Last Dance at Alanis Gallery

I attended the last dance for Alanis Gallery.

There were more than 68 people who were there, and the lag was so bad most of the avis rezzed only partially for me, which meant I got to see lots of naked torsos (yay!) and invisible avatars.

But it was great finale for one of the great sims in SL, and I'm sure almost all were quite emotional about the whole thing, as many have had some great times in the sim owned by Michiel and Sylvia. I myself was once a frequent visitor to the sim, and all 3 of the girls I have been with were at one time or the other alanis angels.

I wish the two good fortune on any future endeavors they may have, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all the good memories xxx

Some of the attendees:

Alanis Gallery Closing!

Before I spent most of my time in Austin, Alanis Gallery had been one of the few D/s-BDSM sims I regularly visited, and the vast majority of the artwork I have bought over the years has been from their offerings. Linda too spent some time at that sim, and both of us know the co-owner Michiel.

Alanis also has one of the more unusual examples of objectification in SL, which I highlighted in a blog post.

I'm sad that the place is closing, but I am happy that it has lasted for so long and created so many memories for its visitors and regulars.

Good luck to Michiel and Sylvia in their new endeavors, and thanks for all the memories x

Dear Friends, Alanis Patrons and Angels 

With much heartache, but also a great deal of pride, I am sad to announce that Alanis Gallery Sensual Images - which has sought to bring the best of RL erotic art into SL since 2008 - will be closing on July 29th 2017 after a glorious decade of exhibitions. 

For some time, my RL circumstances have prevented my making more than fleeting visits to SL and it looks as if this will be the case for the foreseeable future. In addition, my SL partner, Michiel Seetan, will have less time for SL in the near future because of a change in his RL circumstances.

I would like to thank Laz and his team for latterly hosting Alanis in the wonderful sim of Xaara. Long may it prosper! I urge all Members of Alanis Group who are not already Members of Xaara Community Group to join that Group NOW. Copy and paste < secondlife:///app/group/ f67ddcaa-f402-63ac-d603- bdbf14cb4a1b/about > into Local Chat to create a live link to the Group.

FAREWELL BALL
I will rebuild the old Alanis Pavilion inside the Gallery grounds for a Farewell Ball on 24th July at 1:00pm SLT to thank all our supporters, customers and many friends. I hope to see you all there to chat over old times and look to the future.  

With much love,

Sylvia Fitzpatrick, owner of Alanis Gallery Sensual Images 

The Alanis Angels at Alanis Gallery in Xaara

Alanis Gallery of Sensual Images in Xaara (formerly in Roissy) has always been one of my favorite places in Second Life. Not only do I enjoy the original artwork that is on display in the galleries, quite a few of which I have purchased to decorate the walls of my Art Room, but I have also been fascinated by the rather unique concept of "Living Art" that has come to symbolize the gallery for many people.

Alanis Angel near the Naiad Pool (2015)

This "Living Art" involves female or male avatars called "Alanis Angels" who pose as immobile (and sometimes mute) statues for the enjoyment of visitors to the sim, although many of the statues are free to RP with the guests. They are one of the most visible examples of organized objectification in SL, and as such are of interest to me and others who are fascinated by this area of BDSM, which is termed ODD (objectification/dehumanization/depersonalization).

Alanis Angels at the Gallery Foyer (2015)

According to Michiel Seetan, who owns the gallery with his partner Sylvia Fitzpatrick, they were approached in 2009 by someone who, along with some friends of hers, wanted to become an installation of human statues at the gallery.

The inspiration for the display was a quote from the Story of O, by Pauline Réage:

But even though they thus made use of O, and even though they used her in this way as a model, or the subject of a demonstration, not once did anyone ever speak to her directly. Was she then of stone or wax, or rather some creature from another world…

In her notice for the exhibition, Sylvia Fitzpatrick wrote that "Living Statues" is truly representative of submission, objectification, and commitment to Owner and Art.

Michiel adds that It is this statement made by the display, one which questions conventional sexual etiquette by pushing the values of D/s to their limit, that turns ‘Living Statues’ from being merely a thing of beauty into a work of Art. And it also makes it a perfect piece for Roissy because its ethic mirrors that of ‘The Story of O’.

Alanis Angel with marble skin

The exhibition was quite popular and evolved into the Alanis Angels, who became a permanent fixture in the Alanis Gallery landscape. At the beginning, they were chained to columns and wore marble skins and angel wings, but as time passed the Alanis Angels posed more and more often in their own skins, and many actively interacted with gallery guests.

Alanis Angels in central fountain with natural skins

When I asked Michiel whether there had been any public outcry to the objectificaion of people in the sim, he replied in the negative and noted that:

It's consensual and 

(a) all art involves objectification;

(b) lots of great art is about sexual objectification (for example) 

(c) many RL 'gallery artists' - such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Nobuyoshi Araki - have specialised in sexual objectification. " 

Michiel with Alanis Angels

He ends by saying that:

What I like most about ‘Living Statues’ is that it wakens emotions that I know will be too primitive, too disturbing for some tastes. Here we have beautiful young women, totally enslaved and forced to pose whenever they are in SL for the pleasure of others. If the dark beauty of ‘Living Statues’ is not to your taste, look away. 

