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AVENUE Magazine April 2012
Spring is a time of rebirth, join AVENUE as we let the colors of spring awaken our inner creativity. Cover Story | Boudoir Fashion Icon | Eboni Khan Feature Designer | House of Fox Model of the Month | Vikeejeah Xevion DJ of the Month | Summer Deadlight Featured Artist | Alan Brady Wishing you a colorful and vibrant April. Spring forth with style and passion!
n.43 4.2012 Stylist Takeshi Kiama Photographer Miaa Rebane A Publisher's note S pring is a time of rebirth, renewal, reinvention, rejuvenation and relaxation. Join AVENUE as we let the colors of spring awaken our inner creativity and push us into full bloom. We're proud to introduce our newest photographer, Dantelicia Ethaniel, who joins the AVENUE family with a fresh perspective on fashion and a colorful outlook on our favorite designers. Be it the bright punch of color on this month's cover with the Boudoir sisters, Vitabela and Precious to her cutting edge Avant Garde styling in Trendspotting, Dantelicia takes us on a visual journey through her inspirations of colorful fashion with her signature artistic eye. Let's not forget as we enter the new season, with hearts renewed, to be thankful for every gift and celebrate with those fighting for change. Each month AVENUE features a nonprofit or charitable organization in For the Love of. What started years ago with the influence of Alexander McQueen has turned into a regular feature and this month we sit down with real life avatar, Robert Ketner, curator of the Tech Museum in San Jose California. See what impact Robert brings to our Second Life and what he's doing to build an online platform of creativity. Before we know it, the hot rays of summer will be beating down our backs and we'll be in full force of another busy season. Take a moment to breathe in the refreshing air, enjoy the cool night's breeze and find your hideaway with this month's Sports & Recreation by Jesika Contepomi. If you find your relaxation in the form of zen and architectural inspirations, teleport yourself to the Gallery Sayopiyo, this month's Arts Feature. Wishing you a colorful and vibrant April. Spring forth with style and passion! Rusch Raymaker Rusch Raymaker Publisher A VENUE A Editor's note "M ere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways." ~ Oscar Wilde April is a celebration of colors! With Spring officially in full flux, designers are again abuzz with life. The conservative colors of Winter are out, and the vibrantly colored releases are now starting to flood the grid. Bright and airy hues of yellow, orange, red and even blues are now taking over. And with mesh catching on more and more, designers are taking their creativity to new heights. This issue, we highlight a few of the fascinating and stylish ways to color up your wardrobe to match the vibrancy of the season. This issue's coveted cover belongs to a brand that redefines the meaning of sexy. Join us this issue as we celebrate some of the new and beloved looks of the multi-talented sisters of Boudoir. No words are necessary to introduce this brand, as Boudoir has become a household name. Instead, we've filled the pages with looks galore to entice you just enough to run out to Boudoir to begin filling your new Spring wardrobe. And the colors keep flowing in abundance this month! Our resident male fashion guru, Boe Cortes, and our own stylist extraordinaire Cade Nansen show the men how to do color just the right way. Turn the pages to find the latest trends, the most stylish designs, and even some new names in the world of male fashion. And of course we take good care of the ladies, as our newest two fashionistas, Diconay Boa and Dantelicia Ethaniel spice up your looks with a lot of color and a lot of sex appeal! Turn the page to get another hot scoop on the best of Interior Design with the man himself, Umberto Giano, as he gives you a little taste of "Found at The Nest." And we're happy to reintroduce the grid to a DJ who is not only extremely talented with her music, but one of the most stylish DJs around. We're talking about DJ Summer Deadlight, and this month, she bares her digital soul to AVENUE. You won't want to miss this one! Now it's time to sit back, relax and turn the page to enjoy another sizzling issue from our amazing AVENUE family to you, our extended family. Sensous Soulstar Editor in Chief A VENUE Sensuous Soulstar Stylist & Photographer Miaa Rebane 34 Cover Story Boudoir 56 Trendspotting 112 Edge of Style A Contents Fashion 34 46 56 68 78 86 96 104 112 128 Cover Story Boudoir (mi)style Fables Trendspotting Fashion Forward Le Couleur Influence Fashion Icon Eboni Khan Featured Designer Color.Me Model of the Month Vikeejeah Xevion Blogspot Springing with Color Edge of Style Colour Me Bad Homme Cadeau Lumineux Lifestyle 138 150 164 172 180 190 196 Interiors The Nest Interesting Sims Off the Wall For the Love of The Tech 2 Perspectives Sports & Recreation DJ of the Month Summer Deadlight Club of the Month Beachwood Arts 204 214 224 Media Mojo On Thin Ice Arts Feature Gallery Sayopiyo Featured Artist Alan Brady A VENUE Magazine April 2012 cover Featuring Vitabela Dubrovna and Precious Restless of Boudoir Photographer Dantelicia Ethaniel n.43 4.2012 A Staff Publisher Assistant Publisher | Marketing Director Editor in Chief Creative Director | Photo Editor | Designer Senior Marketing Executive Marketing Executives Rusch Raymaker Jesika Contepomi Sensuous Soulstar Paola Tauber Livia Mastroianni Emlies Xeltentat Xandrah Sciavo n.43 4.2012 Augusta Carver Huckleberry Hax Lexie Jansma ShaiLi Alex Spruce Canning Umberto Giano YeriakTH Couturier Boe Cortes Brie Wonder Cade Nansen Dantelicia Ethaniel Diconay Boa Kallisto Destiny Lulu Jameson Miaa Rebane Salvo Waydelich Strawberry Singh Annough Lykin Asia Rae BlackLiquid Tokyoska Nala Kurka Natasja Schumann Ozz Larsson Seashell Dench Sophy Meridoc Tillie Ariantho Absinthe (sinontherocks) Alan Brady Chic Aeon Simotron Aquila Writers Stylists AVENUE Magazine is published and managed by AVENUE Inc which owns and operates Couture AVENUE, AVENUE Models + Academy and AVENUE Marketing + PR. Online issues: issuu.com/avenue AVENUE Magazine blog: avenuemagazine.blogspot.com AVENUE Inc website: www.avenuesl.com Photographers Visit us inworld at: AVENUE at GOL 45.153.22 For exclusive updates, gifts, events and latest releases, join our inworld group: AVENUE Magazine Readers Press releases to: firstname.lastname@example.com Ad queries: email@example.com Advertising and vendor requests: Jesika Contepomi Livia Mastroianni Xandrah Sciavo Emlies Xeltentat Contributors A Cover Story VENUE revisits the design house of Boudoir by sisters Vitabela Dubrovna and Precious Restless. Oh, how the world of fashion has changed for these sisters since our last cover interview in November of 2010. As stated before, few designers in Second Life� can boast designing success in both worlds. Boudoir happens to be one of the few that can not only boast this, but they have the published success in both worlds to show for it. A Boudoir's Founded in 2001, Vita's Boudoir has enjoyed much of the same success in-world as it has in the real world. Their designs exude a kind of playful seductiveness that you rarely find in the fashion world, whether in first or Second Life�. With the new mainstore location at the Boudoir sim 123.144.21, these powerhouse sisters continue to stand on top. Not only do they continue to carry their successes in SLTM: make sure to visit their online store where Vitabela and Precious take us on a real life journey through their creative minds and make what we have only found in SLTM a true reality. Without further ado, it is my great honor to introduce you to the 2012 Spring Collection of Boudoir. rejuvenation Writer Jesika Contepomi Photographer Kallisto Destiny Models Vitabela Dubrovna, Precious Restless & Petra Messioptra outfit & lashes: Boudoir | Requiem for Butterfly hair: Tuty skin: Glam Affair Left outfit: Boudoir | Felissima Jumpsuit hair: Boudoir | Sweet Iris shoes: Boudoir | Spikes Shoes skin: Glam Affair Middle outfit: Boudoir | Chanelle Dress shoes: Boudoir | Spikes Shoes skin: Glam Affair Right outfit: Boudoir | Felissima Jumpsuit hair: Boudoir | Morana shoes: Boudoir | Spikes Shoes skin: Glam Affair Left outfit: Boudoir | Giger Muse lashes: Boudoir hair: Tuty skin: Glam Affair Right outfit: Boudoir | Always Have a Point lashes: Boudoir hair: Tuty skin: Glam Affair outfit: Boudoir | He Loves me... He Loves Me Not hair: Boudoir | Morana skin: Glam Affair outfit, hat & boots: Boudoir | Macabre Burlesque skin: Glam Affair A A (mi)style Fables by Miaa Rebane gown: Fleshtone | Cheetah Ombre hair: Boudoir | Birds Nest jewelry: Paper Couture skin: Atomic dress: Vanguard | Office Dress leggings: Maitreya | Couture Leggings collar: Mijn | Boutique, Metal Reflection Collar hair: TuTy's | Ballerina, Double Buns skin: Atomic dress: Vanguard | Black Moth hair: LoQ | Tiramisu jewelry: Magic Nook skin: Atomic A A Trendspotting La Boh�me by Dantelicia Ethaniel kimono: Milky Kimono | AkiUrara turban: Faster Pussycat | Asia Turban collar: Vero Modero | Alli lipstick: BlackLiquid Makeup | Black Gloss eyeshadow: Kosh | Glossy Eyeshadow blush: La Malvada Mujer | Cotton Candy On Her Cheeks skin: It Girls | Daph eyebrows: Cheap Makeup | Parisian Eyebrows dress: Vanguard | Venus top: Chantkare | Tamarind Dress hair flowers: Split Pea | And With Bees In Her Breath hair: Clawtooth | Modern Gibson blush: La Malvada Mujer | Cotton Candy On Her Cheeks earrings: Donna Flora | Tosca Earrings skin: Mother Goose | Biscuit lipstick: Glam Affair | Leah Lipstick 22 dress: AnaLee Balut | Butterfly Dress eyebrows: LaGyo | Crystal Brows Diamond eyeshadow/blush: YQ | UltraHigh skin: Mother Goose | Minji bracelet: Un Jour | Oph�lia dress: Solidea Folies | Amanda coat: La Dulce Vida | Yachiyo hair: UncleWeb Studio | Rush earrings: Paper Couture | I Dream of India skin: Mother Goose | Minji blush: La Malvada Mujer | Cotton Candy On Her Cheeks dress: Sonatta Morales | Avril hair: Lelutka | Rykiel earrings: Wertina | Gold Crochet Earrings armwarmers: Maitreya ring: Paper Couture | Antique Filigree Ring lipstick: Pididdle | Matte Vacation blush: La Malvada Mujer | Cotton Candy On Her Cheeks skin: Mother Goose | Joe nails: Mandala | Kabuki Nails A A Fashion Forward Le Couleur Influence by Diconay Boa dress: Modern Gypsy | Venus Ivy Dress hair: Labieja | Saleisha makeup: LG Concept | Fluo Eyeshadow teeth: Head Turners | Prim Teeth Alpha earring: Magic Nook | Vintage DJ Earring L socks: Erratic | Stripped Socks shoes: Lelutka | Saffron Pumps top: R.icielli | Minitop (mesh) shorts: Molichino | Kaia Shorts cigarette: Hermony | Filter Cigarette necklace: CheerNo | Egg NeckLace belt: CheerNo | Cult Belt shoes: House of Fox | Justice Wedges Shoes hair: 99Hair | Shaved Tattoo Shorty collar and belt: Modern Gypsy | Cantina Dress top: Modern Gypsy | Cantina Dress Bodice pants: Celoe | Nikola Trousers hair base: Baiastice | Hair Base hair: Labieja | Elina makeup: La Malvada Mujer | Cinema Muto (lips)/Trick Pony (full) nails: Je Suis | Naive Nails shoes: Nardcotix | Chloe Pumps A A Fashion Icon Eboni Khan redefining sexy Writer Sensuous Soulstar Photographer Blackliquid Tokyoska T here's always that one dress that's hidden in the back of your closet. It's not your everyday dress, and it's definitely not formalwear. And while it may be all the way in the back, you