A Community in Second Life

The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual. The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community.

William James

          

           During my wanderings across Second Life (SL), I’ve come across many communities.  Many of these have themes such as 1920’s Berlin, nudism, steampunk, the Regency Era, Gor, or BDSM.  (Yes, I know sex and nudity seem to outweigh other topics but I’m not saying this is a scientific survey.) 

Sometimes, I come across a community which is just a group of people joined by the enjoyment of each other’s company and common interests such as music, dance, or just hanging out.  Recently, I visited one such sim and this story describes my experiences there.  (Don’t worry, everyone, including me, kept their clothes on.)

The sim is Beau Belle Village and I first visited a short while ago after Morgana Nagorski invited me to the Unified Hearts Revisited exhibition there after one of her art exhibitions openings.  I was intrigued by what I saw in terms of visible beauty of the sim, the camaraderie of the residents, and the hospitality of the event’s hostess and one of the sim’s owners, May O. Mingzi. 

May, at that time, offered to give me a tour of Beau Belle and I subsequently took her up on her offer.  Recently, I returned there to meet her and look around and learn about the sim. 

I rez into Beau Belle and meet May who is waiting for me.  May is one of the three owners of the sim.  The others are Bluebell Broome, one of the original founders, and Kelly Cross. Actually, Kelly joins May and me as we begin. 

May was brought to SL originally by a number of (Real Life) RL co-workers who had done SL, so that was one factor in her decision.  Another was her past roleplaying in her life, live action roleplay (LARP), and Dungeons & Dragons, and that sort of thing as she puts it. She was at Great Wolf Lodge and played MagiQuest. So May thought it might be fun to do SL. But strangely enough she’s never been involved in a roleplay sim here inworld.  May juggles her SL and RL.  In the latter, she has a full time job as a writer (that’s real writer unlike yours truly) and editor and has a ten year old child.  She is also a photographer in both lives and maintains a photo shop in Beau Belle. May generally handles publicity and events – the recruiting for and hosting thereof.

Kelly was looking for something new online and thought it was a game at first.  (I think many of us made that mistake.)  In RL, she’s in the IT field.  In SL, she’s the owner and operator of Kelly’s Closet. 

I ask if it would be fair to say curiosity brought both of them inworld.  They reply affirmatively.  

As for Bluebell, she is known for her hats and cozy woolen attire (in both SL and RL).  Her rez date inworld is July 2007.  In RL, she works in the film graphics and effects world, and has “an unstoppable passion for art, craft and design, which emerges in Second Life in the form of a passion for building”.  She built many of the buildings in Beau Belle, rather than buying, and created most of the textures herself with her camera and Photoshop/Gimp.  Bluebell says that if anyone sees anything that’s not just so, to blame her, and she'll come and fix it. 

Beau Belle began years ago with Bluebell and several friends who had ambitions of creating their own community, based on the principles of fairness, friendliness, openness, and creative design values.  After a brief faltering start on another sim, they bought a quarter sim, which is the north-east corner of the current Beau Belle.  She and the other co-owners started building, planting trees, renting out homes, and starting a small community.  They moved through a half sim and finally to a full sim which Beau Belle’s current plot.  (BTW, Beau Belle Village has a great blog with history, owner profiles, upcoming events, and other information for those looking for more.  I sourced part of this story from there.) 

          May and Kelly explain to me the groups that comprise Beau Belle’s community which May describes as a mixed use sim.  The three venues are the coffe shop (Belle’s), the Leonard Cohen Club (LCC), and Kelly’s Closet.  The latter two are private clubs but all work together for the mutual benefit of the sim.  In addition, there are many homes and shops.  The entire sim is modeled on an English village.  There are also private sky islands. 

          Belle’s, the coffee shop is intended to be a community center, so it's more integrated with the "English village" look May explains to me.  While Kelly’s Closet has a more contemporary club feel to it.  Kelly’s is intended as a location to give the transgendered community a nice, no sexual club to hang out at inworld.  LCC has mostly European members. 

