Finding the Joy of Music

October 22, 8:19 PMSecond Life ExaminerApollo Manga

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The IBM exhibit Finding the Joy of Music might be your avatar's only chance to walk up to an elevation of 1,100 meters (shown in this picture). That's not the main reason for going to see it, however. The real reason for visiting is simply to see an imaginative, well crafted exhibit by three outstanding Second Life creators, Madcow Cosmos, Lorin Tone, and Judi Newall. There are more pictures in the slide show below.

Entering the exhibit can be confusing at first. The first thing you see is two red arrows, one leading into water and the other a steep hill. Ignore them. Instead go through the entrance, where the first thing you'll encounter is a teleporter. Ignore it also. Later, when you know where you want to go, you can use it.

There are two other exhibits here, in addition to Finding the Joy of Music: The Day the Zoo Came to Town and The Goblin's Guide to Cooking Babies. The path to each one is hidden behind one of three books. The second book on the left is Finding the Joy of Music. Walk through it. It's phantom, so you won't have a problem. After you're through it, you can turn around and read the title to be sure you've entered the right path.

Once on the path, start walking. When you reach an elevation of 62 meters, you'll find a book, The Joy of Music, just before an entrance through a hedge. Take a copy. It's a beautifully crafted book that tells the story behind Finding the Joy of Music. Take a few moments to read it. It will enhance your enjoyment of the exhibit.

It's the story of a little boy whose parents and teachers are worried about him not being excited by music. One day, instead of taking the boy to school. his father dropped him off at hedge, where a path led upwards, and told him that this is where he'd spend the day. The path leads steadily upwards, through a series of stages at which the boy learns why music is important, until finally at the very top, he comes to feel the joy of music.

A word of advice: although you can walk to 1,100 meters, it is far above the maximum elevation for unassisted avatar flight and as you approach the top, there are places where it's easy to fall. If you have a flight feather or other flying assist, wear it, but don't use it unless necessary. This exhibit is too beautifully crafted to miss any of it.

Second Life members can teleport to the exhibit by clicking slurl.com/secondlife/IBM%202/166/24/23. It will probably be open through mid November. You can see more photos in the slide show below.

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All photographs in this report are by Erik Gordon Bainbridge.