Creature of Hobbit

 JRR Tolkein published the third and final part of Lord of the Rings on 20 October 1955, and this week the Safari decided to celebrate that 77th anniversary by taking our fellowship on a bit of a quest. There are dozens of LotR builds in opensim, we could only see two this time, those belonging to Ferd Federix on Outworldz and Roland Francis on ViBel. 

Way too many pictures for a single post, so this one is about Ferd's place, Roland's build is covered in 'Into the West'. HG Addresses are at the end, as usual.

And also, as usual, we met at the clubhouse. If you have never been on Safari with us, take 5 minutes to drop in at the region hg.osgrid.org:80:HG Safari. The set up is simple, we gather a couple of minutes before it's time to head for the first destination - it helps to know who's planning to be part of the trip before we leave, so we can tp you if you get lost. There is a big box right by the landing place, with LANDMARKS on it. Click to buy, you will get a folder with the LMs for the day, numbered in order of use, and a Notecard summarizing where we are going - simple as that. We head to destination one at 12 noon SLT, and destination two at 1pm SLT.  

Horse Play

Je suis posey, avec mon poney, je kiffe ma journey

OK... Feelings of calm - a pleasurable journey - at the Apocalypse?   And surely those aren't ponies. Yikes! You know how it is with horseplay, it's all fun and games, until someone gets hurt. Or the world ends.

Terra... and Terra!

Well no, of course they aren't ponies, they are the famous 4 Horses - in this case, Domination, War, Famine/Disease, and Death - the brainchild of Terra Merhyem in her latest build, 'The 4 Horseriders of the Apocalypse'  which is part of the ongoing and very lively Pangea Festival of Art and Culture. 

From Aphra to Bibi

A bijou grid and a gem of a region on Opensim's biggest grid this week. 

Our first port of call was the home of Aphra Hendrix, Cozy Comforts grid. Check out the Cozy Comforts Grid website to learn about the meaning of the place, and for news of events. 

There were a dozen of us, landing on the sim Cozy Comforts World, where the party was already started. Full HG Addresses of our destinations are, as always, at the end of the post.

Beth Ghostraven: Hello everyone!

Ard Rhys: Hi Beth

Star Ravenhurst: Hi Beth

Thirza Ember: wow nice big crowd

whirli placebo: and so quiet and polite!  good looking too

Beth Ghostraven: lol whirli

whirli placebo: dancing with the avatars!

Beth Ghostraven: that's why I was late, getting dressed in something new :o)

Lloud and Clear

What's going on in Opensim can be a difficult question to answer. There's so much happening on so many grids and people who are busy making things don't always have the time or the temperament to effectively let others know about their creations.  

One way this need for communication is being served is through two broadcasts, MBTV News and Inworld Review,  filmed on Sundays from 10 am Pacific time, and available on Youtube. 

Making a show like this isn't easy - and there is a lot to learn not only from the guests on the show, but also from those behind the scenes...

What Dreams May Come

 Eclectic & Ever-Changing are the first words you see when arriving on AI Dreams in Art, the new sim by Karima Hoisan featuring art by Dale Innis. A bold promise, you might say, but Karima isn't the kind of person who over-promises, and this build lives perfectly up to expectations.

At this point, pretty much everybody on Discord has tried their hand at MidJourney, with varied results.  Admired and despised in about equal measure of passion, millions of words have already been spent on its place in the art world, so there's no point in rehashing all that. 

What counts here is the inspiration, and by that, not just the word choice by Dale Innis that elicited the images, but also the fabulous way the images have been set, like jewels in a splendid jewel-box, in discrete galleries in collaboration with the wonderful Karima Hoisan.

Fluxantis Fun

 Alien alert! Continuing the Pangea Art and Culture Festival, FLUXANTIS opened on September 30 with a big party. Made in Blender by Finja and Jason Flux, the predominant color of the build is turquoise - or is that Avatar Blue? 

 Finja and Jason Flux

The theme of the sim is scifi, with more with a touch of water-based fantasy and manga thrown in. Make sure you switch to shared environment to get the full effect of the region - it's beautiful!

French Weave

To weave the mirror's magic sights...

Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott

The appointed hour - the heure fixée -  is 12 noon SLT, let's call it 21 heure de Paris. The place, a marble palace on the tiny grid of Eden Cat, full of souvenirs, games, pictures, comfortable chairs, and music. The day - the first Thursday of the month.

