“/ Before” April 2, 2008

Lemon Tree!

I hope CNB isn’t too upset with me but last night I had to check out the Lemon sim, just to see what’s there. I guess I shouldn’t be *too* surprised to find another lemon tree in a sim named Lemon, but I was. Not what I was looking for, actually. I found it in a shop/gallery owned by Dorra Debs, in an advertisement for a maze she had created. Using info found in the ad I teleported to the Bellagio Hotel on the Isle of Dreams sim to check out the real deal. Took some snapshots.

The attachment of lemon now to the concept of the maze reminded me that I want to create not a maze in Second Life, necessarily, but a labyrinth. Way back at the beginning of this blog (has it only been a month and a 1/2 since I started this thing!?) I talked about a small labyrinth being created by the original *Baker* on his Baker’s Island, official known in the real world as Henry Island off the coast of the Cape Breton island of Nova Scotia. That’s important for me to keep in mind as well.

Read here on the differences between a maze and a labyrinth. In a nutshell, a labyrinth has no dead ends while a maze does.

Hidalgo update, etc.

Call to C.N. Blinkerton the other night was pretty amazing (!). Got cut off at the end — left hanging on that Lemon World reference — and I haven’t heard back from him yet. *Certainly* hope this is not the last we’ve heard here of that amazing artist. Did I mention he’s now 96 years young?

Inspired, obviously, by the contact, I’ve been able to create 2 new collages in the last several days called “Day of Destruction” and the newest (not quite yet finished) tentatively called “Shakenstein” (posts immediately below this one). “Shakenstein” will probably create an animation with the next collage, which will then be the 5th and 6th of the 10 part Hidalgo series. The series is moving forward quickly! This will most likely be the first exhibit in the “Just Call Me Ernie Banks?” studio that Baker Blinker is mainly tending now, although Baker Bloch *has* seen it. I think it’s a cute space, if rather limited as gallery space. It’s perfect for this particular series, though; that may turn out to be its only purpose.

Should I attempt to interpret the new collages? Probably. There are many Blinkerton related ideas: obviously the 2002 rusty wagon burn mentioned in the interview. But I think I should save it until I can contact Blinkerton again.

Let me just see if I can ring him up tonight. Might be a good time to chat…

Hmmm, apparently not in or else not answering his phone. He’ll most likely get back in contact with me in due time… probably needs to absorb what I’m up to more as well so’s he can figure out what he can and can’t say. Let me try one more time…

“Hello?”

bb:

Oh hi. Is this Charles?

CNB:

Yeah, is this baker?

bb:

Yes, how are you doing? We, uh, got cut off the other night and I’m just ringing you up again.

CNB:

I was going to call back. I’m very interested in how you’re framing this whole process.

bb:

Is this a good time to talk?

CNB:

Yeah, I suppose so. I’m writing at the moment but I can set that aside. Are you going to put this conversation in your blog?

bb:

Yes, if you don’t mind. Anything you want to edit out afterwards just call me up or email me. No prob at all.

CNB:

Ok, ok. I don’t have a lot to hide, being an almost 100 year old man. Who’s going to bother me at this late stage, eh?

bb:

Glad to know that you’re doing so well. Do you feel like talking more about Lemon World? That’s the topic we were discussing when our conversation ended before.

CNB:

Sure, but I’m not sure what to say about it. Um, I did glance at your blog today. I like the collages for certain. Now your Hidalgo series was named directly for Hidalgo County or sumtin?

bb:

Excuse me, Charles, I had to deal with a cat just then. The name comes from that and also other Hidalgo names, in fact all Hidalgo names are a candidate for inclusion in the art process. Hidalgo is an archetypal name. But the original source is the small village of Hidalgo, Illinois. All my collage series so far take their names from such towns in Jasper County, Illinois, or towns very nearby such as Greenup and Oblong.

CNB:

Uh huh. How long have you been making collages?

bb:

Years and years. On and off. So back to Lemon World…

CNB:

This is part of your 10×10, then, right?

bb:

Yeah, 10 collages in each tier, 10 tiers in the whole work.

