To anyone reading this blog, it’s pretty obvious I like taking pictures of the places I visit in-world. I’m the first to admit that I have an awful lot still to learn in terms of technique and in post-processing (where required). However, I have to admit that the ego in me does sometimes wonder what it would be like to put on an exhibition.

The reality is, of course, that I am just a happy snapper; therefore exhibitions are best left to those who know what they’re doing and who create some of the most memorable, creative and eye-catching images of their in-world experiences. People like Ziki Questi.

Ziki is rightly well-known and admired by many (including me) across Second Life for her incredible photographs which capture scenes and regions in amazing detail, and which are presented in a format and style she has made her own. Her blog is a veritable travelogue for Second Life residents, constantly offering rich and evocative images each and every time she posts, while pointing readers to places to visit and witness for themselves. Her gallery, which recently relocated, is a must-visit for anyone who enjoys her work or who wishes to see some of the most eye-catching SL photography available.

Some of Ziki’s work can also now be seen at Anita Witt’s gallery space on her region of Dryland. The theme for the exhibit was also suggested by Anita, “Lost Second Life“, which Ziki admits to both intrigued her and worried her at the same time, as she reveals in the exhibition notes:

I thought it would be easy, just sifting through images and selecting a few here and there, but it turned out to be a surprising challenge. For starters, there were more than 15,000 photographs to look through … And then there was the title itself: Lost Second Life somehow implied a comprehensive survey of all that had come and gone, and that’s not really what either Anita or I originally envisioned.

The result certainly isn’t a comprehensive survey; it’s far more than that. It is a very personal look back through those 15,000 images to present a fascinating look back at regions and builds which will be both familiar and new, but all of which have now passed into history as Second Life continues through its own evolutionary process. By carefully curating the images used for the exhibition, Ziki is allowing visitors not only a window into SL’s past, she is also presenting a means by which memories can be shared as we come across places that we’ve visited and can now see again through her eyes, making this a very intimate exhibition.

This feeling of intimacy is further increased by the mix of older works from Ziki’s collection with more recent pieces. In presenting both, Ziki shares her evolving approach and style to SL photography with us, something which draws us into each of the pieces on display here.

In a similar way, Anita’s gallery design means that the pictures are displayed in relatively small spaces on three floors. This helps create a feeling of a more intimate space which is aided by the warm colours of the default windlight, both again drawing us even closer to the pictures Ziki has chosen to share.

Lost Second Life opened on November 12th, 2013. I’m not sure how long it will run, but I do recommend that when you get the chance, you go and see it. When you do, make sure you grab the note cards from the info board at the arrival-point; not only do they provide background to the exhibition as a whole, they also provide notes on each of the pieces, together with links to Ziki’s original blog posts where each is featured.

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