“City Inside Out is built ON the land, UNDER the land, and OVER the land. But you will find no interiors here.”
This has been a very good month for immersive art in Second Life. Some of my favourite artists have new builds (e.g., Cica Ghost↑ and Romy Nayar↑), and I’ve seen wonderful creations by talented people previously unknown to me (e.g., Sable & Asmita↑).
Today, though, I can finally talk about City Inside Out↑ by Haveit Neox↑. I’ve been dropping in on LEA20 for months, watching it develop and dying to take photos to try and capture some small part of its wonders.
Hav builds cities. They are fully imagined with extraordinary detail and backstories and characters. Every time I think he’s gone as far as anyone could, he pushes the boundaries again and proves me wrong. Who else would construct a city in his mind and then turn it inside out?
There is, of course, a purpose behind this flouting of all natural laws and physics.
To someone without a home living on the streets, the bustling city becomes one united exterior. “City Inside Out”, explores a world that lacks interiors. Some pedestrians throw coins into the beggars’ hats, others bark insults to their faces. Joggers, dog walkers, groups of boisterous friends, clean people in new clothes, romantic couples, cell phone conversations, shiny traffic, wash their daily tides of health and prosperity past the homeless.
Late each night, the people living on the streets are confronted by another kind of crowd, dangerous as the sharp knife and gun. They are defenseless, even within their own bodies. Sensations abound, prickly as lice and poisonous insect infested clothing, blurry as sight without glasses, with ringing ears of imaginary voices, and resignation to untreated illness. The survival test is administered without consideration for those who will see the next day.
The City is built on 3 levels and you wander through the impossible landscape using bridges and walkways. You catch glimpses of the lives of those who have a life. In some cases you can take a ladder and climb down into their existence.
For the most part you are on the outside trying to look in. Your “reality” includes dangers unimaginable to those in their more privileged world.
I’ve shared an extra couple of shots today, but I haven’t even scratched the surface of this installation. It’s HUGE, not only in construction, but also in thought. You can see even more images on the LEA Blog↑ of areas I haven’t included, but you really must go experience City Inside Out↑ for yourself.
The official opening is this coming Thursday, March 26 at 1:00. Don’t wait though – this is something you’ll want lots of time to explore.
Experience a world from the viewpoint of those who aren’t part of it. Thank you Hav!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Honour's Post Menopausal View (of Second Life) 