Sim: Wanderstill, Ode~An Immersive Art Experience
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Owner/Caretaker: Elizabeth Tinsley
Founder: Random Calliope
Disclaimer: All following pictures, quotes and conversations were allowed with prior consent from Elizabeth Tinsley. Be sure to CLICK on the pictures to see the full size images!
SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ode/204/186/77
As I sit and collect my thoughts on this amazing place, I truly wonder where to start in this adventure today. Perhaps the beginning is good.
A few years back, a good friend of mine, introduced me to the work of on amazing artist, who, in my opinion, has one of the most amazingly beautiful collections to date that I have yet laid eyes on. This artists name is Random Calliope.
Back as early as 2007, I was brought to his gallery, and told.."you have GOT to see some of this stuff.." upon browsing the the various photos, I quickly became aware that I was not in just another jewelery store...no..I was looking at some of the most amazing art to be created on this grid. Mind you, this was way before the introduction of sculpty prims, so building WAS a form of art for many, but this, was far beyond anything I had seen to date. This was breathtaking..you couldn't help but stare in wonder at each display..each one demanding your full attention to the detail and sheer beauty of every piece that was on display, each one, obviously telling some mysterious story, each one seeming to touch your heart in one way or another. ((To see some of the items in this gallery, please visit http://issuu.com/etinsley/docs/randomcalliope))
I instantly became a fan of Random Calliope, periodically checking back for new items, pulling up his profile for 'events' and other locations that he recommended, and dreams he brought to life via the grid.
Eventually, I took a six month hiatus from SecondLife..upon returning, one of the first people I pulled up to check on, was Random Calliope. In his profile, was a pick on a sim that was he had acquired and built upon, Ode. Naturally, I went to see it, as anything that was created by him, was seemingly flawless and beautiful...needless to say, I was NOT disappointed.
I land into an enveloping blanket of flower, lost for a moment in the sheer beauty. The music...ooh..the music, classical, piano. Being a classical pianist myself for 27 years now, all I could do upon landing was close my eyes,and soak in the atmosphere of this place, the visual beauty, the audible beauty..sinking and losing myself in this place. I took a landmark, knowing that I would return very soon to this amazing place. And that's just what I did today, but this time with the intent to tell everyone about it.
I spoke, today, with one of the most beautiful souls on the grid, Elizabeth Tinsley, who is currently the landholder and caretaker of this 'oasis.' Curious of the 'why' behind this sim and the dream that inspired it, I delved into a conversation with her, that returned much more than I ever expected...the beauty and dreams of one man, who should be given more credit than the whole of SL combined, brought to life through art.
..Random has more or less left SL possibly for good, possibly just for a sabbatical but he left Wanderstill to me... his gallery is gone though a few of his pieces are still available... the gifts he made for the SL community... two of which are huntable in the meadow at Wanderstill... his Ode butterflies and this Wish falling stars... we, Saiyge Lotus and I, are updating Wanderstill a bit... giving her a new coat of paint so to speak as she hasn't had new flowers or additions for basically 18 months..Random acquired Ode, the name of the sim Wanderstill is the meadow, in June or July of 2007 and its first incarnation lasted a year... in June of 2008 he sank the original Ode into the sea and started again completely from scratch and created the high cliff meadow of Wanderstill to house the Ode butterfly hunts...He created Wanderstill mainly as a place for meeting and enjoying friends... he has always been a fan of dancing in SL and that is what the meadow mainly became... a place for dancing and conversation and butterfly hunts... people would come and simple send hours sitting in the flowers and listening to the music... taking pictures and enjoying the quietness of the sim...the original vision of Ode and I think the vision even now intrinsic to Wanderstill meadow is a poem that Random wrote called Eventide... I think it was his guiding vision and the one that Saiyge and I are trying to stay true to now that I have Ode... his gallery is no longer on the grid... a few of his pieces are still available at Nicky Ree... his latest pieces and his gifts are available at Ode and his Gorean collars are available at my store Frippery but the rest of his pieces are gone at least for now~Elizabeth
As Elizabeth stated, Random has since taken a leave of absence from the grid, due to frustration with some of the 'advancements' SL has seen in the past year. Again..quoted by Elizabeth
Elizabeth Tinsley:... his (Random's) work is remarkable and his jewelry still holds it own even with the introductions of sculpts ... no one created like Random did...Random had a very unique way of building his jewelry... he built it directly on a model... it was a very sensual experience and he is no longer able to do that... you can no longer pick up prims that are laid next to the avatar mesh around the neck and upper chest... and he refused to build any other way... part of his art... part of what became the piece was the process he used for building it and SL took away the ability for that process to work unfortunately
Almost heartbreaking ...at how such a rare, dying breed, with such a passion, a selfless love, for art and all that is beautiful, is forced from a grid that needs SO much more beauty than it sees at its present moment.
His dream, Wanderstill, is still thriving at this present moment, under the watchful eye of Elizabeth. There are many places to explore, waterfalls, hideaways, flowers in abundance. Syncable dance balls to rez wherever you are...dance amongst the flowers, or even on the water, simply beautiful!
The butterfly hunts on this sim are still thriving to this very day...
Ode, and the butterfly hunts that allow one to get it, is a homage to the once very popular community butterfly hunts of days gone by. Proper gentlemen and gentlewomen would pack their picnic baskets in the spring and summer and head off to the nearest flowered field. There they would use their butterfly nets to capture prized butterflies of infinite variety
All in all, in conclusion to this adventure...if you are looking for a calm, beautiful place to meet, or bring a close friend, to dance, to sit and converse for hours, or even just get away and hide on your own, and soak in the calming affects this sim has to offer and perhaps do a little butterfly catching...This place is a TOP pick!
I KNOW my words don't give this place, or its amazing creators justice...so please, go see this for yourself!
Thank you, Elizabeth for your precious time in sharing this information with me...
And THANK YOU Random Calliope...for bringing such beauty to a, sometimes, ugly grid...You are missed! Best Wishes!
See you all tomorrow! :D
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