It's time again for a regular get-together of anyone who enjoys the francophone community in Opensim. This month, half a dozen grids were represented among the participants, some with famous names, others bijou grids with only a handful of residents, some personal sanctuaries with a single  inhabitant.  It can be fun to have your own place, there's a lot to be said for it creatively and in terms of keep the drama to a minimum, but humans do tend towards gregariousness. Advice, encouragement, and some chill chit chat can make a welcome change.

The Wonders of Wellspring

Opensim has a long and storied past, and certain projects exemplify the resilience, ingenuity and strength of  the community on the vast archipelago of independent grids that it comprises. One of these is the Sendalonde Library, currently residing on Digiworldz. 

This was the second destination on our Safari trip, and although we lost a few travelers due to the slight complication required to access the grid (you have to verify your UUID and some find that a bit complicated) the majority of us made it through. To welcome us, Alexina Proctor, Prax Maryjacz and Snoots Dwagon were on hand, and let us into the Sendalonde Theater which is an integrated part of the library building.

The Sendalonde Library is the gateway into 'Wellspring' - follow this link to learn more about that.

The Sendalonde is preparing for a grand reopening on Sunday October 16 at 1pm SLT , so you might say that our visit was a bit of a dress rehearsal for region performance! We saw a really nice slideshow down memory lane, ably put together by Alexina.

Cho and Tell

Kashi Takeshi: Hello all, happy to see you and welcome at Heiwa. Heiwa is hosted on the Virtual Worlds Grid that was founded 2 years ago.  The grid is non-commercial and sponsored by the founder and residents. Heiwa stands for Peace and is the name I gave this region where I am making a little Japanese village. I do like the old Japanese ways instead of the modern cities, The ambiance and atmosphere breathes Zen.  That's what I am trying to create here on Heiwa. Heiwa is still being build and hopefully will be ready this winter ;)  Many people helped my out to gather the items you see around  you.  If you happen to like an item please send me a notecard and I will deliver it to you later.

Kashi Takeshi 

The Wow Factor

 Our second destination this week was to one of the most unusual and spectacular mesh builds you'll find in Opensim. Inspired by the great city of Dalaran in World of Warcraft, it's an immense labour of love by Gridmistress Wendie Blackthorn on her delightful grid, Kinky Haven. Lots of mesh, lots of passion, but not lots of Blender, as one might assume -pro tip alert!

Wendie Blackthorn:  I do not use blender to edit mesh, that program gives me a headache to look at it

Star Ravenhurst: What do you use?

The splendid floating city of Dalaran

Wendie Blackthorn: Wings3D   it's a much friendlier interface and has lots of tutorials that are easy to follow

Arielle Popstar: oh really, little more intuitive then Blender

Fetter Gyve: Good to know. Thanks Wendie. I will check it out

The Art Factor(y)

Way too many pictures, interesting things to look at, lag, fun, and fascinating people to put both of this week's destinations in a single post, so this is the first half of our trip. The second part, on sim Dalaran, Kinky Haven, is in a separate post. The Art Factory is not just a repository of art, it's a thriving community based in OSGrid but with its arms open to artists and art lovers all over the hyperverse. Here's what happened. URL as always at the end of the post.

Ernest Moncrieff: Hi All and welcome to the Art Factory, before I start I'd just like to say that due to timezones Co-founder Ellen Tiratzo cannot join up this evening (3am in Japan!) But she has helped to put together tonight's Safari and I will be using the words that she prepared.

Ernest Moncrieff: (Speaking for Ellen) - Welcome Thank you all so much for coming out today to support the Art Factory and to learn about and enjoy some of what our artists have helped us create here. Thirza asked us to give you a brief history behind The Art Factory. I met Ernest in LBSA Plaza, when he was trying to fix his broken mouth in preparation for a musical performance! Long before we began TAF, I would get up at 4 am here in Japan to attend and support Ernest’s shows, before beginning my work day. We would often talk about art, and he would tell me about different art installations he had built in other worlds and regions. I could tell he longed to create again, so on his birthday, I bought a small plot of land, teleported him there, and said…”Let’s make art!”. And so began The Art Factory!

Performing in VWs by Laszlo Ordogh

 The following is a guest post by Velazquez Bonetto, in rl László Ördögh. Vela's long career in virtual worlds is best known for the many performances and presentations of the Cybernetic Art Research Project 'CARP'  which was founded in Second Life in 2007. Now based mostly on Craft Grid and a close collaborator with Rosanna Galvani and her Museo del Metaverso, Vela reflects here on aspects of performance in Virtual Worlds. 

