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.

If the word Chlorine has your mind racing to the swimming pool, or bright whites in the laundry room, then think again. Chlorine the region has a medieval-fantasy heart, in the form of a village, castle, and soaring bridges in a deeply rutted landscape. All around on the flat land, a mixture of merchants and big art.

Rage Darkstone's piece is a black-box poem of form and fire. The willowy figure comes alive in glowing copper, its captured attitude a marvel of mystery, set somewhere between defense and desire, the exact locus depending, I suppose, on what the viewer brings to the installation. If it is the job of the artist to deepen the enigma, then mission accomplished with elegant simplicity. Riveting.

Nyx Breen's contribution has all the photogenic revolutions you expect - his edgy harmonies confounding you, as do the dimensions of the build because, compared with Nyx at full size, this is a canape - once you've tasted the style, you have to go over to Alternate Metaverse Grid and see the enormity of it all, on his region Aedifex, and on his other region, Immersive - your head will be spinning. 

In this installation, notice the reddish figures, (ghostly guards perhaps?) on each side of the aperture, and the pollen colored 'mini' spheres that are bigger than a person, while the jade-colored openwork of the outer shell calls to mind those intricately carved Chinese puzzle balls, symbols of good luck and prosperity. 

And last but never least, Terra Mehryem.  Her bold, emotive, 3d art has a blade of living fear running through it, bringing everything to life, straining every sinew, exuding excitement from every pore. Love it.

Meanwhile, leaping over to Quantium, these three caught my eye. (hey, is it true that Dr Sam Beckett is getting a reboot this year? Quantium - Quantum - I'm showing my age, sorry about that)

Alan Tupper presents Kamikaze the book/animated short/ webcomic. One glance at the build and you know it's going to be fun, and worth clicking on the dreaded Notecard Giver (admit it, we all hate to be given notecards - yet how else can you find out what is going on?)

There's a lovely island build representing Weelandia (a region on DigiWorldz) by Nebby Newman. It is a charming, carefree playground for those of the Dinkie persuasion, and their many friends and supporters. The community on Weelandia has regular musical and social events, and this build at OpensimFest also showcases the makers of good quality Dinkie avatars and the matching clothing, for sale on Digiworldz. A few freebies, too, if you feel like experimenting before taking the plunge.

If you haven't visited this community, you have missed out, it will restore your faith in the kindness of strangers. Plus that kitty Dixieland ensemble is as cute as can be. 

Lastly, the Focus build, at the other end of the region. 

It is a harmonious group of modern buildings, airy and light, around a contemporary plaza decorated with photographs on easels. It's instantly clear that this is no mere selfieville, but a journey through landscapes expertly captured to evoke the great indoors of our virtual worlds. Inside the main building, take a look at the cover art from previous issues of the journal.

This is Doc Nolan's build on behalf of  the SL based FOCUS magazine, for and about photographers of the virtual. Don't miss the special gallery for 'FAIR' (a most appropriate name) which stands for Focus Artist in Residence.  Plenty to see here, and worth a deep dive, whether you're an art lover or an art maker, or both.

So what did I miss? Comment away.

HG Addresses

grid.opensimfest.com:8022:Chlorine

grid.opensimfest.com:8022:Quantium