Happy Birthday Blue Orange!!

By living a life based on wisdom and truth, one can discover the divinity of the soul, its union to the universe, the supreme peace and contentment which comes from satisfying the inner drive for self-discovery.

Muata Ashby, Ancient Egyptian Proverbs

Way, way back in October 2016, I wrote a piece titled; What Gives a SL Club longevity?

I wrote it to celebrate my good friend Ini taking on a new venture, a club she called Blue Orange, (B.O.). In the article I talked about the fact I felt it would appeal to a certain element of Second Life society. It had a certain bohemian charm to it, the fact that it looked and felt very different to the vast majority of clubs in SL.

Unlike other clubs in SL it was devoid of the ubiquitous tip jars, there were no annoying “hosts” gesturbating, filling your screen with inane, nonsensical crap. I wrote about Ini’s desire to mix urban with classy elegant style to generate a smooth bohemian mood, a goal I think she’s achieved. The fact the decor worked brilliantly together giving a sense of grunge and grime meets chic and beatnik!

Over the years I sadly only made it to a few of her events however, the ones I did get to were brilliant, great music from great DJs who evidently have a passion for the Indie genre, although the club did have quite an eclectic mix of musical variety. One thing unique to B.O. was what Ini called at the time her “ArtCorner”. When the club first opened there was a secret door that took you to a modest, but fabulous gallery full of works by Ini herself and many of her fantastically talented friends. Check out her gallery on Flickr to see the beautifully crafted, original pieces she still produces!

Over the years her ArtCorner has grown and grown, it has hosted some of the most amazing and unique exhibitions in Second Life, one of my favourites came from an idea she got from a film by the author and director Sergey Paradjanov. I watched the film to get a taste for her inspiration and I have to tell you, I would not have come up with the idea in a million years however, it was amazing!

In the piece from 2016 I wrote; “So, it’s with a strong sense of hope that my friend Ini’s new venture succeeds, but you know, I genuinely think it has a very good chance”, so, it’s with great pleasure and much respect to Ini I can tell you, I was right!

Last weekend Blue Orange celebrated it’s fourth birthday, there are very, very few clubs the make it to one year, let alone four! The party wasn’t at the club though, instead the four exhilarating years of art exhibitions, themed events, and parties were celebrated at a special Ancient Egypt themed event. Four friends collaborated with Ini to bring the whole event to life, the sim was designed and built by Tralala Loordes and Patrick Page. There were music sets by Gitu Aura, (who has DJed with Ini from day one!) and Ini, and the event hosted a lookback photo slideshow by Grady Echegaray.

Sadly, sleepy head here, did fully intend to attend the party on the Saturday night however, as is the way at the moment, come 9pm, if I’m not working, or actually if I am working, I start to nod. I did manage to make it to the tail end though and was wowed by the whole celebration which, even though it had technically finished, there were still over thirty people dancing and generally having a good time! Tralala and Patrick are clearly geniuses, the build was amazing, packed full of Egyptology, Pyramids, Sarcophagi, Sphinx and Obelisks, vibrant with colour and beautifully placed to give a genuine feel of ancient Egypt. I did take some pictures as you will see but honestly, I’ve not done it justice. Sadly you won’t we able to see it though as it was a temporary installation, which is a real shame because actually, it was one of the best original creations I’ve ever seen in second life.

If you’ve never been to Blue Orange, you should. Ini tells me she doesn’t know how long she will have the power to run for much longer, I get it – the upkeep of an ordinary club is hard work, couple that with a living breathing gallery regularly hosting fabulous events, the hard work becomes a monumental effort and the stress must be enormous! That said, I really, really hope she does find the power, not only is Blue Orange a true icon of Second Life, Ini herself is a true icon with a creative mind very, very few people could match!

So, congratulations again to Tralala, Patrick, Gitu, Grady and of course the sphinxlike Ini, the event was clearly a huge triumph and the club itself well, here’s to another four years!

What’s on this week?

Head & Eyes – CATWA HEAD Catya v4.5

Hair – Stealthic – Sultry

Skin – [the Skinnery] Amber (Catwa) toffee BB

Body, Hands & Feet – Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V5.2 + [ session ] BOM Addons

Tattoo – [CAROL G] Funny Cat TaTToo

AO – Vista Animations *HUD 5.33*-ERIKA AO NOFACE CURVY-V21

Shape – [the Skinnery] Amber (Catwa Catya) Shape modified

Nails & Rings – **RE** Elektra Nails & Rings - Maitreya Bento

Necklace & Earrings – [ kunst ] - Alligator Set

Bracelets – Dahlia - La Mer

Face Piercings – ^^Swallow^^ Indira

Dress – Elegance Boutique -Dress Short Version- FATPACK - " Aphrodite"

Boots – Eudora3D Briar Heels (Maitreya)

Pictures taken at the Absolutely Wonderful Egypta which is sadly not there any more however, Blue Orange is still going stronger than ever, currently getting a face lift - watch this space!!