The miracle that we are experiencing today: the Cyberspace, the dematerialized virtual time-space, the worldwide webbed society, where we surf at lightspeed. Any artist NOT using this virtual universe as a challenge and a goal does not deserve the name Avantgarde.

Velazquez and colleague Rosanna Galvani, on Craft Grid, 2022

Why work in Virtual worlds?

1: Everything built in virtual worlds has no material consequences. Everything is Illusion but is useful as a model situation.
2: There is a unbelievable potential in variability and flexibility.
3: Nowhere else you can express and experiment new ideas and thoughts in such a fast spontaneous way. For creative people this world is a  playground to model new situations and experiment with them.

New and Nu on Safari

This week a trip two regions with something 'nu' about them - first, New Hope, on Asgard, also known by its hg address grid.our-dawn, and to NUNA the spectacular sim on 3rd Rock grid. Complete addresses, as usual, at the end of the post.

the spectacular NUNA art museum on 3rd Rock Grid

First up Asgard, aka Grid Our Dawn, in some places called 'Starfleet', but Asgard is a shorter name so I'm going to stick with it. The story of the Asgard grid is a story full of Ragnaroks - although, not really, because that Viking term means the final destruction of the world, and this grid/group has survived not one massive upheaval but many, and with surprising resilience. We met on a community sim with two members of the grid, Thundergod Thor and Star Ravenhurst.

Go Continental on Neverworld

Dawn is breaking over a new continent on Neverworld, and it might just be the answer to your dreams. 

The new continent is called Bountiful. 

If you don't know Neverland, it's a 7 year old grid with a solid tech, drama-free, HG Friendly reputation. The grid's motto 'Live, Love, Create' fits it perfectly. It's a mixed-use grid, with art installations, a fun Hunt region with worthwhile prizes, a lot of quality freebie shops, and plenty of residential areas too. 

Click here to get to the Neverworld Grid website.

Govega Sachertorte

The rental charges, if you want to get a region of your own, are reasonable, and there are self-hosting opportunities too. If you just want a bit of a sim to live on, then the prices are ... well, non existent!  

I asked Govega what she considers to be the secret of her success.

Govega Sachertorte: I'm nice! Just kidding... I am lucky to have a good team, we give out free land, and we don't micro manage people. We don't force events on them or rules. Or act like a pyramid scheme lol We are the no drama grid. This is the 4th or 5th time I've done a project with a massive themed area, and I am optimistic about the success.  It starts slow and before you know it, you are  turning people away.

To visit the new continent, you should jump over to

Creanovale in Summer

Truth to tell, Opensim isn't one of those places where you just automatically count on people to be reliable, communicative, and also talented. But if exceptions prove a rule, then look no further than Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay. They bring together all these virtues not only in their kind offer to host our first field trip of the final Safari season of 2022, but also with their beautiful build on their grid, Creanovale.

Arriving on the grid is always an exciting moment. 

Maria on Safari

 The third season of the year kicked off in style with two very different destinations... yeah, yeah, I always say that, but this time it's true. First hour, chatting around the campfire with Maria Korolov -  then off into the Canadian paradise, Creanovale, with its amazing countryside and hilarious underwater and overwater activities. The Creanovale trip will be in a separate post, because the gifs alone deserve their honored space. Not to mention Dabici's goldfish. Right now, we have other business. Hypergrid Business.

Maria Korolov

Most opensim residents have heard of Maria. Journalist, novelist, creator of websites and collector of grid statistics, you probably have consulted, maybe even contributed to, her Hypergrid Business website, which she started in... well, let's let her tell us all about it.

Going, Going... Gone

 'Gone' is not a word we want to hear - not if you're talking about a grid being gone, especially if the gone grid is OSGrid. 

The historic 'Test Grid' of OpenSimulator, OSGrid, just celebrated its 15th anniversary. As tradition demands, in a couple of weeks there will be a Fundraiser Auction to help bring in some money to support the grid.

So here are some fundraiser questions, do you agree with these answers?

Virtual Spain in OSGrid

Some great news for anyone whose first language is Spanish. 

We all know that people new to Opensim -and not so new - struggle with finding resources, resolving bugs, and finding congenial company. But if English is not your first language, it's all way harder. So how to cope? Well generally speaking, people flock to a grid where a good percentage of the residents speak their language, that's why you find 'German' and 'French' grids all over the place - it's not racism, it's just that at the end of a long day when you are being frustrated by the vagaries of Opensim, you want to talk to someone who knows what you're on about, without struggling in another tongue.

