Designing Worlds

Ten years ago, we visited the fantastic Artwalk, set in the amazing tinies’ community of Raglan Shire.

You can see the show here on the blog, or watch it on the Designing Worlds channel on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/95802403. Or you can join our Watch Party in the Designing Worlds studio today at 2pm, Monday 3rd June.

In this show, we visited Raglan Shire to experience this year’s Art Walk – an extensive, multi-region annual art show including both 2D and 3D works. Take a ride on the Hedgepillar and experience close-up some amazing installations as we talk to some of the organisers about this year’s show.

And, of course, no event with tinies would be complete without a party, so the amazing tiny elephant that is Ganjo Mokeev plays us out with his band at the end of the show (which acquires an extra and possibly unexpected dinkie dancer!).

There was an amazing number of pieces on display, some by well-known artists … and others by artists at the starting of their careers. We explored the 2D and 3D art on display, spread over four different sims, in part from the back of the splendid hedgepillar (a cross between a caterpillar and topiary) created by Xavian Starsider, who joins us for part of the show.

Our hosts and tour guides for the show are Teal Freenote and Kaydge (Kage Stratten), who tells us not just about the art and the Art Walk, but also give us a fascinating insight into tiny culture.

Next week, we’ll be visiting the Raglan Shire Artwalk 2024 – a show that you can still see (until June 16th) – and both the show and the event are seriously not to be missed!

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With Fantasy Faire over for another year, we are going to take a look back this week to one of the big summer Second Life events – the Birthday! So this week, on Monday 20th May at 2pm, we will be looking back ten years to SL11B, one of the years when the residents organised the whole event.

You can watch on the Designing Worlds channel at https://vimeo.com/99616824 or here on the blog, or you can join our Watch Party in our beautiful studio at Garden of Dreams.

In this show we looked at the resident builds – and also the amazing Welcome Area created by Donpatchy Dagostino – who talked about his fantastic build. We also met Tutsy Narathava, machinima artist and SL11B CC exhibitor and Harper Beresford, Website and Social Media Lead for SL11B CC who talked about their installation, created around the machinima that Tutsy has created for the Homeless propject, to littlepeppergirl and Red krasnirex who spoke about about their beautiful Belljar, to Nber Medici about her fun tugboats, and to DJ Larretronix, about his amazing Fun House.

And there was a look at the builds produced by the different branches of Prim Perfect – the Happy Hunting! site, the Blackened Mirror and the Prim Perfect build itself, as well as the opportunity to see more of the builds as captured by the camera of Wildstar Beaumont!

This was the second show from SL11B Community Celebration. You can see the first part here:

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All images by Wildstar Beaumont

Join Designing Worlds today, Monday 11th March 2024, at 2pm SLT as – with Fantasy Faire coming up – we look back to Fantasy Faire as it was in 2014!

You can see it here on the web, or join our Watch Party in our studio on Garden of Dreams.

After a previous episode where we focused on the people behind the event (DW232), in this episode we paid our second visit to Fantasy Faire 2014, one of the biggest fund-raisers in Second Life for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in the run-up to the RFL weekend itself.

This week we take a look at all the different regions at this year’s Fantasy Faire, and talk to a few of the creators of some of the most incredible buildings and landscapes you’ll see in a virtual world: Marcus Inkpen (Blackwater Glen), Elicio Ember (The Faery Court), Jaimy Handcroft (Hope’s Horizon), Kayle Matzerath (Wiggenstead Mooring) and Beq Janus (Asperatus).

It’s a stunning show … and a chance to stroll down Memory Lane as we await this year’s Faire – so do join us in the studio, or watch on the web.

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You can read all about Fantasy Faire here: https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/

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Join Designing Worlds today, Monday 10th July, as we take the seventh of a series of peeks into the past of Designing Worlds – and Second Life! This year we’ll be exploring 2015.

You can see the show here, or on the Designing Worlds Vimeo channel at: https://vimeo.com/261547842.

In this show we look back at shows such as the ones that featured a perennially popular Second Life element – jewellery, with the help of Abraxxa Anantine of Earthstones, and the more recent trend of gachas. And among other things, we explored the popular game of golf, and Elrik learned to play at the Angel Manor course – and we looked at Angel Manor in more detail too.

Then there was a trip to historical Luxemburg and a last glimpse of the Forgotten City, as well as keeping up to date with new developments like the launch of Firestorm’s Community Gateway and a new game from the team at Linden Lab. And there’s a magnificent example of particle art and dance from Tansee!

Saffia will be in discussion with our resident historian, Marianne McCann, and Wildstar Beaumont shows more photos from his archives!

So do come and join us for a fascinating show at 2pm SLT.