CNB:

I was looking through some of your other sites — hope you don’t mind — and was interested in this SID’s 1st Oz, especially the diagram at the end of one of your series of posts about this subject. The one with the 6×6 square with 26 of the, er, tiles within devoted to SID’s 1st Oz — not sure how to put that — and the remaining 10 a part of Dark Side of the Rainbow. How’d you come up with that? And is there a tape or DVD of that work around?

bb:

Well, no, not really. You would have to recreate it in your home environment.

CNB:

Really. Have a lot of people tried that out?

bb:

No. I haven’t done much advertising.

CNB:

I’d like to see it sometime. SID’s 1st Oz I mean. I looked at bits and pieces of Dark Side of Oz — is that what you call it? — Dark Side of Oz on the internet. YouTube I think. It was interesting, but I didn’t watch the whole thing.

bb:

In turn, sir, I’d like to certainly see your films you mentioned before. Are they available on tape or DVD? Or YouTube perhaps?

CNB:

No. I have them in digital form now, though. For archiving’s sake. I’m not impressed with the quality of most YouTube offerings. Isn’t it great that a man of my age keeps up with current technology so well!?

bb:

Right, that’s good. I’d offer to help you with that myself if you hadn’t digitized them yet.

[delete 2 exchanges about storage of paintings]

bb:

So do you want to talk about Lemon World tonight?

CNB:

Yeah, in a moment. So you have how many avatars in Second Life now?

bb:

Three. There’s the Bakers, Blinker and Bloch, and also Hucka D. When I, we, want to experiment we use Hucka D. to try out new things. I’m actually not sure where he is at the moment. How ’bout yourself? You said you are still involved with Second Life.

CNB:

Right. I was thinking of creating a new avatar myself. Original Blinker [note: later found out this was spelled Uriginal Blinker]. Funny how they probably got that surname from me. I made an impression after all!

bb:

Original, because you’re… oh yeah, I see. Good one (laughs).

CNB:

If I do create this new avatar, would you like to do some inworld exploring? Maybe a series of interviews about Lemon World or whatever else you want to discuss with me. Can you recommend some places? I’m more familiar with the old continent. Sansara I believe you call it in your blog. Hadn’t heard that before.

bb:

Sure, that sounds most excellent Charles.

CNB:

Please, call me Chuck. If we’re going to be inworld hiking friends we need to be informal with each other. How about these other two guys you mentioned, the fellow hikers or explorers? Do you still interact with them?

[delete 4 exchanges about these “hikers” and also another 1 exchange about a “syncher” who has been exploring Second LIfe as well]

bb:

And then I think I’ve turned on our very good friend Cammie to Second Life.

CNB:

That’s the psychic?

bb:

Well, she’s definitely psychic, or has that talent. But she’s in the health care profession in RL.

CNB:

So recommend me some places in Sansara, since you are also familiar with that continent. I’m interested in underwater exploration as well. Seems like a good way to avoid people, and also look for remnants of older places that came before the Lindens. That interests me also.

bb:

I have a feeling you’re not going to talk about Lemon World tonight. Are you? (laughs)

CNB:

Of course I am. I never stop talking about Lemon World, actually. Ever. (laughs as well). I was talking about Lemon World before I was born, and I’m sure I’ll be talking about it after I’m removed from this Earth.

bb:

You mentioned the burn. The burning of The Man. The statue. That triggered the splitting of the two worlds, one Lemon and one Lime.

CNB:

Do you know they have a Lime sim on Sansara? And also a Lemon sim, if I’m not mistaken. Lime use to be a park, set aside as public land by the Lindens. Maybe we could start there first. Not telling you where to go, but I’d like to check it out. And then Lemon. And then I’d definitely like to see your digs in [delete sim name]. The gallery. And some of those other places in your blog. You’ll have to tell me more, for example, about those “crop circles” in Okinu. Sounds like a programming effect, but I’d still like to see it.

bb:

Yeah, that’s pretty fascinating. Strange thing…

CNB:

You still there baker?

bb:

Yeah, I just didn’t know where to go with that.

CNB:

That’s ok. Happens to me all the time. Someone will bring up Lemon World and my mind will wander off and then it’s mentioned again and my mind wanders again. And so on. Let’s go to that underwater place around The Man statue.

bb:

Do you know anything about the rock castle on the island next to The Man by chance?

(to be continued)