Of course, we have opensim legends who are Spanish speakers, like Victoria Logan and Tina Bey, Plastichansa Bade and Zonja Capalini, Xirana Oximoxi and the lovely singer Nazirah - just to name a few. But there is room for growth in community support for anyone who wants to take the plunge and whose first language is Spanish.  Spanish worlds in Opensim are something of a rarity. Well, not a rarity, but let's say the best known Spanish-friendly grid has a fairly dramatic reputation, which is not to everyone's taste. So what happens when someone who speaks only Spanish comes to Opensim?  

Evan Belmond and friends have decided to try to fill that need with a brand new sim called Virtual Spain, on OSGrid. The idea is to create a central place where Spanish speakers who love Opensim can come and get advice, find freebies, and make friends without having to fight with the Yandex translator every five minutes. 

The Soul of Hypergridding

 Perhaps you remember Spike Sol's hypergrid destination hub, on grid Soloton. For many years, it was a valuable resource for anyone looking for an interesting destination in opensim. Not only as a tool for explorers, the  sim was a link between likeminded builders, a way to measure your work with that of your peers, and a sort of library of places worth visiting that might have slipped your mind. From very early days of hypergridding, the Weltraumbahnhof was a beacon in a confusing ocean of destinations, and when foolish people would say, there's nothing to see in Opensim, you had to merely point them at Spike's masterpiece to put them straight.

Spike's Weltraumbahnhof during a Safari visit in 2017

Soloton grid has been offline for a while now, although don't imagine that Spike isn't active - apart from having a regular Sunday slot on the German-language Radio ArtDestiny, Spike will be compering the upcoming fashion show by Loru Destiny. (Here's a sneak peek of Loru's fashion.)

Arriving on Soul Grid's Weltraumbahnhof, 2022

Earlier this year, the owners of Soul Grid, Rudi and Nasti Backerly, opened a new build.

Rudi Backerly: It is a sequel and homage on Spike Sols Weltraumbahnhof. We created it in memory of his great work, which he continued for years with difficulty. Before we started, we asked Spike if he is okay with it, that we continue his work. He agreed and I remember that he liked it as he visited the new Weltraumbahnhof some weeks before.

Soirees Franco

 As the new season of Safari begins, it's worth remembering ours is not the only hypergridding group out there. If you understand French, or want to immerse yourself in the language and culture, there's an excellent monthly opportunity for you.

At 9pm Paris time, on the first Thursday evening of each month, the Frenchies will be gathering on Eden Cat's grid to have a chat, exchange news and views, and tour some interesting regions. You may remember that for about 3 years, Vladimir of Virtual Dream Grid organized trips - when his grid went offline this spring, it left a big gap in the francophone community. But now things are getting going again!

Trips are a bit different from the Safari tour. The Frenchies make full use of Voice, so if your French is not great, be ready for a bit of  linguistic tsunami. Events are usually filmed by Prodyck and published on his Twitch channel. They focus on visiting francophone destinations, based quite often in Belgium, Canada, and France, and go to just one place per trip. There are loads of lovely grids based in these countries, so plenty to see - try it out! The next trip will be on October 6.

Soirees Franco

WHERE Meeting at http://chez-eden.venez.fr:8002/

WHEN The first Thursday of each month

CONTACT Join the SV3D Discord channel to keep in touch with the group
https://discord.gg/K5WgSJrcbt

Noise Ploys with Lorin Tone

How many dimensions, would you say, are there in virtual worlds? If your answer is three, then maybe think again. For a virtual environment to really be immersive, there is another dimension that will lift, color, enhance and amplify your build, whether it be a sci fi paradise or a woodland tableau. That is sound.

Sound is one of the hardest things to get right in virtual worlds. Too many noises, or noises repeated too often, can spoil a sim, while if your audio is too sparing, visitors may not notice it at all. But how can you create the perfect aural environment?  Consult the Sorcerer of Sound, of course.

Lorin Tone: Sometimes sound effects can be used as a major component in build or environments. For most environmental soundscapes, the sound should not be featured, but more "felt" than noticeably heard. At other times, you can bash people over the head with sounds that enhance the most important elements of a build. 