I should note that my personal introduction to Alanis Gallery and the Alanis Angels was sometime in January of 2013. I remember times spent sitting in the central fountain just watching and talking to the Angels up on their pedestals, and one time they even had an event where many Angels were posed on alcoves along one of the buildings. Linda, Tinka and some friends of mine like Serena were Alanis Angels at some point in their SL lives, and Linda's art is also quite visible in the gallery grounds even to this day.

Linda's statues at Alanis Gallery (2015)

Tinka in Angel outfit (2013)

Here are some more fascinating images of the Alanis Angels at Alanis Gallery of Sensual Images:

Superhero and Villains dance at Alanis Gallery in Xaara

Linda and I attended the Superheroes dance at Alanis gallery in Xaara on April 27, an event that was hosted by Laura Audebarn with music provided by DJ Geordie.

I came as a modified Joker, while Linda strutted her stuff as Wonder Woman.

MK Joker and LindaWoman

As expected, quite a few of the other ladies at the event also sported Wonder Woman costumes.

There just seems something so sensual and kinky about the superheroine from Paradise Island to me (and most likely other men). Perhaps it's her Lasso of Truth, which calls up images of kinbaku and other rope bondage activities, or perhaps it's simply her reputation as an amazon warrior, beholden to no man and thus presenting somewhat of a challenge to the stupider sex. Or maybe it's as simple as the fact lots of young boys in the early 1980s had a crush on the beautiful brunette Lynda Carter.

In addition to the wonder womans, there were sexy supergirls and slinky catwomen, while on the male side we had the usual batmans, supermans, and other DC and Marvel superheroes and villains in multi-colored tights.

Laura also had some pretty sexy pics for sale on one wall of various superheroines, and Linda and I bought a couple to decorate our home.

East Asian Dance at Alanis Gallery in Xaara

Alanis Gallery in Xaara held an East Asian Dance on March 10, 2015. Linda looked ravishing in an Orients Dress by Muneria that I had first seen in Lori Novos' blog, while I wore a Japanese Samurai kimono outfit that I had bought a long time ago, with a katana strapped to my back for any pesky griefers that might dare show up.

Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista), who hosted and set up the dance, also had quite a lot of themed photos for sale, and interestingly enough, me and Linda unknowingly bought the exact same item! Fortunately, Laura was kind enough to gift us another painting, a beautiful picture of cherry blossoms.

Linda also had pairs of decorative chopsticks adorning her hair, and when I clicked on them, her blonde locks fell loose in long flowing waves. She's a stunner, my girl.

One thing I noticed was that although the event was called an "Asian" dance, most if not all of the other people in the crowd were attired in outfits hailing from China or Japan. That was an interesting observation because it seems to confirm the view that when Americans think about that region of the world, they tend to think about the Chinese or Japanese (or less likely, the Koreans), all of whom are northern peoples with similar cultures and physical traits.

If one looks south though, one will find many other cultures, some of which have traditional outfits that are just as beautiful as the kimonos and qipaos from the north.

For example, Malays in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have batik clothing and traditional costumes for women such as the kebaya, and traditional outfits that are still heavily used like the barong tagalog for men.

Kebaya

The Thais too have their outfits, as do the Cambodians and Vietnamese. All these southeast-asian groups have their own unique dress and attire.

Barong Tagalog

Hopefully, the next time you think about dressing up for some Asian-themed party, you'll consider some of the less well known national costumes from that part of our world.

Bikers and Babes Dance at Alanis Gallery in Xaara

It's no secret that Linda is a real biker in SL and RL, while I'm a kinda biker in SL, and a totally pretend one in RL...but that didn't stop me from stopping by Alanis Gallery for a cool Bikers and Babes Dance which was hosted by Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista).

The set was very imaginative! The dancers seemed to be partying inside a long tunnel, with the road stretching into the distance on both ends of the tunnel. Photos by Laura were for sale along one wall, and someone even drove in a real (well, SL real) bike. I could almost smell the exhaust in the air....which brought back fond memories of when I lived in countries with no emissions standards. Darn EPA and their crusade to keep us healthy!

Unfortunately, due to RL we could not stay for long, though this may have been positive in a way. Given enough time Linda would almost surely rez her bike and start zooming in and out of the dancing party-goers, and I don't remember putting liability on that vehicle. As it was, we had fun looking (and drooling?) at all the macho guys and delicious babes who crowded into the cavernous room, and I also took the time to buy one cool looking photo showing two biker babes making out on their bike - hubba hubba! ;-)

MK and Linda

Juko Tempel and Michiel Seetan

MK looking lost without Linda

Mk and Linda

Parked Bike

Alanis Gallery Angels & Devils Dance

Alanis held a Angels & Devils dance on January 19, hosted by Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista) with DJ Geordie (Bee Itamae), and my Linda Lou and I attended dressed in our finest themed costumes.

My Linda was in a spectacular white angel outfit, with wide gossamer wings, while I wore a demon suit, complete with bat wings, two red devil horns, and insectile legs that made me think I was some kind of RoboDemon.

