remaining from the Park’s early days in 2010. Four new textures applied to the Black Gate are among six that I am including in a hunt gift for the upcoming Renaissance Hunt in September. I always apply new textures I make for a hunt onto a building or statue in the vicinity of the House  of ACCentaury, so that the hunters can get an idea how they appear on a build.

THE GAME ROOM

Remodeled interior of the Game Room, including balcony plantings,

an enclosed garden (unseen in this photo, is behind the chair) and the artworks of 

Lilia Artis, whose pieces inspired me to undergo this project. The reflecting floor is unchanged,

though the game table is a lower prim mesh version of the original sliding puzzle. 

Warning, the game is addictive.

     The sliding puzzle table is in the western pavilion of the Caravan Tent arcade. You can find this on the north side of the Park. I just installed elegant photo art by Lilia Artis there, which transformed the space. Wanting to further it’s unique qualities, I also added plantings, and squared off a small hedged garden. I always prefer Midday light, but when viewing the chorus in the Lost Alphabet Wash fountain, I suggest also setting Midnight view. The rising mists offer mysterious effects.

The particle mist machine gives atmospheric effects no matter the time

of day or night.

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LOST ALPHABET WASH

     Some chapters of my “Lost Alphabet” installation that had shown earlier this year at La Citta Perduta, can be seen in both Sparquerry, and ACCentaury (ACC Alpha). Two days ago, I began adding parts of the Exodus, Multi-Species-Chorus, and Pied Piper chapters to the old reflecting pool on the Plateau of Man, as seen in the photo above. Having placed the ship of refugees in the center of the pool, I noticed that the arcade behind it was quite similar in color, blending it with the background to such a degree that the ship was barely visible. Then I decided to add a wall of water, not only highlighting the boat, but adding some lively animation to the calm surrounds. One thing led to another, and before long, I had a flood on my hands. The concept of the lost alphabet takes a new variation here: it is washed away. You can literally see this, by the sheets of As, Bs, and Cs, churning in the waves.

     The arcade (Puppet Theater) has more to see if you follow behind the waterfall that spills from its façade. Walk along the back corridor that will lead you to another section of the city along the North Shore.

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House of Memories

The photo is taken from Moeuhane's white chalkboard textured house 

giving onto the other builds in the exhibit, accessible by train.

The group exhibit "House of Memories", organized by Lilia Artis and Moeuhane Sandalwood opens today at 2 pm SLT. They invited Almut Brunswick and myself, to participate. We all created our version of what a house of memories means to us. Each artist renders their 'house' in a unique fashion, whether it be a steaming structure bursting at the seams, travels along the train tracks linking destinations, a 'transparent' house sketched in white chalk, or a miniature mud city of vivid colors.

This is a descriptive excerpt from the notecard written by Moeuhane Sandalwood:

"The only way back in life is paved by memories", writes Almut Brunswick. Together with Lilia Artis, Haveit Neox and Moeuhane Sandalwood she went on this backtrack, to revive memories of a distant or recent past. The challenge the four artists set themselves was to dig deep into their individual experiences and come up with their very own section of "The House of Memories".

Although the installation is much more a stretched landscape than a building, the "House" is the common theme taken up and transformed by each artist in his or her section of Artwood Grounds. Be it colorful, in retro-style, somber or in screeching blackboard-chalk, the four artists created intriguing installations along the tracks of the memory-train.

In "Tracks of Life" Almut Brunswick takes us on a journey through our past - with "crossings and detours, easy cruising and burdensome passages". Lilia Artis depicts the constant flow of memories that build up through a lifetime in "The Past is not Past is not Past...". Haveit Neox has made the mud domes of his childhood playground accessible for spectators in "the backyard". And Moeuhane Sandalwood lets us relive the chills of "The Shadow of a Nightmare past". (see individual notecards at the end).

The exhibits are immersive and some are interactive - so make sure to walk instead of fly - and to enter and touch instead of just cam.

Lilia Artis' gem-like build, "The Past is not Past is not Past" is in the center of this photo.

To the left is a square station by Almut Brunswick, at the end of her line. She built

4 memory stations between which run the functional trams. My dome installation is at far left,

and Moeuhane Sandalwood's house is in the distance in the right of the above image.

The setting is provided by Lilia Artis (groundtextures, terraforming) and Moeuhane Sandalwood (terraforming). Almut Brunswick connected the four individual installations with a memory-train - which she built (including all stations) and scripted. Please set Windlight to "ShadowSet".

The installation is at Artwood Grounds (on the sim: Space 4 Art).

Please click here for transport.

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"Le Bain se Meurt"

“Le Bain se Meurt”  (The Dying Bath)

     Many years ago, I remember seeing an ancient, frail man, being helped into the shallow end of the pool by an assistant. The extreme delicacy of his health gently wrapped around his skeletal frame, and the deliberate slowness in which he was lowered into the water, was the essence of grace. Hi pale skin soaked up the bright sunlight from the glass walls, and a smile came over his face as the water displaced gravity. This image remains in my head. I made a multi-colored clay sculpture based on the old man for an exhibit in Real Life, then recently, photographed my sculpture to bring into Second Life. I also included other scenes that I've sculpted and painted over the years, including a clay town which I portray as human culture burning itself into the soil. Having been one of the artists invited to display at the Galerie des Machines in Paris 1900, I felt this theme would work well for the large room I was offered.  