never forget about "that dress." You only pull it out for those special times. Because, in the words of Beyonce, it's your "freakum dress." And while you may have your favorite designers for certain looks, there's only one who can bring out the perfect mix of maximum sex appeal with just the right amount of class. You know the name. You know the brand. And you know the feeling that wearing that dress gives you. You feel every bit of the word "sexy." And you have none other than Eboni Khan to thank for bringing out the Hucci in you. Khan started Hucci back in 2005 with good friend, Flamey Manhattan. While the two started with separate stores, they soon decided to pool their resources to take their creations to a new level. And yes, the name is reminiscent of a certain brand of woman that most of us never want to be labeled, but, Khan clarifies that "the name was kind of a parody of what was happening in Second Life� at the time. People were complaining about all the bling and hoochies coming into Second Life and taking over. Previously developers and serious technology users mainly occupied Second Life. Then voice came to Second Life and with voice, all the casual users came. So my friend, Cristiano Midnight, suggested I name the brand Hucci; a play on Gucci and all the new users that were changing Second Life." She couldn't have made a better decision, as the name grabs your attention and makes you a little more curious to see what this provocative name has in store for you. And once you do... you're hooked. As with most designers, Khan began creating almost as soon as she created her account. "There simply was not a lot of content and if you wanted something, you made it yourself. Fashion was basic at the time, a lot of system cut clothes. Everything in Second Life was either booty shorts, or ball gowns; there was not a lot of in between and I wanted to provide casual clothing that people could have fun in," she shares. And so she began designing the bold pieces that now make up the Hucci brand. But don't try to put a label on the items that you will find in her store, as there is no one real genre that these pieces fit in. At first glance, you may think most of her designs are casual, but browse around a little more and you will find pieces that give you the flexibility to dress up or dress down your outfit to match your mood, or to match the occasion. Khan shares that this was not an accident: "I strive to make simple bold pieces that you can dress up or down. I want things to be strong enough to stand on their own, but they should not overpower the avatar. I design with the thought that people like to layer and create their own looks. I do not strive to stay in a genre, but I have a strong brand concept for Hucci that I like to stick to. I try to make clothes that are fun, sexy, and that you can move in. I get frustrated with some fashions in SL� that look good in static poses but not when you are moving. When I make things, I always test them with dances to see how they look when people are partying and I test with a fidgety AO. If you cannot move in it and have fun, then the outfit is pointless in my mind." A test every designer should try! And where does she find inspiration for these bold and sexy pieces that she creates? From the best inspiration available: real life. "I love Christian Dior. I like bold and bright designs. I also love Karl Lagerfeld. When designing for Hucci, I really try to stay on trend and I pull ideas from what I see on the streets, in music videos and in magazines, then I adapt it to the Second Life format." With such a variety of inspiration, it is easy to see why Khan can strive to release so many items each month. "I try to release 2 new things a week, or at least 6 new items a month. I try to cater to the active and immersed Second Life resident, and I do that by constantly providing new on trend content to keep their Second Life fresh." It's this idea of constantly providing new fashion and new trends that also is a testament to her belief on fashion itself. She shares that fashion is fluid, and that "[t]hings go in and out of style so quickly, that is fashion. Fashion is constantly changing just like life." Just as fashion changes, so does Hucci. In the weeks ahead Khan will be launching a few sub-brands, especially utilizing the newest sensation to hit the fashion world: mesh. Also new to the brand will be a new service for all of the brides-tobe. Giving us a sneak preview of what's to come, Khan shares that "I have Vow Luxury Bridal coming in April, which will offer custom one of a kind wedding mesh wedding gowns, and some off the rack items. The Hucci brand will be branching off to a new mesh brand. When men's standard sizing is worked out, I will be launching a men's mesh clothing store. Mesh has really changed my design perspective in Second Life. I can make almost anything I want in Second Life now and have it look exactly how I want. I am brimming with ideas and I can't wait to get them out in world." And more importantly, we can't wait to see her creativity explode as our mouths water in anticipation of all the exciting things she will do with mesh. Khan has been a staple in the fashion industry for some time now. Her brand has become a household name...and she's made many women, this writer included, discover a whole new side of sexy. The quality, variety, and appeal of her designs are a testament to her talent and her skillful eye for discovering the next trend in the fashion world. Yet, there's still more to come from the superbly talented designer. With new technology and new innovations in the fashion world, we haven't even begun to see the full force of her fashion genius. We can only look forward to her new ventures and eagerly bite our nails and she shows us her design skills with mesh. Before parting, Khan was gracious enough to leave the readers with a bit of sage advice to take with you along your virtual journey: "Always be yourself. In Second Life it is easy to get away from who you really are and be something you are not, but make sure you don't lose yourself in the process. Second Life is wide open to be as creative and inventive as you want to be, make sure you take advantage of that unique opportunity." When you're ready to rediscover the meaning of "sexy," don't hesitate to stop in to Hucci to find "that dress." Make your first stop the main store at Luck Inc 2 68.208.22. A A Featured Designer C olor [kuhl-er] 1.the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue. The word "color" isn't limited to only one definition. House of Fox has added new definition to the word, with designer Fashionboi Landar using amazing colors to give a touch of Spring to the new House of Fox collection. This month, AVENUE Magazine presents House of Fox as our Featured Designer, and together, we will show you the true meaning of color! Take a look at some of the fabulous colors of the "color. me" collection of House of Fox. And where you're ready to dive into color, visit the main store at Oscoda 155.118.831. color.me Writer, Model Diconay Boa Photographer, Model Ozz Larsson On Diconay: shirt: Color.Me. Morning After Shirt On Ozz: shirt: Color.Me. Morning After Shirt On Diconay: dress: Color.Me. Skater Dress On Ozz: dress: Color.Me. Skater Dress On Diconay: dress: Color.Me. A Simple Dress On Ozz: dress: Color.Me. A Simple Dress A A Model of the Month The new face of fierce Writer Sensuous Soulstar Photographer Annough Lykin ou've seen her face. You know her name...even if you still can't pronounce it correctly. (It's "Vicky Jay" for those of you who are still having trouble.) But more importantly, you know of her style. A staple in the blogger community, this month's chosen Model of the Month is a fashion force to be reckoned with. While there is so much to learn, this month, we touch just the surface as we sit down with her to discuss her Second Life� modeling career. Without any further introduction, we present Vikeejeah Xevion. Sensuous Soulstar: It is such a pleasure to get a moment to talk with you! Let's just jump right in to the main questions. How long have you been involved with fashion, whether working for others, or modeling clothing? Vikeejeah Xevion: I have been modeling since I graduated MA Modeling Academy back in January of 2010. So by late January/early February I was ready to work! SS: Speaking of fashion, I always find that each designer has their own idea of what fashion is, but we don't always ask the models who have to wear the clothing what they believe fashion is all about. So tell me, what is your definition of "fashion?" There is always talk about the latest "it" fashion, but Y what do you think really makes for truly iconic fashion? VX: I believe fashion is the most personal form of artistic expression. It has so many layers of generational and cultural significance, but mainly for me it is all about finding that balance between what makes sense and what makes sense to you. I know I sound a bit odd right now, so I will use the example of a simple white t-shirt. The t-shirt is a universally casual piece of clothing meant to be worn as an undergarment, but I would take that t-shirt and pair it with a high-waisted pair of vibrantly colored shorts, some tights, platforms and a blazer. Pair it all with a clutch and some chunky accessories and be ready for a night out with the GODIVAs. Suddenly, it is chic. And another avi will take that tee and use it as it was intended because that is what they were told. It is about the distinction between creativity and just getting dressed. And that long winded answer is what I believe fashion is. SS: In your opinion, what was the biggest challenge in getting noticed and getting work as an aspiring model, especially as a model of color? VX: The biggest challenge for me was proving I had just as much talent as the next girl. The second challenge was proving that I would inspire and sell just as well. That has always been the biggest issue when it comes to models of color landing jobs, especially in print. You see at least one of us in pageants, group shots and runway shows as the token minority, but to have a full range of diversity is rare and even more so is a cover girl or face of a brand being of color. I was fortunate to sort of pioneer the super dark-skinned model thing in SL. I took a huge risk. Many of my model and designer friends at the time had mixed reactions to my look. Those who loved it gave me work and those who didn't suggested I lighten up a few shades. I was going for something specific, not really looking to change the game so to speak. I was inspired by Alek Wek and Grace Jones at the time. I always use RL models as inspiration. I noticed a niche I could wedge myself into and figured "why not? It will help me stand out." I think that is the key thing to take away from my answer here. My advice to getting noticed is to stand out and do it well. Don't just be weird and call it unique. Really dig deep and figure out who you want to be and what you want to represent. SS: Love that answer. Now since you are AVENUE's Model of the Month, I do have to ask, how did you become a part of AVENUE Models, and how do you feel the experience has been thus far? VX: I auditioned for AVENUE back in 2010. It was the first time AVENUE did an open casting and I was so nervous and excited all at once. I wasn't sure of what I wanted to wear for my photos because I knew this was going