Angel Linda and RoboDemon MK

Laura created the venue herself, and I was impressed by the merging of heavenly and hellish elements in the one room, with one entire wall covered with art work.

Laura also chose two winners for best costume, one for males and one for females. Serinea Askold (Serinea Resident) won best costume for females, and amazingly enough I won best costume for males!

I was so moved by this honor that my emotions overcame me, much to the horror of many of the dancers *sheepish look*

[14:34] Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista): Sir MK. If I was to be ravished by a demon, I would want him to look exactly like that!
[14:34] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): Yay!!!!!
[14:34] Karen Fishnets Rau (Fishie Rau): *******APPPPPPPLLLLAAAUUUSSSSEEEEEEE*******
[14:34] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): Oh wait, that's me
[14:34] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): smiles
[14:34] Michiel Seetan: Yay again!
[14:34] Karen Fishnets Rau (Fishie Rau): congratulations to both
[14:34] Serinea Askold (Serinea Resident) applauds MK
[14:34] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): feeling lucky
[14:34] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): thanks....
[14:34] Michiel Seetan: ...
~~APPLAUSE~~
~~APPLAUSE~~
~~APPLAUSE~~
~~APPLAUSE~~
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): thank you all...
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): you love me...
[14:35] Laz (HaydenPryce Resident):            (`'•.¸¸(`'•.¸ ?  ¸.•'´)¸.•'´)
[14:35] Laz (HaydenPryce Resident):    ?(`'•.¸:•.•:*¨*??*¨*:•.•:¸.•'´)?
[14:35] Laz (HaydenPryce Resident):        ,.´:*     APPLAUSE !!!!     *:´.,
[14:35] Laz (HaydenPryce Resident):  ? (¸.•'´:•.•:*¨*??*¨*:•.•:`'•.¸) ?
[14:35] Laz (HaydenPryce Resident):            (¸.•'´(¸.•'´ ?  ´`'•.¸)`'•.¸)
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): you really really like me *sniffs*
[14:35] Michiel Seetan: Congratulations
[14:35] Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista): alright, dont milk it!
[14:35] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): not another sally fields moment
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): *looks for really long speech*
[14:35] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): thank the academy Sir
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): and i'd like to thank my mom
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): Dad
[14:35] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): and Gawd
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): cousins
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): brothers
[14:35] Serinea Askold (Serinea Resident) flaps over and pinches MK's ear
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): and oh
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): Linda
[14:35] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): woohooo
[14:35] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): and God
[14:35] Coco (saymynayme Resident): congratulations!
[14:35] Michiel Seetan: THanks for that donation, Gentle
[14:35] Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista): ok....can I change my mind or is it too late?
[14:36] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): laughsss
[14:36] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): *sad face*
[14:36] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): *sad sad demon face*
[14:36] Laura Audebarn (Laura Demonista): awww I am joking. I won't change my mind about the prize OR the ravishing
[14:36] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): *makes note to ravish and plunder*
[14:36] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): :)
[14:37] Linda Burnstein (lb Burnstein): takes out my number giver...42? 42?...43?
[14:37] MK (monkeyking2011 Resident): thank you laura....

The prize I got was a very cool picture of a demon ravaging a fallen angel, and I think it'll go very well with all the other pictures I bought from Alanis Gallery.

Ugajin Library

Sitting like a boss in the library - cuz that's how we roll

In RL, I am a bibliophile and I tend to like hanging out in libraries, mostly to enjoy the quiet and to peruse some SF book, and so I took some time this morning to go over some of the offerings in the Ugajin Library, which is located in Alanis Gallery.

I have to admit, I am duly impressed by the comprehensive collection housed in this tastefully decorated building. It has by far the largest number of BDSM themed books in Second Life as far as I know, and they range from full novels to short stories to self-help and guide books.

I look forward to spending some time going over some of them as time permits.

One thing. The books are housed on all three floors of the building on tall book cases. Be sure to click on EACH shelf in each book case as they contain different books.

Angel Hunt in Alanis?

Alanis Gallery has always been a favorite haunt of mine, not really for the excitement level at the place, but for the beautiful erotic artwork in the galleries. More recently, my Tinka girl became an Alanis Angel, so we both have some attachment to the place.

By chance the next product that we'll be rolling out is a Hunt system, which allows any landowner to suddenly host hunt parties for guests. No need to visit laggy sims, which are usually crawling with the dregs of SL.

The Hunt System, which is derived from one of the DM Tusk games, allows people to designate a Prey, with all the other participants being Hunters, and set a time limit for a Hunt, in which the Hunters use tranquilizer guns to try to score points off the fleeing Prey.

The system keeps tracks of the scores, and the Hunter who accumulates the most scores after the game gets to keep the prey. I might add RLV to the system such that the winning Hunter automatically gets to leash the fallen Prey.

As part of the rollout of the product, we became interested in gifting the product to Alanis Gallery and organizing Angel Hunts in the sim. Tinka and I are in the process of putting together a proposal for such a  Hunt, and I have spoken to Serena Mist of You're the One to help build a statue or similar object that is related to Angels to hold the DM Hunt system in Alanis. More updates hopefully are soon to come.