Viva la Vida - An Interactive Art Experience

As a tribute to life, AuraKyo has come up with yet another great masterpiece this time. And trust me, you should visit Viva (yeah...the music, dance and shopping in SL can WAIT!)..for like me, you will not regret having made this journey...and I made it twice!

I followed the storyline which begins with the breath of life as shown in the pictures below.

I thought I was already intrigued by the sculptures enough (as always), but wait, I know now why AuraKyo advises all visitors to "Explore with open eyes; you'll find small secrets around and in the middle of the land". Immediately, I was greeted with bizarre images like the one below.
Being someone who likes to partake in anything, I cannot help it but knelt to pray too. Shh...I shall not reveal why there is praying here... ^^
I will not let you know what is beyond this door too...

Through the bold colours and intricate textures of the sculptures and even the building itself, AuraKyo has dealt with life, pain, hope, war and celebration in this extremely intriguing exhibition. As a strong advocator of peace, I was emotional when reading the quotes and poems and looking at the exhibits. The sounds of war and music in the background heightened my experience and I felt the pain that people living in war zones must have gone through.

Just when I thought I had come to the end of this journey, I was surprised yet again by AuraKyo. I have always enjoyed the interaction between artists and visitors and I wasn't disappointed at all.

I seldom have the time to reflect and I suppose you'd agree with me too. I mean with the hectic life style that we all lead, we'd be glad if we could have more sleep!

I'm glad that AuraKyo has allowed visitors to drop notecards on childhood, hope, desire, dreams etc to add to the content and impact of the visitors' experience. As I wandered through it, fond (and some painful) memories came flashing back. Strangely, I have no qualms about sharing my innermost secrets and experiences this time, as I normally would not have. I suppose it's the hidden "power" of AuraKyo and this is what makes this journey even more personalised.

Well, if you think I'm being nostalgic and emotional here, yeah, I guess you can say so. But at the same time, I embrace life and thank God for every breath that I take, which, I feel, AuraKyo has aptly portrayed in her celebration at the end of the journey.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rezzable%2010/197/97/21/

Broken Hearted Chapel

Emru brought me to this Broken Hearted Chapel a long time ago when I was feeling down. I'd already liked it there but never did blog about it for I was tied up with work. This time round, I returned to BHC for obvious reason - I had hoped the artistic atmosphere will be uplifting and make me a happier person. Only difference is I went alone this time.

The entire SIM is built by the very talented AuraKyo Insoo, who is into sculpture, paintings and above all, the very interesting visual effects. If I remembered correctly, she is an artist in RL too.
In the art gallery itself, you'd be able to see 3 huge books like the one shown here. The heartache and beauty (in a sad way) of these stories contributed by SL citizens more than made up for the slight grammatical mistakes in the writings. If you wish to, you can also drop a notecard in the heart-shaped container beside the book, and AuraKyo will publish it in the book.

The second picture shows a sculpture of two hugging, and the third is that of a ...yes, you guessed it right, a broken heart. :( AuraKyo makes good use of the space in the SIM cleverly without overcrowding the pieces. You'll get to see different paintings along the corridors.

AuraKyo is not only creative in the artistic pieces above, she also makes use of vibrant colours to add to her garden below the gallery, as can be seen from the pictures below. I love what I see...


Now, the following two are my favourite pictures of it all that I've taken in the BHC. This Love sculpture is set against the sunset when I took it. Aww...love it. The next one's theme is on the living memory of someone who has passsed on...i think. :)


There is a also a playground with huge mushrooms and brightly coloured swings! I had a fun time sitting on the swing and it brought back my childhood memories of the times I spent at the playground with my younger sis. Now I seldom see such swings in my neighbourhood. What a pity! What is the government doing?!


There are a lot more pictures that I would want to upload but that will only be a spoiler. It's always best to experience the thrill of discovering the hidden surprises and decipher the message an artist wants to convey to you.

Though I could not change the ending of my relationship, I felt nonetheless rejuvenated after my trip to BHC. I hope you do too.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Broken%20Hearts/217/81/21/