Lorin Tone

Lorin presents a fascinating course on using Sounds in virtual worlds. The class lasts about an hour, and is held twice a month on Sundays, at 10am Pacific Time, on his region Soundscapes, within the Koryphon

'Tis (almost) the Season!

 Two weeks until Safari returns!
The third and final season of Safari trips for 2022 begins on September 14 and ends on November 16.

Safari trips are on Wednesdays  at 12 noon Pacific time, that's 3 pm for those on Eastern Time, and 9pm for most Europeans. That's our departure time, the time at which we are expected at the first stop on the trip, so if you can, do show up at the clubhouse a bit before. This way, you can get the latest news of what's going on, and you can friend other safari goers. This is more than a polite gesture - if you friend us, we may be able to tp you if you get lost (or even better, you can tp us if we get lost!) 

Each expedition involves two destinations, each for about an hour - some of you may remember our three hour Safaris, with anything up to five destinations, back in the day when long crashes and highly unstable grids (and, if we're being honest, quite a few highly unreliable hosts) made it sensible to have plenty of time and plenty of options. 

These days there are a lot fewer last minute cancellations, and that is thanks to the hard work of the Opensim Devs, and some really magnificent grid owners who go the extra mile in making our visits possible and delightful. The quality of builds in opensim continues to amaze us all, and the enthusiasm of our hosts is heartwarming - thank you all so much!

VWs - Distraction, or Inspiration? By Xirana Oximoxi

 This is a guest post by Xirana Oximoxi, aka the Catalan artist Núria Vives. She writes and illustrates children's books, including the delightful Amanda and the Snowman - presented in voice to the HG Safari group, back in 2016. Her books have a truly international feel, available in a variety of languages, making them ideal teaching tools as well as entertainment.  Xirana has shared her adorable art across both OpenSim and SL, as well of course in the real world too. Follow her blog to keep up with her latest creations and exhibitions.

Xirana Oximoxi - Núria Vives

The inspiration or stimuli we receive to enhance our creativity comes from the effect that the world and the people around us have on us, either in real life or in the virtual worlds in which we also relate with people who, behind the figure of their avatar, are very real. Music, Literature, Art and everything that happens in virtual worlds continues to be an experience that influences us.

Cherry Manga 1: The Early Years

There was a poetry to old school SL names. 

Their two-partedness and their permanence spoke of  a level of self expression that leaves the dumbed down display name and single moniker in the dust.  To make a name for oneself - that brush with destiny: the first name chosen from within, the second name chosen from a world-imposed list. Together they formed a double-edged identity card, showing a piece of yourself as an individual and where you place yourself within the wider world. Perhaps that's why so many SL names persist in opensim.

Cherry Manga is a case in point. Manga, and the mind flies to the unreal figures of the comics, to the culture of Japan, to romance and theatrical gestures, to space and cyborgs and superpowers, to lovely elemental battles. And Cherry? Thoughts, perhaps, of sakura, or of chérie, or of red and ready fruit, tasting sometimes sweet, sometimes a little sharp, fated to be popped. It's all in there, one way or another. 

Cherry Manga: Japan always fascinated me, it's so far from my own culture, it's delicate, precise, perfectionist. It's like I am related to Japan even if I never put a foot there. I would say first inspiration would be surrealism though, all mysterious, dark, and mostly everything I make is autobiographical. I build my feelings, my dreams, my pain.

This Midjourney AI artwork, made in 2022, glimpses the future of Cherry's art. But first, let's go back to the beginning.

Cherry Manga 2: FrancoGrid and More

Katia Venegas: Cherry Manga artiste futuriste aux talents multiples lorsqu’il s’agit de se dépasser ou de nous surprendre. La poésie est dans chacune de ses réalisations, la beauté également, aussi, le réalisme d’un monde décadent que ses créations soulignent pour mieux y échapper en s’envolant, gracieuses et dansantes, créatures étincelantes, immatérielles, uniques... Architectures de cristal aux formes inédites, l’art renouveau du futur… Un style marqué reconnaissable entre tous, une évolution constante de ses techniques et de son imaginaire, font d’elle l’artiste visionnaire de notre futur.

You don't have to know much French to see that Katia Vanegas is a fan of Cherry's art. She was the first gallery owner to exhibit Cherry's work in Second Life, and moved to FrancoGrid shortly before her. Katia's region Parc des Arts (now to be found on Craft Grid) soon had a spectacular build that the Safari visited in 2014, on FrancoGrid, a moving and powerful installation on the theme of AIDS.