          May and Kelly guide me through Beau Belle.  We start at the coffee shop and move to Kelly’s Closet.  We visit the game room where a variety of board and other games are available for residents.  I go upstairs in windmill.  (Very accurate detailing BTW, I visited several when I once lived in Holland so I know a little something about this.) My guides tell me that there are hidden rooms across the sim for their guests’ enjoyment such as the VIP Lounge which I’m shown but asked not to say where it is.  (Go visit for yourselves, it’s worth the trouble to find and see.  Enough said.)  I’m told there are other secrets to be found as well.  (Hint, hint.)

          I see the homes where May and Kelly live and am impressed by their comforts and appointments.  May has some photographs from our mutual friend, Hitomi Tamatzui, hanging on her walls.  (Kelly, thank you for letting me raid your refrigerator.)  I see where the village green bordered by residents’ homes and where the St. Patrick’s Day Parade began. (Seems wherever I go, SL or RL, there’s one of these parades on March 17^th, even in Singapore!) 

Time does not permit me to see other sites in Beau Belle such as the fishing docks, a cannon where one can shoot themselves out of (whom am I to say), cars to drive, a meditation spot, and a snuggle cave.  We also don’t have time to visit LCC or the inworld dating service, iMatch.  (Don’t worry, I have more than a few good ideas for future stories.) 

By this time, Kelly has to leave to handle Village business and I do want to be mindful of May’s time.  Of which we have enough for her to show me her photo shop, Hearthaven, where I see her works.  Definitely worth a visit to see some very good photography especially if you need to fill an open space on a wall in your SL home. 

I thank May for her time and hospitality.  I ask her to extend my thanks to Kelly who did not plan to spend part of her evening touring me around.  I then take my leave.

I’m impressed by Beau Belle Village and the community that Bluebell, Kelly, and May, along with many others, have built and maintained.  There is a vibrant, diverse group of people from across the world who have either made their virtual homes here or have included it in their inworld social lives. 

There are issues in running a community like this. Sadly, griefers seem to appear when there are events.  As for finances, May says Beau Belle is not a commercial sim.  It’s not about making a profit.  Rents and tips cover about 70% of the operating costs.  May and the other co-owners are making a serious commitment of their own time and monies to keep the sim alive.  They try to keep the place active, are on almost every day, and like to believe that they are not absentee landlords. 

May keeps a full schedule of events running at Beau Belle and the calendar is available online. 

I encourage all who are looking for a fun place to visit and hang out inworld to drop into Beau Belle.  Support the shop keepers and leave some tips in the jars placed around the sim to help offset some of the costs.  If you’re looking for a place to hang your hat and take up residence inworld then check Beau Belle out.  The sim adjusts for the seasons so drop by if you’ve visited before, things will have changed! 

I’ll return in the future for some more stories, there’s a lot more to see and write about.  Maybe I’ll run into you there!  (Please don’t use my presence to stay away.  You can just avoid me if you prefer.) 

I want to thank May and Kelly again for taking the time to show me around, answer my questions, and raid Kelly’s fridge. 

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

Below I’ve included a few links to pictures of Beau Belle Village.  Pictures are fun but, trust me on this, go visit for yourself, see the place, meet the people, and have a great time! 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here. 

 

Photo No. 1  Belle’s Coffee Shop - Exterior

Photo No. 2  Belle’s Coffee Shop - Interior

Photo No. 3  Belle’s Coffee Shop – View from Shop

Photo No. 4  iMatch Offices

Photo No. 5  Kelly’s Closet - Shop

Photo No. 6  Kelly’s Closet - Club

Photo No. 7  Belle’s Game Room

Photo No. 8  Windmill

Photo No. 9  Crypt

Photo No. 10  Village Green in Autumn

Photo No. 11  Another Seaside View

 

Another Art Exhibit in Second Life

Works of art often last forever, or nearly so. But exhibitions themselves, especially gallery exhibitions, are like flowers; they bloom and then they die, then exist only as memories, or pressed in magazines and books.

Jerry Saltz

 

          Morgana Nagorski, my Second Life (SL) friend and an inworld artist and gallerist, is at it again.  Fresh off her successful exhibition dedicated to the lyrics of Leonard Cohen, she has launched another exhibition entitled Aspects of Solitude where the works of two SL artists, Amona Savira and Harbor Galaxy, are on view. 