to be the staff's first impression of me. So, I think I spent about 12 hours total over two days styling, screaming, styling again, then walking away from the laptop. I would come back, stare at my avatar and just...think. I was psyching myself out! Finally, I was able to get a grip and just do it. For the runway portion, I actually slammed into the sign at the back of the runway. Thank goodness no one saw! Not to mention the fact that one of the models I was walking with wore the same Eshi Otawara gown as me! I was so sure I wasn't going to make it. So when the results came in and I had in fact been cast, I was overwhelmed and honored. To this day, I love being an AVENUE model and always jump at the chance to work whenever possible. SS: Tell me a little more about the woman behind the beautiful avatar? While I do love the look, I want to get a little into the personality that accompanies the look. When people say the name "Vikeejeah Xevion," what is the first thing that you'd want to come to mind for them? And let's take that one step further. Can you share with the readers one thing that people, even those who know you best, don't know about Ms. Xevion? VX: Thank you for the compliment. (Blushes) I feel like I know myself pretty well. I am very silly. Many people don't know that about me because my avatar looks a bit serious. I am loud, goofy, fiercely loyal to my friends and a certified shopaholic. I also love the arts in both worlds. I spent some time in local theater in high school and early college years. I also write poetry and sing. I am a no nonsense kind of girl, so I can get in trouble with my mouth at times. But I will say, I never say anything I don't mean and at the same time I can apologize when I am wrong. I am not too proud in that way. I work hard and like to keep my mind occupied with various projects. Sometimes I can be a bit fickle and will revisit an idea or project later on because I get bored. I like to do what works, no matter what that is. And I am extremely social. I like to help people and spend a good amount of time with my friends. In saying all of that, I guess what I would want people to think when they hear my name, that I am multifaceted and well rounded. Not that I am fierce or amazing or yada yada, just that I am good people. SS: Ooh, so now that I know that you're "no holds barred," tell me what, if anything, would you change about the modeling industry here in SL, and why. VX: This answer might get me in trouble, but that really hasn't ever stopped me from saying something in the past, so here it goes. I would take the drama out of it all. What I mean is the behind the scenes smack talking, the nepotism in contests, the discriminatory practices and the Agency Report anonymous bashing. Whatever happened to being able to confront someone on issues you were having with them and being able to clear the air and move on? I feel like it's the healthiest way to deal with problems of any kind. When everyone acts like they are afraid to speak up, it builds resentment and you end up with what we have now, one hundred and one modeling agencies and contests because anyone who is not cast for something feels slighted and wants to prove something to so and so. And hateful talk online under the cloak of anonymity because they are afraid of the backlash they will face if they use their names to speak their mind. It's ridiculous and it makes what should be an enjoyable experience less so. SS: Perfect answer! While I know that modeling takes a great deal of your time, tell me about your Second Life outside of modeling. Are there any other things that you're working on, any other jobs or positions, or even hobbies, and what do you do just to relax and enjoy your time? VX: Well, lately I have really been into blogging, both for myself and with my friends on the GODIVAs of SL. I am also working on my Photoshop skills in preparation for a new brand. And when I am not doing that, I work as a custom shape designer, private model trainer and stylist through Xevion Custom Services. Can you tell I don't really like to relax? SS: I love it! Again, I want to thank you for taking to time out to answer my questions, and as always, I like to leave the readers on a positive note. With that being said, do you have any advice, a funny story or a "lesson learned" for any aspiring models who may be looking to get into the industry? VX: My advice for aspiring models is keep who you are but be willing to be molded. Sounds odd right? In SL modeling, you're always learning and must be willing to evolve. Progress happens very quickly here so you need to be adaptable. But always you must maintain who you are at the core. The best SL models are recognizable no matter what skin they are in, no matter what genre of fashion they are styling and no matter what obstacle is thrown at them. Keep it fun, keep it light and keep it fierce! Such strong words from such a fiercely strong woman! In a little over two years, Vikeejeah Xevion has added a beautiful, new splash of color to the modeling industry, and she has let nothing stand in her way. Her bold personality and genuinely loyal nature only add to the outer beauty she so stunningly exudes. Keep an eye out for more work from Ms. Xevion. If you just can't wait for her new brand, catch a sneak peek of her styling skills on the GODIVAs' blog at godivasofsl. wordpress.com. A A Blogspot Springing with color By Absinthe (sinontherocks) hair: Epoque | Kabuki Empire hairpiece: La Malvada Mujer | Persiguiendo El Dragon collar: Faster Pussycat | Dementia Dress top: LG Femme | Kiss and Stripes Corset Combo 5 belt: Fishy Strawberry | Geisha Leather Belt bottom: LG Femme | Kaleidoscope Skirt Combo 2 tights: Mon Tissu | Favorite Wool Tights shoes: Faster Pussycat | Neo Geisha Revolution make up: La Malvada Mujer & Cheap Make-up hair: Amacci | Pythia sunglasses: H.M.A.E.M. | Granny Takes a Trip jacket: Les Petite Details | Imagine Coat top: Epoque | Contortion Body Suit skirt: Ladies Who Lunch | High-waisted Pencil shoes: H.M.A.E.M. | Fu(n)k You Shoes purse: Tokid | Federica Bag hair: Tuty's | Runway Afro hairpiece: Donna Flora | Christiana Hairpiece top: House of Fox | My Fun Sweater skirt: Baiastice | Selene tights: Maitreya | Mesh Leggings Shine Fatpack gloves: LaGyo | Zarema Gloves A A Edge of Style S pring has kicked in, and it is evident in some of the latest releases from the designers who participated in the Menswear Fashion Week. Dressing in dark jeans and a t-shirt for all four seasons is slowly becoming a thing of the past, with many men daring to go that extra distance to express their own individuality and unique style. So why not be adventurous and try some "colour blocking;" match bold colours together to see how bad you can look. Go on, be bold, be brave, be colourful! by Boe Cortes skin: Vaya Con Dios | Gabriel Tone 2 (hairbase, no body hair) eyes: MADesigns | Promise face makeup: CheerNo | Makeup.4 hat: Ladies Who Lunch | Scooter Helme jacket: Faster Pussycat | SURF Hoodie shirt: Gizza | Print T-Shirts with Fish II pants: Entente | Classic Chinos shoes: Sport Shoes | Mesh Shoes skin: Vaya Con Dios | Gabriel Tone 2 (hairbase, no body hair) eyes: MADesigns | Promise hair: CheerNo | Ygor jacket: Gizza | Blazer (mesh) shirt: Gizza | Print T-Shirts with Owl II pants: sYs | Atlas Sarouel M shoes: Urban Bomb Unit | PornStar Xtra Hi-Tops v2 glasses: CheerNo | Sun Glasses Kralf necklace: N-creation | Cubic Necklace skin: Vaya Con Dios | Gabriel Tone 2 (hairbase, no body hair) eyes: MADesigns | Promise hair: CheerNo | Steven hairbase: CheerNo | Hair Base face makeup: Miamai | Glitterbush Lemonade jacket: ALEIDA | Camilo Jacket shirt: CheerNo | Slub Tank pants: Entente | Classic Chinos shoes: Entente | L'Equipe Kicks necklace: Miel | Lun Necklace A A Homme cadeau lumineux by Cade Nansen Model Salvo Waydelich nails: The Little Bat | Black Nails lipstick: Blackliquid Makeup | Toxic Lime Matte eye makeup: Blackliquid Makeup | Anodised Red hair: MADesigns Hair | Leroy top: Faster Pussycat | Velvet Goldmine Top necklace: CheerNo | Jesus Heart shoes: CheerNo | Sandals Fhar pants: sYs | Atlas, Sarouel skin: Tableau Vivant | Jin On Salvo outfit: CheerNo | Gugu Fiesta Outift boots: CheerNo | Riser Boots ring/nails: Rozoregalia | Gemma Ring & Nail lips: Miamai | InMutatio Homme Lips 01 makeup: Tableau Vivant | Vincent Make Up 11 hair: Birth | Hawk Hair On Cade outfit: CheerNo | Fight Sky hair base: CheerNo | Blond 9.1 oil: Nyoko | Body Oil eye makeup: Blackliquid Makeup | Dusted feet: Slink | Jolie Pied nails: Ni.Ju | Claws skin: Tableau Vivant | Jin pants: Ladies Who Lunch | Harem Jersey Knit Mehera nails: The Little Bat | Black Nails hair base: CheerNo | Blond 9.1 oil: Nyoko | Body Oil eye makeup: Blackliquid Makeup | Needle Aubergine Liner ring: Epoque | Amen Knuckle Ring waist: Ladies Who Lunch | Harem Sash Silk Glyph boots: sYs | Pulsar jacket: sYs | Vega Red Chic skin: Tableau Vivant | Jin A A Interiors The Nest L Writer Umberto Giano Photographer Sophy Meridoc Found at ooking for living room or kitchen furniture, garden accessories or gift ideas... or maybe just a bed for the SL� kid? Although this seems like an easy task, it can be daunting after you teleport all over the grid without success. Frustrated by fruitless searches and lag, you're at a loss as to where you should go next. Finding a decent chair shouldn't be this hard, and it doesn't have to be either: look no further than The Nest. Opened last fall, The Nest is a home and garden shopping sim which showcases the best from Second Life� `s most popular home d�cor content creators. Sofas, dining tables, hat boxes, claw foot tubs as garden planters, grass, trees, lanterns and more. You name it, The Nest has it. Set against the backdrop of a quaint Midwestern downtown, The Nest is ideal for relaxed browsing. Its wide shaded lanes are lined by vintage store fronts which beg to be explored as much because of their character as for the treasures inside. With heavy hitters such as Second Spaces, Barnesworth Anubis, RC-Cluster (yes, she's back), UrbanizeD, Little Boxes and Y's House side by side with lesser known but up-and-coming names, The Nest is one-stop destination shopping for all your home and garden needs. Recent top picks found at The Nest include the sharp and elegant Harper Sofa from MudHoney. MudHoney is making a name for itself on the grid as a hot source for home d�cor, and the Harper perfectly illustrates why. Stylistically refined and expertly textured and sculpted, it features seating for two in 13 animations. The Harper is modern, inviting, and sold at The Nest in a versatile dark "coal" color that will appeal to discriminating shoppers. A fresh, quirky favorite is North West's Tree Trunk Coffee Table on Wheels (8 prims). Despite being made from a tree trunk, this wheeled table is not as rustic as you'd think. Instead, it is the perfect piece to juxtapose against straight lines in a contemporary or modern setting, introducing some organic curves and a touch of levity to overly-serious living spaces. For those who prefer the simple life, check out the Simple Dining Set from Second Spaces. Second Spaces' blog describes the Simple Dining Set as "a precious and simple set for your dining room, made of recycled timber and lovingly hand-crafted for cozy quaintness. It's a lovely place to enjoy your coffee and a book while you wait for the day to begin." This description hardly does the Simple