Builds, 01 July 22, 2010

So build #1: a new gallery structure that doesn’t have an exhibit to fit it… yet. Doesn’t seem practical for a guest exhibit, since the pictures have to be correctly wedged into the angled walls of the diamond shaped rooms. Normal, perpendicular walls seem much more suitable for allowing others to display. Another option: simply pick an artist whose selection of works are all the same dimensions, adjust the dimensions of the pre-set wall prims to this standard, and then just allow them to add a texture to the prim, along with a description, etc. A split code could be built into the prim as well, allowing me, the owner, to set what percentage of a sale goes to me and what goes to the exhibitor.

I have much to learn about exhibiting. 🙂

Outside, basically the structure (come to think of it) is similar to the 30m x 30m x 30m Edwardston Station Gallery cube in ways. First, it’s also built from modules based on 10m x 10m x 10m boxes, 27 boxes total in each case. The new gallery space employs famous SL artist Quadrapop Tree’s 1 (linden) dollar skyboxes, offered at her newly reopened Quadrapop Tree Gallery in Poorlatrice. That’s the module, and I use 5 of ’em, 4 of the 2 story variety and 1 single story version for the center module of the edifice. Each story of one of her skyboxes can be broken down into 3 10x10x10 cubes of this kind, meaning that the space in the double deckers will equal 6 such cubes.

For the ESG, I collaged 9 pre-modified Aracadia Asyum’s Shop in a Box. Like the QT skyboxes, Arcadia’s work is a freebie structure, which is the only “module” I like to use in these type of structures. The Quadrapop Tree skyboxes were a bit more difficult to manipulate because they are “no copy”, which means I had to buy, for instance, 5 separate skyboxes for what appears to be the final version of the new gallery structure — couldn’t copy the same module again and again, unlike with copyable freebies.

Below is a nighttime view of a side of the gallery space, somewhat demonstrating the 3×3, staggered pattern of the skybox stories. Notice the 3 “middle” stories in the central column line up in a row, surrounded by columns where the middle of the 3 stories is out of line with the top and bottom stories (which are in line with each other).

The “stagger” step is built into the 2 stories of the skybox, as designed by QT.

Relationship of the new gallery space with what remains of the Blue Feather Gallery after stripping all but the tower and 1 of its own 3 “modules” (modified Weston Graves freebie skybox: see here). A walkway now connects the two, and also stairs lead down from the remaining Blue Feather patio to the new development. A small, multi-hued forest has been planted between the two as well.

Baker Bloch stands in front of the new building, about to enter. Pretty imposing from the front. The stagger effect is… effective.

Typical interior layout. There’s the wedged in, pre-set prims discussed before. 42 such prims currently exist in the gallery, with additional possibilities for the central, single-story skybox, which I see as a kind of lounge for the structure (?)

Ooops. Baker Bloch found a hole in the toe of his sock.

In addition, there are 4 unused spaces that represented what appear to be a pool area in the original double story skybox (4 total skyboxes — 4 total pool areas). Not sure what I want to do with these spaces. Aquariums?

The central skybox area mentioned above. The layout of the structure is complex enough that I felt the need to add arrows to lead one to the next gallery room. The idea is that you start at the bottom and work your way more or less to the top — through all 8 intervening gallery rooms — where you can teleport down to the bottom room again.*

Baker sits in the top story of the Blue Feather tower, admiring his afternoon work. 🙂

*****

* Pattern of the movement from bottom to top can be broken down as follows:

a pattern which has some interesting similarities with a traditional 3×3 magic square:

The usual increase of elevation when moving from one story to the next has 2 breaks where, instead, you go down a bit to enter the next room. These kind of gaps can be found between rooms 2 and 3, and again at rooms 7 and 8. The 7-8 passage is especially tricky, representing the hardest place to maneuver in the whole gallery, perhaps. I also think of Russian mystic G. I. Gurdjieff’s difficult-to-fulfill shock between steps 7 and 8 in his Law of Octaves, also called the Law of Seven.