          Aspects of Solitude opened on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in the Palais Orleans Gallery Complex.  Morgana was there along with the two artists and the guests.  I arrived as the opening started.  (Hey, I don’t want to miss the food and drink, I’m a struggling, starving writer after all.)

          Other guests came and went as the night progressed.  As always, I’m as much fascinated by the guests as I am the art hanging on the walls.  Clothing styles range from formal to casual grunge (more my style).  One guest looked like she was auditioning for a role as a Borg in a Star Trek episode. 

           The mood is light and jovial.  The conversation is friendly banter.  The exchanges of friends about how they’re doing and how much they’re enjoying the show.  During the time I’m there several dozen people come and go.  A good turnout for an art exhibition opening. 

          Despite guests coming and going, Amona and Harbor make time to speak with me.  Both have extensive portfolios of SL works available.  Amona’s works can be seen on Pinterest and Flickr.  Harbor presents her work on Koinup. 

          Harbor explained to me how she viewed this exhibition as a collaboration not only between herself and Amona but the entire SL community.  Their joint statement about the show sums up their thoughts behind the show, “The images are about all the lonely nights, waiting for nobody . . . in solitude.  And those early morning hours when sleep escapes us and the mind wanders, reviewing the decisions that define our waking life.”  

          The gallery itself is a large two story building with the main entrance in the front. The artwork hangs on the walls on the walls in two rows from floor to ceiling.  A staircase goes to a walkway which permits visitors to view the art hanging in the top row.   

          Morgana has done her usual exemplary job as the curator of this exhibit.  Her use of the written word with the visual image is appealing and unusual for a SL exhibition.  A visitor to the show has a total experience which draws on the strengths of SL. 

          The pictures themselves catch my eye as I view them.  I must warn everyone that I’m not an art critic.  (Significant Other says it’s a good thing because I’d be in even more trouble than I am as a writer.)  Several pieces I noticed in particular are Amona’s Solitude and Fear of Flying and Harbor’s Loss of Balance and Reflection on Water.  (And, no, it’s not because I’ve been hanging around with a lot of naked people lately.) 

          I also had one of those fun moments in SL which happens from time to time. By pure chance, I ran into another friend at the opening.  The Cat from Naked was in attendance buying new pieces for her already extensive collection.  (I didn’t recognize her at first, probably because this was the first time we met while being fully clothed!)  If you have time I recommend dropping in to see part of her collection at Naked West.  I’d recently blogged about Naked. 

          After a few more spins around the gallery, I take my leave of Morgana, Amona, and Harbor, thanking them for their hospitality and time. 

          Aspects of Solitude is an excellent example of how SL can be used to hold an event like an art exhibition.  Virtual worlds and their tools also permit artists to create art and explore possibilities not possible in Real Life (RL).  SL also makes having permanent galleries to exhibit artwork.  My earlier stories about Seductions by Hitomi and the Doors Gallery are give examples of these. 

          I encourage everyone to drop and see Amona’s and Harbor’s work.  Morgana’s presentation and organization make for an enjoyable experience.  It is time well spent and you won’t regret it.  You may even want to acquire a piece or two for your inworld home!  The exhibition runs until June 16, 2013.

          I’d like to thank Morgana, Amona, and Harbor for taking time out from their opening to meet with me.  I wish them well and look forward to seeing more of their work in the future. 

 As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

           I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

           If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1  Aspects of Solitude Poster

Photo No. 2  Morgana Nagorski

Photo No. 3  Amona Savira and Harbor Galaxy

Photo No. 4  Aspects of Solitude – Opening Party I

Photo No. 5  Aspects of Solitude – Opening Party II

Photo No. 6  The Cat (Dressed)

Photo No. 7  Solitude

Photo No. 8  Loss of Balance

Photo No. 9 Fear of Flying

Photo No. 10 Reflection of Water
                              

An Art Exhibit in Second Life

Every artist ought to be an exhibitionist. 

Egbert Oudendag

 

          Recently, a new friend of mine in Second Life (SL), Morgana Nagorski contacted me and asked if I would blog about Unified Heart 2013 – A Homage to Leonard Cohen, an art exhibition which is being held from January 26 to April 21, 2013 at the Palais Orleans Gallery Complex in SL.  The theme for the show is based on the words of Leonard Cohen’s songs. The exhibit is sponsored by LumiPro, billed as SL’s premier lighting system for photography in virtual worlds. 