Dining Set justice. The table and chairs' shapes are charming, and their painted reclaimed wood textures are arresting. It's a top notch set that, at only 76 prims, includes "table, bench, two chairs, antique mirrors, coffee, book, flowers, a basket of tea towels," along with enough poses to accommodate an informal dinner party. Another pick for those who love rich, interesting wood textures and simplicity of lines is Zinnia's crossover hit, the Nevada Rustic Chest. Simple, masculine, with beautiful pine texturing, the Nevada Rustic Chest is made to be a Western style piece but is at home in almost any setting. This chest is a chameleon and takes on the character of its surroundings, which will either dress it up or bring it back down to its rustic roots. Either way, it is an inexpensive (L$125), good looking chest that is unusual (and a must-have for men) due to its masculine looks in an industry too-often dominated by the more feminine-appearing shabby chic pieces. If you already have your seating and bedding basics but are looking to add some personality to your existing space, nothing will give you more bang-foryour-buck than the Vintage Hall Tree by Y's House (L$180). The Vintage Hall Tree isn't the newest offering by Yacchan Clip, the talent behind Y's House's amazing prefabs and furnishing, but is a versatile, classic accessory that is well-rendered in choices of different wood finishes or distress whitewash and beautifully sculpted. It's the perfect spot for hanging coats, hats, bags, and purses, and nothing similar can match it in terms of quality or character. If you're looking for some great gift items or kitschy, fun accessories, don't discount The Nest either. Flowers, planters, frames and more can be found in shops up and down The Nest's avenues. A great novelty item is Sway's "his and hers" coffee mugs. The Coffee Mugs [Mr & Mrs] are a set of two mugs which come embossed with a mustache on one and the imprint of a lipstick kiss on the other. Offered in wearable (hold and drink, 1 prim each) and rezzable (w/ shadows, 2 prim each) versions, these mugs make fun gifts (L$99 pair) or a whimsical addition to your own home. The Nest is an excellent opportunity to discover the latest d�cor resources and see what's new with your favorite established brands. This shopping sim more than succeeds in its mission to present shoppers with a one-stop glimpse of what is new and trendy in the realm of Second Life home and garden furnishings. After my first visit, I have returned on numerous occasions to investigate its updated shops and main stores. The experience is almost addictive. Its quaint and cozy shop facades and relaxing small town vibe will entice you, too further down the shopping rabbit hole of "just one more store" when you peruse The Nest. So whether you're in the mood to window shop and browse or you're on an interior design mission...The Nest may be the first, last and only stop you'll need. A A Interesting Sims Off the Wall ... is just that Writer Sensuous Soulstar Photographer Sophy Meridoc ho knows what Rachel Breaker was thinking when she began creating her sim, Off the Wall. If I had to guess, I'd say a mix of science, legos and a trippy cartoon world where everything was larger than life. And somehow, whatever visions she had, she was able to bring to life in this creative, well designed, and yes, even a little trippy sim. Home to giant sunflowers and daisies, molecules that stretch for miles across the sky, a gigantic dog-shaped balloon, and what I can only imagine is a giant robot with gold teeth, Off the Wall is what the inside of your toy chest might look if you were to ever shrink down and sneak inside. Find your inner child and get lost in this brightly colored world of giant-sized toys, animated gears, and interestingly odd items (such as the intriguing Katsup vs. Mustard Tank Game) available for purchase to add to this world of revelry. Words could never do this place justice, so we'll just entice you with highly detailed pictures to make you want to put on your best pair of comfortable shoes (there are lots of hills), and head on down to rediscover your inner wild child in this world of fun. Get ready to bounce off the wall with joy at Off the Wall 94.151.8. W A 2012 we got it covered. Join AVENUE Magazine. Proud to be your favored Second Life� publication since 2008. Sit back and enjoy. www.avenuesl.com | www.issuu.com/avenue A For the Love of bringing established concepts to the metaverse Writer Spruce Canning Photographer Annough Lykin Tech Virtual B ringing a museum into a virtual world such as Second Life� is not an easy task, and maintaining a presence since 2007 is a lasting feat in the metaverse. The Tech Virtual is a project of the Tech Museum in San Jose, California. I had the distinct and informative pleasure of speaking with Agent Heliosense, (Robert Ketner in real life) the manager of the Tech Virtual, (renamed this year as the "Tech Open Source"), and also the curator of the Tech Museum in real life. Spruce Canning: How does the Tech Virtual project bring about many different technologies and how would an exhibitor, such as the Smithsonian, be selected for a project in-world? Agent Heliosense: The Tech Virtual project was chartered to explore a range of online collaboration tools for the museum sector as a whole. So, more than being a case in which museums are exhibiting things to the public, imagine it as a collaborative workshoptype space in which anyone can develop ideas alongside museum institutions. Second Life was an obvious focus because it brings together an amazing set of tools for collaborating online into one. Whether or not museum staff members use the virtual world is not so important. The core mission is to provide an open platform for collaboration and a place for creative people to share their inspirations. With the Lemelson Center (Smithsonian) project, it seemed that their "Places of Innovation" concept uniquely lent itself to a collaborative approach in its development. This was explored including the idea that virtual worlds are places too, and (to borrow a phrase from Cory Ondrejka), virtual worlds can "transcend geography" altogether. As we have seen in the development of all the amazing creativity within Second Life itself, when you put shared tools in the hands of creative people in an open environment, it accelerates the innovation process dramatically and results in far more sophisticated and informed designs. In our program, any museum is welcome to use the space to collaborate and we can assist them with some of the details. As of 2012, the project has been renamed "The Tech Open Source" to help correct the misconception that museums and creative people were required to use the virtual world to participate. Contributors are welcome to use whatever tools they are most skilled in to create exhibit projects. SC: How does the SL� presence help to accomplish the Tech Museum's stated mission and what benefits does such presence have in the education and advancement of the exhibited technologies on display at the sim? AH: The mission of The Tech Museum is to "Inspire the Innovator in Everyone." Second Life started out with a mission of "Your World Your Imagination". Well, the real world is "our world, our imagination" too! What an empowering phrase! This attitude sets the tone for turning inspiration into action. If you are inspired but have no tools or conduit for your creativity, that is not good. Cultural institutions, such as museums in particular, owe a policy of openness to their communities. Providing a space for this to happen in a structured way is generally referred to as "open innovation." In a nutshell, this means that instead of being closed to new ideas, the institution is open to new ideas. We are all better off when more people have the opportunity to contribute in some way, or to participate creatively. Second Life provides a space to experience this in an especially powerful way. SC: What would be a typical exhibit at the museum sim, and how would a potential exhibitor go through the process of bringing their exhibit from an idea to a finished conceptual exhibit in both the virtual and real life museum environment? AH: You can see many of the exhibits developed over the course of the project on The Tech and The Tech 2 sims. They are quite varied in nature. They range from scripted, interactive games to very conceptual and aesthetic pieces. Exhibits get created as "Projects" that are responses to what are called "Requests". These are basically "Requests for Proposals" (RFP) worded around a design brief. Take a look at the open Requests and see if there are any that match your interests. If so, we can provide a space for you to prototype your interactive exhibit. If there's nothing that interests you at the moment, create a profile anyway and subscribe to the blog or Twitter to learn about new opportunities that come up. If you know of a museum that could use this in their development, suggest they choose an open approach and refer them! SC: Have any of the completed exhibits at the sim both past and present, been exhibited in the creators' host museum or museums in real life? AH: Yes indeed. One great example is the set of exhibits created back in 2008 when The Tech Virtual launched. These include Jon Brouchoud's (Keystone Bouchard in SL) work called "Wikisonic," Marie Crandell's (Lydia Milner in SL) "Mashup Masterpiece," Nick Chen's "Be a VJ" and several others developed during that time. See http://www.thetech. org/plan-your-visit/galleries/ tech-virtual-gallery. Science Centre Singapore has built "Bottled Water Testing Station" and others are in a planning stage. Science of the City is being developed as a physical exhibition for Spring 2012 in Barcelona. SC: To wrap up, has the Tech Virtual accomplished its mission by giving curators the space to develop exhibits and will it be a force in the future development of the museum concept in both the virtual and real life environment? AH: The project has reached its goals in terms of creating a platform, exploring, and documenting the potential of these new tools. See http:// www.museumsandtheweb. com/mw2010/papers/ketner/ ketner.html. Certainly, I can say that looking back a few years, we all expected that virtual world type environments would have become much more mainstream by now. But the future never turns out quite as we expect, does it? It's less about any particular tools and more about the importance of new ideas. The force at play in museums and in creative work in general is that "open" attitude we've been discussing. We can see this happening all over as institutions large and small become accustomed to the idea of providing an open space for creativity. Empowering everyone with the tools to create and share has become the defining theme of the Internet revolution. It's a massive cultural change and it has been great to see so many examples of its impact in the museum field. Taking an open approach has become something many more people now see the value of. I should mention that those who have jumped in and learned to use Second Life are at a tremendous advantage when it comes to accepting new ideas and technologies. When I stop and think about it, I truly still feel the deep sense of wonder at what's possible. Looking forward, I know this will be a community that will keep creating and pushing the limits in every way. As I walked through the sims