Saturday morning wistful

It has been a while since I have posted here and its been even longer since I posted anything personally meaningful.   There are no reasons and I am not going to offer that annoying blogger apology "Oh I am soooo sorry for not posting you guys but my RL has been so busy but I promise to do better soon."  Damn its not like people are refreshing the page over and over waiting on pins and needles to see what is up in the life of Chestnut Rau.

The truth is I am happy in my life and when I log in to SL it is usually to listen to Zach or Grace sing.  I have a few art projects I work on and I spend some time with my partners in those ventures. I did help out a little on Burn2 as a member of the Art Committee but honestly? I am not a burner.  There are too damn many rules that make no sense to me.  I met some great people at Burn2 but I don't think I will ever fit into that organization. I am such an introvert that becoming part of large chaotic organizations really is not in the cards for me. I sort of wish I was the kind of person who could be down with a crowd but its just not me, is it.

Instead I log in, talk to a handful of people I adore.  I look at my meeroos and contemplate releasing them all and wonder why I buy food for big eared rats that chirp.  I open the destination guide and tp to an art sim and wander around, mostly trying to find new artists for Art Screamer and Orignalia.

I wonder why I spend money on tier for an art sim when the LEA has taken over the role of curating the best artists in SL. It really is foolish to spend $100 a month on this hobby isnt it?  My partners and I have talked about putting together an application to LEA for some land and giving up our sim.  Bryn Oh was encouraging when I reached out to her to talk about an application from Art Screamers. It seems like a lot of work to write the application and so far, none of us has done much. The deadline looms large.

I could write a book about the technical issues we have had on Art Screamers which has been quite dispiriting for us.  For some reason the UI sounds keep looping on the sim. LL has tried to help but found no solution.  We did everything they asked which amounted to removing mega prims and restarting the sim.  No. That didn't help, not that we thought it would but we were good soldiers anyway.  Its so fucking frustrating to pay $295 a month between us for a sim that is broken while LL gives the LEA 20 sims to play with for art.  Remind me again why being an art supporter in SL is a good idea?  Yeah.  I got nothin either.

So, I change my SL outfit once a week and try to find the fun in fashion.  Yeah, no. I try on a green skin for Halloween and have a fondness for my steampunk monocle which amuses me for a fleeting moment.   I wonder if my time in SL is drawing to a close.  Then I wait for an emotional response to that thought and really? There isn't one.

Most of my SL friendships have migrated to other platforms.  The other day one of my very best friends from SL said to me "Edie I want you in my life, not in my game."  That is what matters, isn't it?

New Art Exhibit "Travel to Originialia"

"Travel to Originalia" is the newest art exhibit on Amase Levasseur's Originalia sim.  Bloggers, photographers and machinimatographers are invited to a press preview event on Wednesday 10/19 at 6pm SLT.    Please contact me in SL or via your favorite social media to be put on the access list.

The show includes three exciting exhibits by award winning artists.  In keeping with the theme of the sim, the exhibits include fresh new work that has never been seen before in Second Life.   'Travel to Originalia' includes:

"Postcards Home" by Callipygian Christensen

 Adapt or Perish" by Cherry Manga 

"Gateway to Hell" by Fuschia Nightfire

 As a special treat, visitors will also be treated to a reprise of the much loved exhibit "The Docks" by Scottius Polke.

'Travel to Originalia' opens to the public on Saturday 10/22 at 1pm SLT

Follow the SLurl and enjoy your "Travel to Originalia" 

The Path by Bryn Oh and a Stellar Group of SL artists

Some times you get lucky - like when many of your favorite artists collaborate and produce art that defines the word synergy.  I am, of course, talking about The Path by Bryn Oh, Colin Fizgig, Marcus Inkpen, Desdemona Enfield / Douglas Story, Maya Paris, Claudia222 Jewell, Scottius Polke,  and Rose Borchovski.

From the notecard:

 The Path is an immersive project based around the exquisite corpse concept sometimes used by the Surrealists.  Essentially, each chosen artist adds to a composition in sequence.  Eight artists were invited to stand upon one of eight different coloured boxes I had set up.  Once all had chosen a box to stand on, a chart was rezzed which listed the order of colours which would hten dictate the sequence of artists to compose the scenes for a narrative.
     So if red was the first colour on the chart, then the artist standing on the red cube would begin the narrative.  If blue were next then the artist on the blue cube would continue the story after red had passed their part on to them.

     The artist who goes first composes a short start to a story.  They then pass on this segment to the artist who is next on the list.  That artist would then write up a continuation of the narrative and pass it on to the third artist.  This would continue until reaching the eighth and final artist.

SLurl teleport to The Path

"Through the Lens of Dreams" - Exhibit Opening at Art Screamers

"Through the Lens of Dreams" is the newest full sim build at Art Screamers.

We are thrilled to share this build by the very talented Madcow Cosmos and his partner in sound, the equally talented Lorin Tone. Through an ongoing collaborative working relationship Madcow and Lorin explore their wild imaginations and come up with some of Second Life's most amazing creations.   This interactive build is fun, outrageous and guaranteed to make you smile. 

There will be a sneak preview for bloggers, photographers and machinimatographers on Friday October 7th at 6pm SLT.  If you would like to be on the access list please contact me via the comments email or whatever flavor of social media suits you.  Alternatively you can IM me or Zachh Cale in Second Life.

A Grand Opening Celebration will take place on Sunday October 9th at Noon SLT.


SLURL to teleport to "Through the Lens of Dreams"

I know you will love this whimsical, fantastic walk "Through the Lens of Dreams" by Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone. Please do let me know if you want to be on the access list for the Sneak Preview or come to the Grand Opening on Sunday.  If you can't make either of these two events the sim will be open to the public from Sunday on for approximately the next month.   Don't miss this one!

Please post your photographs in the Art Screamer group on Flicker!  http://www.flickr.com/groups/1755605@N24/

Tour "Grail Quest" at Burn2 and Meet the Fabulous Artist - Trill Zapatero

Tour Trill Zapatero's fabulous build "Grail Quest"  on Thursday October 6 at 3pm SLT.  Meet Trill and talk to her about her work.  Tour hosted by Chestnut Rau, a member of the Burn2 Art Committee.  (That is me!)

Trill's description of Grail Quest:

Welcome to the Fool's journey to the end of the universe and back., through all the pitfalls and trials of identity and desire, to death and beyond, through the  gauntlet of useless rusty grails offered up by relgion and ideology, through a modernist purgatory, and into the heart and soul of the crumbling grail castle reclaimed by nature and love. all steps along the way leading to the ultimate discovery of the true grail. "A fool if he persists in his folly will become wise." William Blake

SLurl to the build.  Meet there for the tour

I see how it is

SL can be hard on relationships, even those that have transcended the bounds of Second Life itself and spilled over into other social media and that wonderful place called Real Life.  I always struggle with not being able to look my online friends in the eye and touch them and really "see" them.  It is sometimes hard to connect even when its something you really want to do.

For me, trying to communicate with people can be like when subway trains are passing in the station. Those of you who have been in the NYC subway will know what I mean -- when trains pass each other there is a lot of loud noise and a loud rush of wind but in that moment no one is communicating because no one can hear a damn thing. That is what my life has been like a lot for the past three weeks.

I am looking forward to coming up out of the subway, seeing the bright sun and feeling the cool fall breeze blow my hair off my face.  Maybe I will even be able to talk to my friends again.

Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone Installation Opening at Art Screamers 10/9!

"SL is best when its the land of the the subconcious made real, beauty, smut, crayon drawings, and all" Madcow Cosmos to me, Zach & Lorin