           Morgana has been a fan of Leonard Cohen ever since she woke up in the night in 1973 to hear someone singing a wonderful song and had to ring the radio station the next morning to find out who it was.  (Now that’s what I call a story!)  She had often thought of doing an art exhibition of her own based on his words so when she opened her own gallery in SL she thought it would be exciting to ask a group of artists to participate.

          This is the second year that the exhibition has taken place. 

Last year’s, called Unified Heart, took place in January and had twenty artists participating including Morgana. It was such a success, nearly 1,000 people visiting, that she decided to do it again this year with thirteen of the artists from last time and eight more joining them. On February 16^th  another sim is hosting "Unified Heart 2012 Revisited" where the pictures from last year will be shown again.

Morgana’s other reason for staging the show is that artists need to show their work. Otherwise what is the point she says.  Also, the pieces are of course for sale.  She invites the artists personally as it’s her gallery.  (Fair’s fair, I only write about what I want to write about because it’s my blog.) 

          Always looking for something new inworld, I readily agreed.   Having just done a series of stories about two artists, Anima and Hitomi Tamatzui, and the gallery where their work is displayed, I thought I was ready to go back for another look at culture in SL.  After my last post where I interviewed a SL domme, going back to culture is probably a good change of pace.   (Significant Other starts to worry when I spend too much time with the BDSM community.) 

          Turns out that Morgana is the curator of the event.  I TP into the opening night party and take in the culture and to meet Morgana.

          The Palais Orleans Gallery Complex is a large, airy modern structure located in Gardenia Islands.  The building permits the easy display and viewing of large artworks.  A gallery runs along the interior wall midway between the floor and ceiling.  Windows along the ceiling allow in natural light. 

          Guests had already arrived when I came in.  During the course of the evening approximately three to four dozen guests were present and lag was never a problem all the time that I was there.  The dress code ran from elegant evening wear to grunge chic.  (I was the latter, well, maybe more grunge than chic.) 

          Twenty-one pieces of art hang on the walls in two rows around the exhibit area.  Their style is primarily abstract.  Their colors create a happy mood in the building contrasting with the severe coloring of the walls.  Morgana has done a very good job of arranging the artwork.  The front wall on the gallery has portraits of the exhibiting artists. 

The participating artists are Aelin Quan, Acacia Merlin, Amona Savira, Burk Bode, Callipygian Christensen, Cat Boccaccio, Corinne Helendale, Dantelicia Ethaniel, Dixmix  Source, Harbor Galaxy , Jessica Belmer, Kato Salyut, Kira Westland, Lily Laufer, Maloe Vansant, Meilo Minotaur, Morgana Nagorski , Petra Messioptra, Ronda Saunders, Sare Ethaniel, and Skip Staheli.

          Their work is very original and shows a high level of effort and originality all brought together by the theme of Leonard Cohen’s lyrics.  Morgana’s idea of bringing together art and music comes together very effectively and I recommend everyone to drop by and see the exhibit before it closes on April 21^st. 

          With Morgana and her work, we have another example of a SL resident bringing together a community, this time based on art and music, and creating an event based on these themes. 

          I want to thank Morgana for inviting me to her opening and for taking the time to answer my questions.

          Below, I’ve included a links to pictures from the exhibition but they really must be seen in the gallery because my photos don’t do them justice.  Please visit Unified Heart 2013 and see them for yourselves!    

          As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

           I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1 Unified Heart 2013 Poster

Photo No. 2 Morgana Nagorski

Photo No. 3 Exterior of Palais Orleans Gallery Complex

Photo No. 4 Interior of Palais Orleans Gallery Complex

Photo No. 5 Exhibiting Artists I

Photo No. 6 Exhibiting Artists II

Photo No. 7 Everybody Knows by Acaica Merlin

Photo No. 8 Bird of Paradise by Kao Salyut

Photo No. 9 Suzanne by Meilo Minotaur

Photo No. 10 The Letters by Callipygian Christensen

Photo No. 12 Say Goodbye to Alexandra by Morgana Nagorski

Photo No. 13 Thanks for the Trouble You Took from Her Eyes by Amona Savira