and viewed the various exhibits, I wondered if what was viewed on my SL viewer would ever be made available to the public in the museums represented in each of the virtual exhibits. I knew that the metaverse would be the first to see and learn about the concepts that each of the participating museums on the Tech and the Tech2 sims would show their patrons in real life. A thought which still shows the value of the metaverse in transmitting knowledge to people, no matter where on this Earth they call home. To visit the Tech Open Source and experience this world of collaboration for yourself, visit The Tech2 171.179.33. A A Perspectives Reports of SL's death have been greatly exaggerated Writer Huckleberry Hax Photographer Simotron Aquila Rumours are currently abound (perhaps substantiated by the time you read this) that Linden Labs� have new stuff up their sleeve. But not Second Life� new stuff. It was a post on New World Notes that first alerted me to this. The interpretation there was that potential new products could include some sort of prim building game (inspired by the popularity of Minecraft), a fashion app for social networks, and an interactive fiction product following the Lab's acquisition of Little Text People in February. Little Text People, I'm given to understand, is an experimental game studio (set up by artificial intelligence specialist Richard Evans and interactive fiction writer Emily Short) that is "exploring the emotional possibilities of interactive fiction." I'm not entirely certain what that means, but on face value it does seem compatible with CEO Rod Humble's December statement on creating artificial life in SL�, about which I mused in these very pages a couple of months ago. I have a history with interactive fiction. The genre has its origins in 1980s "adventure games;" text only games you would load into your 8-bit computer and type commands into. You'd start off in a location described to you by the computer (e.g., "You are in a cave; everything is black") and your subsequent instructions (e.g., "Turn on my torch" would be interpreted to give text responses (e.g., "You turn on your torch and see a sleeping vampire"). So long as you typed your commands correctly, that is, and used words that were in the computer program's vocabulary � which, as you can imagine for a machine with less that 50k memory (that's kilobytes, those tiny little things that came before megabytes), was not particularly large. I wrote three adventure games, and they are each of them offspring of my writer's mind that I am especially fond of. I always liked the idea that a reader should have to actively do something in order to discover the next little bit of a story. I'm excited, therefore, to see what comes out of this new Linden partnership. But text adventures were never the market leaders in gaming back then, and neither is interactive fiction an especially big thing right now. Many of you will probably never have heard of it before reading this article. In an industry which has pretty much always been dominated by visual appeal, how is something text based going to grab hold of the masses (always assuming, of course, that the attention of the masses is actually desired)? But, then the same could have been said of Twitter in the days of its inception. New ideas are the life blood of IT direction and rarely are we able to anticipate accurately their effect. But what I'm more interested in right now is the impact all of this new stuff is going to have on SL. These are, as I said earlier, non-SL projects. The very idea that the Lab is starting to focus on things other than the metaverse has set the blogosphere ablaze with talk that it's abandoning SL, seeing it as a lost cause that can now only serve as a cow to be milked, whilst it's still viable, for cash that can be invested in new directions. It hasn't helped that, alongside this news, Linden has also announced that it will no longer be publishing its quarterly stats, the interpretation being that visible evidence of a decline in SL usage will only speed up the remaining residents' departure. It would be foolish to deny the possibility that Linden Labs stumbling across a "next big thing" in its diversification could result in the relegation of SL to an online nook or cranny that's allowed to quietly die. After all, the technology on which it's based is now sufficiently old that the term "legacy" can now be comfortably applied; one of the challenges presenting its development, therefore, is making new features fit within the framework of all the old stuff. Have you ever tried to get a shiny new Blu-Ray player to feed a 1980s cathode ray tube television? You can do it, but it's a whole load of hassle, and it's ultimately a great deal easier to just throw out the old TV and get a modern one. But the old TV, in this case, is the existing grid with all its users and their bulging inventories and the land they've paid tier or rent for over the years; people just don't want to abandon all of that. Mesh, therefore, would probably have taken a great deal less time to develop if it was for a brand new grid, but expecting users to abandon their acquisitions on the promise of something a little bit better would be a bit like � let's see now � inventing Google+ and expecting users to abandon Facebook. So, developing SL further to meet the expectations raised by other advances in the IT world is going to become increasingly hard. If that's a little too abstract for you, take a look at the Outerra Engine virtual world in development: within a few seconds of watching the video you'll realise that this is visually in a whole different league from SL. In the end, then, there's probably only so much that can be shoe-horned into the existing grid and we just have to live with that. At the same time, assuming that Linden Lab would just abandon its key product in favour of fiddling with unknown possibilities is equally foolish. Even if success was found outside of SL, this wouldn't presuppose the casting aside of the grid. Have Google abandoned their search engine with the success of Android? Have Apple abandoned their computers with the success of the iPhone? Of course they haven't, because these are still massively viable products � products which, incidentally, have benefitted themselves immensely from the success and development of their new siblings. In fact, Linden Lab's recent rewriting of the requirements for third party viewers � critically, the very ambiguous statement on TPVs not altering the "shared experience" of SL � could be interpreted as evidence of the Lab's strong commitment to new innovation on the grid. Taken by many scathing bloggers to be an attempt to shut down TPVs and force residents back to the official SL viewer, this new requirement could alternatively be seen as an effort to get everyone up-to-date on new technology so that it is actually used. It's a well-known problem in the videogame console industry that add-ons � however impressive they might be � do little to stimulate software development. The Wii Fit board, for example, is a mightily impressive piece of hardware, but developers are going to be reluctant to create games that require it when they know that only a percentage of the total Wii owners out there actually have one: it's always safer to aim for the lowest common denominator, where the biggest market lies. How many SL content developers, therefore, are going to be eager to create mesh products � something which has the potential to transform the look, feel and (crucially) appeal of SL � when they know that there are still masses of residents out there using non-mesh viewers? Knowing that the latest tech is available to everyone because everyone has an up-to-date viewer, makes this market far more attractive to develop in. Yes, we all still hate the new viewer interface, but if we want SL to succeed, we need to be big enough to see the wider picture. This approach might even mean in the future that some legacy elements of SL get dropped in order to enable the grid's infrastructure to evolve; I probably won't like it very much if items in my inventory I once paid money for stop working, but the likelihood is I actually stopped using those things a long time ago and I'll want the new things more than I'll want the old. By the same token, I still have on floppy disk old DOS programs for my PC that I can no longer use; this is a shame, but I'm essentially happy for them to be sacrificed if it means this makes new technology easier. Does it bother you that much that your iPod can't play your old cassette tapes? Of course it doesn't. And, right at the start of my writing this article, Linden Labs published details of some new SL "tweaks," one of which I'm quite excited about (disproportionately so, if I'm honest). An upcoming feature to be implemented will allow residents to be teleported directly to any point on the grid. Yes. During my time at Nordan Art, you see, I was unofficially the Chief Teleportation Officer (my teenage fondness for Star Trek will never die). When new exhibits were installed at new locations and heights on the sim, it was my job to work out how to get people there from the landing point. I was astonished to discover how fiddly this process actually was: teleporting residents any distance over 1000m within a sim turned out to be about as exact a science as launching them from a catapult in the approximate direction and hoping for the best. I'm still enormously grateful to whoever it was who first thought up the idea of the prim teleporter � essentially a prim you sit on that warps its way up to the destination, taking you with it like a little virtual taxi. The new teleportation feature, therefore, probably won't be visible to many as any sort of big step forward, but I appreciate it and I appreciate that Linden Labs thought of it. So reports of SL's death, in my opinion, are greatly exaggerated. There is lots of evidence that Linden Labs is continuing to think strategically about its development, and new products don't need to be thought of automatically as a threat. The blogosphere just loves to complain about the approaching virtual apocalypse, but these articles typically take a single line of interpretation and pursue this to an extreme end. The likelihood is that solar activity over the next twelve months is probably more of a threat to the grid than new products are. Huckleberry Hax writes novels set in Second Life. You can download these from www.huckleberryhax. blogspot.com. Please visit Simotron Aquila's flickr stream on: www. flickr.com/people/simotron. Simotron is currently guest exhibitor of Eupa's "Kou" sim, LEA23 185.54.82. A A Sports & Recreation Spring Forward to your secret hideaway Writer Jesika Contepomi Photographer Sophy Meridoc I n a year where winter was gone as fast as it came, I think we're all ready for the glowing ray of a hot sunny day shining down on our skin. Spring your watch forward and take a stroll to the beach. Yes, a beautiful beach in Second Life� this early in the season can be hard to find, but there are some exclusive yeararound hot spots that are worth finding for a quick getaway. Even if it's just a brief moment to catch your breath, put aside the day's stress and dramas, and give yourself a little needed rest and relaxation. Who says SL� can't be therapeutic? Some days we all need a break; we all need an escape and we all need the hush of waves in