Second Life Destinations - The Far Away

 

This charming and old-timey region was originally created as “The Wheatfield” by painter/photographer/coder Jeffrey Berg, who goes by AM Radio in Second Life. Shortly after, in an interview with Bettina Tizzy, AM explained that “I wanted to challenge people's idea of place. We have so many preconceptions of space. What is a sidewalk, what is a house, what is a trail, what is a cave? We've evolved our sense of space and place. What better place than SL to challenge it?”

His challenge was accepted; the soothing, yet thought-provoking atmosphere of The Wheatfield has been cherished by many Residents over the years. In fact, AM Radio and some other well-known SL artists were even mentioned in New York Times Magazine in 2009. Over the years, AM Radio has built 14 regions in SL, and many Residents have been inspired by his style. Strawberry Linden expressed her appreciation for his work in a blog post a few years before joining Linden Lab.

The region is now called “The Far Away,” and is hosted by the couple Ziki Questi and Kinnaird Fiachra on the region Dreamworld North, which is part of the Dreamworld estate owned by Count Burks. Ziki says she was drawn to it because, “to me, The Far Away is a seminal work of virtual art. Evocative and timeless, it laid the groundwork for other striking and more expansive works by AM Radio such as The Quiet and Surface, all of which now survive only in images and memory. Kinn and I are delighted to preserve and maintain The Far Away for the enjoyment of the SL community.”

Kinnaird recalls being brought here by a friend on her first day in SL: “I was not a gamer, and the whole concept of being inworld was a bit disorienting, but I remember my friend leaving me at The Far Away when he had to go AFK, saying, "you'll be safe here.””

The Far Away is a living virtual relic that has a peaceful ambiguity capable of meaning something different to every visitor. What will it mean to you? Visit today to find out. With hidden poses and interactive elements scattered throughout, who knows what your journey might lead to. 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreamworld North/198/152/22/

Video from Draxtor Despres

From the Second Life Blog

Whatever Happened to AM Radio?

Longtime Second Life residents may recall AM Radio, the artist known for his creative builds such as "The Far Away," in addition to his unique look, dressing like an old-time chimney sweep, all in black with a stovepipe hat. In 2011, he announced his places would be coming down, and quietly departed from the virtual world.

So what happened to AM Radio? James Wagner, known in Second life as Hamlet Au, went to find out. As it turns out, in real life he's Jeff Berg, a tall, bearded man in his 30s. He first came to Second Life at the suggestion of his boss. The avatar, it turns out, was made to resemble Berg's father as a young man. And indeed much of his family's history was an inspiration for AM Radio's artwork.

Second Life ended up changing the man behind the avatar. He admitted having problems with low confindence before coming inworld. As people told him how much his work was admired, he began to feel more esteem in real life and found it easier to interact with people and express his opinions, "Being AM Radio absolutely got me past a barrier."

But he began to wonder if his time in Second Life was causing him to neglect the people around him in real life in addition to his photogrpahy and painting. Plus the university that owned the virtual land where his work was placed was shutting down it's presence inworld. While some people offered to host them, "the terms and the timing never worked out." AM Radio never made any backup copies, so most of the works are truly gone. Fortunetly Ziki Questi was able to take ownership of "The Far Away," where it still lies in Dreamworld North at (220, 130, 22).

Although Second Life is behind him, Berg continues to do well, having gone back to real life paiting and photography, and becoming one of his company's leaders. He was the head of a team that won a Webby award in 2013, and he was at the ceremony to accept the trophy, "I was on the same stage as Jerry Seinfield and Kevin Spacey." One man on stage remarked of Berg, "I didn't know Shannon Hoon was still alive," and the audience laughed.

Of the virtual world, he feels it still has a future, saying it reminded him a little of Apple Computer managing to hang around in the days before the iPhone. His advice to virtual artists, "Welcome new mediums, but don't let yourself be guided by them. ... Avoid showcasing a particular technological capability, but instead, build experiences that remind us how human we are and have always been."

To read Wagner's story in it's entirely, Click Here.

Image Credits: ZIki Questi, James Wagner

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "AM Radio"

(Click here if video fails to play)

By Pyewacket Bellman, "A sampling of the art of Second Life® resident, AM Radio," done in 2009. Sadly, this exhibit was taken online when AM's sponsors stopped funding.

SL Video: "Traveling"

A machinima made by a "Pep Lemmon" in 2011, showing a number of locations. Note AM Radio's classic locations early in the video.

"Music and video by Pep Lemmon. This machinima was filmed in several well known locations in the virtual world of Second Life.

"In the second half of the video I played a little bit with some tweaks that you can find in the advanced menu in Phoenix viewer. Thanks to all the amazing builders and sim creators who make possible filming in such wondeful locations."

Remembrance: An Artistic Homage to AM Radio

Gemma Cleanslate recently attended an artistic "Homage" to AM Radio, the noted Second Life builder noted for his artistic sims that have become classic places on the Grid. With AM Radio having announced the closure of his sims later this year, a few artists got together to do a tribute to him and his builds.

Read the story in Design

AM Radio to Close His Places in Second Life in Six Months

AM Radio’s places in Second Life, notably his “The Far Away” wheatfield, have become known as classic areas on the Grid. Unfortunately, AM Radio has apparently announced they will close later this year. Those wanting to visit them have six months left.

Read the story in Places.