Grand Opening was a success

The Cakehole Arts Centre and "The Oxford" dressed up to celebrate.

On Dec. 1st. we celebrated the grand opening not only of our gallery but also of the whole Cakehole Arts Centre in the beautiful Stout region of Second Life. What an amazing day it has been. If you haven't seen it you really missed something. 

We had three major events: the opening of a colourful installation of artist in residence Gala, the opening of the Cakehole Arts Centre with it's unique approach to form a community for everyone interested in arts, be it music, photography, paintings or sculptures and of course the opening of The Oxford Eclectic @rt Gallery with it's unique collection of artworks ranging from photography to 3D art and sculptures. 

The day started with the opening of the impressive "Circular Music", a sculpture originally created by Gala for Burn 2. It was immediately followed by almost two hours of music presented by Cake herself in one of her fabulous CakeMix shows. She really knows how to rock the beat and to get people dancing. 

Cake, owner of the Cakehole Arts Centre, Delicious Filling, PA to the gallery manager and Ebony Glendevon, Manager of "The Oxford" just moments before the ribbon fell and people could set foot in the new gallery. 

At 2:00 pm SLT the moment has come: Cake, Owner of the Cakehole Arts Centre and Ebony Glendevon, Manger of The Oxford Eclectic @art Gallery, cut the ribbon and started the place into a new era. I can't deny that it was a touching moment.

When you look at the image you wouldn't believe that we've been covered in dust and sweat to get the last touches done only hours before. We even managed to put up one of my favourite sculptures: "I Hate Rubik's Cube" by Pol Jarvinen, a mind blowing exhibit only possible in the realms of SL.

Telima rocked the place with her voice of liquid silk

Then it was time for us to celebrate and to dance the night away to the smooth and silky voice of Telima, on of the greatest singers in Second Life. I can't say how honoured we are that she made space in her schedule to join us in our special event and to give us a good start with her amazing show. 

The courtyard, usually big enough to house a mid-range sculpture (please use SL measurements here), was almost too small to hold the crowd of around 30 people. It was truly great to see so many old and new faces. While we've enjoyed chatting and dancing with all our guests I can say that it made me especially proud that quite a number of our artists took the time to celebrate with us. 

It was a stunning party and it was amazing to see the whole courtyard filled with people celebrating with us. 

Welcome

Hello,

my name is Ebony Glendevon, manager of the Oxford Eclectic @art Gallery at The Cakehole in Second Life.  

Art is a very real passion of mine and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to present to you a virtual gallery which reaches beyond the typical online experience of websites and image collections.  At the Oxford Eclectic @rt Gallery we are proud and honored to present a vast selection of contemporary art in an immersive three-dimensional environment, parts of which change with the passing of time, rendering this a truly four-dimensional experience. This experience extends beyond the visual with a number of the pieces producing individual, local audio effects as well as an overall ambience enhanced by a background music stream. The structure of the gallery allows visitors to walk through the various exhibitions, pause to inspect and reflect upon the pieces which resonate with them, and obtain detailed information about that specific piece or the artist whose skill it reflects. 

My personal motto for the gallery is, "Blink, and you'll miss it!"  The pieces on exhibit change regularly and frequently to present you with the newest, freshest and wildest art one can imagine.  Many of the sculptural pieces are dynamic, many of the images change every five minutes. 

Being in a virtual environment we are happy to show artwork reaching beyond the boundaries of real life physics and possibilities.  Here the only frontier is the artist's imagination.  Fair warning, not all of the pieces are classical representations of beauty.  Art, as a general medium, is intended to incite and provoke thought, as well as educate and entertain. Your journey through The Oxford Eclectic @rt Gallery may take you to beyond your comfort-zone.  Our aim is to take you to places unimagined and to give art a completely new dimension and angle. 

We hope you enjoy your visit, and visit us regularly!

Safe paths and fair winds,

Ebony Glendevon

Beyond Imagination: The Idea of a Virtual Gallery

People unfamiliar with Second Life could easily confuse this virtual world with some type of three-dimensional on-line game. Without going deep into game-theory, the most important difference is that, unlike a typical game which has a predetermined "story" structure with "obstacles", "achievements", "levels" and "goals", Second Life provides an open environment which people are able to create and tailor to their own wishes within the limits of the technology, and in which they may interact with others in any way they wish within the broadly-defined "Terms of Service" as set out by the providers of the service, Linden Lab. 

The advent of the internet extended our conceptual platform for information sharing, collaboration and creativity. The implementation of the World Wide Web expanded and simplified that functionality, bringing it within the reach of the casual, non-technical user.  

Second Life takes this expansion a step further, falling within the broad definition of "Web 2.0" by creating a virtual three-dimensional environment in which you are immersed in a space where artists are no longer limited by cost or the laws of space-time as we know it.  Second Life implements exciting new avenues for artists as they may now create inside this three-dimensional environment in a manner impossible before now.

Art in Second Life is not uncoupled from our actual, physical lives.  It evokes emotions and can inspire, reflecting back into the real world. A good and intense artwork involves the viewer emotionally, regardless of the setting.  The immersive Second Life environment allows them to see this art as real, even it is "only" a virtual representation of the artist's imagination.

If I had to pick a single word to describe the whole of Second Life, it would be "ephemeral". While change is the only constant in our universe, Second Life takes this to extremes. Constant change is the norm rather than the exception. This can make it more difficult for artists to be recognized than it would be in a more constant world.  

This is where the benefits of a non-profit gallery in Second Life attain a sharp focus. It is a perfect way to carry the experience of viewing carefully and thoughtfully curated exhibitions into this exciting world of constant change. As Second Life users carry their real world experience into the virtual world, the established and proven concept of a gallery where one is able to walk through and "touch" the exhibits delivers a familiar experience and bridges the gap between the virtual and real world. A virtual gallery affords artists the opportunity to showcase their sculptures and images within the established concept of a real world exhibition. This allows for an easy transition of established art into this world, while removing the limitations of cost and physical barriers to their creativity.

Central to the idea of an exhibition of virtual art is the involvement of the 3D personas (avatars) and the traditional elements of placed and catalogued exhibits. A virtual gallery reaches beyond this traditional concept by utilizing new aesthetic-technological dimensions and by the nature of the artwork itself, which has often a completely new, almost ephemeral quality. 

Due to the fact that real world art can easily be brought into the virtual space, artists can not only create inside the virtual world but also present existing real world artwork to a completely new audience who might never set foot in a gallery. The barriers to entry are minimal or non-existant; there are no transportation costs and there is no need to find a parking space; the galleries are open all day, every day and there are no entry fees. The barriers between the visitor and the artists are similarly reduced; a more direct contact between artists and audience is possible, messages are delivered instantly or stored and forwarded as required; temporal and geophysical separations fall away.  The virtual creations are freed from real world restrictions and often are of outstanding beauty as they may also be created by mixing real world art with virtual art.  

An essential part of the creative process is the recognition and stringent protection of the artists' intellectual property rights.  The Oxford Eclectic @rt Gallery takes this responsibility very seriously.  No pieces are exhibited which have been obtained without the requisite permissions. No pieces are for sale from the gallery. The artist should be contacted directly if the visitor wishes to obtain their own copy of any of the pieces on display.

A curated non-profit gallery in Second Life is able to bring all of these elements together and deliver an amazing experience for the visitor. Using tools like notecards and links to personal profiles or websites allows the visitor to gain a deeper insight into the artist's thinking and affords a smooth delivery of information, including "outside links" to more traditional websites and photo streams.  A virtual gallery in Second Life offers most of the benefits of a physical visit to a museum or gallery but without the majority of the barriers to such a visit.