our ears while we close our eyes and maybe wake up in a third life. We all have those tense days...why not take just ten minutes to take a stroll along the pier. Walk all the way to the end and sink your toes into the hot sand. I know we can remember that burn of the sand crystals between our toes, maybe even dote a pair of Slink's new mesh feet for cinematic effect. Spring forward to your secret hideaway and find your special corner of heaven. The secret hideaway on the beach isn't just a myth of ancient folklore. Take a book, cold glass of lemonade and your best SPF 15, and don't leave until you've reached the perfect golden hue. Sometimes, the best moments are those empty of complications and best remembered for their simplicity. Break into a secret oasis with your special someone and take the time to make new memorable moments. Life is so short, live each day as if it were your last, and live them with no regrets. Take even just a brief moment to enjoy the seclusion of this sacred palace and let it take your breath away. Hear the wind of the billowing curtains while you and your partner catch up on lost time. There are so many places: lying in a field of grass, bobbing in a calm sailboat, or even a quiet night on your SL couch watching a movie... whatever it is...just be still and be thankful for all those you have to hold close. SL is full of secret hideaways perfect for any taste. AVENUE would like to give a very special thank you to Umberto Giano and The Grove for allowing us to capture his corner of seclusion. Let love and light lead the way. A A DJ of the month dJ Summer Deadlight bares her digital soul Writer YeriakTH Couturier Photographer Natasja Schumann S ummer Deadlight is making a comeback bringing a whirlwind of freshness. She's bringing summer melodies of alternative rock, grunge style, a touch of Chicano rock, rap, pop and even Indie rock. Eve Radio was one of the first to debut the music of DJ Summer Deadlight. with a stunning session of mixtures sharpening our senses to a idyllic level. With nerves and accelerated respiration, Deadlight shares that this is the first session after a long period of absence, but as one listens to the session, it evolves with each step, showcasing a strong testament of passion in the mixes, conveying the strength of her personality and the soul in her fingers. This is pure dynamite. YeriakTH Couturier: First of all, many thanks for giving us this interview. Now, let's get into baring your soul. You used to be a top model. What led to this new career as a DJ? Summer Deadlight: Well I started out in SL� as a regular new character and made some friends. A few months after I started to play Second Life� my mother died in real life, and I was severely depressed. One of my friends was a DJ, and got me a copy of the SAM broadcasting software and taught me to DJ. He was hoping that it would help me focus on something and feel better, I suppose. Once I started DJ'ing at my SL sister's club, I branched out into other club jobs and started there. I was already a club DJ by the time I won Miss SL Tropics in 2007, and started my modeling career. By 2008, I was DJing fashion shows, as well as walking in them, sometimes at the same time. I stopped playing in clubs and mostly did fashion shows, events, etc. YC: Tell us a little about yourself. Who is Summer Deadlight? SD: Summer Deadlight is a fairy tale story for me. Being Summer is the part of me that has experienced so much more than the real life me. She is an extension of my own personality of course, but what I've learned through Second Life I've been able to extend into my first life, such as more confidence, more security, etc. There is something amazing about having experiences in this virtual world that transcends a little into my first life. I am a better person for being Summer Deadlight. My Second Life story has been pretty awesome. I came from being nothing more than a Kitty DJ doing 40 hours a week club jobs, into a beauty pageant winter (Miss SL Tropics), a model in Aspire, one of the top 25 most beautiful avatars in 2007, placed 2nd in Miss Virtual World as Miss USA 2008, nominated as one of the top 5 models in SL in 2008, creator of Runway Kidz social group in SL, photographer, blogger, model, print work and through it all a DJ. I look back at everything I've done in Second Life and all those past experiences help to make Summer who she is. It's pretty convoluted when you think about it, but ultimately I am happy with who I am in Second Life, as Summer. In fact, I love it. YC: Who are your favorite musicians, or your icons? SD: My favorite band of all time is Pink Floyd. I've always loved Pink Floyd, and personally I love classic rock. Boston, Foreigner, Led Zeppelin, the 80s bands of course like Poison, Metallica, Motley Crue, gosh a lot of the older stuff is what I first listened to when I was in my early teens in real life. Some of my all-time favorite bands would be Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Duran Duran, mostly 80s and 90s. As for DJs, I'd have to say I love Sander van Dorn, DJs from Mars and Wide boy remixes, David Guetta, but there are so many DJs out there that are amazing. As a listener, I just love the beats and whoever makes those beats bounce the best then those are the ones I'm looking up their info on. YC: How do you usually prepare for one of your sessions? SD: You'd be surprised, but I usually do not plan much in advance. Well, that depends on the situation of course, but most of the time I just wing it. I know that sounds crazy, but you never know where you will go with the music. For parties and events, I queue up a few songs, but I love to take requests so I leave it open enough for that. Also, depending on the party, sometimes just adding in silly songs or changing the flow of the music can make people have a better time. I am usually always listening to something at home. Music is life. YC: Do you prefer, CD or vinyl? And why? SD: Oh all digital. Definitely digital. I haven't had a vinyl since I was a little kid and CDs are archaic as well. I love the freedom of digital music. YC: Do you feel that your future is geared completely to the music aspect now? SD: Not necessarily. I will always DJ as much as possible, and love it. It is my adrenaline. I hope to continue to model in SL. I want to focus on blogging a lot more. I am not sure how to integrate music and blogging, or if that is possible, but a lot of my blog posts are titled with songs and song lyrics. We'll see what happens; that's the best part of the future, you don't know what is going to happen next. I just hope it's good things and not bad. YC: Do you have a favorite quote that you'd care to share with our readers?? SD: "Shut up and enjoy the music" is my new favorite personal quote. My life ethic quote is "You must be the change you wish to see in this world," by Gandhi. I am a human service major with a concentration in Addiction Counseling in real life, and I've had a lot of bad choices and experiences in life, but change does start with yourself and then outwards. It just makes sense. YC: Where are you currently playing for our interested readers? SD: I currently started DJing as a Eve Radio DJ. It is a gaming radio network that streams to both Eve Online and Star Trek Online. I love playing MMOs, and one of my goals has been to be an Eve Radio DJ; and now I am training as one so that's awesome. That is on Thursday 3am-5am GMT. I also will be DJing for a few events in Second Life upcoming in April. I am usually available on weekends and week nights. YC: Finally, on a positive note, what is your outlook or philosophy on life at this point? SD: I believe we all are on this path from birth to death. Our experiences make us who we are and that is always changing so we have multiple roles in life. There is a lot of good and a lot bad, but learning to overcome the negatives with positives, learning to stand up when we fall, and move forward when pushed backwards all create the life experience. When we stop doing this is when we become mired down and harmful to ourselves. I struggle with this all the time but I end up getting up and moving forward; I have to because no one will do this for me. This is my life, my journey, and at the end I want to be able to look back and know that I lived life. I also believe fully in education and the pursuit of it for everyone. We all continuously should be striving to learn and educate ourselves in the world around us. We are all together on this little blue planet and should appreciate the past and present, be aware of our humanity. We are all excited to see DJ Summer Deadlight getting back into the groove, and getting back to what moves her heart: music. Make sure to keep up with her events and her career in-world, and by checking her out on Eve Radio. A A Club of the Month Beachwood Beats Writer ShaiLi Alex Photographer Seashell Dench I t started with a fantastic idea: wanting to see people enjoying themselves in Second Life�, and providing fun and entertainment for party people throughout SL�. The answer to this dilemma was simple: Beachwood! The Beachwood Club was "designed and built specifically as an antidote to the usual blue neon, contest board, sploder nightclubs to be found throughout Second Life. Beachwood Club ushered in a new era of pure, simple, clean venues with professional DJs spinning only live sets for the true House Music enthusiast," says Chrizz Scorfield, co-owner of Beachwood. The club was originally opened in May 2008 by Kitty Umarov and Utrillo Barbosa, the early owners and builders of the first club. "Later on it was taken over by the new General Manager, (now Owner) Rex Scorfield, and his amazing management team, built up to his best, offering only the best entertainment to its crowd no matter of time or date," says Scorfield. Since its creation, the club has become increasingly successful, and attracts more and more people looking for real fun and good music. The most amazing thing, however, that differentiates Beachwood from any other club is not just the immense fun and the absolute best music, but the club has an amazing look and feel, sort of like a beautiful beach paradise. It's a great place to relax, to have romantic moments with your lover, to bring your friends to have fun and chat, or even just to take amazing photos. Scorfield says the main difficulty was introducing the existing crowd to a new style of partying, entertainment, real DJs and live spun music. Yet, with a little hard work and persistence, as evident from the crowds of partygoers at any given visit, people in Second Life soon to a liking to this new style. Anytime you can think of going there, you will always be able to find club goers having fun and rocking out to the tunes, which makes this an ideal place for those who love to make new friends while also enjoying themselves. Just to highlight a bit of the fun, some of the main attractions include "the venue, HD Textures, the amazing staff, including real life and the best of Second Life DJs, the best hosts in SL, and a true committed management, all of which provide a unique, fun loving, exciting atmosphere - where true party animals and just people looking to hang out can enjoy themselves in their own ways. See and be seen - just at Beachwood," shares Scorfield with a smile. Ultimately, the club's great history of success comes from the tremendous hard work of Rex and Chrizz Scorfield. Yet, as