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Places on the show that you can visit:
Earthstones: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EarthBound/164/135/23
Angel Manor Estate: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Angel%20Manor%20Estate/4/69/22
Angel Manor Golf Course: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Angel%20Manor%20Park/29/140/23 – a great course to learn on!
Firestorm Community Gateway Social Area: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Social%20Island/135/105/33
Paleoquest: Entrance via the Portal Park: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Portal%20Park%201/98/174/54

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All images by Wildstar Beaumont

“Count Dracula welcomes you to his House. Come freely, go safely, and leave some of the happiness you bring…”

In this episode, we visit the remarkable Castle Dracula, on which creator Wanders Nowhere – best known for his Prehistorica dinosaur experience – has been working for the past 14 years! Opened for the first time this Halloween, the Castle is to remain open all year.

Wanders has created the exquisitely-detailed Castle and surrounding environment, along with a detailed Experience – remaining remarkably close to Bram Stoker’s original book – in which you journey to a strange, silent village where you take a coach to Castle Dracula to search for a missing person. There are many scary tableaux on the way, along with the chance to meet the mysterious Count himself!

The year is 1897, and you have journeyed to Transylvania on the trail of your friend, Jonathan Harker, and at the invitation of Count Dracula himself. A dark tale is about to repeat itself…

The task involves finding Jonathan’s journal entries scattered throughout Dracula’s enormous castle – amid plentiful references to gothic horror in literature, film and games over the centuries – and trying to stay among the living…if you can.

This show avoids spoilers, but gives an introduction to the story complemented by a detailed interview with the creator, and extensive views of the Castle and environs.

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More investigations and explorations:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fort%20Nowhere/20/239/1401
https://www.facebook.com/CastleDraculaSL
https://livefromcastledracula.tumblr.com/post/698615388782641152/live-from-castle-draculaon-second-life

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All images by Wildstar Beaumont

Today, Monday 21st March, Designing Worlds visits the Second Life Home and Garden Expo, which, sadly, closed yesterday. The premium event for Home and Garden designers in Second Life (and breedables too!), Designing Worlds has long been a supporter – and a sponsor too.

From 2pm today you can see the show on the Designing Worlds Vimeo channel at: https://vimeo.com/channels/dworlds. Or you can join us for our Watch Party in the beautiful Designing Worlds studios in the Garden of Dreams!

In this show we talk to the organiser of the Faire – Kaerri Rae, and learn about various aspects of the event. We look at some of the great international-themed builds we saw at the Expo this year, with a film from Bain Finch, while Wildstar Beaumont shares photographs of some of the amazing gardens and landscaping that was on display. And we meet up with DaveOSaurus to take a look at Waffleville, the community area for tinies and dinkies.

Designing Worlds sponsored the Home and Garden Decorating Contest, and in this episode we take a look at the undecorated homes (thanks to Wildstar’s pictures!). We’ll be showing you what the decorated homes looked like in our second Homes and Garden Expo show – to be shown in two weeks time.

And finally we will the Lantern Ceremony, held every day at 4pm, a time for reflection and remembrance.

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The Expo is finished now, but you can read more about it here: https://slhomeandgardenexpo.wordpress.com/

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This first show of our new season is one we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time.

We’re visiting the brand-new, just-opened regions of the Second Life Endowment for the Arts – the SLEA. It’s the new initiative by Linden Lab and Second Life residents to give artists a place to create, display, share, learn, and teach.

We have a good look round at some of the current installations, and talk to some of the movers and shakers behind the project, including SLEA Coordinator Tansee, SL Liaison Safar Fiertze, and artist Regi Yifu. We visit Viktor Savior’s fascinating presentations of Slavic history and folklore, and we talk Machinima with SLEA Media Curator Wizardoz Chrome; and we go under the sea to learn about Nellie the turtle and our relation to the oceans with Briony Writer and Jaz. There’s a stunning slideshow from Wildstar Beaumont, and much more.

Join us for the premiere on Monday February 8th at 2pm Pacific/22:00 GMT at our Watch Party in the Designing Worlds studios in the Garden of Dreams at 2pm SLT. Or see the show afterwards on the Designing Worlds Vimeo channel at: https://vimeo.com/channels/dworlds.

Learn more about the SLEA by checking out their blog at https://slendowmentforthearts.wordpress.com/

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Designing Worlds episode DW428 is now on the web. In it, we take a look back at a few of the seasonal tales from the city-state of New Babbage that we’ve presented on Designing Worlds over the past few years.

We start with DW357 – Murder at the Muirsheen Dirkin! in suitably noir monochrome, followed by A Gift from Steam Santa, one of the stories presented in DW326 – Christmas Tales from New Babbage.

Then it’s DW293 – The Cats That Ate New Babbage, followed by a brand new slideshow by Wildstar Beaumont of New Babbage in 2020.

And finally we round off the show with DW183 – The Miracle of the Bells.

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