Sunday, April 10, 2011

AM Radio - Sweet Sorrow for us in Second Life


The first image in this blog post is surely one of the most iconic in Second Life. Many have done it much better than I, but it is very hard to take a bad photo of this build. The Far Away by AM Radio created a huge stir when it first opened and remains a favourite destination years later.

The artist has gone on to create many installations inworld and all of the ones I've seen have been mesmerizing. However, 6 "permanent" installations will be closing later this year.

The Prim Perfect Blog has a copy of the notice he sent to his group. It reads in part:

I am announcing the closing of my spaces 6 months in advance so that it won't come as a surprise, drama or rumor. It is merely the end of a series of artworks. I continue to paint, sketch, photograph and write about my time here on this little rock collection that's spinning and hurtling through space.

I'm sure somebody somewhere will manage to create "drama" out of this. For me it's a sweet parting with a portion of my "world" that has brought me much pleasure. The good news is that his new works will appear in a variety of places and I, along with you, will continue to benefit in the years to come.

If you have never visited any of these installations you have 6 months to do so. With the exception of The Far Away all of them are rated "General" on the maturity scale. I think the "Moderate" rating for his first installation is just a carry over from the days when most sims that weren't sex related found themselves in that category.

On a personal note, I was pretty young in SL when I first visited The Far Away. I remember loving the images and feeling very untalented, but mostly I remember that AM suddenly spoke to me as I was there. That just blew me away and oddly enough it made me feel like I "belonged". Silly I know but it meant a lot.

About these photos - they seem a little blurry to me but if you click on them they will open full size and look a little better. Not as good as the actual installations of course but they will give you a more representative image. :)

So please, please take the opportunity to visit these superb pieces of art. Spray graffiti on the boxcars of Surface, listen to your boots crunch through the snow of The Quiet and say a thank you to IDIA Lab for hosting most of these installations.

We have 6 months to say goodbye to a part of our landscape and make some more memories. Take your friends and any newbies you meet who haven't experienced what will soon be part of our history and enjoy this expression of what's possible in Second Life.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Agreed. AM Radio sims are a treasure. I can't wait to see what is in store next.