Chrizz Scorfield explains, some of the credit to their success also belongs to the "amazing crowd, the true party animals, the newcomers, the regulars and of course the best staff an SL club can wish for. Every one of them has left an impact on the club, and they are all the reason for our success." When asked how she feels about that thought, she quickly replies with a smile, "[I] think we have done something right." Without a doubt, the best music, the best parties, the best staff and just a continuous group of party people looking to have the best time they can in SL are some things that we can always expect from this club. In parting, Scorfield did hint that they are working on a new project, but reveals that it is still a secret, for now. "We will announce them soon as we have finished the shape of our thoughts," she shares cryptically. If you are ready to have a good time in a great atmosphere, or even if you're just curious to know what the new project will be, make sure you head on down to the Beachwood Club at Beachwood 43.53.38. A A Media Mojo Writer ShaiLi Alex Photographer Chic Aeon "E ach day we take a step into the future, searching for connection and understanding with others and ourselves..." On Thin Ice the art from art "On Thin Ice" is a documentary based on the gallery built by Chic Aeon at LEA12. The building process began on the LEA sandbox, high in the sky at the end of 2011. Shares Aeon, "I had just finished a film on Haveit Neox's LEA6 installation and the idea of entrenched perceptions that I had woven into the machinima was something I wanted to explore more fully. A few weeks after completing the initial piece, `Chained to Our Perceptions,' I was invited to participate in the LEA Endowment project on LEA12. There were many sides of the theme to be explored. Deciding on nine interconnected galleries, I continued with the work. With no real plan, the rooms were filled as ideas arrived, following the theme that as individuals, countries and a species we are indeed walking on thin ice." The video itself is a journey through nine beautiful ice galleries filled with sculptures, word clouds, machinima and poetry, which tell a story of where we are and the choices that we face. The atmosphere and scenery suggest something subjective, such as a reflection of ourselves, the world around us, and how we interact with it and with each other, that leads viewers on their own, personal adventure. Read along as I continue more in-depth with Chic Aeon. ShaiLi Alex: Where did the original inspiration for the work come from? Chic Aeon: I work alone and without a plan, sometimes aided by comments and critiques from my fellow machinima makers. Most often a project starts with an idea, a general theme. A poem can become part of the inspiration; a phrase overheard can become the first step on the journey. When I begin filming or building, there is only the idea. I don't worry that there is no clear path; I let the moment be my guide. Partway through the process, clarity reigns, so far, anyway. I have often joked that I get some of my best ideas in the bathtub. Actually, that is the truth. I cannot pinpoint any moment or event that contributed to it. The assumption that it was wandering around in my brain cells for some time could easily be valid. I wrote the poem for Haveit's film in three minutes, typing as fast as the thoughts came. Maybe I pulled the idea from the grand group consciousness; maybe it was a message. SA: What does your art say about you? CA: That question brings a smile. Honestly, I don't need it to say anything about me. If it does, the notion that I create continuously in some form or another is most likely the top message point. Creating unlocks hidden material -- for me anyway. I find the process of bringing ideas into reality reveals information and feelings I am either avoiding or have put aside. Often after I finish a project, I sit back amazed. "Do I really think that?" Sometimes the answer is, "yes." SA: What is the main focus of your work at this moment? CA: My current focus is machinima, but I love to build. I often create sets for the films I make; installations are a natural extension. My favorite part of building is creating and manipulating textures. My favorite part of film making is editing. SA: Why are the art galleries that appear in your video suggesting themes such as "End of the World" or "The Last Rose," and who made the images, photos and creations exhibited in these galleries? CA: Both works you mention were made for the On Thin Ice installation. "Party at the End of the World" became the film for the entry gallery. I had visited Risk City previously and arranged with the ownerbuilder, SuzeLaRousse Milo, for filming rights, something machinima makers must do to comply with the Linden Labs� Terms of Service. Risk City is vast and varied with many areas that suggest symbolic meanings; my job was to choose ones that fit the OTI installation's theme. The bizarre Balance outfit hales from AD Creations by Aliza Karu; I knew it would be perfect the minute I tried it on. Friends dressed up as headless dolls courtesy of Dollcoco, by Cocoro Lemon, abandoning themselves to the revelry of the last days of earth. "The Last Rose" was my creation. Perfume...one word that brings back memories. The University of Western Australia had announced the theme for February. While I loved the challenge, it was perplexing. Then I thought about On Thin Ice and how the idea of perfume might fit into that work. What if we no longer had flowers? What if they had disappeared in the wake of technology and cement cities? "The Last Rose" was born. SA: Do you have any new projects in the works? CA: Never one to get off the merry-go-round of creativity, I have begun a new installation project called "Where Do You Go When You Dream?" Here is the theme of the work in progress. "Between the dusky fall of sun and the twilight of breaking dawn magic reigns. We enter a land of shadowed dreams. Time moves sideways here; colors turn to muted shades of taupe and grays. Outside the world sleeps; inside the dreamers explore their longings and fears. Which will be the story of the evening? What mysteries will they find the answers to?" The installation mixes original diorama styled works with poetry and machinima to create a world of exploration and discovery." Will it have a home? Only time will tell. SA: What is the message that you believe your video suggests to people? CA: Is the medium the message? Perhaps. Something beautiful to watch is the goal -- a brief glimpse of our virtual world, oftentimes a reflection of our corporeal one. Along the way a message may appear, but I am most often asking questions -- either overtly or implied. My goal isn't to influence; it is to open a gateway to contemplation. Viewers need not see what I see. Whatever they perceive is, in part, their vision. My work was only a conduit. SA: Do you think, somehow, all people are connected to each other? And, if so, how? CA: Absolutely! And if my work suggests that premise in some way, I am pleased. We are connected on so many levels. In concrete ways our policies, politics and economies are very much intertwined. In more metaphysical ways, we are at the core -- one. SA: How do you think "On Thin Ice" contributes to people's lives? CA: I hope that it causes them to pause in their often busy days and think about what truly matters. The world spins so fast these days. We each have our own beliefs, our own goals. Understanding that helps us relate more completely with those in our lives. Being true to ourselves, in my mind, is the greatest gift we can give to others. SA: Can you explain your idea that as nations, and individual species, each day we are walking on thin ice? CA: I am not a political person, so this installation was never meant to suggest there is only one way, one answer. It simply asks questions. Where have we been? Where are we going? Does the path lead to a sustainable future? Are all people equal? Can all people be treated equally? Can we break out of our solitary existences? Can we bring balance to our lives without unbalancing others? Can we embrace inaction and expect the world to move in the direction we desire? Can we hear the quiet? Each person has their own answers. Building this installation helped me find mine. SA: Why the ice was the chosen element? Is there any relation with the theory that in the future the world will live a new ice age? CA: Ice was chosen for its precarious nature. Seemingly substantial, it can have underlying flaws. When enough pressure is exerted, a critical mass being reached, it is no longer stable. No futuristic predictions were intended. While I was only able to scratch the surface with Chic Aeon, there is so much more to this machinima that one must view it in order to fully appreciate its depth. Surprise yourself with what you may find out, and what this video may lead to rethink. View "On Thin Ice" at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cBQBfd-vZSU. A A Arts Feature Gallery Sayopiyo D Writer YeriakTH Couturier Photographer Annough Lykin oes art tell us to meditate on ambiguity with everything that surrounds us, or is it only a thought that explores our imagination? Perhaps we could describe the magnitude of the creation around us or simply with all our words, become a part of it. The famed art gallery, Gallery Sayopiyo, brings us "Captive Balloon," which illustrates to us an emerging world with a landscape of a high-level architecture design aesthetics. This lovely installation was designed with stone, with a focus on water and the details of Japanese orientation, with delicate and elegant designs, such as Hydrangea-Tower in water, and screens in the form of a cube with a drawing of Wagasa (a traditional Japanese umbrella) made of bamboo and paper, forming a structure of stacked stones. Here you will find four floors of creator Yoyo Quartz's vision. The hammocks with impressions of flowers are wonderful creations by wellknown photographer and illustrator, Sayoko Moonwall. The display brings to mind beautiful poetry in a haven of peace where the flowers cover the waves and envelope them rowing towards the peaks of clouds. The environment that surrounds the installation is the perfect blend of harmony that can be found between natural designs found in nature, like the structure in stone, and the architectural forms that are the main discovery to explore. A spiritual element is found in the art, and this is the perfect setting, as many visitors find it very comforting, innovative and artistic. YeriakTH Couturier: Please tell us, what has been your main inspiration in carrying out this project, Gallery Sayopiyo? Yoyo Quartz: I think that my creations are mostly based on the figments of my imagination from my childhood until now. Even now, before I fall asleep, I stuff my head with fancies. (Smiles) I can say that I've been influenced by so many things, but there isn't anything specific that inspired me to carry out this project. I always want to stay flexible enough to be able to absorb all sorts of things, even when I get older. Unfortunately, it seems that some people think I'm rather short-tempered and stubborn. YC: Was creating architectural designs on a large scale a long and very complex challenge for you? YQ: In regard to "Captive Balloon" and "Japanese Style Art Gallery", it didn't take much time to complete, as it was a logical