FrancoGrid was founded in 2009 and had, as the name implies, an almost entirely francophone population. It was already a vibrant, art-centric community when Yann Minh introduced  Cherry and her partner Archael Magic, a nifty builder himself, whose Alpha Base is a fantastic scifi playground, to opensim in general and FrancoGrid in particular.

Cherry Manga 3: OS and SL

Throughout the years, Cherry Manga has accomplished the rare feat of maintaining a notable presence both in SL and Opensim. Her 'extrametaversal' experimentation includes forays into Tilt Brush as you can see in this video. Google has discontinued Tilt Brush but there is an Opensource version if you are interested in trying it yourself. It's a brilliant way to augment inworld art in further layers of surreality.

(By the way, please take a moment to watch all these videos in Youtube, like, subscribe and comment if you can, it's a nice way to show your appreciation for the hard work of the machinima makers.)

Summer of Love on Pangea

There was another triumph tonight at the Pangea Art and Culture Festival, ongoing throughout this year.
No doubt Lampi will have a video of it on her Youtube channel shortly, so make sure you subscribe!

'The Summer of Love' was a choreographed performance by the dance group The Imaginals, Medora Chevalier,  Zimp Rexi, Alazi Sautereau,  along with  DJ Arianna Nightfire, Lampithaler Artist, Eva Noir, Arcanquest Frank, Roxelo Babenco, Eva Kraai, and Nele Paulson.

All the Rage

 Rage Darkstone has recently arrived in opensim, and has already begun to make his mark. His first big show was 'Death and Transfiguration' for the Pangea Art and Culture Festival, directed by Lampithaler Artis. 

Rage's 3D art is ephemeral, vibrant, tenuous, full of life and drama, and this performance had it all. Pretty good, too, for his first attempt in what many artists find a foreign country, OpenSim, where even on well conducted grids, scripts can mess with you, and your carefully honed SL inventory is not available, making life a little more... interesting.

Collaboration, by Karima Hoisan

 The following is a guest article by Karima Hoisan. Well-loved in both SL and on Kitely for her poems and sim-sized installations (called 'worlds' in Kitely), she shares here some thoughts about the most significant collaborations in her career. On her blog Digital Rabbit Hole, you will find many poems including this tribute to Natascha, called 'Lone Rider'

When I hear the word “collaboration”, I think of two people: Natascha Randt and Dale Innis.

In 2012.  Natascha and I knew about each other, but not well, until one day she said, “Let’s try something together.” In our first collaboration, we took 2nd place in the 2012 UWA Machinima Competition “Seek Wisdom”. We just kept going and going from that day on, until last September, when Natascha passed away while waiting for an artificial heart. She was 40 years old. 

In these last 10 years we learned so much, how and why we worked together so well. Our collaborations were not the norm, but they were successful and a delight to be a part of. 

Home Sweet Gnome

 "Sometimes I feel like I'm actually on the wrong planet, 
and it's great when I'm in my garden. 
But the minute I go out the gate I think:
'What the hell am I doing here?' "
George Harrison

In January 1970, George Harrison bought a house called Friar Park, on the western edge of  the Thames-side town of Henley, about an hour west of central London. The 60-acre estate has its feet, as it were, in the realm of the bus-stop-and-bins of suburbia, but its head rests quietly on the edges of the Chilterns. A rambling neo-gothic mansion built in the 1880's, by the '70s Friar Park had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was due to be demolished. Instead, it was rescued and repaired. For thirty years it was home to Harrison, and the location of his main recording studio, and his family live there to this day. 

The house must have hundreds of tales to tell, but this post is about the garden, which has been recreated in the virtual world of Littlefield Grid by Pete Clements, aka Mudpuddle Cleanslate, on a region called 'All Things Must Pass'. This picture, as with all the landscape images below, was taken in that place in the  metaverse.

OSgrid Turns Fifteen

 Fifteen is a great age, and in Opensim it's virtually prehistoric - just four years younger than the old Grande Dame, SL. 

Event Plaza

So congrats off the bat to the entire operation - the geeks past and present who have kept OSGrid up to date, the creators, and the entertainers, the testers and scripters and artists, and even more to all the individual contributors who with sums large and small have paid for it to stay online. Let's see what some have to say for themselves.

On Fluorine

 Fluorine is full of toothsome goodies, way more than can reasonably be mentioned in this post, which is one for the ladies. Don't hesitate to jump on over to grid.opensimfest.com:8022:Flourine to do the full tour, and see these builds for yourself.

