Let it be known that the Moon heads towards Earth! Long range telescopes have detected there might be art on the moon. Be aware that Bad Astronomy calculated the impact for Thursday, May 7, 2015, 1.01 PM SLT time! Engineers have constructed the Moonrezzer to transport people to see this unique phenomenon, and a cadre of journalists will lift off on Monday May 4th to send early reports! Stay tuned!

Thus reads – in part – the announcement that Art Blue’s latest art installation / retrospective The Art Walk on the Moon, which official opens on LEA 14 at 13:00 SLT on Thursday, May 7th, and which has a special press preview on Monday, 4th May, also at 13:00 SLT (the tour is limited, numbers-wise, so a screening area has been set-up on neighbouring LEA 16 for late arrivals).

For those unfamiliar with Art Blue, he is a collector and curator; a futurist and historian. Over the years he has taken it upon himself to collect art created in virtual worlds and preserve it, offering for people to view through special presentations such has this, and his Ferrisquito exhibitions (the Bryn Oh retrospective of which I covered in September 2014. Part of his work also involves purchasing art pieces from their creators so that they can be preserved and exhibited on OpenSim.

The Art Walk on the Moon is an ambitious, immersive and interactive installation presenting a broad range of art pieces created over the years by many artists working in both Second Life and OpenSim, including (and not limited to) Molly Bloom, Feathers Boa, Brenda Geissen, Giovanna Cerise, JadeYu Fhang, Cherry Manga, Yooma Mayo. Fuschia Nightfire, Bryn Oh, Maya Paris, Gem Preiz, Nexuno Thespian, and Renn Yifu.

The installation actually comprises a number of set pieces which are both separate to one another, while in some cases sharing links with one another. For example, the art displayed in the lower exhibition space can be seen via a flycam tour located in the Moonrezzer Amphitheatre, while some of the pieces displayed can be reached via the teleport boards, or visitors can fly around them.

From the start-point – an airship which is itself an OpenSim creation floating over the the lower exhibition space – one can use the teleport boards to move around the installation. Before you do so, do make sure sounds and media are enabled, and that you’ve collected the introductory note card, and had a good look around. In particular, do note the blue “Creators Link” cubes; these can be found throughout the installation and when clicked will take you to a web page of information on a particular artist / object associated with them.

When starting your explorations, I’d recommend taking the teleport to the Moonrezzer Amphitheatre. Here you can take a flycam tour of the exhibits in and around the amphitheatre. Simply sit on one of the blue chairs, click on Wells’ time machine under the awning and tap ESC a couple of times to free your camera. After a few seconds, the flycam tour should initiate, taking you around the pieces on display and providing information about them in local chat.

Another launch-point for reaching exhibit spaces is the Moonrezzer Springfield Bet, which acts as a gateway to both the The Soulrezzer and The Moonrezzer installations (the latter of which can also be reached directly via the teleport boards). Make sure you obtain a code for claiming your gift at The Soulrezzer before you teleport up to it.

The Soulrezzer is a skyborne installation featuring fractal art by Aurora Mycano. Click on the yellow poseballs to drift with the art to the rather heavy beat of The Soultaker by Blutengel (see the image towards the bottom of this article). At the centre of the piece sits The Soultaker, guarding a box. Touch the box and enter the code you received at Springfield Bet on channel /1 to open it and claim your gift. An information display in the lower part of the sphere containing The Soulrezzer includes a teleport circle which will return you to the ground – or you can simply step outside and fly down.

The Moonrezzer forms the nexus of the installation. Here you can opt to walk on a blue moon either under scripted control (click on the blue spheres being offered by one of the helpers), or under your own power using a pair of moon boots by Gem Preiz (take the boots from the large box, wear them, and then click on the green spheres being presented by a helper).

Scattered across this moon are twelve assistants who hold aloft various items of art – although you may have to cam out a way to be able to see them. To make things a little easier, a yellow teleport portal at The Moonrezzer’s arrival point will take you to a ship floating over the moon, where you can sit and watch the unfolding display of art below you – simply tap ESC after sitting to auto-focus your camera, or cam around freely yourself.

As well as teleporting around and the teleport boards have a number of additional destinations not covered here), you’re also free to fly / walk / swim around the various areas, and there are lots of small details to be found through careful exploration, and there are various Easter eggs to be discovered – sit at the chessboard at The Moonrezzer and see the king or queen appear on the board, inviting you to touch it, for example.

Utilising shared media (including videos by Wizardoz Chrome), streaming music, and supported through on-line information pages and Rez Magazine, The Art Walk on the Moon is an installation that does require time to be explored and appreciated fully and which can lead you in several directions. It is also, Art tells me, to be his last major installation in Second Life, and it’s closure on June 30th will be marked by a special performance at which, he says, “the Soulrezzer reveals the secrets of your soul, and the life of Art Blue ends in space as CODE64 will take him away.”

If you are interested in previewing the installation and blogging about it ahead of the opening, be sure to be at LEA 14 by 13:00 SLT SLT on Monday, May 4th. Otherwise, as noted, The Art Walk on the Moon officially opens at 13:00 SLT on Thursday, May 7th.

My thanks to Art Blue for his invitation to tour Art Walk on the Moon ahead of the press opening.