conclusion to show all artistic exhibitions properly as art museums. The hardest build was "WHITE x WHITE x WHITE." Initially, it was supposed to be transferred or given away after the event, so that I had to consider its post-event usage. In the end, no ownership transfer was made. But, we had to move to a different sim in the middle of its construction, and we didn't have enough time before the opening of the event...so yeah, it was hard. This type of build in SL� needs a lot of work as you can see, and should be considered "rare" or "uncommon,"so I'd like all of you to come take a look and enjoy. YC: What is considered "art" in Second Life� for Yoyo Quartz? YQ: When you hear the word "art, " you may get the impression of something rather formal with an air of profound respect, you know? But what we'd like to present is something more casual, but not as casual as hobbies. In other words, something that anybody can enjoy as sort of an amusement, if you know what I mean. In that sense, it's totally different from art exhibitions held in RL. We add some "SLish" or "SL-like" effects, such as animated pictures, or use SL wind to swing objects, etc. These are exciting differences you can enjoy in SL. YC: And what is your professional vision of art? YQ: In RL, I started with Modern Art (3D) and moved to Commercial Graphic Design. I have a strong interest in what you can express on a "flat/ plain surface." I found it more fascinating as the shadows drawn artificially with my hands, not shadows naturally born from the light and 3D objects. I'm still trying to find ways to express "flat/plain surface" in a certain space. It may be considered as "installation art" in SL, but I do not intend to put stress as "spatial art," but rather to show or present each piece of work as is. YC: Why did you choose the name Gallery Sayopiyo? YQ: "Gallery Sayopiyo" is an art exhibit (or display) specially formed in Second Life, for Second Life. "Sayoko Moonwall" presents "real" photographs. "Yoyo Quartz" is in charge of the overall production of this exhibit, as well as the illustrations and buildings. The name Gallery Sayopiyo is taken from both of our avatar names. YC: What people helped with this project? YQ: Photographs taken by Sayoko Moonwall are quite artistic, as you can see. Her everyday-life-snapshots are dedicated to her deceased father. She always wishes to show him those photos...if she could. She never uses editing software, and all her photos are presented "as they are." She takes many different types of pictures. I would especially like all of you to enjoy her "Bamboo" photos taken in Kyoto, Japan. There are things that we cannot deal with, such as scripting, coding, etc. and we ask for other people's help whenever we are in need. We, Gallery Sayopiyo, are really thankful to those who have provided us with the space for our exhibitions, and who have introduced us through various media. We truly appreciate it always. Without their support we couldn't have come this far. And I'd like to thank Clione Clary for helping me to translate this interview. Our museums in SL will be moving to new locations very soon. We'll let you know the details through our blog (gallerysayopiyo.slmame.com) and also group notices. The followings are moving to new locations: Kick SIM (Captive Balloon & Firefly Forest, Prayer and Strength, Lotus Photo Gallery) and Tokyo Sea (WHITE x WHITE x WHITE). YC: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, and I wish you more success. YQ: It's my pleasure. Thank you very much! The Gallery Sayopiyo has participated in many different art fairs, such as the Festival of Jazz and Art in 2010. "Captive Balloon" was presented for the first time in October 2010 and awakened a huge curiosity as to the meaning of its name. Nature has a very important role on this sim because it complements part of the Japanese art in their gardens that are sublime and epic, with points of light scattering between the trees, forming structures, and small rocks and acidic fireflies give life to the magic of the place. With all of the beauty of this place, we leave you with this beautiful thought: "Architecture is not derived from the technical or the constructive elements that surround the space, but properly arises from the vacuum of space involved, interior space, in which men live and move." Find out more information on the gallery, including new and current installations, by visiting their website at gallerysayopiyo. slmame.com. And when you're ready to visit the Gallery Sayopiyo, head on over to Kick 108.127.21. A A Featured Artist humility in its purest form Writer Sensuous Soulstar Photographer Alan Brady fresh new face to the art world, Alan Brady continually hones his craft. His skill emanates throughout his work, yet his humility shines even brighter through his personality. This month, AVENUE is proud to debut an amazing new artist to the world. Read on to find out a little more about the talented artist and his seminal work. A Sensuous Soulstar: I definitely want to thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions. I want to just jump right into the meat of the questions. Without revealing too much personal info, tell me a bit about the person behind the avatar. Do you find that your personality influences or shows through your artwork? Alan Brady: It is a pleasure talking to you. I am an ordinary person, with faults and qualities. Regarding the influence, it is mainly the order and disorder of my work, which is all a part of my personality. SS: How did you get your start in photography in Second Life�? Was there a person or particular piece of art that really made you want to showcase your creativity through art? AB: First, let me say that I do not consider what I do as art. There are circles of artists, and it would be disrespectful to place my work with theirs, or to consider what I do art. For me, few people make art in SL�. If we're talking about photography, one example I can cite is Maloe Vansant. But, returning to the question, I use photography to express here what is on my mind on a certain day, like a diary, since I don't talk much. SS: Wow, that is amazingly humble of you. Tell me about the first piece that you ever shot after deciding to try your hand at photography, and how you felt it turned out then? How do you feel it compares to the incredible quality of your pieces now, and would you change anything about that first piece? AB: It's all a process, an evolution of the time that I'm here, much of which I spent exploring. I do not remember such a photograph. Much of what I've done, I deleted it. The photos you see, tomorrow I can delete. I have no attachment to them. SS: So if there is no attachment, is there any one piece that means more to you than the others, that truly stands out as either a favorite, or is your greatest accomplishment? AB: No. The only things taken were necessary at that moment. But if you do choose, then highlight the people in it, whom I am fond of. SS: When you photograph for the moment, what are your inspirations? Do you have a process that you go through, such as thinking of a subject first, and then finding the perfect shot, or do you just explore and the shots come to you as you see them? AB: No, I have no way to shoot, and I do not think this is possible, except with some photographers in terms of their technique. In my case, the photo comes from the unexpected and I invent, right there, from the discovery of what I'm feeling at that moment, without the technical mastery of expression. SS: I'm interested to know then, with all of the changes and improvements to Second Life, with the introduction of shadows, incredible new Windlight settings, and so much more, do you feel that your artwork continues to grow with each new advancement, or do you feel like the improvements are making it harder for true photographers, as it continually requires mastering new skills? Or do the improvements even have an effect on your work at all? AB: I love the news of the improvements. I have a passion for learning, so I always like it when a new feature is implemented as there arises more and more new possibilities. I just think you have to be careful with using them, such as, for example, shadows. They should not be all in one picture. If you use them too much, especially for fashion, they end up taking most of the focus, which should not be. But to tell the truth, I know very little about these technical features, so I have long way to go. SS: I've noticed that you have a number of pieces where you seem to have mastered black and white photography. Please tell us a little more about this concept, how you choose which pieces will receive this treatment, and without giving away too much of your process, give the readers an idea of how long it takes you to create these pieces and what goes into these truly brilliant pieces of art. AB: It all depends. Color is a tricky thing. The black and white is easier for me. A color misplaced, or combined may destroy an image. I really like black and white photos more. I like that contrast. I've been taking some time today creating the poses for some. I do a lot of these pictures to choose from, and the editing takes a quick 10 minutes. With respect to time, it varies greatly. Sometimes I can do them in 20 minutes, or sometimes it's more like 4 hours. SS: For our interested readers, do you create your art just for your own personal enjoyment, or do you also do work for others as well? If so, do you have a studio or place where readers could visit to view more of your work? AB: Strictly for pleasure. I photograph without charging anything for it. I am not a professional, nor do I claim to be. I am an amateur in every sense of the word. My work is on Flickr, and at http:// bradymckeenan.tumblr.com. SS: I want to thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions, and I always like to leave the readers on a positive note. So with that being said, is there anything as far as advice, a life lesson, or even a funny story that you'd care to share with our readers? AB: I thank you. Just enjoy it all; hit and make mistakes, and forgive and apologize because everything goes by so fast, and can end the next instant. Nothing is absolute truth. He's so quiet and humble, yet his work speaks volumes. While he may not consider himself an artist, or the work that he creates art, the art community, and residents in general, regard his work with great admiration. Take a look and decide for yourself, but prepare to be immersed in a silent world of black and white imagery that will truly blow your mind. Find more of Alan Brady's work on his Flickr page at http://www. flickr.com/photos/73809431@ N06. A www.avenuesl.com | AVENUE at GOL 45.153.22


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Sofia Vergara is so teasy veteran hot, I want to climb through the pages of this month's GQ India and just, well, let her know I've been climbing through pages to see her. Maybe ask her for a little peck on the cheek or a bigger peck somewhere else. She's just all kinds of teasy fun bedroom kitten hot. Like a sultry siren of the domestic lands for whom you'd gladly crash your ship for but a moment of gazing upon her femme fatale form.
I can think of many alluring things in this world, but Sofia Vergara in a little red dress and come hither smiles? Well, that's very tough to beat. Enjoy.

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