The theme of Opensimfest 2022 is Medieval/Fantasy which is a great piece of wordplay, because it leaves things open for fans of the medieval, fans of fantasy, and fans of imagined medieval. So that has us all covered. The first build that impressed and inspired me is this one by Susannah Avonside. 

It's the real deal in terms of medieval builds, and of course Suzi is flying the flag for her beloved Wales. 

By Jupiter

 Dewdrops, on a sultry summer day, could not be more welcome. And when Azi Az and Danger Lytton put out the invitation 'Do drop in', the appeal is twice as strong, twice as compelling.

The Dew Drop Islands on OSgrid are delightfully mysterious. Make sure you have Advanced Lighting enabled in your graphics, or you will miss out on the spectacular sky that makes you feel like you've arrived on a moon of Jupiter. A watery, flower-abundant moon, where you begin to wonder... and wander... everything has delicious doubt written into it.

On landing, a question. Is this a dragon, or a sea snake, an illusion, a guardian or a greeter? 

Art and Soul at the OSF

OpensimFest has as its motto 'The chemistry of community' and that's why the regions take their names from the periodic table. Some are words we're all familiar with like Oxygen and Carbon, while others have names that sound a bit made up, come on, admit it, by scientists who just want to mystify their craft. 

The heart of Chlorine. Greyer than I expected, tbh

Here are two OpensimFest regions you might like to explore,  one with an everyday name, the other sounding more exotic. What do they have in common? Big art, and interesting projects. Both regions are full of good things to look at, I've chosen my favorite three from each, so go and explore, perhaps you'll find something I have overlooked.

More than Music: OSF's Event sims

OpensimFest opened on Friday July 8 and will stay open for a full 17 days, including three 3-day weekends with twelve hours of musical entertainment, focused on the four Event regions that are all smooshed together, with four separate stages, so each performer can have the backdrop that matches their musical style. There is a shared dance floor spanning all four regions, and you can hear the music, whichever sim you happen to be dancing on. If you missed the first couple of days, no worries, there is plenty more to come.

Some of the performers have really gone to town in creating an ambience for their events, like this set up by Karima Hoisan, a perfect environment for the wonderful poems.

Many have brought the house down just with a bit of nifty dancing, as seen here where Holocluck Henly and Snoots Dragon are giving it welly.

Spectacular Sound & Adorable Alice

   The final Safari of the season (We start back up again on September 14) and two more absolutely unmissable destinations. If you and everyone you know don't know these places, well... Go. See. Enjoy. HG Addresses are as always at the end of the post.

First up, a visit to The Nuna Gallery on 3rd Rock Grid, more specifically, some sky-high sound based installations by the sorcerer of sound, Lorin Tone and region owner and brilliant builder and region owner Alia Soulstar.  

The Nuna is a walkable Encyclopedia of world art that is as peerless as it is rigorous. For me, it's one of the Seven Wonders of Opensim. Magnificent in its size, layout, detail, complexity, and precision, it must have taken a vast amount of time and talent to put together. This is a useful and beautiful place, an educator's resource of the highest quality, and a place that anyone can enjoy, and find within its walls serenity, knowledge and beauty. 

The Gallery opened in December 2019, and comprises five floors of outstanding world art, with information that sets it in context and basically will give you a degree in Art History by the time you've done the whole building, or, if you just sample a few bits, will in any case expand your mind and help you make sense of the world of art. It's bliss in a box.

Goodbye to Metro

 Nobody would argue (and on this venerable grid, that is really saying something) that the hero of Metropolis Metaversum is Neovo Geesink, seen here dancing along with the other star of the Goodbye to Metro party, LadyJo Martin. Wait, did this gif capture the hand of Kashi Takeshi? Classic Opensim. Metro was slated to close permanently on June 30, 2022, and we decided to party her offline.

LadyJo in green, Neovo in grey, with the partygoers

The party got started, not at noon Pacific as advertised, but well in advance, thanks to the fabulous

The Gift

– Adieu, dit le renard. Voici mon secret. Il est très simple :

on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur.

A secret, a heart, a book, a voice, a concept, a collaboration, and a sim. A gift.

