I wonder if the artists of Second Life® are chagrined to see their creative impulses and efforts reduced to a background for a fashion blogger’s photos. I also wonder about the relative support for art in SL. For retail events like Collabor88, there usually is a horde of people waiting for the clock to tick over to midnight, a collective “Open! Open! Open! Open! Open! Open!” prayer offered up to Commerce, the god of Second Life. Has anyone been unable to teleport into an art exhibit because the sim is full?
But Second Life is no different than real life. For many people, their choices in fashion and home decor are their forms of artistic expression and appreciation. Art for art’s sake is often a luxury – one that is disappearing from our schools and our cities. So, I do wonder about art in SL and the artists and how they feel. Is it wrong to use a piece of art as a backdrop? I don’t know. It might get people to go see the art, to appreciate the effort, the imagination, the inventiveness. Or maybe it just gets more people to go pose in front of it. Who knows?
I frequently check out all the LEA sims – one after another – to see what is new. I was struck by the constructs at LEA29 and how the lighting makes the visitor part of the art. This is not the best example, but for some reason every time I tried to take a picture from the other angle, I crashed. After three crashes, I decided that you all just need to go see for yourselves.
These pictures are from the central gallery. Asked about her exhibit, the artist FreeWee Ling said, “The central part of the sim is more or less a gallery space, but the rest is for a sort of uneasy paranoid landscape with the occasional alien showing up here and there. Like the little mobile cafe is currently manned by an alien chef bot.” The exhibit is not completely finished. She has a couple more days of work before it’s done, but you should go and soon because she only has the sim for the month of January. Don’t delay and miss this wonderful interplay of light, shadow and form.
I am wearing the stunning release from Maitreya for Collabor88. The vintage lace gown consists of two pieces, a form-fitting dress with a lace overdress. There is also a separate collar and necklace, though I decided not to wear the necklace. I did a little composite so you can see who the lighting changes at the art installation. The Georgia shoes from MiaMai are two-toned, with a taupe shank that is a perfect match to the fabric of the underdress. Both the dress and the shoes have modern details, from the snug, high collar to wear over the dress to the ultra thin stiletto of the shoes.
The lace overdress has a slit up the side that reveals the dress below and adds form and definition to the body. The Flair manicure is a pale neutral gloss that perfectly complements the dress.
Earrings from Donna Flora and a crown from Paper Couture are nestled in a D!va updo with its trademark wispiness. I kind of wish that instead of usually making an A and B option for the bangs, D!va made an A and B option on the wispiness. About half as much would be about perfect. As someone who has worn my hair up nearly every day, I would have taken out the clips and redone the undo by this stage. Still, it’s pretty, it’s romantic and it has life to it. The Mokatana skin from Glam Affair comes in such beautifully subtle shades in this set for Collabor88, you will find yourself dithering trying to choose one.
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Poses: oOo Studio
Skin: -Glam Affair – Mokatana – Europa 03 D @ Collabor88
Eyes: [UMEBOSHI] Eon eyes Duo Green (med)
Lashes: Lelutka
Mani/Pedi: SLink Mesh Hands & Feet with FLAIR mani applier
Hair: “”D!va”” Hairbase (Red amber)
“”D!va”” Hair “Locuala” (MVW INDIA 2014)(Red amber) @ Collabor88
Clothing: Maitreya Vintage Collar – Taupe S/S+ @ Collabor88
Maitreya Vintage Lace Gown – Iconic Part1 S @ Collabor88
Maitreya Vintage Lace Gown – Iconic Part2 S @ Collabor88
Shoes: Miamai_Georgia pumps (peep toe) – ash wood “snow queen”
Jewelry: (Donna Flora) JULIA earring
Paper.Couture; Starburst Headband
Location: LEA29 – FreeWee Ling maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/117/200/21
I attend a lot of art openings in Second Life and on occasion I have received the message that the sim is full! The reason is of course that the sim is homestead and has limits on the numbers of avatars allowed.
I think there is a very healthy Art community in SL, even if it is small in comparison to commercial activity and the clubs.
Chagrinned? I think not. Maybe this post will induce some people to go who never heard of LEA or FreeWee Ling and discover a whole new interest in their Second Lives.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments about my LEA sim, Casja. I’m glad you found it engaging. As for artists’ spaces, I have often been to openings where the sim is maxed with visitors. Certain artists are very popular and are pretty much guaranteed a good showing, though many others who may be equally deserving may not get many visitors. As with any endeavor, marketing is a large part of it.
My own work in recent years has been moving towards the creation of environments specifically made to be photographed. With or without avatars — the creation of interesting avatars are part of my creative process. My gallery space where you took your beautiful pictures was not built for a photo set, but it pleases me that you found it useful for this purpose. I am not a close follower of SL fashion, but neither am I ignorant of it. I consider fashion one of the more important art forms in SL. I follow certain magazines and blogs and watch the stores of certain designers. I have been among the throngs at Collabor88, as I’m always interested in a good deal on cool stuff. Thanks again for visiting my LEA sim. I hope to have things running at full speed this weekend. 🙂