     The man being dipped into the water takes on a secondary related story for my installation. The idea of one’s life coming close to the end is symbolized with the bath. The water is not pristine and clean, it is acidic, glowing unnaturally, and is contained within polluted walls.  The bath here represents our dying oceans, the fragile state of the man is the weakening life in the seas. The room is flooded with light. The smoggy air is hot to breath, and we see two centaur angels ready to carry the dead to the next world. At its last breath, each angel will be followed by their armies to carry the dead planet to its burial ground: the sun.

     “Le Bain se Meurt” is on display at the Galerie des Machines.

CLICK HERE FOR TELEPORT

     My installation is part of a large group display of artwork at the Galerie. It is a grand turn-of-the-century structure filled with artworks that I greatly enjoyed exploring. 

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La Lune de la Ville Perdue

     Sivi Kelberry and Akilae Gant projected my film “Lost Alphabet of La Città Perduta” onto the interior surfaces of their spherical theater high above the town of Città Perduta for 24 hours.

Scene from the movie: "La Lune de la Ville Perdue"

     It was presented as a farewell event to my installation “Lost Alphabet” at La Città Perduta. After which, the work gravitated into the sky, and beyond, in the direction of the moon. I created a story for the filming of this event, where the spherical theater becomes the moon. The name of the movie is: "La Lune de la Ville Perdue".

     Click here to watch "La Lune de la Ville Perdue"

     Please scroll down to see the names of the people who appear in the film.

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SYNOPSIS OF STORY in English:

     Recent discoveries reveal that the moon is not made of cheese. Rather, it is a metal so unusual, that it doesn’t even figure onto the Periodic Table of Elements. Its main characteristic is the absorption of emotions, of place, of history.  The thoughts and experiences of explorers to the moon are projected throughout this metal’s surfaces inside the grand hollow of the moon. The luminous substance has such a strong gravitational pull, that many individuals, and even entire village populations, have been lifted into its embrace.

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Film and story by Haveit Neox

July, 2013

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     Sivi Kelberry et Akilae Gant ont montré mon film "Lost Alphabet of La Città Perduta " sur les surfaces intérieures de leur théâtre sphérique audessus de la terre.

     Ce fut l'adieu à l'installation "Lost Alphabet" dans la ville de La Città Perduta. Après quoi, l'œuvre a gravité dans le ciel, et au-delà, vers la lune.

     La sphère est restée en place dans le ciel audessus de la Città Perduta pendant 24 heures. C'est là que j'ai filmé le contenu de cette nouvelle histoire qui s'appelle: "La Lune de la Ville Perdue".

Cliquez ici pour regarder le film: "La Lune de la Ville Perdue".

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AVEC:

Akilae Gant

Callinet Dagostino

Derek Michelson

FreeWee Ling

Haveit Neox

Leonard Magnifico

Lilia Artis

Moeuhane Sandalwood

Murdock 'Doc' Beningborough

Rebeka Markus

Roxanne

Sivi Kelberry

Thaddeus Nadeau

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One Week Extension of the Lost Alphabet at La Città Perduta.

A scene from Bethlise Lorgsval's film 

     Lost Alphabet has been held over for one more week. This was really exciting news for me, because not only have Akilae and Sivi extended the installation one more week, they have also made plans for an event the day before tear down. If my internet connection cooperates, I plan to do a film about the event. Sivi and Akilae have something very special beginning this Friday, July 5, at 1 pm SLT.  Inside a gigantic cinema sphere, the visitor will be emersed into the film which tells the story of Lost Alphabet. Click on your media button on arrival, and the sphere will dip you into the story. The event will last for 24 hours coming to a close at 1 pm Saturday, July 6.

Click HERE to arrive to the Cinema Sphere (all day Friday, and until 1 pm SLT on Saturday)

View inside the Lost Town 360 degree cinema. This is a scene playing from "Lost Alphabet"

The sphere accommodates visitors in ultimate comfort. Click your media button to start the film.

     Bethlise Lorgsval composed a beautiful film following the entire story of Lost Alphabet. She reads the text in French, accompanied by marvelous views of La Città Perduta. I love listening to her voice as she narrates the chapters. It sounds very musical to me.

Click here to watch Bethlise’s film.

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     L’Alphabet Perdu a été prolongé d'une semaine. C'est vraiment d'excellentes nouvelles pour moi, parce que non seulement Akilae et Sivi ont offert la prolongation, ils ont également fait des plans pour un événement le jour avant la terminaison de l'installation. Si ma connexion internet coopère, je prévois faire un film sur cet événement. Sivi et Akilae ont choisi quelque chose de très spécial. C'est une enorme sphere cinematographique ou le visiteur est entoure par un film qui decrit l'histoire de l'Alphabet Perdu. Poussez sur votre bouton media, et le film se verrait. Ca commencera le 5 Juillet, le Vendredi, a 13h SLT, et durera pendant 24 heures.

Cliquez ICI pour le transport a l'evenement.

     Bethlise Lorgsval a composé un beau film qui suit l'histoire entière de l'Alphabet Perdu. Elle lit le texte en français, accompagné de merveilleuses vues sur La Città Perduta. J'aime écouter la musicalité de sa voix quand elle raconte les chapitres.

Cliquez ici pour écouter le film “The Lost of alphabet… inLost town” de Bethlise.

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