| Originally published in RezLibris Magazine See Summer 2011 issue for Slideshow |
Text by DULCIE MILLS Photos by DULCIE MILLS and CLARK ABISMO  There are so many creative sims in Second Life, but imagine one that is a museum filled with statues, buildings, and other artifacts illustrating historical places and times, all arranged artistically with gardens and other plants, walkways, and paths. Visit ancient Egypt, Rome, Babylon, and Greece by boat or walking tour or just fly through the sim. This is Museum Island, the creation of Carlolello Zapatero, an Italian builder who works with computer graphics in RL. Zapatero joined Second Life three years ago but didn't begin work on Museum Island until last year after some people saw his builds at a sandbox and pushed him to create something inworld. "I built Museum Island to give people the chance who can't travel the world to have an idea of these beautiful ancient sites," he said. Zapatero says the most popular attractions on Museum Island include Petra, Nefertari's Tomb, Babylonia, and the Library of Ephesus, but he believes all the monuments are interesting, especially the tall ancient sundial in Rome which he says "is built seven metres under the modern city in RL." His favorite build is the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. "I painted all the walls in watercolor after I scanned them for SL," he said. "Many archeological teachers visit this house. All paints are original. I restored this home. In RL it was destroyed." Other sites to see on Museum Island include Ara Pacis (Alter to Peace); Tholos of Apollo, Delphi (Greece); Arch of Septimius Severus; Arch of Constantine; Ishtar Gate (Babylon); Canopo, Villa Ariana (Tivoli); the Acropolis; Hanging Gardens; Colossus of Rhodes; and even a pet memorial called Memory Gardens. After all the sightseeing through ancient times, you can take a nap on a hammock in the relaxing area. Regarding what readers of RezLibris should know about Museum Island, Zapetero replied, "I hope your readers like my land. I built an ideal city with archeological monuments representative of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean sea." Many signs in both Italian and English describe the various builds on the sim with historical background. Zapetero's next build is the site of Abu-Simbel in Egypt, which is currently under construction.
While no formal events take place on Museum Island, there is a SL group, and art exhibits are displayed there. Zapetero wanted to thank several people who helped him with the Museum Island project: Pille Bikcin, Miky Canning, Alex Sigal, Azyxel, Rigi, Frontrunner, Vonkalbert, Roja, Manuelita, and other friends. For a place to learn about ancient history and art, Museum Island is the place to visit.
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Breezes/211/151/22 |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
History Meets Art on Museum Island
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