It began with Unadecal Masala. He runs a region hosting service, where you can rent a fast, efficient region connected to OSGrid, and I think other grids too, but you should ask him. He has always been a supporter of the Safari and Opensim Arts in general, and he offered a space for a project by and for the Safari. 
The idea of doing an event  this season to mark the 122nd birthday of Antoine de Saint-Exupery was already on my mind. His most famous text is The Little Prince, written in French but translated into over 250 languages and dialects, making it one of the most international and best loved books in the world.

But who to take on the job of imagining the book for opensim? It could only be one person, Wizardoz Chrome, machinimer, conceptual artist, word lover and a brilliant and delightful collaborator, not to mention one of the founding members of the Safari. She soon involved others, including Tina Bey, Art Blue, Venus Adored, and Cherry Manga, who presented each of us with a white animesh rose, freshly invented by her, on our arrival on sim Exupery. A truly international group to celebrate these sublime words that have resonated in hearts all around the planet.

Babylonie

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; 

and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language;

 and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, 

which they have imagined to do.  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, 

that they may not understand one another's speech.

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: 

and they left off to build the city.

Genesis 11:4-8

Arrival - Photo by Fitheach Eun

Ignis Fatuus grid, our second destination this week. Ustengrav is a new region from Max, Chip and Harthelie, whose prowess in intricate construction and textures is always mindboggling. The theme is Mesopotamian, proto-Mediterranean, with  a little pre-Columbian mystery in there for good measure. An idyll of idols, if you will. Colors and textures, layout and lighting, this is not a build that is meant to be immediately understood.
We were, how can I put this, informationally challenged, in that yes, there was an intro to the build, in

Dreams of Destiny: Paul Stephen Dixon at Pangea

Lampithaler and Marlon Wayne's Art and Culture Festival on Pangea Grid continues, this time with "Dreams and Nightmares", an art show by Paul Stephen Dixon known inworld as Tryad Destiny.  

The "Dreams and Nightmares" exhibition is at pangeagrid.ddns.net:8002:Norge

 The venue is your classic NPIRL place. Dancing in a forest sim. A few meters away looms an unusual hemisphere gallery, alive in the half light, quite unlike the typical bricks-and-mortar framework favored by many artists in 2D.

All the Fun of the Fair

lifted.pixel: I am already enjoying this corn cob 

You're still in time! Just two weeks before OpensimFest begins, and there are still a few FREE parcels of land available, where you can show off your creativity, get publicity for your region, grid, products, or group. Don't miss out, go to OpensimFest.com and get the ball rolling by registering today!

This week the extraordinary Jessica Pixel filmed our adventures, so watch that, if reading is not your thing. Click here to watch it on Youtube

This week's Safari was to Cuteulala Artis' sims on Winxtropia, and then to the OpensimFest grid to catch up with Fest coordinator Shelenn Ayres. HG Addresses, as always at the end of the post, and this time let's mix it up by telling about destination two first.
We met up with Shelenn on Zen, one of the regions of Opensimfest grid that is closest to being finished - only about two weeks are left, so everyone is in the final rush before testing and checking leading up to the Opening, on July 8th.
Thirza Ember: First question, Shelenn - Opensimfest - what made you take it on?

Arthur in Pangea, with Terra Merhyem

On Pangea Grid, there is an Art and Culture Festival going on, and to kick it off, Terra Merhyem has prepared a magnificent region celebrating the Arthurian legends, on a region called Avalon. 

Afterlife at Amerika art

Terra joined in Second Life in 2016 and immediately got started with art shows featuring both 2 and 3D art. 

She twice qualified for a sim at the LEA and in 2021 also had a SLEA region. She's had going on for thirty art shows altogether in Second Life, and has two permanent exhibitions, at The Galleries  and at The Peace Gallery 

Terra came to Opensim thanks to the art initiative Amerika Art, the brainchild of Art Blue with Juliette Surrealdreaming. You can find the installation among a constellation of important SL names like Glyph Graves, Thoth Janssen and Bryn Oh, on the Amerika regions of Craft Grid. 

If you would like to see the exhibition just go to Craft Grid, type into your Map Amerika and when you get there, look for the funky little chairs deep in the bowels of the pyramid. There are various rooms that enable you to travel to the installations, most many thousands of meters above the ground. There are plenty of installs, all following the theme of an afterlife in various ways, to choose from. It only took me about 45 minutes to find Terra's.

But worth it. Terra's build 'The Afterlife' is a spectacular sculpture soaring high up into the night sky, full of fire and energy, a bit like the lady herself, and from that positive experience on Craft Grid, great things have happened. Was it easy to connect with people in Opensim?